The Acceptance of Western pharmacy in Meiji era, Japan

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The aim of this study is to clarify the regional characteristics of the acceptance of the Western pharmacy in Meiji era in Japan. Between Edo and Meiji era, there were many traditional pharmacists and patent medecines in Japan. Those traditional pharmacists and patent medicines were based on the old Chinese and Japanese medical systems. The acceptance of the Western pharmacy means the process of areal modernization in Meiji era in Japan.According to the notes of the pharmacists in Gojo Town, Nara Prefecture, 1900 (meiji 33), we found the distribution of the pharmacists and the kinds of the patent medicines in Meiji era. The pharmacists lived in Osaka, Tokyo and the other rrban area made some new kinds of medicines using Western materials. But there were also many pharmacists using only traditional Chinese and Japanese materials. The other pharmacists in runal area-Tamataki Village in Mie, Myotera village in Wakayama-had producted the patent medicines using Western materials. The difference of the early or late acceptance of Western system was not the result of the stage of urbanization of the production areas of medicines. The regional process of the acceptance of Western pharmacy refferred to the utility of the patent medicines for digestion, stomachache or influenza.