SEISHŪ IN TRIPLICATE: POPULAR REPRESENTATIONS OF A PIONEERING JAPANESE PHYSICIAN

Abstract

This thesis aims to examine the pioneering Japanese physician Hanaoka Seishū within the context of a global history of science that has thus far been dominated by Western-centric perspectives and great men. Even though Hanaoka Seishū was the first physician to carry out surgery on a patient under general anaesthesia, and in fact concocted that anesthesia himself, he has received limited recognition outside of Japan. In this thesis, I argue that Hanaoka Seishū has been neglected in the global history of science thus far, owing to strong linkages between Western science and modernity, which are reinforced even today in media representations. As such, an inordinate amount of attention has been devoted to finding more information about figures like Darwin, while non-Western scientists continue to languish in relative obscurity. Consequently, Hanaoka Seishū’s reputation has been dominated by two famous narratives written by medical historian Shuzo Kure and novelist Ariyoshi Sawako, both of which sought to portray him in a favourable manner for their own motives. The distortions present in both accounts have led the public to misunderstand who Hanaoka Seishū was; and that misalignment requires correction. In my last chapter, I discuss how and where Hanaoka Seishū, as a representative of the networks and communities he lived in, might fit into a global history of science.