Hakaru Miyagawa


Hakaru Miyagawa worked at Tama Zenshoen Sanatorium, Nagashima Aiseien Sanatorium, Okinawa Airakuen Sanatorium, Hoshizuka Keiaien Sanatorium and studied the history of leprosy.

Life

He was born at a Buddhist temple on January 26, 1905, in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture. He became a Christian later. After graduation from Chiba Prefectural Horticulture School, he worked at Zensho Hospital. He later went to Nagashima Aiseien Sanatorium following Kensuke Mitsuda. In 1938, he was appointed the first manager of Okinawa Airakuen Sanatorium. In 1941, he worked at Hoshizuka Keiaien Sanatorium and later at Nagashima Aiseien Sanatorium. On September 3, 1949, he died.

Greening and manager

As a graduate of Chiba Horticulture School, he worked for the greening of the hospitals, and it was said that all trees at Nagashima Aiseien Sanatorium were transplanted except pine trees. At the Zenshoen Hospital, he was one of the five active men, following Fumio Hayashi, Einosuke Shionuma, Isamu Tajiri and Kouzou Fujita. He was appointed the first manager of Okinawa Airakuen Sanatorium and started with digging wells.

Works on the history of leprosy in Japan

The Medical Certificate of the last woman with leprosy at Nishiyama Komyoin

  • Miyagawa recorded valuable medieval leprosy records, among which was a medical certificate of Nishiyama Naka at age 37 on November 1, 1881, by Misao Kusuda.
  • *Medical Certificate. Nishiyama Naka, age 37. Constitution: medium. Cause: unknown. Diagnosis: Lepra. Symptoms: Extremities were paralyzed. Muscles and Joints; Bleeding and Pustulating. Coughing was severe. Course:10 years. Treatment: none. Prognosis: poor. Diagnosing Doctor:Misao Kusuda.
  • *She was born to a rich man in Yamato-Takaichi-gun, and possessed land. She died in 1916 as the last inhabitant of the Nishiyama Komyoin.