[Akiko Yosano, the famous Japanese poet and writer, is the first lady who experienced labor analgesia in Japan?].

ABSTRACT

There have been some records of labor analgesia with intravenous or rectal anesthetics since 1925. It is widely believed that labor epidural analgesia in Japan started to become popular after the World War II (1939-1945). However, the author found that Akiko Yosano, a well-known Japanese female poet and writer, had labor analgesia for her 5th son as early as 1916. She was given a mixture of an opioid alkaloid and scopolamine and had painless labor and delivery. She took this experience as a pleasant surprise and described "Never once, had I screamed or feel sweaty during my labor". She loved this comfortable and easy labor so much that she had it again for her 6th son in 1917. Her obstetrician was Dr. Yuzo Ohmi, who had studied in Munich University from 1910 to 1913. He brought this miracle painkiller from Germany to Japan and gave it to her for the first time in Japan. Akiko's husband, Tekkan Yosano, met Dr. Ohmi on a ship to Marseilles in 1911. Then, they and Akiko promoted friendship in Munich and Japan. Her labor experience and friendship with Dr. Ohmi are described in her collected essays "Warera-naniwo-motomuruka? (What do we long for?)" and "Ai-Risei-oyobi-yuhki (Love, Reason, and Bravery)". Dr. Ohmi's wife became a pupil of Akiko.