Following Part 1 of this series, the development of organic chemistry in the field of science and technology, during the 20th century, which was the basis for medicinal-agrochemicals, is described in this paper. This is done by surveying specialized areas, such as natural product chemistry, bioorganic chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, organic syntheses, and organic reactions, and by referencing the prominent chemists who have made outstanding achievements in each field. Special attention is focused on the backgrounds and contributions of distinguished chemists including five Nobel laureates who made great efforts to reconstruct Japan’s organic chemistry during difficult times after World War II and Japan has become one of the best countries in the world in this field.

View full abstract

Objective: From the 16th to 19th centuries in Japan, saltpeter (potassium nitrate: KNO3), a major ingredient of gunpowder, was produced using three different methods: Kodo-hou, Baiyo-hou, and Shousekikyu-hou. We previously reported that Baiyo-hou had the advantage of affording high amounts and quality of saltpeter due to the available abundance of ammonium-nitrogen in the soil. In this study, we compared these three soils using metagenomic approach. Methods: We exhaustively analyzed the bacterial community in three soils conserved underground for 20 years: Kodo-hou, relic soil (Baiyo-hou of the Edo period) from underneath a Gassho residence, and cow manure substituted for Shousekikyu-hou, using 16S rRNA genes from soil bacteria. The nitrate ion (NO3-) concentration in the tested soils was also measured. Results and Discussion: A high concentration of NO3- was detected in the relic soil, cow manure and the soil from beneath the Gassho residence, while the soil from a general field was not. The metagenomic analyses of soils using 16S rRNA revealed that a similar abundance ratio of phyla was represented in both the Kodo-hou soil and cow manure when compared to the field soil. The profile of phyla in the Kodo-hou soil was extensively different from those of the other soils. The phylum Actinobacteria shared in the bacterial community of the Kodo-hou soil was 97%. The phylum Protobacteria shared in the bacterial communities was 30% from the field soil, 13% from relic soil and 46% from cow manure, respectively, while it was only 2% in the Kodo-hou soil. We further analyzed the genus level of soil bacteria that contributed to the nitrification and denitrification in the bacterial database. The genera Nitrospira, JG37-AG-70, Nitrobacter and Nitrosovibrio were identified as the bacteria for nitrification. These bacteria were found in the relic soil, cow manure and general field soil. No bacteria contributing to nitrification was detected in the Kodo-hou soil. The sequence read count of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonging to Nitrospira was much higher in Baiyo-hou soil than the other soils. The bacteria having the function of denitrification found in the soils were assigned to the general soils Rhodobacter, Pseudomonas, Paracoccus, and Bacillus. Taken together, the manufacturing of saltpeter might be a high biotechnological method for making saltpeter utilizing soil bacteria.

View full abstract

Introduction: During the Meiji Period, prefectural hospitals were founded for the treatment of patients with psychiatric diseases. In this study, the author investigated the directors of pharmacies at (1) Tokyo-Fu Tenkyo-In (1879-1889), (2) Tokyo Prefectural Sugamo Hospital (1889-1919), and (3) Tokyo Prefectural Matsuzawa Hospital (1919-). Methods: The author used materials from the Digital Collection of the National Diet Library, the Pharmacy and Life Sciences Library of Tokyo University, the Tokyo Metropolitan Archives, the National Archives of Japan, and the author's own collections. Results and Discussion: The Director of Pharmacy at Tokyo-Fu Tenkyo-In was Dr. Keisei SATO. He was a physician and also worked in the Hi-byoin, a hospital for infectious diseases. No Yakuhoshu (the official name of pharmacists in 1874-1890) worked at Tokyo-Fu Tenkyo-In. Tsutomu ITAGAKI became the first authorized pharmacist and the Director of Pharmacy at Tokyo Prefectural Sugamo Hospital. Before Sugamo Hospital, he worked at Komagome Hospital, where infectious diseases were treated. Shohei NINOMIYA was the Director of Pharmacy at Sugamo Hospital from 1905-1911. He worked in Mohan-Yakkyoku (currently the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Tokyo Hospital). After retiring from Sugamo Hospital, NINOMIYA was employed at Roche Company as Japan’s first medical representative. Three persons that earned a Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science Degree at Tokyo Imperial University assumed posts as directors at Tokyo Prefectural Matsuzawa Hospital from 1923-1944, and later became professors at medical schools. They were Katsumi TANI (1923-1927), Shizuo KATO (1927-1937), and Jiro BABA (1937-1944). KATO became the president of Tokyo Joshi Yakugaku Senmon-Gakko (Tokyo Pharmaceutical School for Women) in 1937. Psychiatric diseases were subject to prejudice in those days. Well-qualified staff were needed at Tokyo prefectural hospitals to treat such diseases. The position of Director of Pharmacy in prefectural hospitals was considered a high status profession among pharmacists. The author discovered that, in those days, individuals that held the position of Director of Pharmacy at Matsuzawa Hospital had no specialized training in the field of psychiatric medicine. However, they did have specialized knowledge in other fields including pharmaceutical sciences. This pharmaceutical knowledge together with their experience allowed them to make a contribution to psychiatric medical treatments.

