The Japanese Journal of Health and Medical Sociology

The author had a chance around 1960 to be one of the last members of the Medical Sociology Study Group. Founded in Tokyo in the mid 1950s, the group was said to be the first study group of medical sociology in Japan. At that time the introduction of the universal health insurance threw the Japanese medical world into turmoil: the Japanese Medical Association threatened the government to have an advantage at the medical fee schedule negotiation while hospital workers went on strike throughout the country aiming to improve their working conditions. The validity of medical sociology should be examined by focusing on its approach to the changing medical world on one hand, and by comparing its approach with the approaches of other disciplines stimulated in that decade on the other.

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I. More and more young members, particularly nurses and social workers have been joining our society. Members consist of workers from different disciplines with sociological interest in common and our society attracts us, providing with opportunity for contact with a variety of ideas which cannot be met elsewhere. I wish currently leading members to guide junior members, drawing their research potentials out and wish junior members active participation and full utilization of opportunities. The 21st century was opened by wars by an arrogant and powerful country with false justifications. History teaches us that control by force never persists. Scholars must not betray the truth. The society must tell the truth to people and should be an organization which always protects research as well as researchers. II. New research methods such as grounded theory or narrative become fashionable. These methodologies are at a developing stage and more experience needs to be gathered. Mutual understanding and cooperation between these and established methodologies, such as statistical approach are required. III. Health and Medical Sociology as Applied Science to Practice Research with a perfect design may hinder progress in health science, if an investigator is lacking in passion and motivation for improving services to the people. An example in epidemiological research was presented. We should remember our history of failures and mistakes in treating Hansen's disease, AIDS and Minamata disease by medical authorities and the government.

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