Takagi Tomoe: The Japanese Doctor Who Devoted Himself to Taiwan – S5-E14

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files · May 22, 2025 · 20m

In 1902, Dr. Takagi Tomoe arrived in newly-colonized Japanese Formosa as a seasoned Japanese medical expert sent here to battle bubonic plague – one of the many tropical sicknesses that killed thousands of local people each year. Takagi had a rare sense of empathy. Unlike many of his peers, he encouraged local students to attend his medical school (even letting them speak Taiwanese). This brilliant Japanese and German-trained doctor helped create Taiwan’s medical system – and also, in an unexpected twist, Takagi was tasked with managing the company that’s today known as Taipower. In this…