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19 November 2006

Sunday, 19 November 2006, 11:29 am.

See Searches 15 & 64 concerning Dr. Abdul Latiff bin Abdul Razak. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norsidah A. Manap is his granddaughter.

I have not met Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norsidah yet at the time of this writing. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norsidah had managed to obtain specific details concerning her grandfather and his family. According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norsidah, Tan Sri Dr. Abdul Majid Ismail @ "Coco Majid" wrote about her grandfather, Dr. Abdul Latiff bin Abdul Razak.

See Search 15 concerning the findings by En. Mohd. Fadli Ghani about the family background of Dr. Abdul Latiff.

See Search 48 concerning Tan Sri Dr. Abdul Majid Ismail @ "Coco Majid" who received treatment from Dr. Abdul Latiff.

This is an update on Dr. Abdul Latiff bin Abdul Razak based on previous searches and further e-mail from Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norsidah.

Dr. Abdul Latiff bin Abdul Razak (1884-1956; Class of 1910)

• He was either born in 1884 (more probable) or 1889 (less probable). When and where was he born?
• The family of Dr. Abdul Latiff could have probably originated from Kelang and that he too was born in Kelang
• He was the eldest son of a territorial chief (penghulu)
• He started education at Sekolah Melayu Kelang in 1892 at age 8 years
• Primary education was from Primary 1 through 7, a span of 8 years
• He completed Primary 7 (Junior Cambridge) in 1900 at age 16 years
• He then went to do Senior Cambridge at Victoria Institution (VI), High Street, Kuala Lumpur from 1900 until 1904. He completed Senior Cambridge at age 20 years. He was an ex-VI student. His classmate at VI was Cikgu Tuan Syed Syaidali (see Search 17)
• He then joined the 23 students who entered The Straits and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, Singapore in 1905.
• If he was born in 1884 and entered the Singapore Medical School in 1905, he entered medical school at age 21 which is more likely
• If he was born in 1889 and entered the Singapore Medical School in 1905 he entered medical school at age 16 which is unlikely
• He obtained the Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery (LMS) in 1910. He was probably the first Malay doctor to graduate from the Medical School.
• Dr. Abdul Latiff bin Abdul Razak was the first Malay doctor to graduate in 1910 from the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School (later named the King Edward VII (KEVII) College, Singapore in 1912)
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norsidah e-mailed that Dato' Dr. Abdul Majid Ismail (better known as "Coco" Majid) wrote Dr. Abdul Latiff completed his studies in 1910
• Dr. Abdul Latiff lived in Kuala Lumpur after returning from Singapore
• What did he do after graduation between 1911 and 1916 (a period of 5 years)? WW1 occurred in 1913-1918. Where was he during WW1? Was he recruited during WW1?
• After graduation, Dr. Abdul Latiff served as a medical assistant in General Hospital, Kuala Lumpur (GHKL)
• His medical degree was certified and accepted by the General Medical Council of Great Britain in 1916, after which he served as a medical officer in GHKL.
• Why did it takes so long for the General Medical Council of Great Britain to certify and accept his medical degree? Where is this Council sited today? Can we trace his records in Great Britain today?
• Did he serve only at GHKL from 1916 to 1939? Did he serve only GHKL until he retired?
• Did he come to know about Dato' Dr. Che Lah Mohd. Joonos, who graduated from KEVII in 1930 and served either at GHKL or the Leper Settlement in Sungai Buloh? They might have been friends for at least 25 years!
• Tan Sri Dr. Abdul Majid Ismail @ Coco Majid (ex-Chief Director of Health Malaysia) recalled that he had received treatment from one of the doctors named Dr. Abdul Latiff in GHKL in 1937
• He most probably retired at age 55 years in 1939 (ie after WW1 but before the Japanese Occupation/WW2). When did he retire?
• If he continued to work after his retirement, he would have worked an additional 17 years post-retirement. What did he do after retirement?
• Dr. Abdul Latiff bin Abdul Razak had 9 children. Who are his children?
  • One of Dr. Abdul Latiff's son is Tan Sri Yaacob Latiff. He was the first Datuk Bandar Kuala Lumpur (first mayor of KL)
• At the time Dr. Abdul Latiff received the Jubilee Gift Award in conjunction with the Diamond Jubilee of VI in 1954, he was already retired
• He died in 1956
• If he was born in 1889 (less probable) and died in 1956, he died at age 67 years (unlikely)
• If he was born in 1884 (more probable) and died in 1956, he died at age 72 years (likely)
• In 1958, Tan Sri Yaacob organised the Latiff Shield, a charity fund for debate in honour of his father
• His grandaughter is Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norsidah A. Manap, UKM

