This thesis deals with the development of Western medicine in Japan, especially in the second half of the Tokugawa period. The first part briefly outlines the situation at the beginning of the Tokugawa period, especially how Western medicine got into Japan and how was received. The following passage more focuses on medicine and its place in the Japanese ideology. Emphasis is placed on intellectual and economic transformation in the 18th century and the clash of Western medicine with Neo-Confucianism. Some space is dedicated to significant medical names, Japanese and European. The whole work is finished with fairly extensive passage about vaccination, which was extremely important for the successful adoption of Western medicine in the early Meiji period. Keywords: rangaku, medical sciences, Western medicine, vaccination, the Tokugawa period

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