was a Japanese

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 ...

, a prominent

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

, and

bacteriologist A bacteriologist is a microbiologist, or similarly trained professional, in bacteriology -- a subdivision of microbiology that studies bacteria, typically pathogenic ones. Bacteriologists are interested in studying and learning about bacteria, ...

researcher. He was the discoverer of the Weil's disease pathogen. In addition to his life's work in early 20th-century Japanese medical education, he was a pioneer in Japanese clinical

cardiology Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular h ...

and

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

Early life

Inada was born in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

and he graduated 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 medicine before travelling abroad for medical studies in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

Career

Returning to Japan from Europe, Inada became the initial professor of medicine in the faculty at , which is today the (present ). In 1914–1915, Inada discovered the spirochete of infectious jaundice (Weil's disease); and he developed a successful serum-therapy for the infection. He is credited with ground-breaking research on the Weil's disease pathogen

Leptospirosis Leptospirosis is a blood infection caused by the bacteria '' Leptospira''. Signs and symptoms can range from none to mild (headaches, muscle pains, and fevers) to severe ( bleeding in the lungs or meningitis). Weil's disease, the acute, sever ...

). The initial specimen material (Stock of Ictero No.1) which Dr. Inada isolated in 1914 has been preserved as a significant artifact in the history of medicine. In 1915, Inaba he termed the pathogen as . The content of this paper ranged from the discovery of the pathogen, to contagion sources, clinical medicine, pathology, diagnosis, to cure. Professor Inada was the first in Japan to import an electrocardiograph; and along with medical school colleagues, he was amongst the first to use this device clinically in Japan. He was a prominent Japanese

oncologist Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

as well, serving as Vice President of the Japanese Society of Oncological Research from 1919 until his death in 1950.Aoki, Kunio.
''Contributions to Cancer Prevention of Non-Governmental Organizations,"
''Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention,'' Vol 2. (2001), p. 21. In 1920 he was installed as the professor of medicine in the . In 1943, he was named the President of the Japanese Medical Association, and the President of the Japan Medical Treatment Corporation. He was nominated for the

Nobel prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

with Dr.

Kitasato Shibasaburō Baron was a Japanese physician and bacteriologist. He is remembered as the co-discoverer of the infectious agent of bubonic plague in Hong Kong during an outbreak in 1894, almost simultaneously with Alexandre Yersin. Kitasato was nominat ...

Honors

He was awarded the . The ''Maidashi'' campus of

Kyushu University , abbreviated to , is a Japanese national university located in Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu. It was the 4th Imperial University in Japan, ranked as 4th in 2020 Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings, one of the top 10 Design ...

has commemorated Dr. Inada's contributions to the institution by naming one of the campus streets as '' Inada dōri.''

Notes

References

* Kobayashi, Y
"Discovery of the causative organism of Weil's disease: historical view,"
''Journal of Infectious Chemotherapy.'' Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 10–15 (2001 March).

Gallery

File:Inada dori.jpg, ''Inada dōri'' File:Faculty of Medicine Bldg. A of Basic Science.jpg, ''Kyushu'' Imperial University internal medicine laboratory File:Inada Ryukichi.jpg, grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Inaba, Ryukichi 1874 births 1950 deaths Japanese oncologists Japanese microbiologists People of Meiji-period Japan People from Nagoya Recipients of the Order of Culture University of Tokyo alumni Academic staff of Kyushu University Japanese cardiologists