Dr. Erwin von Baelz
Dr. Erwin von Baelz
Dr Erwin von Baelz(1)
For Japanese people, there are three unforgettable foreign medical doctorswho have come to Japan.
Those are Dr Engelbert Kaempfer , Dr.
Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold and Dr Erwin von Baelz.
Dr Baelz , a German physician ,is called the father of modern Japanese medicine.
He was invited as an advisory foreign doctor by the Meiji Government.
He played a major role in modernizing Japanese medicine and reforming the medical education system.
He came to Japan in 1876 from the town of Bietigheim near Sttutgart,Germany after a long trip by boat.
He was a physician , as well as an anthropologist and worked as a professor at the Medical School of Tokyo Imperial University.
He diligently kept a diary during his stay in Japan and “The Diary of Dr.Bealz” was published by his son, Toku Baelz .
It was translated into Japanese and English ,and has been read widely by Japanese , German and other people .
From his writings we are able to know a lot of things about the daily living of Japanese people at that time.
As he was a medical doctor,he had many acquaintances in the royal family and with senior officers, including prime ministers of the Meiji Government .
He had also many friends in foreign eｍbassies and delegations in Japan.
