OBITUARIES

Han Suyin Family doctor, author, and a bridge between China and the West

Han Suyin, family doctor (b circa 1917, received a scholarship to continue studies q University of London 1948), died after in . Returning to China by ship in a lengthy illness at home in Lausanne, 1938, she met Tang Pao-Huang, a young Switzerland, on 2 November 2012. military officer aligned with Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist party. They married in Wuhan days During the 1950s in her patients before it fell to the Japanese military and fled addressed her as either Dr Chow, her Chinese with Chiang Kai-shek inland to , surname, or as Dr Comber, her British where she worked as a midwife in a US husband’s surname. In literary circles and in missionary hospital. Hollywood she was known by the pen name Encouraged by a missionary doctor, she Han Suyin, author of the 1952 bestselling wrote the story of her perilous journeys with novel A Many-Splendoured Thing, adapted in Pao, which was published in 1942 as the 1955 into an Oscar winning tearjerker and love novel Destination Chungking. That same year story starring William Holden. she travelled with her husband to London, where he was posted as military attaché. When Novels and family medicine he moved on to Washington, she remained Despite her literary fame and financial success, in London with her daughter and resumed Han continued through the 1950s to practise medical training at the Royal Free Hospital.

family medicine in the Malaysian city of GERARDFOUET/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Pao died in 1947, fighting communist forces Bahru, part of the Singapore metropolitan in China. area. Most of her patients were illiterate and “Doctors are granted the veneration After qualifying in 1948 at the University did not know she was a famous author, says and treated with the awe once received of London, Han moved to , where Tan Chow-Wei, a senior lecturer in family by seers and priests. As a consequence she worked in a hospital. She fell in love medicine at the Malaysia campus of Australia’s our lust for power is phenomenal. with Ian Morrison, a married Australian war Monash University. “She was not well known Imagine how corrupting it must be to correspondent for the Times who died in 1950 for her writings in , except among hold sway over life and death” covering the Korean war. The heartbroken Han the English educated,” he says. began writing about their love affair, resulting Han, whose father was Chinese and mother which at least hundreds of thousands died. in the highly autobiographical A Many- Belgian, could speak to patients in Chinese, She later distanced herself from that position. Splendoured Thing. Malay, English, or French, says Tan, who has “I write as an Asian, with all the pent-up The novel is narrated in first person by studied Han’s history at the local Chinese emotions of my people,” she once commented. a character named Dr Han Suyin, who Heritage Museum and describes himself as “an “What I say will annoy many people who occasionally makes observations about ardent fan.” prefer the more conventional myths brought medicine, such as, “Doctors are granted the “She was based in Johor Bahru for about back by writers on the Orient. All I can say is veneration and treated with the awe once 10 years and practised general medicine, that I try to tell the truth. Truth, like surgery, received by seers and priests. As a consequence with special interest in tuberculosis, which may hurt, but it cures.” our lust for power is phenomenal. Imagine was endemic at that time,” Tan says. “Writing how corrupting it must be to hold sway over was her hobby and passion and eventually “All Eurasians want to become doctors” life and death. We are all megalomaniacs.” overcame her, and she decided to quit Han was born Rosalie Matilda Kuanghu Chou, In 1952 Han married Leon Comber and practising medicine.” most likely in in the province of moved to Malaysia, where he was a senior Han published two additional novels while on 12 September 1917. As a child she officer in the Commonwealth’s Malayan still practising medicine in Johor Bahru. By adopted the first name Elizabeth. Her Chinese special branch during the so called Malayan the early 1960s she had left Malaysia and father, a railway engineer, met her mother emergency. They divorced in 1958, but for the medicine to focus on lecturing worldwide and while studying in Belgium. As a so called rest of her life her passport name remained writing novels, autobiographies, and historical “Eurasian” child in Beijing, Han attended Elizabeth K C Comber, with K C standing for studies of China. Chinese and Catholic missionary schools. her Chinese surnames. She travelled freely in and out of communist She sometimes felt discriminated against by In 1960 Han married Vincent Ratnaswamy, China at a time when many Westerners were Chinese classmates but nonetheless favoured an Indian colonel whom she had met on a trip banned from entering, acting as a bridge of her Chinese side. When she announced that to Nepal. They lived in Bangalore, then later in understanding between the East and West. she wanted to be a doctor her mother, unhappy Hong Kong and Switzerland. He died in 2003. She personally knew communist leaders Mao in China, laughed and told her, “All Eurasians Han leaves a daughter, a granddaughter, and Zedong and , writing biographies want to become doctors. It’s their road to social two great grandchildren. of both that some felt were too laudatory. In acceptance.” Ned Stafford, freelance journalist, Hamburg the 1970s she was criticised for appearing to At 17 she enrolled at [email protected] support Mao’s Cultural Revolution, during in Beijing to study medicine, and in 1935 she Cite this as: BMJ 2013;346:e8667

