Rural Medicine - Nosonigaku

Japanese: 農村医学 - のうそんいがく

It is a field of social medicine that studies and solves health problems specific to rural areas and farmers, taking into account the natural and social characteristics of rural areas. Although there were already achievements by Takahashi Minoru, Hayashi Shunichi, and the Kurashiki Institute for Science of Labor before World War II, the term "rural medicine" became popular after the war, largely due to the activities of Wakatsuki Shunichi and others. Hayashi defined the task of rural medicine as "reporting in detail the health and sanitation conditions in rural areas and clarifying their social and medical causes" (1944), and Wakatsuki defined rural diseases as (1) agricultural diseases caused by agricultural labor factors, (2) farmer diseases caused by factors related to farmer lifestyle habits, and (3) rural diseases caused by factors related to the natural and social sanitary environment of rural areas, and has accumulated empirical research and practical activities. Due to its social medical nature, rural medicine has been carried out by researchers from a wide range of fields, including frontline medical professionals, but in order to deal with new health problems accompanying the recent rapid transformation of rural areas, it is becoming increasingly necessary to have such collaborations in a wide range of fields.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

農村の自然的，社会的特性をふまえて，農村，農民に特有な健康問題を研究し，解決していこうとする社会医学の一分野。第2次世界大戦前からすでに高橋実，林俊一や倉敷労働科学研究所などの業績があったが，農村医学の名称が一般化したのは戦後，若月俊一らの活動によるところが大きい。林は農村医学の課題を「農村の保健衛生状態が詳細に報告され，その社会的＝医学的病因が鮮明にされること」 (1944) とし，若月は農村の疾病を，(1) 農業労働的因子による農業病，(2) 農家の生活慣習的因子による農家病，(3) 農村の自然的，社会的衛生環境因子による農村病としてとらえ，実証研究や実践活動を積重ねてきている。農村医学はその社会医学的性格から，第一線の医療従事者をはじめとして幅広い分野の研究者によって進められてきたが，最近の農村の急激な変貌に伴う新たな健康問題に対処するためには，こうした広い分野の研究の共同がさらに必要となってきている。

出典　ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典について　情報

<<: Rural Education - Nosonkyoiku

>>: Rural - Noson