February 8, 2017
On Saturday, January 21, 2017, the Keio Nursing 100th Anniversary Commemorative Lecture was held in the Hall on the 8th floor of the East Building at Mita Campus.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Keio Nursing in 2018, the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care will hold a series of relay-style lectures on the theme of the past, present, and future of Keio Nursing.
This was the first event in the series, a lecture titled "Tracing the Origins of Keio Nursing," which focused on its origins.
Following the opening remarks by Hiroko Komatsu, Dean of the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, and an address by Vice-President Jiro Kokuryo, two lectures were presented, moderated by Keita Yamauchi, the coordinator of this event.
First, Naoko Nishizawa, a professor at the Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies, Keio University, gave a lecture titled "Yukichi Fukuzawa's Theory on Women." She clearly explained Yukichi Fukuzawa's philosophy, which advocated that men and women are equal beings and criticized the idea of male chauvinism, as well as the historical context of the time when these ideas were not readily accepted.
Naoko Nishizawa
Following this, Takako Shirai, Professor Emeritus of Chiba College of Health Science and a visiting researcher at the Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies, Keio University, gave a lecture titled "Nightingale and Her Contemporaries—J.S. Mill and Yukichi Fukuzawa." She shared some very interesting episodes, explaining that Nightingale, who is generally recognized as a "reformer of nursing and hospitals," was in fact a "social reformer" who influenced various political fields, including the improvement of women's status. She also spoke about how J.S. Mill, who was impressed by Nightingale's novel, incorporated it into a book he authored, and how this book in turn influenced Yukichi Fukuzawa's theory on women.
Takako Shirai
The venue was filled with many people, including members of the Keio Nursing Alumni Association (Kobai-kai), current students, faculty, staff, and alumni, making it a great success befitting a commemorative lecture.
Photo by Satoru Inoue