Harvard University

Graduate Student, History of Science

About

I am interested in the comparative history of human-skin interaction, with a focus on early modern Japan.

My primary concern is the conceptualization and treatment of the skin, the largest organ of the human body. It is easiest to describe myself as an aspiring historian of dermatology: my primary focus is on the skin as an object of medical and aesthetic treatment, with particular attention to what would not be called cosmetic dermatological disorders (especially acne, freckles, eczema, and psoriasis).

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I am currently researching the global history of hygienic facial culture (美顔術, biganjūtsu).
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Other interests include:

- the history of psycho-cutaneous dermatology (esp. in relation to acne)

- German-Japanese dermatological interaction in the early twentieth century (esp. in 1920s Breslau; how did Japanese dermatologists understand the relationship between German medical practice and national socialism prior to WWII?)

- the history of kobu (瘤), and the relationship between the "canders" of William Ten Rhijne, the "senki colic" of Engelbert Kaempfer, and early nineteenth century descriptions of Japan as a nation plagued by swellings and tumors (from elephantiasis to kakke).

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