Tomisaku Kawasaki
Tomisaku Kawasaki | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 February 1925 Tokyo, Japan |
| Died | 5 June 2020 (aged 95) Tokyo, Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Education | Chiba University (MD) |
| Occupation | pediatrician |
| Years active | 1948–2019 |
| Known for | discovered Kawasaki disease |
| Medical career | |
| Institutions | Japan Red Cross Medical Center |
| Sub-specialties | Acute febrile mucocutaneous syndrome |
Tomisaku Kawasaki (川崎 富作, Kawasaki Tomisaku, February 7, 1925 – June 5, 2020) was a Japanese pediatrician, [1] who first observed the condition now known after him as Kawasaki disease in 1960.[2] He published a description in Japanese in 1967, and a description in English in 1974.[3][4][5]
Life
Tomisaku Kawasaki was born in Tokyo. He studied Medicine at Chiba University graduating in 1948. He practiced pediatrics at Tokyo’s Japan Red Cross Medical Center for most of his life.[6]
It was in January 1961 that I encountered a child patient, aged 4 years and 3 months, who was to become the first known case of Kawasaki disease. Fifty years have elapsed since then. At the time, I had no choice but to discharge the patient as ”diagnosis unknown.” Fortunately, the child suffered no sequelae, and is currently enjoying a full and active life as an adult. Since then the incidence of Kawasaki disease has continued to grow. Why? Why can’t we stop this disease? The reason, unfortunately, is that its cause is not known. At the time I first described the disease, I felt that we were on the threshold of discovering its cause, since its symptoms were extremely clear-cut. Despite the efforts of numerous researchers, however, we are still searching. It is my strong hope that young researchers will be able to identify the root cause of this disease.[7]
He retired in 1990, and established the Japan Kawasaki Disease Research Center, which he led until 2019.[6]
Personal life and death
Kawasaki was married; his wife preceded him in death in 2019.[6]
References
- ^ doctor/3259 at Who Named It?
- ^ "Puzzling Peril for the Young". TIME Magazine. U.S. Edition. Vol. 116, no. 8. August 25, 1980. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
- ^ "Kawasaki Disease: Overview - eMedicine". Retrieved 2009-01-04.
- ^ Kawasaki T (March 1967). "[Acute febrile mucocutaneous syndrome with lymphoid involvement with specific desquamation of the fingers and toes in children]". Arerugi (in Japanese). 16 (3): 178–222. PMID 6062087.
- ^ Kawasaki T, Kosaki F, Okawa S, Shigematsu I, Yanagawa H (September 1974). "A new infantile acute febrile mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome (MLNS) prevailing in Japan". Pediatrics. 54 (3): 271–6. PMID 4153258.
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
wpwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Clinicians' Battles, Doctors whose names are found in the disease, (2000), edit. Itakura E. Medical Sense, Tokyo, in Japanese
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