was a Japanese

pathologist Pathology is the study of the causal, causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when us ...

known for the discovery of the

atrioventricular node The atrioventricular node or AV node electrically connects the heart's atria and ventricles to coordinate beating in the top of the heart; it is part of the electrical conduction system of the heart. The AV node lies at the lower back section of t ...

. Tawara was born in

Ōita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Ōita Prefecture has a population of 1,136,245 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,340 km2 (2,448 sq mi). Ōita Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northwest, Kumam ...

and studied at the

Medical School A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

Imperial 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 by ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, graduating in 1901 and receiving his Doctorate of Medical Science in 1908. Between 1903 and 1906 he spent in

Philipps University of Marburg The Philipps University of Marburg (german: Philipps-Universität Marburg) was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protestant university in the worl ...

Marburg Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximate ...

, studying

pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...

and pathological

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

with

Ludwig Aschoff Karl Albert Ludwig Aschoff (10 January 1866 – 24 June 1942) was a German physician and pathologist. He is considered to be one of the most influential pathologists of the early 20th century and is regarded as the most important German patholog ...

. It was here he undertook his important works on pathology and anatomy of

heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...

. Upon returning to Japan he was appointed assistant professor of pathology at

Kyushu Imperial 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 Desig ...

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...

, obtaining full professorship in 1908. :''Node of Tawara'': a remnant of primitive fibers found in all mammalian hearts at the base of the interauricular septum, and forming the beginning of the auriculoventricular bundle or

bundle of His The bundle of His (BH) or His bundle (HB) ( "hiss"Medical Terminology for Health Professions, Spiral bound Version'. Cengage Learning; 2016. . pp. 129–.) is a collection of heart muscle cells specialized for electrical conduction. As part of t ...

, which is a muscular band, containing nerve fibers, connecting the auricles with the ventricles of the heart. The ''Node of Tawara'' is also called the ''atrioventricular node'', the ''auriculoventricular node'', ''Aschoff's node'', and the ''node of Aschoff and Tawara''. Tawara's monograph, "''

Das Reizleitungssystem des Säugetierherzens ''Das Reizleitungssystem des Säugetierherzens'' (English: "''The Conduction System of the Mammalian Heart''") is a scientific monograph published in 1906 by Sunao Tawara. It has been recognized by cardiologists as a monumental discovery, and a mi ...

''" (English: "''The Conduction System of the Mammalian Heart''") was published in 1906.

Works

*''Die Topographie und Histologie der Brückenfasern. Ein Beitrag zur Lehre von der Bedeutung der Purkinjeschen Fäden''. (Vorläufige Mitteilung). Zentralblatt für Physiologie, Band 19, Nr. 3, 6. Mai 1905, S. 70-77 *''Anatomisch-histologische Nachprüfung der Schnittführung an den von Prof. H. E. Hering übersandten Hundeherzen.''. Archiv für die gesamte Physiologie des Menschen und der Tiere, Band 111, No 7-8, 20 February 1906, S. 300-302. *''Über die sogenannten abnormen Sehnenfäden des Herzens''. Ziegler’s Beiträge zur Pathologischen Anatomie und zur allgemeinen Pathologie, Band 39, 1906, S. 563-584 *''Das Reizleitungssystem des Säugetierherzens. Eine anatomisch-histologische Studie über das Atrioventrikularbündel und die Purkinjeschen Fäden.'' Jena:Gustav Fischer, 1906 *''Die heutige Lehre von den pathologisch-anatomischen Grundlagen der Herzschwäche: kritische Bemerkungen auf Grund eigener Untersuchungen.'' (mit L. Aschoff). Jena: Fischer, 1906

Recognition

To honor his achievements,

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 ...

named a road '' Tawara Street''. Also, Cambridge IGCSE honours him by using his name in their ICT practical exams.

Gallery

File:TawaraSunao Birthplace.jpg, Birthplace in Aki (Oita prefecture) with memorial stone File:Tawara_Sunao_Graduation_Certificate_1897.jpg, Graduation certificate from High School No. 1 (Tokyo, 8 July 1897) File:Tawara-Sunao-Lecture.jpg, Tawara giving a lecture at the Imperial Kyushu University (ca. 1919) File:Tawara_Grab.jpg, Tawara's grave (Jishō-Temple, Nakatsu) File:TawaraSunaoCornerOeMuseum.jpg, Corner with Tawara memorabilia (Oe-Archive, City of Nakatsu, Oita Prefecture, Japan)

References

*L. Aschoff - Marburg: Bericht über die Untersuchungen des Herrn Dr. Tawara, die "Brückenfasern" betreffend, und Demonstration der zugehörigenmikroskopischen Präparate. Zentralblatt für Physiologie, Vol 19, No. 10, 12. August 1905, p. 298-301. *K. Suma: Sunao Tawara - a father of modern cardiology. Pacing Clin. Electrophysiol. No. 24 (2001), p. 88-96. *Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan, Vol. 7 (1983), p. 351 *E. J. Wormer: Syndrome der Kardiologie und ihre Schöpfer. München 1989, p. 9–16. *W. Michel: On the German Manuscript of S. Tawara's ''The Conduction System of the Mammalian Heart'' Proceedings of the 5th Tawara-Aschoff Symposium on Cardiac Conduction System, p. 45-49, Oita, Dec 2007. (written in Japanese)
pdf-file: Kyushu University Institutional Repository

External links

M.E. Silverman / D. Grove, Ch. B. Upshaw, Jr, Why Does the Heart Beat? The Discovery of the Electricals System of the Heart. ''Circulation'' 2006, 113, 2775-2781
(Written in Japanese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Tawara, Sunao 1873 births 1953 deaths Japanese pathologists University of Tokyo alumni Laureates of the Imperial Prize Kyushu University faculty 19th-century Japanese physicians 20th-century Japanese physicians