jan 1, 1774 - 1774—First Japanese Book on Western Anatomy Published

Description:

Granted permission to observe the dissection of an executed woman, a small group of Edo scholars realized their understanding of human anatomy (based on Chinese theory) was wrong. What they witnessed corresponded closely to a Dutch book on anatomy owned by one of the scholars, Dr. Sugita Genpaku. Although the ban on Western books had been lifted years earlier, very few books on Western medicine were available. Genpaku was so impressed by the book he immediately committed himself to learn Dutch so that he could translate it into Japanese for further study. Published in 1774, the book helped usher in a period known as Dutch Learning.

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