Story and Pix by Chan Lilian
BORN in Penang, saved thousands of lives in Harbin, China, the first Malaysian (Malayan) to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1935 and finally remembered in his homeland in Penang as the internationally acclaimed plague fighter – Dr. Wu Lien Teh.
On March 9, the 150th anniversary of his birth on March 10, 1879, Dr. Wu Lien-Teh finally had a bronze bust installed at the Penang Medical College to remember his deeds.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng joined his family members at the college grounds to unveil the bronze bust presented by The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University.
“We are extremely honoured to receive this one and only bronze bust of Dr. Wu as a gift to the people of Penang. It is hoped that this bust will not only keep his legacy alive but also serve as a continuous reminder of his heroic contributions and commitment to social and scientific progress,” Lim said during the historic ceremony.
Back in the early 1900s, after completing his studies in Medicine at Cambridge University, Dr. Wu returned to Malaya with the goal to contribute to his home country.
However, he suffered from the two-tier medical system in British colonies whereby a non-British national can neither hold the highest possible rank in medical service nor be recognised as a specialist.
As with most Penangites and their strong fighting spirit, Dr. Wu did not give up.
He turned his focus to campaign for anti-gambling and anti-opium causes.
He then left Malaya in 1906 after accepting an invitation from the Grand Councillor Yuan Shikai of the Qing Dynasty in Beijing to assume the post of Vice-Director of the Imperial Army Medical College in Tianjin.
During his time in China, he was sent to Harbin to investigate the mysterious pneumonic plague that claimed over 60,000 lives.
Dr. Wu was said to have single-handedly overcome the plague and saved thousands of lives.
Some of the methods he adopted were quarantine stations and cremation of the dead.
He also managed to set up numerous hospitals and laboratories which eventually stopped the plague in 1911.
He later became responsible for stamping out the malaria epidemic of 1919 and the recurrence of the plague in 1921.
Although Dr. Wu was virtually unknown in his homeland after his return to Malaya in 1937, he will now be remembered.
Visitors can go to the Penang Medical College and see the bronze bust of this medical pioneer.
To celebrate his heroic achievements, the state government through the Penang Institute held a Commemorative Symposium as well as gathering his family members for a glittering dinner.