Gen'etsu Kagawa

An obstetrician in the mid-Edo period. Born in Hikone, Omi Province (Shiga Prefecture). His pen name was Shigen. His real surname was Miura, and he took his mother's surname at the age of seven. He secretly studied acupuncture and moxibustion, and later went to Kyoto, where he worked as acupuncturist and masseur, while studying traditional medicine. After using an iron hook to save a woman from a difficult birth, he realized that midwifery could not be completed without surgery, and after various ideas and innovations, he finally came up with and implemented several techniques to save the baby. This made him famous as a doctor, and the name of the Kagawa School of Obstetrics took the world by storm. In 1766 (Meiwa 3), he wrote two volumes of "Sanron" (Earth Theory), in which he revealed his own views on obstetrics. It contains many points that his predecessors had not explained. In 1768, he was welcomed by the Hachisuka clan of the Awa Tokushima domain with a stipend of 100 koku.

His son-in-law, Genteki (1739-1779), took over Gen'etsu's practice after his retirement and contributed to establishing the foundations of the Kagawa school of obstetrics, including expanding and revising his father's "Sanron."

[Otori Ranzaburo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸中期の産科医。近江(おうみ)国（滋賀県）彦根(ひこね)の生まれ。字(あざな)は子玄。本姓は三浦といい、7歳のとき母方の姓を継いだ。ひそかに鍼灸(しんきゅう)術を学び、のち京都に出て、鍼灸、按摩(あんま)を業とするかたわら古医方を学んだ。たまたま一婦人の難産を鉄鉤(かぎ)を用いて救ったことから、助産のことは手術によらなければ全うすることができないと悟り、種々考案・工夫のすえ、ついに救護の術をいくつか案出し実施した。これによってその医名は大いにあがり、賀川流産科の名は一世を風靡(ふうび)したという。1766年（明和3）『産論』2巻を著し、産科に関する玄悦独自の見解を明らかにした。そこには前人が説かなかったところが多くみられる。1768年阿波(あわ)徳島藩蜂須賀(はちすか)氏に禄(ろく)100石で迎えられた。

　女婿の玄迪(げんてき)（1739―1779）は、玄悦の隠退後その業を継ぎ、父の『産論』に増補改訂を加えるなど、賀川流産科の基礎を確立するのに貢献した。

［大鳥蘭三郎］

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