astronomy

Takeshi Hirayama

Takeshi Hirayama is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Takeshi Hirayama rather than just read about it. In short: Takeshi Hirayama (平山雄, Hirayama Takeshi; January 1, 1923 – October 26, 1995) was a Japanese cancer epidemiologist and anti-tobacco activist who served as the chief of the epidemiology division at the National Cancer Center in Tokyo from 1965 until 1985. He has been credited with publishing the first study linking passive smoking to lung cancer, and also conducted research on the relationship between certain dietary…

Key takeaways

Takeshi Hirayama belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Takeshi Hirayama to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Takeshi Hirayama from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Takeshi Hirayama (平山雄, Hirayama Takeshi; January 1, 1923 – October 26, 1995) was a Japanese cancer epidemiologist and anti-tobacco activist who served as the chief of the epidemiology division at the National Cancer Center in Tokyo from 1965 until 1985. He has been credited with publishing the first study linking passive smoking to lung cancer, and also conducted research on the relationship between certain dietary factors and cancer.

Early life and education Hirayama was born on January 1, 1923, in Kyoto, Japan. When he was three, his father, Tohshi Hirayama, became professor of surgery at Manchuria Medical College, which led to him and his family moving to the city of Harbin in China. Hirayama graduated from Manchuria Medical College in 1945, and received a degree in medical science from Kyoto University in 1951 and a Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1952.

Career In 1946, Hirayama moved to Tokyo, where he took a job at the Japanese National Institute of Hygiene. In 1959, he moved to New York City to study the association between tobacco smoking and lung cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In 1965, he was appointed the chief of the epidemiology division at the National Cancer Institute (also known as the National Cancer Centre) in Tokyo. He remained in this position until 1985. Soon afterward, he designed a large cohort study of over 260,000 subjects, known as the "six prefecture" cohort study, which he continued to follow up until he retired. During his career, he became a prominent figure in the anti-smoking movement, and supported many anti-smoking activities by non-governmental organizations.

Research

Secondhand smoke In 1981, Hirayama published a study of 265,000 people which found an association between exposure to secondhand smoke and an increased risk of lung cancer. This study has been described as "one of the most frequently cited studies in regulatory proceedings, risk assessments, and the media" with regard to secondhand smoke. It has also been described as the first study linking secondhand smoke to lung cancer in nonsmokers, although two other studies were published around the same time with similar findings. In an attempt to discredit the study and protect their interests, the tobacco industry decided to produce a study of their own, dubbed the "Japanese spousal study", with the aim of fraudulently refuting Hirayama's findings. In addition, the Tobacco Institute responded to Hirayama's 1981 study by writing a letter to his superior criticizing the study, despite knowing that Hirayama's work was absolutely correct. In 1984, Hirayama published a cohort study of 265,118 adults which reached conclusions similar to those of his 1981 study, namely, that non-smoking wives of smoking husbands were at an increased risk of lung cancer and ischemic heart disease.

Diet and cancer Hirayama also studied the relationship between green and yellow vegetable consumption and a decreased risk of certain cancers. He also published a number of studies linking increased consumption of meat, eggs, butter, and cheese to an increased risk of breast cancer.

Honors and awards In 1988 and 1993, Hirayama received the WHO commemorative medal on tobacco or health. In 1989, he received the Ramazzini Award from the Collegium Ramazzini "for his contributions to the knowledge of the role of lifestyle in the genesis of cancer".

Personal life Hirayama's hobbies included painting and sketching. He died on October 26, 1995. He was survived by his wife, Yukiko, and their two sons.

External links Kessler, Gladys (August 17, 2006). "United States of America v. Philip Morris et al.: Final Opinion of Judge Gladys Kessler" (PDF). United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Takeshi Hirayama

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Takeshi Hirayama claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Takeshi Hirayama before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Takeshi Hirayama ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Takeshi Hirayama

In research: Takeshi Hirayama appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Takeshi Hirayama in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Takeshi Hirayama is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1923 births, 1995 deaths, 20th-century Japanese scientists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Takeshi Hirayama outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Takeshi Hirayama in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Takeshi Hirayama means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Takeshi Hirayama out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Takeshi Hirayama in simple terms?

Why does Takeshi Hirayama matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Takeshi Hirayama?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Takeshi Hirayama.