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15 September 2002

In my wild quest to obtain the names of the early Malay doctors of Malaya who graduated from Raffles College, Singapore, I checked Yahoo Search under "Raffles". The results returned a website on one of the sons of the first Malay doctor (http://viweb.freehosting.net/viint_Yaacob.htm). Tan Sri Yaacob bin Latiff was featured on this website, and something was mentioned about his father, Dr. Abdul Latiff bin Abdul Razak.

I decided to e-mail the writer of Tan Sri Yaacob's web page, Mr. Chung Chee Min (cmchung@excite.com), to find out if he knew the other Malay doctors. Mr. Chung responded. He is a retired teacher and now lives in Vancouver, Canada. Mr. Chung contacted a colleague at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and a search followed. 

A surprise e-mail from Mr. Chung came back with the list of names of the first 11 Malay doctors. I could not believe my eyes! I was overjoyed! I e-mailed Mr. Chung to thank him for his wonderful help and in forwarding the list to me. It is this happiness that makes me want to share this list with you.

Here is the list of early Malay doctors who graduated from Raffles College, Singapore.

[Name | Date of Graduation | Other Details | Life Status | Contact]

--
Abdul Latiff b Abdul Razak (1885?-1958)
August 1911
First Malay doctor to graduate from King Edward VII College (KEVII) in Singapore; first Malay doctor in Malaya; eldest son of a territorial chief; ex-VI. Probably graduated in the second batch of doctors in 1911 (the first batch graduated in 1910)*.
Contact:
Ex-VI cmchung@excite.com 
Son - Tan Sri Yaacob bin Latiff, Mayor of KL 1972-1983
Granddaughter - norsidah@mail.hukm.ukm.my
*Writer - En. Mohd. Fadli Ghani (see Search 4)
See also Search 7 
--
S Kassim (Dr Samsudin bin Cassim)
March 1912
--
HS Moonshi 
March 1916
--
Pandak Ahmad b Allang Samin (Pandak Ahmad b Alang Sidin)
March 1916
Address in Malaysia is no longer valid
Deceased
Contact:
NUS - oarsorr@nus.edu.sg
--
Md Ibrahim 
August 1916
--
Md Baboo 
March 1917
--
IM Ghows 
August 1917
--
Hamzah b Taib 
March 1923
Contact:
Writer - En. Mohd. Fadli Ghani (see Search 4)
--
Hussein b Md Ibrahim
(Hussin b Mohamed Ibrahim)
March 1924
Last known address is 57 Pahang Rd, KL, Malaysia
Alive
Contact:
NUS - oarsorr@nus.edu.sg
--
Nizamuddin Ahmad
(Nizamudding Ahmad)
March 1929
No address given
Deceased
Contact:
NUS - oarsorr@nus.edu.sg
--
Che Lah b Mohd Joonos
March 1930
Graduated with a Licentiate in Medical Surgery (LMS) from King Edward VII College of Medicine, Class of 1930. Address in Malaysia is no longer valid
Deceased 26 January 1986
Contact:
NUS - oarsorr@nus.edu.sg 
Son - kamaruddin@mpsp.gov.my
Granddaughter - faridah@kb.usm.my  (see Search 5)
--
Raja Ahmad Noordin
Contact:
IMR - nazni@imr.gov.my
--
Ungku Omar Ahmad
Contact:
IMR - nazni@imr.gov.my
 

I do not have any other information pertaining to the early Malay doctors above nor their photographs but if you do, please let me know.

---

Acknowledgement

Search 1

The following persons were instrumental in obtaining details of the early Malay doctors. May their lives be blessed.

Mr. Chung Chee Min
Vancouver, Canada
E-mail: cmchung@excite.com
Web: http://viweb.freehosting.net/viint_Yaacob.htm 

E-mail received: Thursday, 12 September 2002 at 9:57:08 pm

Reply: Gave list of 11 names of Malay doctors
E-mail received: Sunday, 15 September 2002 at 2:05:31 pm
Reply: Mentioned that the name list was obtained by an Old VI in Singapore's NUS from a copy of the 1955 anniversary magazine belonging to someone else.

