European 18th-century obstetrical pioneers in Japan: A new light in the Empire of the Sun

From the second half of the 18th century, Japanese physicians incorporated concepts of European medicine in their publications. Dutch physicians had a pivotal role in this process, facilitated by their trade relations in Deshima, near Nagasaki. This paper focuses on the influence of later Dutch editions (probably the 1765 edition) of Hendrik van Deventer's pioneer work Nieuw Ligt (a New Light) on Japanese obstetrics, especially on Katakura Kakuryō's publication in 1799 of Sanka Hatsumō (Enlightenment of Obstetrics).

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