By Takaya Mizuseki, MD

Professor Kenya Tsuge was a world-renowned hand surgeon who reported many new ideas and techniques in the field of hand surgery. He was a great man not only in the academic career but also in private life. I am privileged to have worked with him since he assumed a position as a Director of Hiroshima Prefectural Rehab Center. While we worked together, I arranged surgery for him, assisted him, and saw many patients. On the way to and from the office, I was a driver for him and we shared ample time. In the car we not only discussed various problems of hand surgery but also, he taught me the way a doctor should live. He did not speak a lot, but the words he uttered were priceless. The 12 years I worked with him gave me such a big influence on my personality growth both as a doctor and as a man.  Honesty and humbleness are the words I learned from his behaviors.

Asked about biggest surprise, or shock in my career, I would readily answer it is Professor Tsuge’s death. He died in an accident during the 59^th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Surgery of the Hand (JSSH) between April 21 and 22 in 2016. I was honored to be the president of the meeting at that time, with which he is also very pleased (Figure). Everything was on the track and going smooth, until I was called to the backstage of the main hall in the morning of the last day of the meeting. He was found lying on the floor half-awake but motionless. I could not figure out what happened to him at that time. He did not explain either, but instead, weakly spoke out, “Dr. Mizuseki, bring this USB memory and ask Professor Ikuta to give a lecture instead of me…”. He was expected to give a special lecture in the afternoon of the last day in the main hall for the members of the JSSH. An ambulance was called and he was taken to the ICU of the Hiroshima University. After examination, it was found that he sustained pelvic fracture and iliac artery injury. How did he sustain a serious injury like this?  Nobody had witnessed the accident, but it was postulated that he fell from the landing of the upper stage. He must have been looking for the way to the stage from backstage, instead of going up the stairs. He was a man of independence and he did not like the idea of somebody taking his hands to the stage. The way to the backstage was overly complicated and he must have gotten lost in a maze. The door he opened led him to the dark landing of the upper stage free of handrail. Being unable to see in the dark, he must have made a false step and fell. 

In the meantime, Professor Ikuta replaced Dr. Tsuge in his lecture, using his original slides. The title of his last lecture was, “The spirit of hand surgery” and this moved audience hearts. After his lecture, I hurried to the ICU to see him, reporting that Prof. Ikuta’s lecture for him fascinated the audience and the meeting was going to finish with great success. Although he was intubated, he was half conscious at that time and nodded each time I spoke as though he was pleased with my explanation. Then he fell asleep. On May 1st, 2016, he ended his life quietly, in spite of all our efforts and prayers, being assured of the success of the meeting. It was the only and last way to repay to my greatest mentor.

Takaya Mizuseki, MD
Emeritus Director
Hiroshima Prefectural Rehabilitation Center, Japan