In Memoriam of Honorary Member
Dr. Eisei Ishikawa (deceased)
Dr. Eisei Ishikawa, an honorary member of the JapaneseSociety of Toxicologic Pathology, passed away on June 22, 2018
(age 97). Dr. Ishikawa spoke with his visitors until just 2 days prior
to his demise and then, infirm with advanced years, he passed away
peacefully. We pray sincerely for the repose of his soul.
Since Dr. Ishikawa has not participated in the meetings of ourSociety for more than years, I believe that most of our young
members are not familiar with him. As a founder of the Society, Dr.
Ishikawa was actively involved as an executive at the time of theSociety’s establishment together with the late Dr. Yasukazu
Nishimura, then Professor, of Pathology at Kitasato University
School of Medicine; the late Dr. Nobuyuki Itoh, then Professor ofPathology at Nagoya City University Medical School; the late Dr. Kosaku Fujiwara, then Professor ofVeterinary Pathology at the Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo; Dr. Chitoshi Itakura,then Professor of Veterinary Pathology at Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University (and laterProfessor of Comparative Pathology at Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University), the late
Dr. Yuzo Hayashi, then Director of the Pathology Division of the National Institute of Health Sciences(and later Head of Biological Safety Research Center); the late Dr. Masayoshi Kanisawa, then aprofessor of Pathology at Yokohama City University School of Medicine; and myself (Dr. Makoto
Enomoto, Department of Pathology, BioSafety Research Center).
Although I am not very familiar with Dr. Ishikawa’s personal history, I understand that he wasraised in California in the United States as the eldest son of a medical doctor and returned to Japan
with his family before the start of the World War II. After graduating from the Jikei University Schoolof Medicine in Tokyo, Dr. Ishikawa became an assistant professor and then a full-professor in its
Department of Pathology. Later as Professor Emeritus of the Jikei University School of Medicine andVisiting Professor at the St. Marianna University School of Medicine, he made a great contribution formany years by, among other things, taking charge of checking English for academic journals.
Dr. Ishikawa’s fluency in English led to post-war international exchanges in Japan’s medicalworld. In particular, as an editorial staff of scientific journals published in English, he was a personwho left a mark and made a significant contribution to the internationalization of academic journals ofnot only our Society, but also, among others, the Japanese Society of Pathology, the Japanese Cancer
Association, the Japanese Society of Toxicology, and the Japanese Society of Nephrology. He madegreat efforts to improve the quality of the Journal of Toxicologic Pathology, our official journal, notonly as the person responsible for checking English for many years from its commencement, but also
always consulting with us about any problems in the contents of the articles in the journal.
When Dr. Ishikawa was in charge of the Department of Pathology at the Jikei University Schoolof Medicine, he contributed not only to pathology departments of the School-affiliated hospitals but
also to the Tokyo Inspection Medical Institute as a person in charge. Further, he mentored many
outstanding followers in the fields of medical science and medical services. In particular, he was deeply
involved in renal pathology and made the award lecture of the 66th Annual Meeting of the JapaneseSociety of Pathology.
In the field of experimental medicine, he mentored Dr. Hisako Tanaka and Dr. Mitsutoshi
Watanabe, who both played active roles in the Department of Pathology, the Central Institute forExperimental Animals, and have contributed to the pathology of experimental animals in the Society
and the Japanese Society of Toxicology, particularly with respect to the education and research on
renal pathology of experimental animals.
While Dr. Ishikawa was a gentle person who interacted with younger colleagues, us, in a friendly
manner, I was impressed that he dislikes to politically act in academic societies, and that he refusal tocriticize others. As his son recounted at his funeral, Dr. Ishikawa enjoyed drinking and smoking, andoften enjoyed going to the Ginza which was conveniently located next to the university in Shimbashi.
Finally, as a respected senior colleague in the fields of medical and veterinary pathology, we are all
deeply grateful for Dr. Ishikawa’s guidance and his contribution in developing our Society.
July 2018
Honorary Member
Makoto Enomoto