David Todd (17 November 1928 - 16 August 2017) was a

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

haematologist Hematology ( always spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the produc ...

, the founding president of the

Hong Kong College of Physicians The Hong Kong College of Physicians is a professional body for physicians in Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR) ...

and the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine. He was best known for transforming

medical education Medical education is education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, including the initial training to become a physician (i.e., medical school and internship (medical), internship) and additional training thereafter (e.g., Re ...

and training in Hong Kong.

Early life and education

Todd was born in

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in 1928 to Chinese parents, but was placed in an

orphanage An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...

and adopted in 1929 by American

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

Paul Jerome Todd and Margaret Todd, who christened the baby David. Paul Todd was a

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

and Margaret Todd was the head

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

at the Kung Yee Medical College (now

Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences The former Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences (SUMS; ) was located in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. - The address traces to "74 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China" It is government ...

), which they founded in 1909. They also established the Todd Clinic and Hospital (now part of the Guangzhou Women And Children's Medical Center) in 1931. David Todd had an elder sister, Lois, an obstetrician and gynaecologist, and a younger brother, Jonathan, a surgeon. Both were adopted. Todd was sent to

for

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

in 1937, when the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

unfolded,

boarding Boarding may refer to: *Boarding, used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals as in a: ** Boarding house **Boarding school *Boarding (horses) (also known as a livery yard, livery stable, or boarding stable), is a stable where ho ...

at the Diocesan Boys' School. In 1941, when he was 14, Japan started occupying Hong Kong, and Todd fled to

Shaoguan Shaoguan (; Hakka: Seukoan) is a prefecture-level city in northern Guangdong Province (Yuebei), South China, bordering Hunan to the northwest and Jiangxi to the northeast. It is home to the mummified remains of the sixth Zen Buddhist patriarch H ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

, to study at Lingnan Middle School. After the war, Todd studied

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

at the Lingnan University in Guangzhou, but returned to Hong Kong in 1947 as the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...

resumed. He entered Year 2 of the

MBBS Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

programme at the

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fi ...

, graduating in 1952 He stayed at

Morrison Hall This page describes residential halls, colleges and residences at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Residential halls St. John's College The University's first hall of residence, St. John's Hall, was built by the Church Missionary Society in l ...

during his

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...

years. Todd received his MD in 1958 from the University of Hong Kong.

Career and research

Todd spent 1 year as a

pre-registration house officer Pre-registration house officer (PRHO), often known as a houseman or house officer, is a former official term for a grade of junior doctor that was, until 2005, the only job open to medical graduates in the United Kingdom who had just passed the ...

(or houseman) after graduation, and then joined the Department of

Medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

at Queen Mary Hospital, where he was mentored by Alexander James Smith McFadzean. Apart from a 2-year study at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary from 1956 to 1958, Todd stayed at Queen Mary Hospital and HKU throughout his career. When McFadzean retired in 1974, Todd became the head of the Department of

of the

Faculty of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

(now Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine),

(HKU), succeeded in 1989 by Tai Kwong Chan. Before 1981 when the

of the Chinese University of Hong Kong was founded, HKU was the only

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

in the city. Todd's role as department head meant he mentored many future

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

s. During this time, Todd was instrumental in forming international collaborations with researchers the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, and began conducting professional examinations of the Royal College of Physicians in Hong Kong. Todd was a Sub-Dean of the HKU Faculty of Medicine from 1976 to 1978, and a Pro-Vice-Chancellor of HKU between 1978 and 1980. Todd founded the

and the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine in 1986 and 1992 respectively, serving as the founding president of the former in 1986 and the latter from 1992 to 1996. He was also appointed to the inaugural 1990 Hospital Authority Board. Todd has served on the boards of the Sino-British Fellowship Trust and the S. K. Yee Medical Foundation. Todd retired 1994, remaining as a

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

at HKU, and moved to

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

in 1997. He returned to

in 2008. As a

, Todd, Yuet Wai Kan and collaborators discovered that the deletion of a gene could cause alpha-thalassemia the first demonstration of its kind for any disease. one of Todd's research focus was

leukaemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

. He contributed to the eventual approval of using arsenic trioxide to treat leukaemia.

Personal life

Todd liked

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

and

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

, which he enjoyed after retirement during his years at the

. Todd was not married and had no children.

Honours and awards

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

* Fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...

(1966) *

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

Royal Australasian College of Physicians The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) is a not-for-profit professional organisation responsible for training and educating physicians and paediatricians across Australia and New Zealand. The RACP is responsible for training both ...

(1974) * Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (1976) * Fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, is an institute of physicians and surgeons in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by Peter Lowe after receiving a royal charter by James VI in 1599, as the Glasgow Faculty, it originally exist ...

(1979) * Honorary Fellow of the

Academy of Medicine, Singapore The Academy of Medicine, Singapore (AMS), is a professional and educational organisation for doctors and dentists in Singapore. Background The Academy of Medicine, Singapore, was founded in 1957 and served both Singapore and Malaysia until the ...

(1987) * Fellow of the

Royal College of Pathologists The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) is a professional membership organisation. Its main function is the overseeing of postgraduate training, and its Fellowship Examination (FRCPath) is recognised as the standard assessment of fitness to pr ...

(1992) * Honorary Fellow of the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians (1993) * Honorary Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (1997) * Honorary Fellow of the Hong Kong College of Physicians (1997) * Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), United Kingdom (1982) * Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE), United Kingdom (1990) *

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

, United Kingdom (1995) * Honorary Fellow of the

(2008) The Sir David Todd Professorship in Medicine at the

and the David Todd Oration at the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine were named after Todd.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Todd, David Hong Kong medical doctors Chinese hematologists People from Guangzhou Alumni of the University of Hong Kong Academic staff of the University of Hong Kong 1928 births 2017 deaths 20th-century Chinese physicians 21st-century Chinese physicians Physicians from Guangdong Educators from Guangdong People educated at Diocesan Boys' School