Medical Studies on Rural Welfare at Toshima Island

Abstract

The Statistics of diseases at Toshima Island were obtained as follows :1. This survey was made by using medical record at a clinic established by Toshima village during the two following periods, from April 1953 to March 1954 and from March, 1956 to February 1957.(a) New cases at clinic were 470 during a period of a year from March 1956, 387 during from April, 1953 to March 1954, while the size of population on March, 1956 was 360 and that of on April, 1954 was 366.(b) About the classification of diseases, diseases of respiratory organs (mainly common cold), intestinal organs, nervous system, sensory organs and skin disease etc held greater part. Specific diseases which were characteristic to occupation were not recognized. The prevalence ratio of trachoma in school children decreased in recent year and was only 50 per cent in 1956.(c) The legal infectious diseases were not recognized at the time of the survey. The percentage of positive tuberculin reactor in younger age group was 60.7%.2. The intestinal parasites eggs were found in 36.0% of specimens examined. Ascaris in 30.2% and hookworm in 5.8%.3. The maximum blood pressure for over 31 years of age, in general, indicated lower tendency compared with that of the Japanese average. Maximum and minimum average figures were 131.0mmHg and 70.8mmHg in male, 132.6mmHg and 74.8mmHg in female.