Hanom bt. Hamsam (and her colleague, Chong Tarn Lee)
Dean's Office
Faculty of Medicine
National University of Singapore
Tel: 6874-3299
Fax: 6778-5743
E-mail: hanom@nus.edu.sg
E-mail received: Monday, 14 July 2003 at 9:43:33 am
Reply: Confirmed list of medical graduates extracted from alumni database, Office of Alumni Relations, NUS

Chong Tarn Lee
Suggestion: To check with Medical Alumni Association (malumni@starhub.net.sg) and Singapore Medical Council (moh_smc@moh.gov.sg  )

Daphne Ong
Singapore Medical Council (SMC)
Web: http://www.smc.gov.sg
E-mail: MOH_SMC@moh.gov.sg
E-mail received: Friday, 18 July 2003 at 11:58:43 am
Reply: SMC unable to provide information for the 11 Malay doctors.

Rosie Sor Ah Moi
Office of Alumni Relations, NUS
E-mail: oarsorr@nus.edu.sg
E-mail received: Friday, 18 July 2003 at 12:51:46 pm
Reply: Gave 4 names of Malay doctors and details

Assoc. Prof. Mohd Shukri Othman
Dept of O&G
School of Medical Sciences
Universiti Sains Malaysia
16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan
E-mail: mshukri@kb.usm.my
E-mail received: Sunday, 20 July 2003 at 12:18:50 pm
Reply: Gave direction for Pahang Road* - road from roundabout at corner of GHKL to Setapak/Gombak. Used to take that road to the East Coast.

*Please refer to the New Straits Times (NST) article on Friday, 7 January 2005, under Letters section, page 20, entitled "Maintain scenic old Pahang road" by Datuk Dr. Salleh Mohd Nor, President, Malaysia Nature Society. This is the old Pahang road to Genting Sempah. The old road is a winding, narrow road from Gombak to Genting Sempah. From Genting Sempah you can either go to Bentong, Genting Highlands or KL-Karak Highway.

Contact:

Letters to the editor

Mail: The Editor, New Straits Times, 31 Jalan Riong, 59100 Kuala Lumpur

Fax: 03-2282 3001

E-mail: letters@nst.com.my

*Datuk Dr. Salleh Mohd Nor

President

Malaysia Nature Society

Wrote the New Straits Times (NST) article on Friday, 7 January 2005, under Letters section, page 20, entitled "Maintain scenic old Pahang road".

En. Jahangir Kamaldin
JK at USM Kubang Kerian
E-mail: jahangir@kb.usm.my
E-mail received: Sunday, 20 July 2003 at 2:20:45 pm
Reply: Mentioned that the pioneers of the research at Institute for Medical Research (IMR), Kuala Lumpur were medical doctors; possibility that some could be Malays. Gave a contact at IMR - Puan Nazni in Dept. of Entomology.

Puan Nazni
Dept. of Entomology
Institute of Medical Research (IMR)
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
E-mail: nazni@imr.gov.my
E-mail received: Tuesday, 22 July 2003 at 9:49:19 pm
Reply: Informed that one of the Malay doctors was Dr Ungku Omar Ahmad. Mentioned of a book entitled "Collected Works of Ungku Omar"; this book mentioned Dr Raja Ahmad Noordin.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norsidah A Manap
Dept of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
Malaysia
E-mail: norsidah@mail.hukm.ukm.my
E-mail received: Thursday, 18 December 2003 at 3:16:37 pm

Content: She shares the same interest of the early Malay doctors. She said very little has been written about them. She mentioned that she is the granddaughter of Dr. Abdul Latiff b Abdul Razak and that she wished she knew more about him. According to her there is more written about her uncle Tan Sri Yaacob bin Latiff (ex-mayor of KL).

