Practice with erudition, patriotism with sincerity: in memory of Wu Lien Teh, a plague fighter and pioneer of public health in China / 中华疾病控制杂志

Wu Lien Teh (1879-1960), a world-renowned health and epidemic prevention expert, was a pioneer in public health and medical education in China. With his scientific ideas and methods, he extinguished the plague epidemic in northeast China which shocked the world at the beginning of the 20th century. He proposed and enriched the theory of pneumonic plague, and his work marked a milestone in the world’s plague prevention and treatment. He established a scientific health and epidemic prevention system in China, promoted the reform of medical education, established modern medical institutes and hospitals, founded the Chinese Medical Association, helped reclaim the right of port quarantine, strengthened the anti-opium campaign, and promoted cultural exchanges between Chinese and western medicine. He was knowledgeable and far-sighted, and committed to the practice and research of infectious disease prevention and treatment, promoting the development of China’s public health, which has a far-reaching impact on China and the world.

Pneumonic plague epidemic in Northeast China in 1910-1911: Dr. Wu Lien-Teh's epidemic preventive system for plague control / 医学前沿

Pneumonic plague that originated in Russian Siberia broke out in Northeast China in October 1910-March 1911. On the basis of field visits, autopsy, bacteriological identification, and close collaboration with local authorities and international colleagues, Dr. Wu Lien-Teh implemented a series of efficient antiplague measures, which successfully controlled the development of an extraordinary epidemic plague. In his subsequent work, Dr. Wu demonstrated the respiratory transmission of pneumonic plague and tarbagans' role in this spread. Dr.Wu's academic and cultural contributions are valuable in the medical progress in China.