Yae Ibuka

Yae Ibuka (井深八重, Ibuka Yae, October 23, 1897 – May 15, 1989) was a Japanese nurse who worked with patients suffering from leprosy. She was diagnosed as having leprosy, and hospitalized at Koyama Fukusei Hospital in 1919. It proved a misdiagnosis three years later, but she was deeply impressed by Drouart de Lézey, the director of the hospital, and was determined to work as a nurse with leprosy patients. In 1961, she was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal.

Yae Ibuka
Yae Ibuka
Born23 October 1897
Taipei, Formosa, Empire of Japan (now Taiwan)
Died15 May 1989(1989-05-15) (aged 91)
Koyama Fukusei Hospital, Gotemba, Shizuoka
NationalityJapanese
OccupationTeacher of English and later nurse
Known formisdiagnosis of leprosy influenced her nursing career, treating people with leprosy; Florence Nightingale Medal (1961).

The pronunciation of Koyama Fukusei Hospital
  • "Kohyama Fukusei Hospital" or "Kōyama Fukusei Hospital". Koyama Fukusei Hospital is described in the reference[1] and Koyama Fukusei Hospital

Life

On 23 October 1897 she was born in Taipei, Formosa (now Taiwan) as a daughter of a congressman, Hikosaburo Ibuka. She graduated from Doshisha Women's College(now University), and she was teaching English at Nagasaki, when she developed a skin change, which was diagnosed as a sign of leprosy. She was hospitalized at Koyama Fukusei Hospital without knowing the diagnosis. The diagnosis was shocking to her. Since her disease did not progress, she sought the diagnosis of Prof. Keizo Dohi of Tokyo University in 1922. Leprosy was denied. Observing the director of the hospital, she was determined to work for leprosy patients and became a nurse. In 1923, she became the only one qualified nurse at the hospital. She had remained the chief nurse at the hospital until 6 April 1978, when she became the honorary chief nurse. Her dedication to leprosy patients was highly appreciated. She became the first president of Japan Catholic Nurses' Association. She died on 15 May 1989, one day before the 100th anniversary of the Koyama Fukusei Hospital. On May 16, she was given a special award by Princess Takamatsu (Kikuko) of Japan.

Honors

Relatives

References

Footnotes
  1. 120 years of Koyama Fukusei Hospital(2009), Koyama Fukusei Hospital.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.