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YUICHI YAMAMURA
1918 - 1990
“Time present and time past are both perhaps present in time future, and time future contained in time past.”
T.S. Elliot, Four Quartets
Dr. Yuichi Yamamura, one of the great figures of our time in the world of immunology and a coordinator of our program, closed his 71 years of glorious life on June 10, 1990, after a valiant struggle with a long illness. He was by any measure, an extraordinary individual; a unique balance of imaginative scientist, compassionate leader, and consummate teacher. The last component was a legacy of infectious enthusiasm for ideas married to a hard but objective critic. His tremendous numbers of students and friends, including not only medical doctors, and scientists, university professors, but also artists, novelists, politicians, public officials, and businessmen, were all seduced by his unfailing intelligence and sense of excitement.
Dr. Yamamura was born on July 27, 1918, in Osaka as the first son of a captain of the merchant marine. He spent most of his life in Osaka, and in “his” Osaka University he contributed to its development as a center for life sciences in Japan. Immediately after his graduation from the Medical School, Osaka Imperial University, Dr. Yamamura served his military duty as a medical officer in the Imperial Navy, which he loved very much as a reminiscence of his youthful days. His experience in the Navy, in which he saw many young, bright colleagues die in the war, left a profound influence on his later life. A phrase which he elaborated himself, “resign oneself to heaven’s will and then do one’s best,” may have originated from his hard experience in the war. After the war, from 1946 to 1957, he was chief doctor of the National Sanitorium Toneyama Hospital. Just after returning from the war in 1946, he met Dr. Shiro Akabori, who was a professor of biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, and later the President of Osaka University. From that time and throughout his life, Dr. Yamamura looked up to Professor Akabori.
During his Toneyama Hospital era, he achieved accomplishments in the field of infection and immunity. In particular, he discovered that heat-killed mycobacteria could generate pulmonary cavities in mycobacterium-presensitized rabbits. He concluded that the tuberculous cavity, important as the focus for exodus of bacteria to the airway and site of deadly bleeding, was formed through the mechanisms of host immune responses against the lipoprotein of the mycobacterium. This discovery was awarded the Asahi Prize in 1960, and Dr. Yamamura’s major contribution to cancer and immunology through his whole life was derived from these brilliant studies which were performed during his younger days.
In 1957, he was invited to the Kyushu University Medical School as professor and chairman of the Department of Medical Chemistry. During five years in Fukuoka with his elaborated phrase of “motivate oneself by the brain of roman and work hard with the hands of realism,” he trained many young biochemists and immunochemists who later played a central role in the development of the Japanese Society for Immunology, as well as the Japanese Cancer Association. He met Dr. Tomizo Yoshida, professor of Tokyo University at the time, who led him into cancer research.
Dr. Yamamura then moved to Osaka as chairman of the 3rd Department of Medicine, Osaka University Medical School in 1963 and he stayed there as chairman of the department, dean of the Medical School, and, finally, as president of the University, as well as Professor Emeritus until his death. During this time, he completed his lifework in chemistry, biology, and medicine of mycobacteria. In particular, with regard to cancer research, he succeeded in the preparation of a biologlcally active “cell wall skeleton” of mycobacteria and nocardia rubra with potent immunomodulating activity against cancer, and applied these preparations to the immunotherapy of cancer, with myriad innovating trials to the patients after careful ascertainment of safety in every step. A series of studies, as a natural consequence, developed into the field of human lymphocyte biology, especially focused on the regulatory molecules which are now called cytokines or interleukins. Through these studies, he built up a world famous immunology team within the University of Osaka.
A person of Dr. Yamamura’s abilities accumulates many honors. Among these was the nomination as a member to the Japan Academy immediately after he was awarded the Japan Academy Prize, person of Cultural of Merits, and Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure. Dr. Yamamura was also acclaimed for unselfish service to the scientific community. He established the Japanese Society for Immunology in 1971 and served as the first president of the Society. He also served as president of the Japanese Cancer Association in 1975, president of the 5th International Congress of Immunology in 1983, and president of the 4th International Congress of Immunopharmacology in 1988. He was chairman of the Council of the Comprehensive 10-year Strategy for Cancer Control by the Japanese Government and, also, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund. Moreover, he was honorary member of the American Association of Immunologists and many other scientific and public societies. To enumerate further the enormous list of his society memberships or awards may be unnecessary since to all those who have known him, it is obvious that the distinctions cannot add to his great stature.
His influence in cancer research and immunology in Japan and throughout the world was great. He devoted much of his work to support international cooperation on cancer research by serving from its inception in April 1974 as a Scientific Advisory Committee Member of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Cancer Research Program. He worked as coordinator of the Biology and Diagnosis Area of the Program since 1979 and made outstanding contributions for the successful growth of this international program during the past two decades. He was highly respected by all of his colleagues ranging from the most accomplished to the newest students. The death of Dr. Yamamura is an untimely tragedy for the flowering of life sciences in Japan, because at the age of 71, he was still at the peak of his boundless energy and intellectual creativity, providing influence in the wide field of biosciences in Japan. In typical fashion, neither illness nor death was permitted to interfere with his activities. Up until ten days before his death, he was active in discussing with and encouraging his colleagues to pursue life sciences in Japan. His death was the only intellectual struggle he ever lost. The legacy of talented students and scientific grandchildren he left behind will continue the great work which he initiated with his last words, “love, trust, and forgive the people”!
Toshiyuki Hamaoka, M.D.