Kate M. Youngman

Background

Kate M. Youngman was born in Kingston, New York, on December 17, 1841. Her mother died when she was 14 and her father died when she was 17.

Career

lieutenant was active from 1894 until 1942. Her fiancé died in the American Civil War when she was 21. She worked as a teacher and missionary at Shin-ei Girls" School.

In 1892, Youngman found that a Christian developed leprosy and escaped from a Catholic leprosy hospital because of difference of religion.

However, in 1894, the Mission to Lepers began funding her organization. In October 1894, Ihaien was started on 4,950 square meters of land at Meguro, Tokyo.

Youngman herself was reluctant to the hospitalization of the organization, and lost interest in the project In 1910, she left the Kohzensha and died on September 29, 1910 after 12 days in bed.

Her monument is in Somei, Tokyo.

The original idea of the Ihaien was to house people with leprosy and let them live with spiritual comfort. Kitasato Shibasaburo, a famous doctor at the Institute of Infectious Diseases belonging to the Interior Ministry, sent a doctor and also patients in 1899 when it was changed to a hospital. The hospital"s patients numbered about 50 and were also quite poor.

In addition to them, the government sent patients called Seikan (government patients) which sometimes led to strife between them and the already established patients.

The was closed in 1942 because of financial difficulties, and 55 patients were transferred to Tama Zenshoen Sanatorium.

Achievements

• Kitasato Shibasaburō proposed to send doctors and supplies if Ihaien would change to a hospital which was accomplished in 1899.