In the early days, Taiwan was once regarded as a land of disease. Qing officials viewed it as a “land of miasma,” and Japan called it the "Island of Demons". In the late 19th century, diseases such as malaria, cholera, and the Black Death were prevalent in Taiwan. Japan even considered selling Taiwan. However, Japan implemented multiple public health measures to successfully fend off diseases, significantly increasing the average lifespan before selling it.
In the 1890s, Japan invaded Taiwan under the pretext of conflicts in Taiwan. But the enemy waiting for them was not native warriors, but an invisible enemy - "Taiwan fever". Only twelve Japanese soldiers died in the invasion during the civil war era, but 561 people quickly died of the disease.
After the Sino-Japanese War in 1895, China ceded Taiwan to the Japanese Empire. Then, Japan faced the same risk as before, where the number of deaths caused by infectious diseases far exceeded the number of war deaths, and the epidemic broke out repeatedly.
Therefore, the Japanese rulers implemented a series of disease control measures, including establishing medical services, disseminating public health knowledge, and introducing vaccines. However, the success of these measures is not entirely due to the Japanese government's proper management of defenseless diseases, but the continuous development and maintenance of the public health system to make diseases controllable.
On today’s episode of Taiwan History : The History of Public Health in Taiwan, Part I
