Reforming Public Health in Occupied Japan, 1945-52 ─ Alien Prescriptions?

Historians Aldous (U. of Winchester, Britain) and Suzuki (Keio U., Japan) describe one of the aspects of the US occupation of Japan that nearly everyone agrees went very well. Social conditions conducive to the spread of disease, a dilapidated public health infrastructure, and the repatriation of people made Japan a massive public health challenge in 1945, they say. Their topics include confronting epidemics, the limits of disease prevention, nutrition and disease, chronic infectious diseases, and the health center. Radiation sickness is not mentioned. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Christopher Aldous is a Principal Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Winchester, UK.

Akihito Suzuki is a Professor of History at Keio University, Japan.