<p><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Abstract:</span> In the latter half of the nineteenth century the Japanese army medical</p>
<p>bureau struggled to prevent beriberi in its ranks. In Japan, traditional medicine</p>
<p>effectively treated beriberi, a nutritional de<span>fi</span>ciency illness, with food therapies.</p>
<p>The army medical bureau, in line with western medical practice, viewed the</p>
<p>disease as microbial in origin. Army leadership was driven, in part, by a desire to</p>
<p>be seen as advanced and civilized by western nations, and demonstrating sound</p>
<p>western medical protocols served this purpose. By the mid -1880s unit level</p>
<p>medical of<span>fi</span>cers adopted a mixed staple of rice and barley, which was a common</p>
<p>food practice in rural households. This modi<span>fi</span>cation provided the necessary</p>
<p>vitamin B1 in the soldiers<span>’ </span>daily diet to prevent the onset of beriberi. The</p>
<p>leadership of the army medical bureau allowed this dietary change on an <span>ad hoc</span></p>
<p>basis, but during times of war reinstated the of<span>fi</span>cial white rice staple. During</p>
<p>wartime the army repeatedly suffered high rates of beriberi.</p>
<p>Keywords Japan <span>▪ </span>disease <span>▪ </span>military medicine <span>▪ </span>Meiji era <span>▪ </span>identity</p>