[The cholera epidemics and the development of public health in Meiji Japan. 2. Strength and weakness of public health politics].

We present here the beginnings of public health politics in Meiji Japan (1868-1912). Due to a two century isolation of Japan, public health concepts developed in the West from the end of the 18th century were foreign in premodern Japan. Due to its isolation, Japan was also relatively preserved from some acute infectious diseases such as cholera.

[The cholera epidemics and the development of public health in Meiji Japan. 1. Modernity, cholera, and health thought].

We present here the beginnings of public health politics in Meiji Japan (1868-1912). Due to a two century isolation of Japan, public health concepts developed in the West from the end of the 18th century were foreign in premodern Japan. Due to its isolation, Japan was also relatively preserved from some acute infectious diseases such as cholera.

Detection of Mycobacterium leprae in nerve lesions by the polymerase chain reaction.

A simple procedure is described for the detection of Mycobacterium leprae by the polymerase chain reaction in nerve biopsies sectioned with a cryostat and then treated with proteinase K. All samples from lepromatous leprosy patients and the majority of samples from paucibacillary cases yielded positive results. This approach may be useful for differentiating between leprosy and other inflammatory neuropathies.

[Lesions of the spinal cord in HIV infection].

Neurological lesions are frequent complications of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. Organs involved include the brain, peripheral nerves and muscles. Since the widespread use of immunodepressive agents, spinal cord complications have also appeared although poorly documented in the literature.