Purpose: The author investigated the pharmaceutical review Nihon Yakuho, which was launched by the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan in January 1926. It contained various kinds of information in the field of pharmaceutical sciences and was provided to members. The author investigated what happened with activities of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan as a result of this publication. Method: The author investigated the contents of the first issues of Nihon Yakuho from January 1920 to December 1942. The author examined what kinds of papers and articles were published in the newspaperstyle Nihon Yakuho, which is published twice a month. Results: Nihon Yakuho contained a wide range of information regarding the pharmaceutical field. A wide variety of topics were covered, including academic, dissertations, reviews, administrative news, pharmacy school news, trends in academic societies, personnel news, haiku, new book introductions, newly released products, overseas pharmaceutical news, and more. The number of members joining the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan increased due to its publication. Discussion: Pharmaceutical journals that publish research results were first published in 1881. Forty-five years later, Nihon Yakuho was first launched in 1926, targeting not only researchers but also general members. This is thought to be due to world movements such as the Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War, and World War I, which created an opportunity for people to seek out a variety of information. Conclusion: The strong feelings of pharmaceutical scientists at the time are conveyed to us today through the published papers and articles. It is most important to learn about history, pass it on, and look ahead to the future.

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During the Edo Period, Chinese medicine was developed into Japan's own Kampo medicine. Treatment in the Edo Period was provided with prescription and medications based on Chinese herbal medicine. However, these drugs were only used for symptomatic treatment. In the late Edo Period, Dutch medicine was introduced, and expanded the options for treating illness and injury. In addition, vaccination against smallpox was introduced to Japan, finally opening the door to the prevention of infectious diseases. However, the mechanism of disease pathogenesis was not understood. And there were no effective remedies for some diseases such as gout and beriberi, and people often relied on charms or folk medicines.

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Crude drug specimens are quite precious materials which allow us to confirm the morphology of the crude drugs of their collective era. However, because of the difficulty of preservation, such specimens have been disposed of. We wanted to show the importance of those specimens by utilizing them during our studies concerning OGATA Koan's medicinal practice. OGATA Koan was a physician in the late Edo period. His two medicine boxes are preserved at Osaka University, and we have studied them. We have utilized the crude drug specimens stored at Osaka University in those studies. First, we used specimens for morphological comparisons. It is especially difficult to collect the standards of crude drugs which are not used in today's Japanese Kampo medicine or whose origins have changed over the years. Second, we analyzed some suits of crude drug specimens which should reflect the medicinal backgrounds of collectors. As a result of statistical analysis, we revealed and visually showed that OGATA Koan used both Western and Eastern medicines. Third, we applied them with scientific analysis. For the establishment of novel non-destructive analysis, we focused on muonic X-ray analysis. We used one of the specimens to confirm the availability of that method before carrying it out with Koan's medicine bottle. Finally, we succeeded in analyzing Koan's bottle by that novel method, and it was the first time it had been applied to a medical inheritance. Our study couldn't be conducted without the crude drug specimens. It is quite important for not only storing, but also sorting and comprehending the specimens to utilize them. We keep utilizing those specimens to emphasize the importance of protecting them and advancing our historical studies.

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Objective: Given that natural saltpeter deposits are absent in Japan, the artificial production of saltpeter was necessary from the Azuchi-Momoyama period to the end of the Edo period for the manufacture of gunpowder. The methods of saltpeter production in Japan are generally known as the Kodo-hou, Baiyohou and Shousekikyu-hou methods. Methods: In this study, the origin of these production methods was examined through a review of historical literature, on-site investigations, and analysis of subfloor soil. To clarify the origin of saltpeter production in Japan, the subfloor soil of houses built several decades ago and soil generated using the Baiyo-hou method were analyzed, historical literature on saltpeter production was reviewed, and interviews in Tanegashima were conducted. Results and Discussion: Analysis of subfloor soil and interviews with homeowners revealed that the concentration of nitrate was higher in the subfloor soil of houses that had formerly been used for silkworm farming and livestock sheds than in the subfloor soil of ordinary households. The concentration of nitrate was higher in soil supplemented with silkworm feces than in ordinary subfloor soil. Tanegashima, which is historically known for being a site where firearms were introduced to Japan, provided an appropriate environment for saltpeter production because of its significance in the Nanban trade. Tanegashima was covered with various pastures known as Maki, indicating that soils were often enriched in nitrate around the island. During the Sengoku period, information on saltpeter production, including the Kodo-hou method, reached the Daimyos region in western and southern Japan. Saltpeter manufacturing via the Kodo-hou method was derived from Western countries given that wood ash was not used to produce saltpeter in China. Conclusion: The Kodo-hou method of saltpeter production was possibly first used in Tanegashima, which was strategically located in a key area for maritime transport, and it facilitated the compounding of gunpowder under appropriate conditions. The Baiyo-hou method was developed from the Kodo-hou method, but both Japanese architectural structures and sericulture practices are thought to have contributed to the development of this method. The development of the niter-bed method observed in the late Edo period in Satsuma and Kaga might have been associated with the introduction of Western military tactics and herbal medicine through Dutch studies.

