Dr. Wong Fun (; 1829–1878) was one of the first Chinese to study in Europe. After completing his medical degree at the University of Edinburgh, he returned to

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 ...

and disseminated what he had learned.

Biography

A native of Hsiang-shan,

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

, Wong studied at Morrison Education Society School, in

Macao Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

. In 1847, he and two others,

Wong Shing Wong Shing, alias Wong Pin Po (1827 – 5 August 1902), was a Hong Kong and Chinese journalist, publisher, businessman and member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Early life and education Wong was born in a poor family in the Heungshan ...

and

Yung Wing Yung Wing (; November 17, 1828April 21, 1912) was a Chinese-American diplomat and businessman. In 1854, he became the first Chinese student to graduate from an American university, Yale College. He was involved in business transactions between Ch ...

, became the first three Chinese students to the study in the United States. After graduating in 1850 with a degree in literature from

Monson Academy __NOTOC__ Monson may refer to: People * Monson (surname) * Baron Monson * Monson baronets Places United States * Monson, California * Monson, Maine * Monson, Massachusetts ** Monson High School * Monson Township, Traverse County, Minnesota * Monso ...

in Massachusetts, Wong Fun went to the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

in Scotland in 1850 through the financial support of the

Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society EMMS International is a non-denominational christian Non-governmental Organization (NGO) that provides medical aid to countries around the world and operates field offices in the UK, Malawi, India, Israel, and Nepal. Founded to provide clinic ...

and completed his studies in medicine in 1855. Wong stayed in Edinburgh as an intern until 1857, after which he returned to Hong Kong. The next year, he opened a dispensary in Canton working for the

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational miss ...

. This brought about a new generation of doctors who saw a wealth of knowledge in

Western 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 practice ...

. In 2007, Principal

Timothy O'Shea Sir Timothy Michael Martin O'Shea (born 28 March 1949, Hamburg, Germany) is a British computer scientist and academic. He was the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Edinburgh from 2002 to 2018. Biography O'Shea grew up in Lon ...

of the University of Edinburgh presented Wong Fun's transcripts and exam results to his hometown in China. In return, a bronze statue of Wong Fun was erected at the University of Edinburgh in September of that year.

References

External links

Guang Ming Daily (June 7, 2005) (in Chinese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wong, Fun Physicians from Guangdong People from Zhongshan 1878 deaths 1829 births Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Medical School 19th-century Chinese physicians

Biography

See also

References

External links