Monday 7 March 2011

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is an affiliate of the University of London. It was established in 1899 as the London School of Tropical Medicine. It became a Royal Charter and was renamed the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1924.

1924 - London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine established by Royal Charter
1899 - London School of Tropical Medicine


LSHTM main entrance


Most doctors continued to do their postgraduate studies at the LSHTM as Malaya (now Malaysia) is regarded a "tropical" country when it is actually a little north of the equator.

Diseases of the tropics are plenty and these have been studied and continue to be studied at the LSHTM. 

After passing exams conducted by the LSHTM, doctors obtained their first postgraduate degree, i.e., Diploma in Public Health (DPH). The duration of study was approximately two years.


Malaya had sent its students to the LSHTM from 1950 onward. The first student who received the Queens' Scholarship to do postgraduate studies at LSHTM was (Tan Sri) Dr Abdul Majid bin Ismail, who became the second Director-General of Health Malaysia.


LSHTM contact address:
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 
Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7636 8636Location: Bloomsbury, London, WC1, UK


Photo source & credit:
LSHTM
Wikipedia

Other information:
Bloomsbury
Archive: University of London Student Records (1836-1930)

Checking historical data of the University of London Archive

For verification of dates of passing postgraduate exams such as conducted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), I had to e-mail the LSHTM and request assistance since I cannot go to London for many reasons (teaching mostly). 

Now, some of the documents are available online and it is worth sifting through the archived data of the University of London to find if there were those whose names were missed in the December 2010 search.

An advantage for searching is to know how the names of the early Malay doctors were spelled, and the approximate year they were at the LSHTM.

Even though data is accessible online by the public under the Freedom of Information Act, some data sets have an 85-year data protection which means I cannot check these particular data sets online. Some data are only accessible if the student or person involved has died.

I e-mailed the LSHTM for assistance and mentioned the urgency. LSHTM was helpful and had responded positively for a search I requested for all the early Malay doctors who could have done postgraduate studies at the LSHTM between 1950 and 1957. A response to assist was received immediately by e-mail just prior to Christmas 2010. By New Year 2011, I had the list of the early Malay doctors who had done their postgraduate studies at the LSHTM.

The Summary Guide for searching the University of London archives is here:
http://archives.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/resources/Summaryguide.pdf

King Edward VII of England

King Edward VII
King Edward VII College of Medicine building in Singapore

Photo credits, snapshots and links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://www.nus.edu.sg/

Milestones of the Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya 1949-1983

1948
-1960 – Malayan Emergency
1948
Ulu Yam Massacre by the British in Selangor
1949
University Malaya was formed by merger of KE VII College of Medicine and Raffles College.
1949
College of Medicine became the Faculty of Medicine when University Malaya was established in Singapore.
1950
University Malaya confers its first Degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) on 17 graduates. Dr Abdul Majid bin Ismail @ Coco was in this first batch.
1950
Queen’s Scholarship was introduced for KE VII graduates to pursue postgraduate studies at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
Natrah Incidence (Peristiwa Natrah). Natrah was Maria Hertogh (13), a Dutch girl born in Bandung who married Mansur Adabi (22). Dr Ahmad Ibrahim presided over the heart-breaking case that ensued. He is the son of Dr Mohamed Ibrahim bin Sheikh Ismail, an early Malay doctor (1892-1962).
1952
Construction of a 2-storey building behind the Tan Teck Guan Building for classrooms and labs.
1953
Housemanship was introduced.


