In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 1871
- Died
- 1957
- Birthplace
- Miyagi, Japan
- Country
- Japan
- Nationality
- Not independently established
- Known for
- Investigation of epidemic bacillary dysentery
Why this life matters
He combined observations of bacteria with evidence about the reaction of serum from recovering patients.
Timeline
Key moments
Medical graduation
Shiga enters the infectious disease research network.
Initial Japanese report
A preliminary publication appears in December.
Further reports
The bacteriological results reach additional readers.
Work with Ehrlich
Shiga goes to Germany.
Medical study and laboratory mentorship
Shiga completed medical studies at the Imperial University in 1896. He entered the infectious disease institute where Shibasaburo Kitasato mentored him. The institute gave young physicians a setting for experimental work on the causes of infectious illness. During a period of epidemic dysentery, Shiga examined bacteria associated with patients in order to distinguish a candidate organism from other bacteria that could resemble it.
Two dates for the discovery record
The National Diet Library describes the discovery under 1898. The taxonomic researchers identify a Japanese preliminary publication from December 1897, followed by reports in 1898. The dates refer to different publication milestones. The contemporary U.S. notice cites reports in Japanese and German and illustrates how the result moved between scientific audiences. The sequence gives a clearer account than assigning the work to one date without specifying the record.
Evidence beyond a rod’s appearance
The historical account describes a short rod comparable in appearance to other familiar bacteria. Shiga’s investigation also examined whether his isolates agglutinated when tested with serum from recovering patients. Clumping was a different observation from similarity under a microscope. Used with the other evidence, it supported a more particular connection between the isolate and the cases he studied.
Work beyond the original organism
Shiga went to Germany in 1901 and worked with Paul Ehrlich on immunology and chemotherapy. Later posts and research included Keio University, Keijo Imperial University and the Kitasato Institute. Japan awarded him the Order of Culture in 1944. His career connects bacteriological identification with later attempts to intervene against disease, each requiring a distinct kind of investigation.
Sources for this section: [1]
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Kiyoshi Shiga
- Why do historical accounts give 1897 and 1898?
- They can refer to the preliminary Japanese publication and the following reports, respectively.
Keep exploring
Lives connected to this story
- Shibasaburo Kitasato
Read about the mentor and institute behind the early investigation.
- Hideyo Noguchi
Compare how a later bacteriologist combined types of evidence.
Sources and further reading
Explore the evidence
These references support the biography and offer further reading. Official records, first-person accounts and independent reporting provide different perspectives; image records document attribution and licensing.
- 1. National Diet Library, Portraits of Modern Japanese Historical FiguresShiga Kiyoshi
- 2. U.S. Public Health Reports, January 1900Report on Shiga’s studies of dysentery
- 3. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 2002Taxonomic note on Shiga’s bacterium
The taxonomy paper distinguishes initial publication from the later attribution and name.