View full abstract

Objective: The history of Opopanax dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times, and in ancient Greece BC, it was also known as all-heal and was evaluated as Heraklion (Heracles' all-heal, all-healing). Regarding the resin component of Opopanax, in recent years, many compounds such as ferulic acid, phthalides, and coumarins have been extracted and isolated as phytochemical components, and their chemical structures have been analyzed. Furthermore, their biological and pharmacological activities have been elucidated. Considering these as phytochemical and pharmacological evidence of Opopanax, the author considered the possibility of utilizing Opopanax as a therapeutic agent for diseases such as psychiatric/neurological disorders and dementia. Method: 1) The author investigated the composition of Opopanax utilizing overseas academic literature from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. 2) Researching recent overseas academic literature, the author also investigated the phytochemical composition of Opopanax and its biological and pharmacological activities. Results: 1) From overseas academic literature surveys taken in the late 1800s to the early 1900s, it was found that the components of Opopanax contained oporesinotannol C12H13O2OH as a resin alcohol and ferulic acid as a resin acid. 2) From the surveys of recent overseas academic literature, it was found that the phytochemical composition of Opopanax includes 6 types of phthalides, 15 types of coumarins, and polyacetylene compounds. Additionally, their compounds have various biological and pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, and antibacterial effects. As a result of reviewing recent overseas research literature containing a survey on the phytochemical components of Opopanax, it was confirmed that Opopanax also contains various components found in Umbelliferae herbal medicines, such as Angelica acutiloba, Cnidii, Angelica dahurica, and Glehnia. Conclusion: Recent overseas research has resulted in the extraction and isolation of 6 kinds of phthalides, 15 kinds of coumarins, polyacetylene compounds, and other compounds from Opopanax in addition to ferulic acid, and their biological and pharmacological activities have been revealed. It was clarified and confirmed that Opopanax also contains various ingredients found in Umbelliferae herbal medicines such as Angelica acutiloba, Cnidii, Angelica dahurica, and Glehnia. Therefore, it can be expected that this product will have the effects of Angelica acutiloba, Cnidii, Angelica dahurica, and Glehnia according to each ingredient. It is considered that it may be possible to utilize Opopanax for the sedation of psychiatric and neurological disorders and improvement of cognitive function related to Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore, when an antiinflammatory component such as furanocoumarin contained in Opopanax is used as phytochemical and pharmacological evidence, it can be expected that Opopanax will be applied to various inflammatory diseases. That is, in the medical field, it is possible that Opopanax can be applied as a therapeutic drug for a wide range of diseases.

View full abstract

Objective: The Pharmaceutical Sciences Library at The University of Tokyo holds the History of Pharmacy Library as a collection. In this article, the author clarifies the significance of reprinting and publication of the “North China Relations / Manchuria Relations document in the Pharmaceutical History Library. Methods: The background for reprinting and publishing the Chinese Medicine Survey by Tatsuo Kariyone and Opium Material by Osamu Kishi is described． Results and Conclusion: It is expected that reprinting the publications promoted herbal research and opium policy research by the East Asia Development Board during the Sino-Japanese War.

View full abstract