著者
由井 秀樹
出版者
日本科学史学会
雑誌
科学史研究 (ISSN:21887535)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.52, no.268, pp.177-186, 2013 (Released:2021-07-12)

Little is known about the meaning of medical intervention in the area of male infertility in Japan. In order to investigate this issue, this paper analyzes the topic through a review of professional journals for obstetricians and gynecologists in Japan from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s. The paper shows how artificial insemination by donor (AID) was introduced into the study of obstetrics and gynecology in Japan as a part of male infertility studies. The research clarifies four main points. First, the introduction of AID by Ando Kakuichi, who was an obstetrician and gynecologist at Keio University was related to contraception studies; due to the rapid population increase at the time, contraception studies were encouraged. Second, although there had been little investigation into male infertility problems until World War II, Ando regarded male infertility as an important issue and introduced AID after the war. Third, some obstetricians and gynecologists were opposed to AID; at Keio University, AID was seen as the last resort for male infertility, and in the mid-1950s, in order to obviate the need for AID as far as possible, new male fertility tests were developed, and ways to help sperm recover their viability were published. Fourth, after the introduction of AID by Ando, male infertility studies were also developed at other universities and they formed an important subject in the field. Consequently, not only the female body but also the male body became an object of intervention in obstetrics and gynecology in Japan.

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出版者
日本科学史学会
雑誌
科学史研究 (ISSN:21887535)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.52, no.265, pp.29-36, 2013 (Released:2021-07-14)
著者
水沢 光
出版者
日本科学史学会
雑誌
科学史研究 (ISSN:21887535)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.52, no.266, pp.70-80, 2013 (Released:2021-07-12)

In World War II, when Japan was under a scientific blockade, the Ministry of Education provided a science and technology information service, such as summary reports of foreign journals and translations of foreign books. The information service covered a wide area of scientific investigation. Although the Japanese government advocated an emphasis on wartime research at its August 1943 Cabinet meeting, the Ministry of Education continued to expand the information service. Previous studies give no details on how these science-promoting measures were adopted in wartime. This paper, using the Inumaru Records in Japan's National Diet Library, reveals that the information service started and expanded through a loose coalition between scientists and Ministry of Education officials. Inumaru Hideo( 1904-1990) was a Ministry of Education official who took charge of the information service. In August 1942, the Ministry started a summary reports service for German academic journals in response to scientist complaints about the blockade. The Ministry left the choice of journals up to scientists, and the reports service continued to expand until late 1944. In July 1943, the Ministry started a translation project for foreign books, addressing a decline in students' academic ability resulting from a cut in higher-education requirements. In the project, textbooks in various fields translated into Japanese, and the translation project continued after the war.
著者
詫間 直樹 中島 秀人
出版者
日本科学史学会
雑誌
科学史研究 (ISSN:21887535)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.52, no.266, pp.81-91, 2013 (Released:2021-07-12)

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster has revealed the huge potential risk inherent in nuclear power generation. It adds very much to the existing energy problems such as depletion of fuels and global warming. To achieve substantial reduction in both fossil and nuclear energy, not only the enhancement of renewable energy on the supply-side but also the suppression of energy consumption on the demand-side would be required. Low-energy building technology is considered an effective means of energy consumption reduction. EU is the front-runner of this field, in terms of the level of technology, the adequacy of regulation, and the degree of diffusion. This implies that the development of low-energy building technology in Europe is worth historical study. With regard to historiography, we emphasize the complex nature of technological developments. It is not a linear, steady process. It turns and twists. A technological path is a result of aggregation of interactions - either conflicts or collaborations - among a variety of heterogeneous actors. Such complexity and heterogeneity often enrich the quality of technological development, according to the debates on the "resistance to new technologies " and the "unlocking of technological trajectories ". We also indicate some historical lessons such as the role of new entrants, the necessity of nurturing space for innovation, and the importance of sharing the basic concept of the technology among related actors.

1 0 0 0 OA 紹介

出版者
日本科学史学会
雑誌
科学史研究 (ISSN:21887535)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.52, no.266, pp.101-102, 2013 (Released:2021-07-12)

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出版者
日本科学史学会
雑誌
科学史研究 (ISSN:21887535)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.51, no.264, pp.253, 2012 (Released:2021-07-20)

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出版者
日本科学史学会
雑誌
科学史研究 (ISSN:21887535)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.51, no.263, pp.181-189, 2012 (Released:2021-07-20)
著者
日野川 静枝
出版者
日本科学史学会
雑誌
科学史研究 (ISSN:21887535)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.51, no.264, pp.199-209, 2012 (Released:2021-07-20)

This paper examines the way the University of California's Radiation Laboratory, which was at the center of cyclotron development in the 1930s, became a center of military research for the development of new weapons. Focusing on Alfred Lee Loomis (1887-1975), the author elucidates the nature of his relationship with the Radiation Laboratory from late 1939 through the autumn of 1940. Three points are clarified: 1) Loomis' role in getting a 184-inch cyclotron planned: 2) the significance of his presence as Lawrence's "partner" in getting the actual construction started; and 3) Loomis' role in getting the Radiation Laboratory's microwave research incorporated into the National Defense Research Committee's military research.
著者
水沢 光
出版者
日本科学史学会
雑誌
科学史研究 (ISSN:21887535)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.51, no.264, pp.210-219, 2012 (Released:2021-07-20)

In 1939, Japan's Ministry of Education established the Subsidiary Fund for Scientific Research, a predecessor to the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI), which supported basic scientific research in Japan. The budget of this Fund was twice the sum of the existing research grants. Even though the Second Sino-Japanese War was in progress, the Ministry of Education emphasized the need for basic scientific research. Previous studies site impact of scientific blockade against Japan or then Minister's influence as main reason for Establishment of the Subsidiary Fund for Scientific Research. However, the ban was not serious in 1939; in fact, from 1936 to 1940, foreign books and magazines were available in Japan. The Ministry of Education had started searching for new ways to promote science and its study well before the change in government. Therefore, the information from previous studies is inadequate. In this paper, the author focuses on the "unsustainable development of applied research" during the Second Sino-Japanese War. When the war started, the scientific community started providing applied research in response to wartime demands. Scientists started working towards allaying the shortage in natural resources and military material that had been brought about by the economic block against Japan. It became obvious then that a lack of talented scientists, scientific facilities, and research funds were hindering the progress of applied research. Scientists started asking the Ministry of Education to swiftly employ measures to promote science. This resulted in the Ministry establishing the Subsidiary Fund for Scientific Research. In prewar Japan, the environment for academic research was very poor; due to this, a single-minded focus on applied research was unsustainable.