Radiology in Japan.

Abstract

A visit to Japan by an American radiologist is an experience at once salutary and enlightening. The economic and professional situation of the Japanese radiologist is so difficult, his working conditions so onerous, his equipment so inferior, as compared with ours, that the visitor is imbued with a deep gratitude for the opportunities afforded to us here in the United States. The history of radiology in Japan dates back to early 1896; Roentgen's discovery was introduced into that country by a Japanese physicist who had been working in Roentgen's laboratory. The progress of radiology in Japan, as was the case in most fields of medicine, followed closely the German pattern until some time before World War II. Harassed by the demands of the military, long before the War, and ravaged by the War itself, the hospitals in Japan suffered greatly. Medical men in general were greatly restricted by a lack of facilities, proper equipment, and opportunities for educational advancement. The radiologist, because of the expensive character of his equipment, suffered probably more than all the rest. The technological development in this field practically ceased, so that, generally speaking, x-ray equipment in Japan at the present time is far behind ours. In some institutions it is completely antiquated; in others it is more modem but still grossly inadequate. Only now, for example, are rotating anode tubes being manufactured and coming into use. The Japanese use a condenser discharge apparatus to a far greater degree than do we for diagnosis and, to a lesser degree, for therapy. Their intensifying screens are much faster than ours but exhibit a serious lack of detail. Their films are somewhat slower; nevertheless, they, too, do not produce good detail. The Japanese radiologist is intellectually well qualified and is thoroughly familiar with the radiological literature. Some of the Japanese radiologists have contributed most substantially to the advancement of the specialty; it should be noted that Koga, in Tokyo, practised photofluorography even before d'Abreu. Furthermore, Higuchi and several others have been using photofluorography for the examination of the stomach for a number of years. The radiologists in Japan have used body-section roentgenography probably to a greater degree than have we and some of their most modern equipment in this field, recently manufactured in their own plants, is of excellent character. Takahashi has done some splendid work on the development of various kinds of body-section radiography, including rotary types of section, with a very ingenious device for this purpose. These are only a few examples of the splendid contributions that have been made by Japanese radiologists; there are, of course, many others. In addition, many important research projects are under way. The radiologist, in company with his fellow practitioners in Japan, is intensely interested in research and in graduate training.