Asian Journal of Paleopathology Vol.1, 12–18, 2017
Received: December 17, 2016
Accepted: January 18, 2017
DOI: 10.32247/ajp2017.1.2

Review
Dawn of paleopathology in Japan
Takao Suzuki

Abstract
　This review article is focusing on the dawn of paleopathological research in Japan. The history of paleopathology in Japan dates back more than 120 years, with the oldest publication focused upon syphilitic bone changes in Ainu skeletal remains by Yoshikiyo Koganei in 1894. The early paleopathological researches in Japan were characterized by the introduction of the term “paleopathology” and the descriptions of lesions seen mainly in skeletal remains of people called as “Stone Age People”. After the Second World War, during the 1950s to 1960s, the paleopathology in Japan was marked by an emphasis upon trauma and its relationship to transition from the Jomon to the Yayoi period, and then in the 1970s and after, paleopathology in Japan have extended beyond exploring trauma to a wide spectrum of pathological conditions, including malignant bone tumors and specific infections affecting the bone, particularly tuberculosis, syphilis, leprosy, congenital disease, diseases associated with aging and “stress” markers.