Page 43 - HKU Surgery 110 Anniversary E-Book

Chapter II: Hong Kong’s First Academic Surgical Unit

Establishing a Place to Grow

Digby’s first position at HKU was acting Dean, Digby acted to address
Professor of Anatomy, which he held the challenges, displaying prodigious
while serving as surgical consultant to fundraising skills to go alongside his
government hospitals. Two years later, in surgical talents.
1915, he was appointed the first Chair of
Surgery – thus holding two chairs at one At the request of the University Council,
time – through a $50,000 endowment he wrote to the Rockefeller Foundation
from Sir Robert Ho Tung. But he also seeking endowments for three new chairs,
had useful talents beyond medicine. in Surgery, Obstetrics, and Medicine. He
had previously made a good impression
The Faculty still relied heavily on part- on a visiting delegation from the
time teaching support from doctors Foundation and so, in 1922, they agreed
in the community and was in need of to his request. The funding enabled a
more funding and space. In 1920, as restructuring of clinical teaching and

Queen Mary Hospital (circa 1937).
staff organisation. It also prompted Digby of the Professorial Block at Queen Mary
to step down as Chair of Anatomy to Hospital, where it remains to this day.
focus on Surgery and turn his skills
towards securing more resources. It was Digby’s teaching, though, that
helped establish standards of excellence
Surgery lessons were still confined to the in surgery and the medical school as a
Government Civil Hospital and Tung whole, earning high praise from HKU’s
Wah Hospital, so Digby launched a fund- then Vice-Chancellor Duncan Sloss.
raising effort for a dedicated School of
Surgery building. The building opened “I have come to the conclusion that the
in 1934 next to Loke Yew Hall on the good reputation of the University Medical
main HKU campus and later, in 1956, it School is built upon the carefulness of
was renamed Digby Memorial Building Professor Digby’s clinical teaching. His
in his honour. Digby also oversaw the professional reputation as a surgeon is
relocation of clinical teaching to the new very high also.”
Queen Mary Hospital, which opened - HKU Vice-Chancellor Duncan Sloss,

Digby School of Surgery at HKU. in 1937 as the main acute hospital on 27 February 1939 -
Hong Kong Island and was, at the time,
the best hospital in the Far East. HKU
surgery set up its base on the second floor

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