Erwin Bälz
Encyclopedia
Erwin Bälz was a German
internist, anthropologist, personal physician to the Japanese Imperial Family and cofounder of modern (western) medicine in Japan
.
in Germany
. He attended grammar school in Stuttgart
and studied medicine at Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
. He graduated at the age of 23, and subsequently worked at the medical department of the University of Leipzig
in 1869, and served as a medic in the German army during the Franco-Prussian War
in 1870. He returned to the University of Leipzig in 1875.
While at Leipzig, he treated a Japanese exchange student, which led to the offer by the Japanese government of a two-year contract with the Medical College of Tokyo Imperial University in 1876. Bälz’s contract was renewed several times, and he ended up spending 27 years in Japan, the longest of any of the Oyatoi gaikokujin advisors. In 1881, he married a Japanese woman, Toda Hanako, and had two children.
In the summer of 1899, Bälz visited the Korea
n capital Seoul
and Busan
and undertook ethnological investigations. From 22 April to 3 July 1903, he was again in Korea and, together with Richard Wunsch, undertook an expedition into the interior of the country.
In 1902, he was appointed personal physician-in-waiting to Emperor Meiji
and the Imperial household of Japan.
Bälz taught more than 800 students in Western medicine during his tenure at the University of Tokyo. During his stay in Japan, he treated some of the most influential men in the Meiji government, including Prime Ministers
Itō Hirobumi
and Yamagata Aritomo
. On Bälz' initiative, the volcanic springs of Kusatsu
(200 km away from Tokyo) were transformed into the most successful hot spring
resort of Japan. He compared the area with the European spa resort of Karlsbad
, and felt that mountainous air, as well as the clear waters, was very conducive to health. In the year 2000, a commemorative museum honoring Bälz was erected in Kusatsu.
Another medical contribution was the discovery and naming of "Mongolian spot
". Finding blue spots in Japanese babies, he thought these spots were characteristic of the Mongoloid races.
In 1905, Bälz returned to Germany. In Stuttgart
, late in the summer of 1913, Bälz succumbed to heart disease.
in Stuttgart. A stone sculpture at Tübingen University reminds of his merits for the Japanese medical science. In 1961, a sister city relationship between Kusatsu and Bietigheim-Bissingen was established.
After his death, his diary Das Leben eines deutschen Arztes im erwachenden Japan (1931, tr. The Diary of a German Doctor in Awakening Japan) was published, giving unique insights into Japan in the Meiji era.
In 1883, while staying at the Fujiya Hotel
in Miyanoshita, Hakone, Bälz noticed that his maid's hands were chapped. He made a mixture of glycerin and water for her, which was later sold widely in Japan under the name of Bälz Water. It is also listed in the Japan Pharmacopoeia
.
During his time in Japan, Bälz became a fan of judo
, and is credited with introducing the sport to Germany.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
internist, anthropologist, personal physician to the Japanese Imperial Family and cofounder of modern (western) medicine in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Biography
Son of a contractor, Bälz was born in 1849 in Bietigheim-BissingenBietigheim-Bissingen
Bietigheim-Bissingen is the second-largest town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany with 42,515 inhabitants in 2007. It is situated on the river Enz, close to its confluence with the Neckar, about 19 km north of Stuttgart, and 20 km south of Heilbronn.- Buildings...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He attended grammar school in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
and studied medicine at Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen is a public university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of Germany's oldest universities, internationally noted in medicine, natural sciences and the humanities. In the area of German Studies it has been ranked first among...
. He graduated at the age of 23, and subsequently worked at the medical department of the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
in 1869, and served as a medic in the German army during the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
in 1870. He returned to the University of Leipzig in 1875.
While at Leipzig, he treated a Japanese exchange student, which led to the offer by the Japanese government of a two-year contract with the Medical College of Tokyo Imperial University in 1876. Bälz’s contract was renewed several times, and he ended up spending 27 years in Japan, the longest of any of the Oyatoi gaikokujin advisors. In 1881, he married a Japanese woman, Toda Hanako, and had two children.