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norsidah A. Manap

• She is the granddaughter of Dr. Abdul Latiff bin Abdul Razak (first Malay doctor)
• She has readied a photograph of Dr. Abdul Latiff which she can contribute
• Her family is collecting his memoirs
• Most of the memorabilia were destroyed during the Japanese Occupation (1941-1945)
• The Medical Library at UKM, Jalan Pahang (near HKL) will be named after Dr. Abdul Latiff on 25 November 2005
• She conducts PBL facilitation, Year 1 Clinical Strand, UKM
• Attended the ICU Conference on 9-11 September 2005
• Facilitated the Advanced Cardiac Life Support Course in HUKM
• Her daily work involves anaesthetizing in the operating theatres
• She is married and a mother of 3 boys aged 14, 12 and 10 years

En. Mohd. Fadli Ghani

• He has provided photographs of both the road and hostel block (see Searches 16 and 17):
  • Road - A road in Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) has been named after him as Jalan Dr. Latiff. This road links Jalan Masjid and Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz
  • Hostel - A hostel block in Universiti Industri Selangor (UNISEL) has been named after him as Blok Dr. Latiff
    • He has provided a photograph of students in Asrama Dr. Latiff (ADL) 1985-1989. The ADL was a hostel for full-time students. It was located in Jalan Gurney, KL and was under the administration of Yayasan Selangor, which also administered Kolej Industri Selangor (Inspen). Inspen was upgraded to become UNISEL. The ADL was demolished to make way for the construction of the Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) (see Searches 18 and 21)
    • The book "Bingkisan Merdeka" published in 1957 to commemorate our Independence celebration, also recorded the address of one of its contributors as "Asrama Dr. Latiff" (see Search 17)

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Acknowledgement

Dr. Abdul Latiff bin Abdul Razak (1889-1956; Class of 1910)

First Malay doctor to graduate from the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School (later named the King Edward VII (KEVII) College, Singapore in 1912).

Eldest son of a territorial chief

Had 9 children

ex-VI student. His classmate at VI was Cikgu Tuan Syed Syaidali (see Search 17).

His son is Tan Sri Yaacob bin Latiff, Mayor of KL 1972-1983

His granddaughter is Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norsidah A. Manap, HUKM

Tuan Syed Shaidali (1891-1967) (see Search 19)

He attended VI between May 1989 - December 1908 about the same time Dr. Abdul Latiff attended VI.

En. Fadli Ghani

Pengarah Akademi Kajian Kota, Kuala Lumpur

E-mail: fadliayman@yahoo.com

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norsidah A. Manap

She is the granddaughter of Dr. Abdul Latiff bin Abdul Razak, the first Malay doctor to graduate from the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School.

Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

E-mail: nmanap@mail.hukm.ukm.my

Japanese Occupation (1941-1945)

Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL)

Uncertain if the original building still exists today

Uncertain if it is the oldest hospital in Malaya previously or Malaysia today

Other old hospitals/establishments to note are Hospital Kandang Kerbau (Singapore), Assunta Hospital, Tanglin Hospital, Sungai Buloh Leper Settlement and Penang General Hospital.

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