RESUMO
The <i>Idan</i> medical monograph was originally written by Yoshimasu Todo (1702-73). Tsuruta Gen'itsu (1727-56), Todo's student, edited the first version. And after his death, his fellow student, Nakanishi Shinsai (1724-1803), revised and expanded the work, publishing it in 1759. Nakanishi claimed that this was the pioneering medical treatise penned by Todo, argued that it represented Todo's “original teachings, ” with playing up its sensational character.<br>There years after this book was published, Hata Kozan (1721-1804) wrote <i>Seki-idan</i>, severely criticizing Todo and Tsuruta's <i>Idan</i>. It ignited a raging debate, which divided the Edo period medical community in two. One side upheld Todo's <i>Tenmeisetsu</i> theory, which argued that the human life span was decided by the gods, while the other side opposed this premise. Horie Dogen's <i>Ben-idan</i>, Tanaka Eishin's <i>Ben-seki-idan</i>, Obata Hakuei's <i>Ben-idan-hyosetsu</i>, and Kaya Kyoan's <i>Zoku-idan</i> were published during the middle of this deflate. Here, I focus on the <i>Idan</i> and <i>Seki-idan</i> debate, and place this debate in the larger context of Edo period medical history.