In the summer of 1899, Bälz visited the Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n capital Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
and Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
and undertook ethnological investigations. From 22 April to 3 July 1903, he was again in Korea and, together with Richard Wunsch, undertook an expedition into the interior of the country.
In 1902, he was appointed personal physician-in-waiting to Emperor Meiji
Emperor Meiji
The or was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 3 February 1867 until his death...
and the Imperial household of Japan.
Bälz taught more than 800 students in Western medicine during his tenure at the University of Tokyo. During his stay in Japan, he treated some of the most influential men in the Meiji government, including Prime Ministers
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
Itō Hirobumi
Ito Hirobumi
Prince was a samurai of Chōshū domain, Japanese statesman, four time Prime Minister of Japan , genrō and Resident-General of Korea. Itō was assassinated by An Jung-geun, a Korean nationalist who was against the annexation of Korea by the Japanese Empire...
and Yamagata Aritomo
Yamagata Aritomo
Field Marshal Prince , also known as Yamagata Kyōsuke, was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and twice Prime Minister of Japan. He is considered one of the architects of the military and political foundations of early modern Japan. Yamagata Aritomo can be seen as the father of Japanese...
. On Bälz' initiative, the volcanic springs of Kusatsu
Kusatsu, Gunma
is a small town in Agatsuma District in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Kusatsu is situated about 1,200 meters above sea level. The active volcano Kusatsu-Shirane and the inactive Mount Tengu and Mount Motoshirane are located west of Kusatsu.-Climate:Due to the altitude Kusatsu's annual average...
(200 km away from Tokyo) were transformed into the most successful hot spring
Hot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
resort of Japan. He compared the area with the European spa resort of Karlsbad
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately west of Prague . It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370...
, and felt that mountainous air, as well as the clear waters, was very conducive to health. In the year 2000, a commemorative museum honoring Bälz was erected in Kusatsu.
Another medical contribution was the discovery and naming of "Mongolian spot
Mongolian spot
A Mongolian spot, also known as "Mongolian blue spot," "Congenital dermal melanocytosis," and "Dermal melanocytosis" is a benign, flat, congenital birthmark with wavy borders and irregular shape, discovered on and named after Mongolians by Erwin Bälz. It is also extremely prevalent among East...
". Finding blue spots in Japanese babies, he thought these spots were characteristic of the Mongoloid races.
In 1905, Bälz returned to Germany. In Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, late in the summer of 1913, Bälz succumbed to heart disease.
Legacy
Bälz was also an ardent art collector; the majority of the Japanese works collected by him are located at the Linden MuseumLinden Museum
The Linden Museum is an ethnological museum located in Stuttgart, Germany....
in Stuttgart. A stone sculpture at Tübingen University reminds of his merits for the Japanese medical science. In 1961, a sister city relationship between Kusatsu and Bietigheim-Bissingen was established.
After his death, his diary Das Leben eines deutschen Arztes im erwachenden Japan (1931, tr. The Diary of a German Doctor in Awakening Japan) was published, giving unique insights into Japan in the Meiji era.
In 1883, while staying at the Fujiya Hotel
Fujiya Hotel
The is a historic hotel in Miyanoshita in Hakone, Kanagawa, Japan.It was constructed in 1891, and consists of many different parts constructed in a mixture of traditional Japanese and western architecture which was popular during the Meiji period...
in Miyanoshita, Hakone, Bälz noticed that his maid's hands were chapped. He made a mixture of glycerin and water for her, which was later sold widely in Japan under the name of Bälz Water. It is also listed in the Japan Pharmacopoeia
Pharmacopoeia
Pharmacopoeia, pharmacopeia, or pharmacopoea, , in its modern technical sense, is a book containing directions for the identification of samples and the preparation of compound medicines, and published by the authority of a government or a medical or pharmaceutical society.In a broader sense it is...
.
During his time in Japan, Bälz became a fan of judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, and is credited with introducing the sport to Germany.