Celebrating a Malaysian icon
TODAY, March 10, is the birthday of a Malaysian medical legend, Dr Wu Lien-Teh ( pic). Born in Penang in 1879 and educated at Penang Free School, he gave to Malaysia, or Malaya as it was then known and the world, remarkable courage, research and action that made him the first Malaysian to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
He did not get it but many said he should have, considering his accomplishments.
Dr Wu’s story is one of academic excellence. He was the best student every year at the Cambridge University’s Medical School, the first Malaysian and the first Chinese to be enrolled there.
He had a PhD from Cambridge, a Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and an Honorary Doctorate from the Japanese Imperial University of Tokyo in 1905, 1924 and 1926 respectively.
Dr Wu’s story is one of great courage. He set up the Anti-Opium Society in Malaya and also fought racist laws, e.g. only Europeans were allowed to travel first class on trains. He succeeded in both.
Dr Wu’s life is a story of great medical research and practice which made a difference. He identified the “pneumonic plague” as the greatest killer in public health in the last century in China.
He did amazing research, introduced the “Wu” mask for health workers and initiated cremation of infected bodies.
He saved and prevented the loss of thousands of lives.
This Malaysian son spent some 30 years in China, setting up the China Medical Association (which now has over half a million members) and was elected president for two terms.
He wrote a classic on the history of Chinese medicine. There is a museum dedicated to this Malaysian in the city of Harbin, China. The people of Harbin also presented to the people of Penang a statue of Dr Wu, which is located at the Penang Medical College.
Dr Wu also gave a lot of his life to Malaysia. He served the Institute for Medical Research (where there is a fantastic tribute to him in its museum).
He worked as a humble family doctor in Ipoh for 23 years where he set up the Perak State Library.
To honour Dr Wu’s work and to inspire new and future generations, the Dr Wu Lien-Teh Society is pleased to announce the setting up of the Dr Wu Lien-Teh Research Awards. Each of the six awards come with a certificate, a medal and cash prize. There will be two components to the awards, the Young Investigators Award and the Research Poster Award. The awards will be presented on May 29 at the National Conference for Clinical Research in Penang.
The society will also be having an exhibition there and its president will be giving a lecture on “The Unsung Heroes of Public Health – The Story of Dr Wu Lien-Teh, a Malaysian Legend”. Visit our website, wulienteh-society. Join the society and support the legacy and inspirational work of this truly Malaysian legend.
Our hope is that this forgotten medical legend becomes part of every medical school, featuring curriculum on the medical history of Malaysia. Please make this legend come alive and be an inspiration for all.”