A research group led by Kyoto University's Assistant Professor Sayaka Higashijima (Hakubi Center) and Professor Shigeto Yamada (Graduate School of Medicine) discovered a description in Nihon Shoki, Japan's first official history, that could be medically considered a congenital abnormality. discovered.
Approximately 6% of all newborns have congenital abnormalities (structural or functional abnormalities that occur before birth), which have a significant impact on the quality of life (QOL) of patients and their families. Prevention and treatment require a continuous understanding of the epidemiological situation in diverse regions, but systematic research began in the 1960s. Prior to this, the reality of congenital abnormalities, especially in pre-modern times, was largely unknown worldwide.
Japan's oldest official history, Nihon Shoki, records the genealogy and achievements of emperors from the first generation to the 41st emperor, but there are also records of disasters, astronomical events, and strange-looking humans. . The current research began when Assistant Professor Higashijima, a tail researcher, remembered that there was a description of a human with a tail.
In the research, we picked up descriptions of abnormal physical and mental characteristics in humans and attempted to diagnose the disease from as much information as possible. As a result, they found a total of 41 descriptions of abnormal physical and mental characteristics in humans, from the first Emperor Jimmu to the 33st Emperor Jito.
For example, there is a story about an emperor who was born with a bulge in his arm that seems to be due to a lymphatic malformation, a member of the imperial family who was born with difficulty speaking, and a story about a human with a tail and a man with two faces. (Sukuna) etc. also appear.
Although there were expressions that seemed to be metaphors for something rather than symptoms, we were able to find descriptions that could be medically considered to be congenital abnormalities. This cross-disciplinary research shows the possibility of elucidating the reality of birth defects not only in Japan but throughout East Asia in ancient times by viewing ancient documents as a type of medical record.
Paper information:[Studies in Japanese Literature and Culture] Congenital Anomalies in Ancient Japan as Deciphered in the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan)
