- Nagashima Aiseien Sanatorium
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Nagashima Aiseien Sanatorium (国立療養所長島愛生園), or the National Sanatorium Nagashima Aiseien, is a sanatorium for leprosy or ex-leprosy patients on the island of Nagashima in Setouchi, Okayama, Japan, which was founded in 1930.
Contents
History
Background
In 1927, members of the Lower House presented a paper stating that the present prefectural leprosy sanatoriums were insufficient, and that the Government should establish national sanatoriums. When the bill for this was passed, it was decided to build the first national sanatorium on an island, following the recommendation of Kensuke Mitsuda.
Timeline
- November 20, 1930: Several buildings were completed and the National Leprosarium was founded. The first director was Kensuke Mitsuda.
- March 3, 1931: The National Leprosarium Nagashima Aiseien was named by the Interior Ministry.
- March 27, 1931: 85 patients arrived from Tama Zenshoen Sanatorium, Tokyo.
- December 23, 1931: 10-ttubo (33 square meter) houses were built with donated money.
- January 10, 1938: The responsible Ministry changed from the Interior Ministry to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
- May 5, 1944: An elementary school was established.
- November 1, 1946: The facility was renamed the National Sanatorium Nagashima Aiseien.
- September 16, 1955: Niirada High School was established within the sanatorium, with students coming from other leprosy sanatoriums.
- March 3, 1987: The high school was closed. (369 students had been enrolled and 307 students had graduated.)
- May 9, 1988: The Oku-Nagashima-Ohashi Bridge was completed.
- November 1, 1989: A bus service from Okayama to the sanatorium started running.
- April 1996: The 1953 Leprosy Prevention Law was abolished.
- July 1998: The trial for compensation started.
- May 11, 2001: The trial for compensation ruled that detaining patients under the previous law was unconstitutional.
- May 25, 2001: The trial for compensation was confirmed. The compensation of 8,000,000 yen to 14,000,000 yen was given to patients depending on the duration of unconstitutional periods.
Number of patients
Year Number of in-patients 1945 1478 1950 1496 1955 1701 1960 1675 1965 1509 1970 1326 1975 1167 1980 1073 1985 955 1990 841 1995 685 1999 590 Year Number of in-patients 2003 499 2004 471 2005 445 2006 424 2007 396 2008 369 Nagashima riot
Background
Kensuke Mitsuda was so determined to eliminate leprosy that he admitted too many patients compared with the capacity of the sanatorium. In 1936, the number of patients admitted was 1163 in July, while the capacity was 890. Naturally, food and housing conditions deteriorated.
Riot
On August 10, 1936, four patients tried to escape and were caught and there was an atmosphere of unrest. On August 13, Mitsuda called a meeting of the patients and warned them against misconduct. This delayed the time of dining, and in the night the patients gathered and got excited, demonstrations took place and some people refused to do their assigned work. Some patients were used as spies and the unrest had to be controlled by special policemen.
Negotiations
After 10 days of heated negotiations with officials from the Interior Ministry, the Police Department of Okayama Prefecture, Special Police Section and Kensuke Mitsuda, the patients were permitted to form Jichikai (a patients' association), a kind of self-governing organization. However, later patients divided into pro-Mitsuda and anti-Mitsuda factions.
Oku-Nagashima Ohashi Bridge
On May 9, 1988, the mainland and the island of Nagashima Aiseien and Oku Komyoen were joined when the Oku-Nagashima-Ohashi Bridge was completed. It is recorded that patients had been advocating for a bridge since 1968, presumably after they realised that improvements in bridge construction such as the "5 bridges of Amakusa" in 1966, made such a bridge possible.[2] Lobbying was repeated from 1972, and the bridge was completed in 1988. The bridge was planned and built, not by the Ministry of Construction but by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The completion of the bridge was a great joy to the residents of Nagashima and was a means of decreasing the stigma of leprosy.[citation needed]
See also
- Leprosy in Japan
Notes
- ^ http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~libell/4ryouyousyo.html2009,12,23
- ^ Akatsukino Shiokaze (1998) Nagashima Aiseien Nyuuensha Jichikaishi.p.75, Oku-machi.
References
- Akebonono Shiokaze (1998), Nagashima Aiseien Jichikai (Nagashima Aiseien Patients' Organization)
Categories:- Leper hospitals
- Hospitals established in 1930
- Leprosy in Japan
- 1930 establishments in Japan
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