An Iconic Figure in Medicine Passed Away at Age 105
Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara, the legendary man of medicine in active service past age 100, passed away on July 18 morning due to respiratory failure at age 105. The whole nation mourned his passing the morning it was made known.
Shigeaki Hinohara hailed from Yamaguchi, in 1911, studied medicine at Kyoto Imperial University, and joined the St.Luke International Hospital as an internist in 1941. He was a proponent of team medicine throughout his career and party to introducing the first multiphasic health screening or the so-called human dock in private hospitals in Japan.
He was also party to preventive medicine based on the concept of lifestyle habits improvement.
Hinohara headed the St. Luke International Hospital, International Society of Internal Medicine, the International Health Evaluation and Promotion Association, etc.
In 1970, Hinohara was involved in the so-called Japan Airlines Flight 351 incident and restricted as a hostage for four days. Head of the St. Luke International Hospital, he took command of caring for the victims of the Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995 - as many 640 brought into the hospital on the very day of the attack.
Shigeaki Hinohara was also a reputed author and lecturer as he published a million seller "On Ways of Live Well" in 2001 and lectured on many occasions targeting the elderly on the problem of life and death.
Amazingly, Hinohara wrote a musical script based on the American picture book for "The Fall of Freddie the Leaf".
The report has it that Hinohara had taken ill and retired home and on July 18 morning breathed his last breath at past 6:30.
His son Naoaki Hinohara told the press the following day:
"We detected pneumonia early in March and brought him home as he wished.
"He had toast and fried eggs for days on and turned to liquid diet on July 10. He was responsive the day before yesterday but became fuzzy yesterday.
"Early yesterday morning, he went as if asleep. We respected his wish not to exercise terminal measures."
May his soul rest in peace. (Nathan Shiga)
Source: NHK