JMEDICINE is one of the databases provided by JOIS (JICST Online
Information System), focusing on the medical information published in
Japan. It is composed by two files of JICST(Japan Information Center for
Science and Technology) and of Japan Medical Abstracts Society(JAMAS).
JICST file contains some 11,050,000 citations in the broad spectrum of
science, technology and medicine (since 1975). Annual input is approx.
600,000 citations, of which 30% originates from Japan. JAMAS is an
authoritative medical information service in Japan, and has published an
abstract journal, "IGAKU CHUO ZASSHI" since 1903. Their compilation was
computerized in 1983, and electronic information, covered from 1981 on
JICST file and from 1983 on JAMAS file, has been provided for this
database.
Thus, JMEDICINE can be regarded as the most comprehensive
database on medical information in Japan. List of serials in the field of
Oriental medicine indexed in JMEDICINE was reported1). It revealed
that 54 Oriental medicine-related journals were on JMEDICINE. It meant that
2.5% of journals listed in JMEDICINE(approx. 2300 journals) were related
to Oriental medicine. The starting year of publication, the starting year
of indexing, and the number of articles in the 54 serials indexed in
JMEDICINE were surveyed2). Since 1986 JMEDICINE can be accessed
from abroad under certain contract assignment, but in Japanese.
JOIS started to provide service in English with JICST-E File, whicih contains
more than 2.5 million translations of citations from JICST file. JICST-E,
which is an English-language bibliographic database comprised of
documents on scientific and technical information including Oriental
medicine published in Japan, is accessible through the Internet , the
STN international and the CompuServe.
REFERENCES
1) Tsutani K, Namiki T, Muramatsu S. List of serials in the field of
'Toyo-Igaku' (Oriental medicine) indexed in JMEDICINE Nihon Toyo Igaku
Zashi (Japanese Journal of Oriental Medicine) 1993; 43(4): 63-67. (in
Japanese)
2) Tsutani K, Namiki T, Muramatsu S. Starting year of indexing and number
of articles in the 54 serials in the field of 'Toyo-Igaku' (Oriental
medicine) indexed in JMEDICINE, Nihon Toyo Igaku Zashi(Japanese Journal
of Oriental Medicine) 1994; 45(1): 159-164. (in Japanese)