On March 10, 2021, Google Doodle celebrated a Malaysian doctor who invented the surgical mask.
In the homepage Doodle, Google celebrated what would be the
142nd birthday of
Dr. Wu Lien-teh, inventor of an early version of the
multi-layered surgical mask we have
all come to rely on.
Born on March 10, 1879 to a Chinese-Malaysian family in
Penang, Malaya, Wu was the first
Chinese student to receive a medical degree from Cambridge
University.
In 1908, he was appointed vice director for China's Imperial
Army Medical College, overseeing medical training for military personnel.
Wu was also tasked with investigating the 1911 Manchurian
plague, an epidemic that killed 60,000 people. Wu discovered quickly that the
disease was spread through respiratory transmission.
To combat the disease, he constructed an extra-protective
surgical mask with layers of cotton and gauze, and advised members of the
public as well as medical professionals to adopt the protective mask.
According to a Google blog post about the Doodle launch, Wu
also "worked with government officials to establish quarantine stations
and hospitals, restrict travel, and apply progressive sterilization
techniques."
As a result Wu was able to contain the disease's spread in
just four months.
At present, Google worked with Wu's family, including and
Ling Woo Liu, to document their great-grandfather's legacy.
Speaking to Google
about her family history, Wu’s great-granddaughters Dr. Shan Woo Liu said: "Growing
up, we heard our father’s stories about our great-grandfather — that he was
famous for controlling the Manchurian pneumonic plague, a disease that was
deadly for nearly everyone who contracted it,"
"His story stirred something in me, and from an early
age, I dreamed of becoming a doctor... Today, as an emergency physician
treating COVID-19 patients, I appreciate his bravery all the more."
What’s your next Iconic Move?
Read more: https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3124972/coronavirus-google-honours-chinese-malaysian-doctor-wu-lien-teh
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