Public health and “koshu-eisei” / 医学教育

ABSTRACT

  “Public health” was translated to “Koshu–eisei” in Japanese. These two terms have been believed to imply the same meaning and contents. But “Koshu–eisei” was established in the Japanese specific history and social environment. It would be instead used as “shakai–igaku （social medicine）” in the context of the Japanese medical education. The social medicine is identified as a part of medical discipline, as well as clinical medicine. The education of “Koshu–eiseigaku” of public health in the original sense would be developed as an interdisciplinary area at School of Public Health. Actually the Schools have been already opened in some Japanese universities for the students with wider background and specialties. The Japanese medical education is changing its boundaries and sharing the purposes with public health.