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Introduction: This study was performed to investigate the process of introducing a modern hospital pharmaceutical system in Yamanashi Prefecture during the Meiji period. Method: The following materials were used: Yakugaku Zasshi, Yakuzaishi, and the materials from The National Diet Library Digital Collection, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences Library, and the author's collections. Results and Discussion: In 1867, the Yamanashi (Kofu) Prefecture government established a new prefectural hospital modeled after the modern European medical system. Physicians could then dispense medicines through the hospital pharmacy. In 1886, Sokichi Hasui began working as a pharmacist at the prefectural hospital. Until the early 1900s, prefectural hospital pharmacies were connected to the Mohan Pharmacy of Tokyo Imperial University, and associates served as pharmacy directors. Owing to the prefecture's financial issues and the hospital's problems, the management of Yamanashi Prefecture Hospital fell into disfavor and the pharmacy directors were replaced for a short period during the first decade of the 20th century until Jugoro Nakakouji assumed the position in 1908. In 1885, a health science laboratory was opened at the prefectural hospital where hospital pharmacists officially conducted public health surveys. The number of surveys conducted at the prefectural hospital decreased when a new laboratory was opened in 1900 at the private Yamanashi Hospital. Pharmacist Jihei Narushima, who later became the mayor of Kofu City, served as the president of the Yamanashi Pharmaceutical Association for many years. The ascendancy of the private Yamanashi Hospital laboratory and the influence of the Yamanashi Pharmaceutical Association prevented hospital pharmacists from playing a driving role in the introduction of the modern pharmaceutical system to Yamanashi Prefecture in the early 20th century.

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Purpose: Passiflora edulis Sims (P. edulis) is rich in secondary metabolite flavonoids such as flavonoid C-glucoside (C-glycosyl flavones). Therefore, it is plausible that flavonoids are the causative compound of its anxiolytic effect. However, despite the total flavonoid content of Passiflora alata Curtis (hereinafter P. alata) being half that of P. edulis, both species showed similar anxiolytic effects. In this regard, it is possible that the anxiolytic effect of P. alata is due to the involvement of other bioactive substances (secondary metabolites) in addition to flavonoids. In this study, the author conducted a literature survey on the phytochemical analysis and pharmacological and biological activity of steroids and triterpenoid O-glycosides (saponins) that were isolated and identified as bioactive substances in addition to flavonoids in the historical process of analyzing the phytochemical components of P. alata extracts. The author then considered the involvement of steroids and triterpenoid O-glycosides (saponins) in the psycho-neurological effects. Methods: From the research reports used in reference of Noriega, et al. Passiflora alata Curtis: a Brazilian medicinal plant (2011), reports refered in the author's 29th report were extracted as materials for this report. From these materials, research was conducted on the phytochemical and pharmacological activities of the bioactive substances isolated and identified from P. alata, mainly C-glycosyl flavones, steroids, and triterpenoid O-glycosides (saponins). Furthermore, a Web search was used to extract report materials as recent research report materials on terpenoid saponins, a component of P. alata. Results: Reginatto, et al. (2001) separated the n-butanol fraction (crude saponin fraction) of the ethanol extract of P. alata leaves into five compounds (glycosides) by chromatographing on a Silica gel column, and identified their chemical structures by a combination of MS and 1H-NMR. Birk, et al. (2005) reported that in the saponin patterns shown in the TLC fingerprints of 14 species of Passiflora sp., only the extracts of P. alata and the reference substances of 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 to 2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-oleanolic acid and quadranguloside showed distinctive spots under visible light and UV366 light. In other words, among the extracts of 14 species of Passiflora sp., the extracts of P. alata showed saponins as the main metabolites, while the other 13 metabolites appeared to be flavonoids. Dutra, et al. (2023) identified saponin quadranguloside, 3-O-beta-Dglucopyranosyl-(1 to 2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-oleanolic acid, and vitexin-2-O-rhamnoside from 1H-NMR related signals (metabolic profiles). These components were identified as metabolites involved in the discrimination of P. alata from Passiflora sp. According to Xu, et al. (2023), four genes (HMGR, DXR, HDS, and SM) of the terpenoid biosynthetic pathway were all found in large quantities in P. alata. Conclusion: C-glycosylflavones were thought to be the causative bioactive substances for the mental and neurological effects of Passiflora sp., such as anxiolytic, sedative, and antidepressant effects. In P. alata, the flavonoid composition is simpler and flavonoid content is lower than that of P. edulis, so the presence of other bioactive substances is considered to be the causative agent. Among the five steroid and triterpenoid O-glycosides (saponins) identified by Reginatto, et al. (2001) from the ethanol extract of P.alata leaves, the quantification results of quadranguloside by Reginatto, et al. (2004) and the identification of three metabolites from the ethanol extract of P. alata leaves by 1H-NMR metabolic profiling by Dutra, et al. (2023) suggest that quadranguloside is the most likely causative agent of the anxiolytic effect. However, detailed academic information on the central nervous system depressant effect (anxiolytic effect) of this compound was not obtained from a search of this literature.