1957
Department of Pharmacy, UM Singapore offered its first 3-year course.
1957
31 August – The Federation of Malaya was formed. This was the Malayan Independence or Merdeka. There were 53 Malay doctors with either LMS or MBBS medical degrees. LMS was issued from 1910 to 1949. MBBS was issued from 1950 onward.
1959
University Malaya became 2 autonomous divisions at 2 campuses, one in Singapore and another in Kuala Lumpur. The Faculty of Medicine operated as the Faculty of Medicine of UM in Singapore. An early Malay doctor, Dr Abdul Majid bin Ismail was Council Member of the University Malaya from 1 January 1959-14 May 1987.
1961
Set up of the Postgraduate Medical Studies Committee.
1962
The Singapore division became the University of Singapore and the Kuala Lumpur division became University Malaya. Prof T Danaraj became the first Dean of the medical faculty at University Malaya in KL.
1963
16 September – The Federation of Malaya became a larger country geographically when Malaya, Singapore, Sabah & Sarawak combined to form Malaysia. Malaysia had 2 big sister universities, one in Singapore and the other in KL.
1965
Singapore became an independent Republic of Singapore on 9 August 1965. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Singapore was formed in August 1965. Anwar Ibrahim was the Chief Protocol Officer at MFA Singapore. He was the son of Dr Mohamed Ibrahim bin Sheikh Ismail (1892-1962), an early Malay doctor.
1967
Professor Christiaan Neethling Barnard performed the first human heart transplant on 3 December 1967.
1969
School of Postgraduate Medical Studies was formed.
1969
13 May – riots (also referred to as the 13 May Incidences).  The riots occurred in Kuala Lumpur following the results of the election held then. Though political, the actual trigger of the riots remains unknown. A dark moment in Malaysia's history. The Deputy Prime Minister, also an early Malay doctor, Tun Dr Ismail (1915-1973) delivered his address to calm the nation and halt further bloodshed. The killings stopped and Malaysians continued to live as one.
1983
Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) was officially opened by KDYMM Al-Sultan Kelantan Sultan Ismail Petra on 26 August 1983.


Citation: Milestones of the Faculty of Medicine - UM 1949-1983, The Early Malay Doctors, 2011, Faridah Abdul Rashid, online blog

Milestones of the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore 1905-1948

1905
The Straits Settlement and Federated Malay States Government Medical School was established at Sepoy Lines in Singapore. It offered a full-time 5-year medical course to train doctors in medicine, surgery and midwifery.
1910
The pioneering class of 7 male doctors graduated from the Medical School with a Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery (LMS).
1911
The Tan Teck Guan Building opened. It housed a lecture theatre, a library and a museum.
1912
The first Professorial Chair of Physiology was established at the Medical School.
1913
The Medical School was renamed King Edward VII Medical School when it received an endowment by the King Edward VII Memorial Foundation.
1913
-1917 WW1
1916
The General Medical Council (GMC) of Great Britain recognizes the LMS and medical graduates were registered in the British Medical Register.
1917
Rumah Sakit Daerah was established in Kuala Krai, Kelantan.
1920
The London School of Tropical Medicine and Hospital for Tropical Diseases moved to Endsleigh Gardens in central London.
1921
The Athlone Committee created and named the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
1921
The Medical School in Singapore was renamed King Edward VII College of Medicine as it offered tertiary education.
1923
The KE VII medical course became a 6-year course.
1924
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) was made a Royal Charter
1926
The 3-storey College Building with Doric columns opens.
1927
The Dispensary was established in Kota Bharu, Kelantan by Dr Ali Othman Merican & Shaik Hussein Othman Merican (father of veteran athlete Tamin Merican)
1929
/1930 – 7 dental students were accepted by the Department of Dentistry for a 4-year course.
1930
Rumah Sakit Umum was established in Kota Bharu, Kelantan.
1930
The Great Depression in USA.
1939
The McLean Commission on Higher Education proposed the merger of the Medical College with the Raffles College of Arts and Sciences into a university college.
1941
-1945 WW2 (The Japanese Occupation in Malaya)
1942
College of Medicine ceased operation.
1943
The Japanese Military Administration established the Marei Ika Daigaku or Syonan Medical College at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
1944
Syonan Medical College was shifted to Malacca General Hospital and it ended at the end of WW2. The Japanese used Maktab Perguruan Perempuan Melayu Melaka as their HQ.
1945
WW2 ended; Formation of Malayan Union; British Reoccupation. The Malays opposed the Malayan Union.
1946
College of Medicine reopened in the postwar period and ~200 students resumed medical studies at KE VII.
1948
The Carr-Saunders Commission proposed the formation of a university.
1948
GPMS was formed at KE VII, Singapore.

Citation: Milestones of KE VII, The Early Malay Doctors, Faridah Abdul Rashid, 2011 online blog
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