著者

五位野 政彦

出版者

日本薬史学会

雑誌

薬史学雑誌 (ISSN:02852314)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.48, no.2, pp.169-174, 2013 (Released:2020-12-30)

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Jo-zai or tablet is a most popular form of pharmaceutical dosage in modern Japan. The term jo-zai first appears in the Japanese Navy Pharmacopoeia, First Edition (1872). Its Latin name was translated as torikisuki and was written in Japanese katakana characters. Jo-zai translated as trochischi can also be found in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia, First Edition (JP1) (1897). Its Latin name and definition have changed several times : trochisichi ; pastilli, JP3 (1906) ; tablettae, JP5 (1932) ; tabellae : JP6 (1951), etc. The etymon of the word jo-zai is based on the English word, lozenge. Its square-shaped form is similar to old Japanese silver coins. During Japan's Edo era (1603-1868) and in ancient China, silver coins were called jo. Therefore the word lozenge was translated into Japanese as jo-zai,combining the character for coin with the one for drug, zai.