is a Japanese hospital, now clinic, in Hiroshima, Japan. It was the exact location where the

atomic bombing of Hiroshima The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the onl ...

took place on August 6, 1945. Shima Hospital is considered to be

ground zero In relation to nuclear explosions and other large bombs, ground zero (also called surface zero) is the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation. In the case of an explosion above the ground, ''ground zero'' is the point on the groun ...

. In 1948, the hospital was rebuilt from the ground up by Dr. . The reconstructed Shima Surgery is still in operation to the present day under the name Shima Internist Hospital ( ''Shima naika iin'').Shima Naika Iin
(Japanese) Specialities of the present Shima Hospital are surgery, orthopaedics, internal medicine, and endoscopic treatment of the digestive organs. Adjacent to the Shima Hospital is a monument marking the

hypocenter In seismology, a hypocenter or hypocentre () is the point of origin of an earthquake or a subsurface nuclear explosion. A synonym is the focus of an earthquake. Earthquakes An earthquake's hypocenter is the position where the strain energy ...

of the atomic blast, which is located about a five-minute walk away from the city's Atomic Bomb Dome or "A-Dome."

Beginnings

Dr. Shima's family had overseen an established medicine practice in Hiroshima since the late 18th century. Proof of this can be found in a map of Nakanomura dated approximately 1780, in which the residence of the Shima family, birthplace of "Shima Hospital" founder Dr. Kaoru Shima, is noted as a clinic."Shima kaoru aremokoremo", Shinobu Shima, 1983 (Japanese) Dr. Kaoru Shima (1897–1977) graduated from the Osaka medical school, the present Osaka University medical department, which originated in the "

Tekijuku Tekijuku (適塾) was a school established in , Osaka, the main trading route between Nagasaki and Edo in 1838 during the Tenpō era of the late Edo period. Its founder was Ogata Kōan, a doctor and scholar of Dutch studies (Rangaku ''Ranga ...

" school. After graduating, he travelled throughout Europe and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

to further his medical studies. Following his quest to learn the latest developments in medicine and surgery and with his reputation as an excellent surgeon, he became lecturer of medicine at the Osaka Empire University (now the Osaka University), considered a high honor at the time, as the title of "honour lecturer" did not exist and Dr. Shima had a full-time occupation in Hiroshima. On August 31, 1933, Shima Hospital was founded. The Mayo Clinic served as Dr. Shima's model of choice. Shima Hospital was a two-storey building of brick construction with reinforced walls and a modern design. Kaoru Shima applied the rational hospital management concepts he learned in the United States, resulting in Shima Hospital's popularity as an inexpensive clinic with a high standard of treatment."Shinbunakahata Genbaku Hiroshima", Nippon Kyousantou, 2002-07-29 to 2002-08-08 (Japanese newspaper) Shima Hospital, following the Mayo Clinic model, is an exception to the usual profile of hospitals found in pre-war Japan that were based on German models and medical procedures.

Atomic bombing

On August 6, 1945, Shima Hospital was completely destroyed by the

; the atomic bomb detonated right above the building and the blast was directed downwards. Because the epicenter of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima was over the hospital, the hypocenter, or ground zero, was the hospital itself."The epicenters of the atomic bombs: 2", HH Hubbell, TD Jones, JS Cheka, 1969 All the medical staff and the inpatients who were in Shima Hospital, about 80, died instantly. At the time of the detonation, Kaoru Shima was away from Hiroshima city, as he had gone to assist a colleague with a difficult operation at a hospital in a nearby town. Thus he and his attending nurse were the only survivors of the Shima Hospital staff. Dr. Kaoru Shima returned to Hiroshima on the night of August 6 and began treatment of the injured people. On the afternoon of August 7, Shima found an operation tool he had purchased in the U.S. at the site of the destroyed hospital, the only remaining trace of the structure. Kaoru Shima and the nurse found a large quantity of bleached bones at the bottom of the debris, as the corpses had immediately become skeletonized by the blast. Shima learned American medical care and practised American medical care at his hospital. Therefore, the war with the U.S. was a considerable shock for him. Shima disagreed with the Pacific War, and risked being killed by special political police. Shima's son had evacuated on August 6, 1945, and had also survived. He would also become a doctor, and later became director of the hospital in its second incarnation. In October 1945, a member of Riken who joined the academic investigate team arrived the site declared the Shima Hospital is the hypocenter of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. In 1969, the

Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission The Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) ( Japanese:原爆傷害調査委員会, ''Genbakushōgaichōsaiinkai'') was a commission established in 1946 in accordance with a presidential directive from Harry S. Truman to the National Academy of ...

published the report ''The Epicenters of the atomic bombs'' announced the cordinates of hypocenter after reviewing U.S. Army maps.

Rebuilding

Shima rebuilt the hospital at the same site during the difficult post-war period. The new hospital opened for medical treatment in 1948. Shima was quoted as saying, "My new hospital is dedicated to peace and caring for the underprivileged and poverty stricken." The 1990s saw the hospital change into a clinic of surgery and decrease the number of beds. The name was changed to "Shima Geka." On August 1, 2009, the clinic's name was changed to "Shima Geka Naika". Shima's son Ichishu Shima retired and become the honorary director. In 2017 the clinic was again renamed "Shima Naika Iin". The current director Shuyuki Shima, a grandson of Kaoru Shima, is the third generation of this family to work in the hospital. The specialities of the present Shima Naika Iin are surgery, orthopaedics, internal medicine, and endoscopic treatment of the stomach and intestines. The director of today's hospital focuses on community care and thus maintains the ideals and spirit of his grandfather. The present Shima Naika Iin performs smoking cessation treatment, preventive injection, general medical examinations, cancer screening, and stress consultations. Shima geka naika cooperates with the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital & Atomic-bomb Survivors Hospital.

Gallery

Shima Hospital, circa 1943.JPG, The original Shima Hospital, circa 1943 Shima Geka Hospital.JPG, 2007 (as Shima Geka) 島病院(爆心地) Shima Hospital (Ground zero) - panoramio.jpg, 2012 (as Shima Geka Naika) File:Stele of Hypocenter in front of Shima Hospital.jpg, Monument to the Hypocenter of 1945 Atomic Bombing

References

External links

* {{coord, 34, 23, 41, N, 132, 27, 17, E, source:kolossus-jawiki, display=title Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Defunct hospitals in Japan Buildings and structures in Japan destroyed during World War II