The Life and Legacy of Hideyo Noguchi: A Pioneer in Medicine and Research

2024-03-18 01:33:00
Noguchi Seisaku was born in Japan in 1876 and from a very young age had a great vocation and talent for medicine and research. (Wikipedia /digitalcommons.rockefeller.edu / insm.gob.pe)

The development of medicine has not been an easy path for the world, nor was it for Peru, which went through a long process to professionalize the practice. During the evolution of this discipline there were great exponents, such as the remembered Hipólito Unanue or the martyr Daniel Alcides Carrión, who gave his life to contribute to the knowledge of the Peruvian Wart.

The truth is that many compatriots have had important contributions in the field, however, we cannot leave out those foreigners who left their own mark on the country. One of them is the Japanese researcher, doctor and bacteriologist Hideyo Noguchi, known today for being an eminence and, in the case of Peru, also because there is a capital hospital named following him. However, it is worth asking who was this outstanding doctor?

Noguchi Seisaku, as was his original name, was born in Japan, in the prefecture of Fukushima in 1876 and from a very young age he had a great vocation and talent for medicine and research. He dedicated himself to it under the direction of Dr. Kanae Watanabe, and soon following he was already an eminence in his field and was often required by medical establishments.

At only 21 years old, Noguchi was already licensed to practice medicine and spent a lot of time in Tokyo. Later, around 1900, he emigrated to the United States to continue his education at the University of Pennsylvania.

However, he would later work as a researcher at the Rockefeller Foundation Medical Research Institute, where he was able to observe different types of infectious diseases, in addition to visiting many countries where he was sent.

Hideyo Noguchi in conference in the Auditorium of the Faculty of Medicine of the UNMSM. (.scielo.org.pe)

It was the 20th century and our country had already witnessed more than one epidemic and disease that claimed the lives of many citizens. However, in 1919 the city of Piura was hit by an outbreak of yellow fever that required the visit of more than one foreign specialist to help combat it.

As if that were not enough, many cases of bubonic plague were also recorded, making the situation truly critical.

By 1920, Simon Flexner, Director of the Rockefeller Foundation, would send Hideyo Noguchi to the country as part of a charitable mission to fight epidemics. It is worth mentioning that the researcher had already done studies on yellow fever and was received in the port of Paita on May 5. Unfortunately, no more cases of the disease had occurred upon his arrival.

Noguchi, eager to fulfill his mission, worked with samples collected from a group of guinea pigs inoculated with the fever that had previously been examined and found healthy.

To their surprise, these animals showed signs of yellow fever and the human samples were re-examined, finding the same type of spirochete that had already been observed in countries such as Mexico and Ecuador. Noguchi was undoubtedly an eminence and was received and fired with honor, it was even noted that he spoke a little Spanish and helped reaffirm the effectiveness of the vaccine and the ‘anti-yellow’ serum.

According to Javier Mariátegui, Noguchi and Honorio Delgado, a mental health pioneer in Peru, might have met at some point on this trip without knowing that in the future both would give their name to an important institute.

Lunch at the San Lorenzo Island Sanitary Station. (scielo.org.pe/)

Later the scientist traveled to Lima and stayed in one of the best hotels in the city. He was received like a celebrity and gave his opinions on the health situation in Piura, stating that there were deficiencies in terms of water and drainage, aggravated by the heat.

During his stay, he also met with some Peruvian doctors, presented his greetings to the head of state, Augusto B. Leguía, visited the Santa Ana and 2 de Mayo hospitals, and gave conferences, including one for the medical school, where he stated that Sanitation actions and the eradication of the Aedes aegypti mosquito were the best way to prevent the disease and new outbreaks of yellow fever.

A curious fact regarding his eyesight is that the doctor was aware of the controversy that existed in the country regarding the Peruvian Wart and the Oroya Fever, since some claimed that they were two phases of the same disease, and others stated that they were of two different conditions.

Noguchi Hideyo was a brilliant scientist and doctor. (mx.emb-japan.go.jp)

This would have caught the attention of Noguchi who might not visit La Oroya, but it is known that he planned to return to investigate the matter and even joined the many doctors who did some experiments and publications, resulting in Bartonella bacilliformis being the cause of both. evils.

Hideyo Noguchi was 43 years old when she visited national soil, and although she had a short stay, she was very well received by the men of science of the time and was even able to talk with some of her Japanese compatriots settled in the country.

The scientist spent the rest of his life doing various studies and dedicated to his work related to syphilis, snake venom, immunological issues, among others, and he was also the discoverer of the yellow fever pathogen. Years later he would travel to Africa, an area hit by fever. There, once installed, he contracted the terrible disease and finally died on May 21, 1928 at only 51 years old.

Today there is a hospital named following the Japanese scientist, but in conjunction with one of the most important doctors in Peru, resulting in what we know as the Honorio Delgado-Hideyo Noguchi National Institute of Mental Health.

Frontis of the National Institute of Mental Health Honorio Delgado-Hideyo Noguchi. (Andean)

This space, which was conceived as a community mental health center, was the result of the signing of an agreement with Japan. Initially his name was San Juan Bosco, but in 1981 a request was made to change his name.

The choice of its new name seeks to symbolize the ties of brotherhood between Peru and Japan through the images of two great men of science such as Honorio Delgado and Hideyo Noguchi. It is worth mentioning that both had great contributions and are remembered as eminences.

Today, the Honorio Delgado-Hideyo Noguchi National Institute of Mental Health (INSMHDHN) is a Level III-2 complexity institution of the Peruvian Ministry of Health (Minsa). This category corresponds to specialized institutes, in the case of INSMHDHN its focus is aimed at scientific research, the use of advanced technology and highly qualified professionals in the prevention of mental health and psychiatry.

Characterized by its leadership, innovation and excellence, this institute also proposes standards in favor of the development of mental health care for Peruvians.

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