Beriberi was prevalent in Hong Kong from the 1880s to the 1930s. It was part of a mystery that clouded colonial administrators in many ports and cities in Southeast Asia. It was a common concern for the Far Eastern Association for Tropical Medicine. It attracted many medical researchers in the region to investigate the pathology and identify appropriate remedies. But when malnutrition was identified as its root cause, the Hong Kong government did not introduce any effective public health measures to tackle it. It was only after Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke had become the Director of Medical Services in 1937, the Hong Kong government started the work of the Nutrition Research Committee and paid attention to the issues of malnutrition among the general public and the war refugees. Through these stories, I would like to discuss the momentum for medical discovery and the changing notions of public health in Hong Kong.

The Speaker

He is currently the acting Associate Dean (Development) of the Faculty of Social Science and Professor of History, Hong Kong Baptist University. He holds two honorary positions: Honorary Research Senior Fellow in History, The University of Queensland, Australia, and Visiting Research Fellow, Centre for Studies in Religion and Society, The University of Victoria, Canada. One of his research areas is the medical history of Hong Kong. He is now completing a book manuscript to discuss Christianity and medicine in the history of Hong Kong from 1842 to 1997.

Programme

Venue: Online on Zoom, please sign up to receive the link

Admission: No charge, please register your attendance in advance

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