---

Telehealth Research Group
http://www.medic.usm.my/rnd/~telehealth
School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia

3. Dr Pandak Ahmad bin Alang Sidin (1892-1965)

Dr Pandak Ahmad bin Alang Sidin (1892-1965)
LMS 1916 KEVII

Date of birth: 22 April 1892 [date given in CV supplied was 22 April 1883]?
Place of birth: Kampung Kledang, Mukim Kota Lama Kanan, Kuala Kangsar, Perak
Date of demise: 4 May 1965, aged 71 [73/82]?
Place of demise: At home in Kota Lama Kanan

Photos

There are only 3 known photos of Dr Pandak Ahmad:
1. The one used above
2. A Hajj portrait
3. A portrait recently found by his granddaughter Salida Salleh in 2015.

Education

1901-1903 - Sekolah Melayu Kota Lama Kanan, Primary 1-3
1904 -           Sekolah Melayu Kuala Kangsar, Standard 4
1905-1911 - Malay Residential School (became Malay College Kuala Kangsar).
                     Completed Standard IX. Passed Senior Cambridge Examination.
1912-1915 - Straits and Federated Malay States Government Medical School in Singapore
                     (renamed the King Edward VII Medical School).
                     5 years medical course; he fell ill from beri-beri and missed 1 year of studies.
1 April 1914 - he reported for duty (could be as a Volunteer Corps?)*
                       *Note: The medical students possibly all joined the Volunteer Corps as
                         WW1 was approaching - just 3 months away.
                         The other known medical student volunteers were
                         (Dr) SIM Ibrahim and (Dr) AO Merican.
March 1916 - graduated with LMS diploma from KE VII College of Medicine, Singapore

Government Service

There were general hospitals and district hospitals in Perak.

1 April 1916 - District Hospital Taiping
3 March 1917 - District Hospital Kuala Kangsar
19 February 1919 - General Hospital Taiping
27 September 1919 - General Hospital Batu Gajah
August 1921 - Hospital Seremban
Undated(?) - Hospital Tanjung Rambutan
December 1922 - District Hospital Kuala Kangsar (7 years)
October 1929 - District Hospital Mentakab/Hospital Temerloh(?)
December 1931 - District Hospital Pekan (1 year)
Served the villages and towns along Sungai Pahang (known as River Doctor).

31 December 1932 - Resigned as a Govt doctor.
                                  Returned to Kuala Kangsar to start private practice.

Hajj Doctor

He served as a Government Hajj Doctor on two Hajj trips, in 1936 and 1952-54.
He travelled on board a ship (ocean liner).

Private Practice

His clinic was located at 2 locations.
He initially started private practice in Kuala Kangsar town (urban clinic)
His wooden house was built in Kg Kota Lama Kanan in 1933.
He then operated his private clinic at the ground level of his wooden house in 1937 (rural clinic).
This was the first rural clinic set up by a Malay doctor in British Malaya.

His patients knew him as Dr Pandak Ahmad or Dr Ahmad
His immediate relatives and close friends called him Andak
He was also known as Haji Ahmad
He was also well-known as "Doktor Sungai" (River Doctor)
He visited his patients using a 25-foot long dug-out canoe
His granddaughter (Dr Rohani Salleh) recalls seeing the canoe and playing with his medical books, with her sister and cousins, at her grandmother's house.

Altogether, he practised for 49 years before he passed away at age 71/73(?).
His home clinic was destroyed by major floods in 1946 (9 years after set up) and 1966 (after he died).
His house is still extant, but his clinic was destroyed by floods.
His diary was also lost in the flood.

Political Involvement

He was initially with Majlis Ulama when it was part of UMNO
When Majlis Ulama withdrew from UMNO and formed PAS, he joined PAS
He was a nationalist.

