Dr. Chong-Ming Du 杜聰明 博士

The Dawn of the Taiwanese Medical Research

Dr. Chong-Ming Du (1892-1986) aka Tu Tsung-Ming, was a gentleman, a scholar, an educator with high disciplines, an internationally known research pioneer in the fields of medicine and pharmacology. A native of Tam-Sui (淡水), he graduated at the top of his class from the Japanese Governor’s Medical School in Taipei, and was the first Taiwanese recipient of an MD degree from Kyoto Imperial University (1922), the first dean of the Medical School of the National Taiwan University (1946-52), the founder and the first president of Kaohsiung Medical University (1954-66, 高雄醫學大學 formerly Kaohsiung Medical College 高雄醫學院).

In Taiwan, Dr. Du was a pioneer in medical education and pharmacological research. Besides his dedication to medical education, he was known for his broad research of poisonous snakes, opium and traditional Chinese medicines. He founded the first 5-year curriculum BS degree of pharmacy in Taiwan and the first community-styled cafeteria at the Kaohsiung Medical College. He was remembered by his students, colleagues and friends as a very caring person who paid close attention to the faculty members, and kept on encouraging students to learn foreign languages in order to either study abroad later or simply to learn new knowledge firsthand from the published materials.

Dr. Du also developed a medical college system to encourage training Native Taiwanese in the mountain areas for the complete health care needs. He also made possible for the less fortunate students to complete their medical education through the “CM Du Scholarship Funds.”

Throughout his life Dr. Du demonstrated how a gifted Taiwanese could be at such a high level, at the same time his love for Taiwan and its people at such an in-depth style of honor.