5. Establishment of the school of Western medicine

Albrecht von RORETZ, who graduated from Vienna University and held doctoral degrees in both internal medicine and surgery, arrived at the Public Medical Training School as JUNGHANS' successor in May of Meiji year 9 (1876).

Illustration of a surgical operation taking place at Aichi Prefectural Public Hospital in the early Meiji period

Having been trained at the Second Viennese School founded by ROKITANSKY, SKODA, HEBRA and BILLROTH, RORETZ started giving classes in German instead of English. The interpreter was SHIBA Ryokai, who later became the model for a historical novel, "Kocho no Yume (The Dream of a Butterfly)", by SHIBA Ryotaro. RORETZ deplored the situation of the School in those days in the medical journal "Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift" as follows: "An Lehrbüchern fanden sich einige wenige Exemplare jener nach der Art des Katechismus eingerichteten amerikanischen Kompendium, welche in Form von Frage und Antwort alles mögliche enthalten… weder Bücher noch sonstige Lehrmittel vorhanden sind… der älteste Studiosus 27 Jahre und der jüngste 14 Jahre… hatten keine Vorkenntnisse, das medizinische Wissen war selbstverständlich überall gleich Null… begnügen sich meist mit einzelnen Schlagworten oder Sätzen aus den zo “gelosenen” Büchern und aus den Vorträgen des fremden Lehrers… Dass ein jahrelanges Studium, eine schwere geistige Arbeit erforderlich sein könne, um irgend einer Wissenschaft Herr zu werden, ist den Japanern absolut unbegreiflich. (There were only a few textbooks, written in the American-style question-answer manual form... Teaching materials were not available... The oldest students were 27 years old and the youngest were 14... They had no preparatory knowledge and their regular medical knowledge was, as expected, virtually zero… They usually accepted, without understanding, the fragmented keywords or questions from the books and lectures of the foreign teacher… The fact that years of serious study and strength of will are required for someone to become a scientist is absolutely incomprehensible for the Japanese.)"

Although the new Western-style buildings located at Tennozaki-cho, the construction of which had started upon RORETZ's arrival, were completed in July of Meiji year 10 (1877), the school was forced to remain closed for half a year. During that time a new education system was established under the guidance of RORETZ, including the adoption of a three-year course, reorganization of enrolled students depending on their examination scores, calls for new students, clarification of the roles and responsibilities of the teachers, and the purchase of many medical books in German. RORETZ also laid the foundation of hospital administration by separating hospital patients according to their diseases, moving serious cases to special rooms, putting medical records in order, and organizing the doctors' work shifts.
In February, Meiji year 11 (1878), the School held its long-awaited opening ceremony and was renamed the Public Medical School in April of the same year. Its structure as a school of Western medicine thus came to be organized both in name and in fact.
In April Meiji year 12 (1879), RORETZ, whose employment period had been extended for one year, decided to change the curriculum to a four-year course (from 6 to 5 hours per day), and implemented the new curriculum in the winter semester of the same year. The new curriculum is thought to have been based on RORETZ's experience at Vienna University, in that it included forensic medicine, hygiene and medical administration science. RORETZ lectured on internal medicine, surgery and social medicine; one of the extension courses in "Dansho Igaku" (Forensic Medicine) was serialized in "Iji Shinpo (Medical Practice News)", the first academic journal issued by the School. As of Meiji year 12 (1879), the School was composed of 11 teachers and 97 students. RORETZ left the School upon expiration of his four-year term of office in April, Meiji year 13 (1880). GOTO Shinpei delivered an impassioned farewell speech as acting president.
With his experience as a doctor at a psychiatric hospital in Vienna, RORETZ submitted a recommendation regarding the foundation of a "tenkyoin" (mental clinic) in Aichi Prefecture. RORETZ designed and supervised to build a small tenkyoin within the hospital. He also submitted building plans for a Tokyo-fu Tenkyoin. His pioneering achievements, including proposals in health administration such as the "Design of a sanitary sewerage system" and "Proposal on the assignment of public health medical officers", are now being revaluated in the framework of the history of modern medicine in Japan.