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Objective: Gamification, a method of incorporating game elements into educational and social activities, has also begun to be utilized in the field of pharmaceutical sciences and clinical pharmacy. This study examines the history, educational effectiveness, and social impact of gamification in the pharmaceutical field. Method: The authors reviewed pharmaceutical-related games, primarily via web-based sources, and compared them with those in related fields such as medicine, nursing and chemistry. Results: In the field of pharmaceutical sciences and clinical pharmacy, games aimed at preparing for the national pharmacist examination have been developed since around 2010 and have shown certain educational benefits; however, it has become clear that their impact on public awareness is limited compared to other fields. Conclusion: Moving forward, collaboration with subcultures, such as animation and comics, is expected to help spread knowledge of pharmaceutical sciences and the role of pharmacists to the general public.

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Objective: This study compares the current status of traditional medicine in China, Japan, and Korea, focusing on the types of formulations used and periods during which they were first formulated. Methods: Six official textbooks used by traditional medical doctors in China were surveyed. Two textbooks used in universities of Korean medicine in Korea were examined. The formulations for prescriptions and over-the-counter Kampo medicine in Japan were analyzed. Regarding the books containing the listed formulations, the eras in which they were published were identified and compared. Results: In China and Korea, the formulations created in each era were used evenly. However, in Japan, a high proportion of formulations included in the textbooks Shanghanlun and Jinguiyaolue written during the Han dynasty, but not formulations created in the Qing dynasty and later periods, were used. Conclusion: The types of traditional medicine formulations currently used in Japan differ from those used in China and Korea, and are influenced by the Koho school which emphasizes the empirical use of medications described in the Shanghanlun and Jinguiyaolue.

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Purpose: Keisuke Ito (1803-1901) was a professor at the University of Tokyo, Japan’s first doctor of science, and a baron. He was a botanist working at Koishikawa Botanical Garden. He was also a Dutch-style doctor. His third son is Kenzaburo (1851-1879). The actual situation of interactions between Keisuke, Kenzaburo and Ito's fellow countrymen Shokei Shibata (1849-1910) and his older brother Shu (Sekitai) Nagasaka (1845-1924) will be revealed from Keisuke Ito’s Diary (1873-1881). Method: The historical material used is Keisuke Ito's Diary (1873-1881) (handwritten). Decipher the relevant parts of his diary to uncover the intimate reality (Collection of Nagoya city Higashiyama Botanical Garden). The deciphering of the diary is entirely by the author and is not a quotation from the printed material. Results: The two sons (Shokei Shibata and Shu Nagasaka) of Shuji Nagasaka (a doctor in the Owari domain) whom Keisuke has known since his days as a doctor in the Owari domain, and Keisuke and Kenzaburo had a close relationship both in public and private life in Tokyo. The author reveled the actual state of that exchange. Conclusion: Keisuke Ito, Kenzaburo Ito, Shokei Shibata, Shu (Sekitai) Nagasaka, the factors that connect these four people are (1) they were from Nagoya, Owari domain (2) they were related to the University of Tokyo (3) they were medical experts (4) they were active as residents of Tokyo, and (5) they had a strong relationship of trust and interacted closely on a daily basis. As a friend of Kenzaburo and deeply respected by Keisuke Ito, Shokei Shibata sometimes visited Keisuke's house (14, Masago-cho, Hongo) and worked hard to treat Kenzaburo's illness as a counselor and doctor. Also, his older brother Shu (Sekitai) Nagasaka worked hard to treat Keisuke's illness (rheumatic disease). Nagasaka also created the text for Keisuke Ito's tombstone (Yanaka Cemetery, Tokyo).

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