Greetings

The Japanese Society for the History of Medicine has a history of nearly 100 years since its founding in 1927, and more than 130 years since its predecessor, the Private Society for the Promotion of Medical History, held its first meeting in 1892. As can be seen from its website, the first generation of medical history researchers, such as Shuzo Kure, Tatsukichi Irisawa, Yu Fujikawa and Goichi Fujinami, put the society on track in the pre-war period. During and after the war, the medical legal historian Tasuku Yamazaki supported the society. Then Koichi Uchibayashi ran the Society at Nihon University School of Medicine, and later Teizo Ogawa established The Laboratory of the History of Medicine at Juntendo University. Since then, the secretariat of the Society has been located at the Juntendo University Laboratory of Medical History for about 60 years.

I have recently had the good fortune to assume the presidency of this historical society. Accordingly, the society and the secretariat have also been moved to my home institution, Nishogakusha University. I received my degree from the Faculty of Literature and began my research on the history of Kanpo medicine at the Kitasato Institute. Since that time, I have been engaged in research on the history of Kanpo medicine as part of 'Kangaku' (learning through Kanbun). Ever since the Private Society for the Promotion of Medical Sciences began its journey in the Meiji era to unite Western and traditional medicine, this society has developed by encompassing a wide range of disciplines related to the history of medicine. While maintaining as much as possible the good traditions that the Society has built up, we will strive to build a sustainable structure that responds to the current situation. We would be grateful for your support.

In addition, we have decided to set up a committee for the promotion of medical history education from this year. We will continue to promote activities to broaden the scope of medical history research and look forward to your guidance and encouragement.

3 June 2023.
13th President Senjuro Machi