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Green, Cheshire, the latter two years John Stephens Bryden John McCrae combined with an associate specialist Public health consultant (b 1932; position in psychiatry at Cheadle q Glasgow 1956; MSc, Dip Soc Med, Royal Hospital. After a career break FRCP, FFPH, FBCS), d 18 July 2012. and a move to Devon, Tessa became After national service John Stephens a specialty doctor in palliative care at Bryden worked in clinical medicine St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth in 2007. in orthopaedics and general practice She leaves her husband, John; a large and developed an interest in using family; and many friends. 1988 she became the first woman optical character reading in patient Peter Dootson president of the Glasgow Obstetrical identification. He became medical General practitioner Catrine, Cite this as: BMJ 2013;346:e8056 and Gynaecological Society. On superintendent at the Royal Alexandra Ayrshire (b 1915; q Glasgow 1939; her retirement, Jean finally found Infirmary in Paisley and chief admin CBE), d 17 July 2012. John Barnes Spargo the time to engage in her love of medical officer of the new Argyll and John McCrae joined the Royal Army painting and photography. She took Clyde Health Board. From 1973 to Medical Corps in 1940 and served the opportunity to travel around the 1981 he led a health informatics in India. He met Eileen, a quality world as well as spending time in her team from four health boards, which assurance nurse, at Ranchi, and they beloved North Uist. She leaves Colin, developed the community health index were married in 1943. After the war her husband of 23 years. (CHI, now used throughout Scotland). he became a GP partner in Catrine Colin Paxton An active member of the British and developed into an outstanding Cite this as: BMJ 2013;346:e8038 Computer Society, John attended many leader of the local GP community. European and world conferences as a Chairman of the local medical Bryan Frederick Warren chairman, speaker, and organiser and committee from 1965 to 1974, Former general practitioner brought European health informatics he was also active in BMA politics, Worthing, Sussex (b 1927; q 1950), to Glasgow in 1990. He leaves his serving as chairman of Scottish died from myasthenia gravis and wife, Grace; three children; and seven Council from 1972 to 1975 and of prostate cancer on 26 September grandchildren. the national medical consultative 2012. Grace Bryden committee from1974 to 1979. He John Barnes Spargo was educated at Cite this as: BMJ 2013;346:e8058 was awarded the CBE in recognition Charterhouse and studied medicine of this service. Predeceased by at Cambridge and St Mary’s Hospital William Armitage Eileen and by their eldest daughter, London. After house appointments John leaves a son; two daughters; at the National Temperance Hospital Professor of gastrointestinal Hutchinson six grandchildren; and four great and two years’ national service in pathology Oxford (b 1958; grandchildren. the Royal Air Force, he joined his q Liverpool 1981; MRCP), died from David Watts father in law in practice in Worthing metastatic colorectal cancer on 28 Cite this as: BMJ 2013;346:e8055 in 1955. He had a mixed NHS and March 2012. private practice and was medical At the age of 6 Bryan Frederick Tessa Caroline Miller officer to Ramsay Hall, a Church of Warren developed Crohn’s disease, England home for retired clergy and which was to influence his life, shape their wives. He was singlehanded his career, and eventually bring about for the 25 years until he retired. He his premature death. During his General practitioner Leven, East enjoyed golf in his spare time. He training he was already establishing Yorkshire (b 1940; q Leeds 1965), leaves his wife, Wendy; four children; himself as an international expert died from lymphoma on 4 October 14 grandchildren; and two great in the pathology of inflammatory 2012. grandchildren. bowel disease, writing seminal William Armitage Hutchinson (“Bill”) Peter Spargo papers in gastrointestinal pathology. was a descendant of Sir Jonathan Cite this as: BMJ 2013;346:e8051 He also remained involved in the Hutchinson, a former editor of the BMJ. Former general practitioner (b 1954; clinical management of his patients He enjoyed working as a GP and allied q London Hospital 1979), died from Jean Struthers and had a passion for teaching and this with occasional anaesthetics at leukaemia on 4 May 2012. training, as well as being active in Beverley Westwood Hospital and work After house jobs in medicine and Former consultant obstetrician and many specialty societies. He set for the local flying doctor service. A surgery and senior house officer gynaecologist (b 1928; q Glasgow up the Bosnian British School of firm believer in home visiting, he once positions in paediatrics, accident and 1954; MD, FRCOG), d 24 September Pathology to provide training for trekked several miles in deep snow emergency medicine, and obstetrics 2012 pathologists in that war torn country. to deliver a baby. Outside work Bill and gynaecology, Tessa Caroline Jean Struthers is probably best Bryan accomplished many of his enjoyed walking, skiing, bird watching, Miller (previously Moriarty, née remembered as a consultant at the achievements while he already had and spending time with his family. He Knott) joined our training practice in Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, cancer. He leaves his wife, Tracy, and leaves his wife, Mary; four children; and Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire. She spent and even a few weeks before her two stepchildren. seven grandchildren. the following 14 years as a full time death, she was still being recognised Steve Hughes Tom Hutchinson, Ian Jollie, David Belbin GP, then two years as a part time GP, and remembered as “the doctor Howard Rigby Cite this as: BMJ 2013;346:e8054 in a neighbouring practice in Heald who brought me into the world.” In Cite this as: BMJ 2013;346:e8053

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