Medicine: Young Giant of Japan

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When his first son Yoshimitsu was born, Farmer Koji Matsuzaka of Shinshushinmachi, a small mountain town 160 miles northwest of Tokyo, boasted: "He will grow up to be a giant." The proud father did not know how close his prophecy would come to the truth. By the time Yoshimitsu entered senior high at 16, he towered 6 ft. 7 in. At this time he began to have blinding headaches and tired so easily that he spent most of his time lying at home on a tatami. School doctors diagnosed Yoshimitsu's trouble as a hormone imbalance, recommended that he see a specialist, but Father Koji was afraid of the cost.

Not until last spring, when Yoshimitsu was 21 and had reached a basketball coach's dream height of 7 ft. 2 in., did he get to a specialist (on a newsman's intervention). Said Dr. Kentaro Shimizu (5 ft. 4 in.), one of Tokyo's top brain surgeons: "These cases are so uncommon that any specialist would be happy to treat one." Installed in a specially built bed (8 ft. 6 in.) and swathed in a vast yukata (summer kimono) Yoshimitsu was X-rayed and tested to a fare-thee-well.

The findings: he had a tumor on his pituitary gland; evidently it had boosted the gland's output of growth hormone to a fantastic level, while suppressing its output of three other vital master hormones which govern the adrenal glands, the thyroid and the sex glands.

Dr. Shimizu gave Yoshimitsu generous injections (up to 30 mg. a day) of testosterone and other hormones for almost a year to slow his growth and help build his strength. Last March Dr. Shimizu performed a drastic operation. He opened Yoshimitsu's skull across the forehead and probed past vital brain substance to get at the deep-hidden, almost inaccessible pituitary. Then he removed the tumor.

Last week the young giant was almost ready to go home. But what to do? Dr. Shimizu would not let him join a stage troupe (too insecure). Yoshimitsu was getting both muscle-building and morale-building exercises to help him ignore the stares of passersby. Said he: "I hate to leave this wonderful hospital, but I am a grownup now, so I must face it." At 7 ft. 7 in. he is indeed grown up, but mercifully, he will probably grow no more.