was a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

biochemist known for first suggesting that

Nickel Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow ...

may be a

dietary element In the context of nutrition, a mineral is a chemical element required as an essential nutrient by organisms to perform functions necessary for life. However, the four major structural elements in the human body by weight (oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, ...

. He made a great contribution to the understanding of

. In addition, he was one of Japan's most accomplished historians of

cartography Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an i ...

Biography

Nakamura obtained his medical degree from

Tokyo Imperial University , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

in 1920.中村拓教授について
/ref> Wishing to pursue advanced study in

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

, he went to Paris to join the research staff at the

Pasteur Institute The Pasteur Institute (french: Institut Pasteur) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vaccines ...

. From 1921 to 1929, he studied under

Gabriel Bertrand Gabriel Bertrand (born 17 May 1867 in Paris, died 20 June 1962 in Paris) was a French pharmacologist, biochemist and bacteriologist. Bertrand introduced into biochemistry both the term “ oxidase” and the concept of trace elements. The lacc ...

focussing on the biological rules of

. During that time he received two doctorates: Doctor of Science from the Sorbonne in 1924 and Doctor of Medicine from

in 1925. On returning to Japan in 1929, Nakamura was appointed Professor of Medical Chemistry at

Keijō Imperial University , colloquially referred to as , was an Imperial University of Japan that existed between 1924 and 1946. This university was established in 1924 in Gyeongseong, known as Keijō during the period of Japanese occupation of Korea, now modern-day S ...

. He continued a productive career in biochemistry, publishing papers on

Hemolysis Hemolysis or haemolysis (), also known by several other names, is the rupturing ( lysis) of red blood cells (erythrocytes) and the release of their contents (cytoplasm) into surrounding fluid (e.g. blood plasma). Hemolysis may occur in vivo ...

. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, he became Professor and Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry, Yokohama City University School of Medicine. In addition to being biochemist, he continued historical researches which threw light upon many of the dark problems concerning Japanese and Chinese old maps. For his outstanding achievements on

, in 1961, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters from

University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project b ...

Nakamura Library

Nakamura died in Tokyo on 7 February 1974, at the age of 83. After his death, his son donated his historical collections to Meiji University, and then the Dr Hirshi Nakamura's Library was established at the University for the public.中村拓文庫
/ref>

External links

References

1890 births 1974 deaths Japanese biochemists 20th-century Japanese historians People from Fukushima Prefecture University of Tokyo alumni Academic staff of Yokohama City University {{Japan-scientist-stub