Family

He had 4 wives: 1. Unnamed, 2. Unnamed, 3. Hajah Aishah, 4. Unnamed.
He had 9 children from his third wife - 4 sons and 5 daughters.
His sons Haji Ahmad Mahayuddin, Haji Mohammad Ali, and Haji Salleh are deceased.
His surviving son is Othman.
His daughters are Hajah Habsah, Rokiah (deceased), Hajah Sarah, Khadijah, and Hajah Rahmah.

Haji Ahmad Mahayuddin's daughter is Salamiah.
Hajah Sarah's daughter is Prof Jamaiah Ibrahim, at Universiti Malaya (UM)
Haji Mohammad Ali's son is Haji Ahmad Tajuddin, an architect, based in Penang.
Khadijah's son is Abdul Malek bin Mohd Said, an engineer.
Haji Salleh's daughters are Puan Salida - a lawyer, and Dr Rohani - with Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP).
Hajah Rahmah's daughters are Nurulaina and Azimatul Zuhra, who are staff nurses.

Granddaughter Salamiah is married to Abdul Aziz, a nephew of Datuk Dr Ariffin Ngah Marzuki.
Granddaughter Prof Jamaiah Ibrahim can be contacted in LinkedIn.
Grandson Ar. Haji Ahmad Tajuddin can be contacted via his company's website.
Granddaughter Puan Salida Salleh is in Facebook.
Granddaughter Dr Rohani Salleh can be contacted via WhatsApp.

Please refer to my book for more details - Biography of the Early Malay Doctors 1900-1957 Malaya and Singapore (Xlibris 2012).

19. Dr Mohamed Said bin Mohamed (1907-1996)

Dr Mohamed Said bin Mohamed (1907-1996)
LMS 1932 KEVII

Date of birth: 31 October 1907
Place of birth: At home in Kampung Tengah, Linggi, Negeri Sembilan
Date of death: 22 July 1996
Place of death: -
Place of burial: -

Family Background:
Ancestry: Bugis
Customs: Adhered to Adat Temenggong
Father: Mohamed (deceased in 1912, aged 30)
Mother: Hajjah Majidah (widowed at age 26)
Position: second of 6 siblings
Raised in Linggi, Negeri Sembilan
Schooled at Sekolah Melayu Kg Linggi till Std 5
Secondary school at MCKK 1919-24; passed Senior Cambridge 1924

Undergraduate Medical Education:
Enrolled into the Straits and Federated Malay States Govt Medical School, Singapore, June 1925
Graduated from the King Edward VII College of Medicine with Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery (LMS) in March 1932

Work:

1. Assistant Medical Officer (AMO) Taiping General Hospital 1 July 1932 (1 week)
2. Sg Buloh Settlement July-October 1932 (3 months), under Dr Ryne (British Med Sptt)
3. AMO Pekan District Hospital November 1932-35 (>2 years); replaced Dr Pandak Ahmad
4. Kuala Lumpur District Hospital 1935-37 (2 years)
5. Pekan District Hospital and Kuantan District Hospital, Pahang 1937-46 (9 years)
6. Contributed to elephantiasis survey of Sg Pahang riverine settlements
7. Royal physician to Sultan Sir Abu Bakar of Pahang (his former classmate at MCKK)
8. - followed the royal family to Mentakab and Kerdau in Pahang
9. - served the royal family in Pahang during Japanese occupation (1941-45)

Postgraduate Studies:
Won Queen's Scholarship 1941
LSHTM, University of London 1947
O&G, Rotunda Lying-in Hospital, Dublin; obtained Licentiate in Midwifery 1948
Inspired by Prof. O'Donel Browne

Resumed Work:
MO and then Clinical Specialist (O&G) 1949-55 (6 years)
Also attended to pediatric cases - gangrene in infancy and childhood
Problems of malnutrition (kwashiorkor) with high infant mortality
Published papers on malnutrition

Publications:

