Uchimura Yushi
Japanese psychiatrist (1897–1980)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Uchimura Yushi (12 November 1897 – 17 September 1980)[1] was a Japanese medical scientist and psychiatrist. He specialised in clinical psychiatry and neuropathology.[2] He is viewed as "one of the founders of Japanese psychiatry".[3]
| Uchimura Yushi | |
|---|---|
Uchimura in 1934 | |
| Born: November 12, 1897 Tokyo, Japan | |
| Died: September 17, 1980 (aged 82) | |
| Member of the Japanese | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1983 |
He was born in Tokyo Prefecture to Uchimura Kanzo, a Christian theologian, and Uchimura Shizuko, Uchimura's fourth wife.[4][5]
Education and career
Uchimura attended Tokyo Imperial University from 1918 to 1923, studying medicine and playing for the university's baseball team.[2][6] After graduating Uchimura studied psychiatry in Germany,[7] followed by research at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute from 1925 to 1927 under Walther Spielmeyer.[8][9] His research focused on Ammon's horn sclerosis,[8] and led to an important paper published in 1928 authored by Uchimura detailing the vasculature of the hippocampus.[2][9]
In 1928, he became a professor at Hokkaido Imperial University and established the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology.[4][9][5] Inspired by the racial hygiene policies of Germany, Uchimura conducted field research among the indigenous Ainu people of Hokkaido, providing the basis for Japan's eugenics laws.[7][10][11] After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Uchimura was one of the psychiatrists leading work into how radiation exposure affected the neuropathology of the brain.[12]
He was a founder of the journal Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences in 1933, and acted as one of its chief editors.[13]
In 1936, he became a professor in the faculty of medicine at the University of Tokyo, serving as dean of the faculty and the graduate school of medicine from 1953 to 1957.[14] After retiring he held the position of professor emeritus and was elected as a member of the Japan Academy in 1965.[15]
Baseball
In May 1962, Uchimura became the third commissioner of Nippon Professional Baseball.[6][16] Uchimura was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.[17][18]