- 期刊
日本佛教在臺灣的醫療事業（1895－1945）
Japanese Buddhist Missionary Medicine in Taiwan During the Era of Japanese Rule, 1895-1945
摘要
相較於近代醫學常被視為西方教會海外傳教的前沿，東方的佛教本身也具有醫藥知識和醫療弘法志業。日本在帝國時期，日本佛教也曾藉由國家力量，以「外族」與「異教」之姿，在臺灣從事醫療傳教、開展醫療救濟事業。本研究即探討日本佛教在臺灣醫療事業的開展與興衰。本研究呈現：一、日治時期日本佛教在臺灣各地的醫療救濟事業，其數量並不少於西方教會醫院，只是大型、專門且具複科診療規模的院所相對較少。擇址在臺灣西半部大都市，與西方教會醫院設置地域或有重疊。投入的佛教宗派多元，經費來自私人，與教團規模或信徒人數無正比關係。二、日本佛教在臺灣開創醫療救濟事業的時間集中在1897－1898年、1914－1918年、1925－1929年三個階段，之後即不再有新案設立。若與各時期的社會氛圍、教團布教策略和臺灣醫療衛生狀況相比對，第一階段日本佛教開設醫療救濟事業的原因，在於日本本土醫療救濟之風起、教團有經費、臺灣總督府鼓勵傳教，以及臺灣醫藥資源明顯不足。而1898年臺灣的「末寺」禁止政策和教團本身經濟力下滑，使醫療救濟事業倏然停止。第二階段日本佛教再度在臺灣開設醫療救濟事業，則是因為日本佛教從海外其他教區回流臺灣、臺灣總督府鼓勵，以及教團本身的布教喜好，與臺灣當地的醫療資源多寡或教團信徒人數似無明顯關聯。第三階段後的醫療救濟事業則關乎「社會事業」政策的推動。1920年代，日本佛教的醫療救濟事業因為推動社會事業而設立，且因為制度化經營而長時間維持。1930年代以後，日本佛教的醫療救濟事業卻因為地方上社會事業充盈而不再設立。整體而言，日治臺灣時期日本佛教有如西方教會的「傳道醫學」般，在新開地的殖民地臺灣推展慈善醫療服務，有助於改善臺灣的醫療衛生環境。比起馬偕、彰基、新樓等西方教會醫院，日本佛教醫療院所的開設數量較多，但開設的時間和規模相對較短小；這也間接說明外來宗教的信仰若無深植民間，則一旦失去政權的支持，就很難長久維繫存在。
並列摘要
Modern western medicine is often seen as the forefront of Western missionary activities abroad. Similarly, Eastern Buddhism also employes oriental medical knowledge as an instrument of its religious propagation. During Japan's imperial era, Japanese Buddhism, backed by state power, engaged in medical missionary works and initiated medical relief efforts in Taiwan, adopting the guise of a "foreign" and "different" religion. This study aims to explore the development and decline of Japanese Buddhism's medical missionary works in Taiwan. The study presents the following findings: First, Japanese Buddhism's medical relief work permeated Taiwan, and the number of its facilities was no less than that of Western missionary hospitals. However, there were relatively fewer large, specialized, and multi-disciplinary institutions. The Buddhist facilities were often located in the major cities in the western half of Taiwan, and their geographical distribution sometimes overlapped with that of Western missionary hospitals. Various Buddhist sects were involved, but their presence did not necessarily correlate with the size of those sects or the number of their followers. The Japanese Buddhist initiatives in medical relief in Taiwan were concentrated in three periods: 1897-1898, 1914-1918, and 1925-1929. After these periods, no new facilities were established. This study examines these phases in the context of the social atmosphere at the time, the strategies of Japanese Buddhism, and the state of healthcare in Taiwan. The factors contributing to the first phase of Japanese Buddhist medical missionary works included the existing trend of medical relief in Japan, the availability of funds within religious sects, the encouragement of missionary activities by the Taiwan Governor-General's Office, and the obvious inadequacy of medical resources in Taiwan. The "ban on end temples"(末寺) policy in 1898 and the economic decline of religious headquarters in Japan caused an abrupt halt of these medical activities. In the second phase, Japanese Buddhism re-established medical relief efforts in Taiwan because the return of Buddhist activists to Taiwan from other overseas districts, the support from Taiwan Governor-General's Office, and the religious sects' preference to missionary work. There appeared to be no clear connection to either the presence of other medical resources or the number of followers of the sects in Taiwan. The medical relief work initiated during the third phase was related to the new trend of "social work." In the 1920s, Japanese Buddhism engaged in medical relief work for the promotion of social welfare, and it was sustained for a long time due to its institutionalized management. After the 1930s, however, the effort gradually stopped as welfare initiatives already had been well established in the society. Overall, Japan implemented modernization reforms in Taiwan, including the construction of a modern healthcare system. During the era of Japanese rule, Japanese Buddhism also played a certain role in providing medical services and assistance to improve Taiwan's healthcare situation. However, compared to Western missionary hospitals such as Mackay Memorial Hospital, Changhua Christian Hospital, and Sin-Lau Hospital, Japanese Buddhist hospitals had a relatively short period of operation. This indirectly suggests that if the faith of foreign religions is not deeply rooted in the local population, it becomes difficult to sustain their presence once they lose the support of political power.