1. MS Mohamed (1952). Gangrene of unknown aetiology in the foot. British Medical Journal. January issue.
2. MS Mohamed (1954). Bilateral pedal gangrene of unknown aetiology. The Medical Journal of Malaya. March issue.
3. MS Mohamed (1955). Kwashiorkor in Negeri Sembilan. The Medical Journal of Malaya. September issue.
4. MS Mohamed, translator (undated). In: Malay translation of Wilkinson’s Sungai Ujong. 
5. MS Mohamed, translator (undated). In: A partial Malay translation of Parr and McRay’s Rembau. Published in Majallah Guru. 
6. MS Mohamed, translator (undated). In: Translation of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. Unpublished.
7. The Straits Times published ten articles of his schooldays at MCKK in 1973-74.
8. MS Mohamed (1982). Memoirs of a Menteri Besar. Early Days. Heinemann Asia.
9. MS Mohamed. Memoirs of a Menteri Besar. The Medical Student and the Doctor. Published (post-humously) November 2011.

Reflections: Dr Mohd Said
by Halimah Mohd Said
Published by UPSI, Tanjong Malim, Perak. 2021
Hardcover, 298 pages
ISBN 978-967-2908-55-5

Book is available online from Shopee
https://shopee.com.my/REFLECTIONS-DR-MOHD-SAID-i.238273030.11923703157

Retirement: 

Retired early at age 48 in 1955, to do private practice, and entered into politics.

Private Practice:

Private practice 1955-70s?

Initially practised at home in Hose Road

Later practised at Said Clinic, Cameron Street, Seremban (The Straits Times, 7 June 1969, p9)

Cameron Street became Jalan Dato Lee Fong Yee

Political Involvement:

1. Political life 1959-69 (10 years)
2. He was the first elected Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan after Merdeka and served as Menteri Besar for two terms (1959-64 and 1964-69). 
3. His cousins in Linggi (Za’ba and Mohd Yusof) supported his fight for a better socio-economic status of the Malays. 
4. He was the advisor to the Yang Di Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan despite intentions to oust him since he had observed Adat Temenggong. 
5. He steadfastly refused a federal cabinet post as Health Minister under YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj.
6. He also refused the post of Finance Minister under YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj; Tun Tan Siew Sin became the Finance Minister instead.
7. Retired as MB in 1969

Residence:
His old wooden kampung bungalow houses a kindergarten (taman asuhan kanak-kanak, TASKA) while the house itself is now a gallery. Galeri Jasa Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Mohamed Said bin Mohamed was named in his honour and was launched by his daughter (Datin Halimah) in Gedung Lalang, Ampangan, Negeri Sembilan on 18 October 2008. The launch was officiated by Tun Dato’ Seri Ahmad Sarji bin Abdul Hamid (deceased 2021).

Relatives:

Pendeta Za'ba

Relationship: Cousin of Dr Mohamed Said

Tan Sri Zainal Abidin bin Ahmad @ Za’ba was born at Kg Bukit Kerdas, Batu Kikir, Negeri Sembilan on 16 September 1895. He was a renowned Malay scholar (pendeta) who was popularly known as Pendeta Za’ba. Za'ba was a Bugis and not a Minangkabau as cited in Wikipedia.

Mohd Yusof

Relationship: Cousin of Dr Mohamed Said

Captain Yusof Ahmad

Relationship: Nephew of Dr Mohamed Said. Deceased.

He was a captain at Port Swettenham (now Port Klang).

Prof. Dr Fauziah bt Abdul Aziz
Relationship: Niece of Dr Mohamed Said
Workplace: Universiti Pertahanan Negara Malaysia (UPNM)
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/fauziah-aziz/31/2b0/a99

Assoc. Prof. Dr Mustafa Fadzil bin Farid Wajidi
Relationship: Grandson of Dr Mohamed Said, son of Maznah (Dr Mohamed Said's eldest daughter)
Workplace: PPJJ, USM, Penang
http://www.pppjj.usm.my/mustafa/

USM pic

External links:
http://afyassin.blogspot.com/2008/03/mohamed-said-bin-haji-mohammad-tan-sri.html