John Cutting Berry (January 16, 1847 – February 9, 1936) was an American

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

. He was dispatched by the American Board to Japan, where he practiced medicine in places including Kobe,

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

, and Okayama. In 1911 he was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd class.

Life

Berry was born in the state of

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

in 1847. His father, a captain, died when he was four years old, and he was sent taken in by one of father's friends. He worked for his living from the age of 11. At the age of 17 he was baptized as a Christian. When he was 20, a ship he was riding in was caught in a storm, but he survived. Feeling that God had saved him for a reason, he resolved to dedicate the remainder of his life to God. In 1871 he graduated from

Jefferson Medical College Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the unive ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

and was ordained as a

by the American Board. He arrived in Japan in June 1872. That July he became the medical director of the International Hospital of Kobe, where he examined poor Japanese people for free if they would listen to him read from the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

. Berry also established a clinic for the poor in front of

Ikuta Shrine is a Shinto shrine in the Chūō Ward of Kobe, Japan, and is possibly among the oldest shrines in the country. History According to '' Nihon Shoki'', it was founded by the Empress Jingū at the beginning of the 3rd century AD to enshrine the '' ...

in Kobe called , and, along with Japanese doctors, Japan's first

charitable hospital A charitable hospital, or charity hospital, is a non-profit hospital that provides treatment for poor and uninsured people who can't purchase treatment. An example would be St. Jude Children's Hospital that provides assistance to children and funds ...

, in Sanda. On the request of Kanda Takahira, the governor of Hyōgo prefecture, Berry also took charge of Kobe Hospital and undertook other medical activities in Kobe, Himeji, Akashi, Kakogawa, Arima, and Sanda. Berry typically examined between 500 and 700 patients a month and instructed other local doctors on the side. In January 1873, Berry conducted the first human dissection in the prefecture at Kobe Hospital, before an audience of 750 doctors and medical students. In the autumn of 1873, Berry was requested to personally inspect Kobe's prison, which was suffering an epidemic of

beriberi Thiamine deficiency is a medical condition of low levels of thiamine (Vitamin B1). A severe and chronic form is known as beriberi. The two main types in adults are wet beriberi and dry beriberi. Wet beriberi affects the cardiovascular system, ...

, and was appalled by the unsanitary conditions and inhumane treatment of prisoners within. He appealed to the prefecture's governor to reform its prison system, and several more missionaries followed Berry in inspecting the prison, presenting plans to the Japanese government for prison reform. These actions were the beginning of a prison reform movement with Japan. Berry obtained the permission of Home Lord

Ōkubo Toshimichi was a Japanese statesman and one of the Three Great Nobles regarded as the main founders of modern Japan. Ōkubo was a ''samurai'' of the Satsuma Domain and joined the movement to overthrow the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate during the '' Bak ...

to inspect the prisons in Osaka, Kyoto, Hyōgo, and Harima, and he prepared a report on the conditions within. This report is thought to have had some influence on the methods used by Japan's system of criminal punishments. Berry moved to Okayama in 1878, where he strove to reform the prefecture's hospitals. In 1883 he moved to

, and in 1887 became the head of Doshisha Hospital. He was also involved in the establishment of the hospital's associated women's nursing school, the first women's nursing school in Japan. In 1893 Berry left Japan and moved back to the U.S., where he practiced eye and ear medicine and acted as a visiting doctor for less well-funded facilities. In 1911 he received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd class.

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* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, John Cutting 1847 births 1936 deaths American hospital administrators Physicians from Maine American Protestant missionaries Protestant missionaries in Japan Jefferson Medical College alumni Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd class American expatriates in Japan Christian medical missionaries