Page 51 - HKU Surgery 110 Anniversary E-Book

Chapter II: Hong Kong’s First Academic Surgical Unit

Post-War Recovery opening the Department’s doors to an Orthopaedic and Trauma Unit was

students, it was up to his successor,
founded to focus on spinal tuberculosis
Professor Francis Stock, to re-establish and poliomyelitis, and it pioneered
The post-war period was ver y medical staff to oversee every patient’s its teaching and research regimen. Stock ground-breaking procedures, including
difficult for everyone in Hong Kong. care (in fact, a number of pre-war had his work cut out for him, given the the “Hong Kong Operation”. The unit
In the wake of the Sino-Japanese staff had died during the war or left minimal resources and very crowded later became a department of its own in
war and 1949 revolution in China, Hong Kong shortly after, including conditions in hospitals. But, as only the 1961. A chair of paediatric surgery was
hundreds of thousands of people fled Digby). As a result, young doctors second full-time professor of surgery also established in 1962.
to the city. The population ballooned and even interns and students were (after Digby), he was keen to raise
from 500,000 in 1945 to 2.2 million tasked with performing operations standards and promote research. Over Alongside these advances, though,
in 1950 and kept growing by about and other major responsibilities. 15 years as Professor of Surgery, from Stock’s tenure was marked by tense
one million people per decade to the Fortunately, they had rigorous 1948 to 1963, Stock laid building blocks relations with some of his colleagues.
end of the century. Incomes were training and strict and demanding for future success. He was said to have not been on speaking
low, living conditions were crowded professors – all necessary for matters terms with the government surgical
and unsanitary, and medical services of life and death, even though, for Stock emphasised quality assurance, and consultant, Dr John Chen, and to have
struggled to keep up. At Queen Mary a while, fewer than half of students he reviewed all surgical complications poor relations with the uncompromising
Hospital, surgical wards were jam- graduated. Talented and ambitious and post-operative deaths at the weekly Professor of Medicine, AJS McFadzean.
packed with camp beds, a situation students took advantage of the Census Meeting, which remains an (Interestingly, McFadzean hit it off with
that persisted for decades. opportunities to rise through the important departmental activity today Stock’s successor, GB Ong, who was
Department’s ranks and inspired for learning, improving patient care equally headstrong.) Stock left Hong
The rapid increase in patient loads others to follow. and sparking research ideas. He notably Kong in 1963 to continue a successful
meant there were not enough senior identified the need for specialisation, career in the UK.
starting with orthopaedics. In 1951,
Back on Track

The Department of Surgery, and the rest to provide medical training and thus
of HKU, had to rebuild pretty much from future doctors for a growing population,
scratch when they reopened in 1946. and in 1948, it resumed undergraduate
Both Queen Mary Hospital and the classes. Degrees were also awarded to
University had been damaged in the those students who had fled Japanese-
war, including the Main Building which occupied Hong Kong at the start of
lost its roof. Dr John Gray was head of the war and continued their studies in
surgery at HKU and also Acting Head Free China – including future head of
of Surgery at Queen Mary Hospital – a surgery, Professor GB Ong, and his wife,
rather thankless task, evidenced by the Dr Christina Chow. They were among 63
scant information that remains about his students to receive “war-time degrees”
tenure from 1945-48. between 1946 and 1948.

HKU was still the only local institution While Gray completed the task of Professors Stock (far right) and Hodgson (far left) with external examiners
at HKU.

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