Bulletin Number Five 1987

One indication of the enthusiasm for Modernism as a topic was the fact that the Conference was jointly sponsored by the Department of English Studies and Comparative literature, University of Hong Kong; the Comparative Literature Research Unit of the Department of English, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; The Hong Kong Institute for Promotion of Chinese Culture; Centre of Asian Studies, the University of Hong Kong; and the Hong Kong Comparative Literature Association. In fact, this Conference was the fifth in a series of conferences on Literary Theory sponsored by the University of Hong Kong and regularly supported by members of the faculty from The Chinese University. The first half of the Conference was held at the University of Hong Kong and the second half at The Chinese University. The languages used at the Conference were Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) and English. The translators and interpreters deserve a special mention since their job was particularly arduous and it was largely due to their efforts that cross-cultural communication was made possible. They were: Chu Chih- yu, He Yongqing, Huang Chenfeng, Li Kit Chun, Lu Zhengwei, Zhang Ning, Zhou Jihua, and Zhou Yan- ping. —John J. Deeney Symposium on Organometallic Chemistry The University, in collaboration with the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Academia Sinica, held a bilateral symposium, with special emphasis on organometallic chemistry, from 14th to 17th December at the R.C. Lee Lecture Hall in the University. The symposium was attended by over fifty scientists from mainland China and academics from local tertiary institutions, who reported and exchanged views on new research findings in organometallic chemistry, one of the fastest developing research areas in chemistry today. In making his opening remarks at the symposium, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Charles K. Kao, reaffirmed that it is the research productivity of a tertiary institution that stimulates the institution to attain its academic excellence. The University therefore encourages and supports research activities of its faculty members. Professor Thomas C.W. Mak and Professor S.W. Tam, both of the Chemistry Department, served as Co-Chairmen of the symposium's local organizing committee. Workshop and Symposium on Therapeutic Endoscopy The Medical Faculty and the Hong Kong Society of Digestive Endoscopy jointly organized the Second International Workshop on Therapeutic Endoscopy at the Prince of Wales Hospital from 9th to 11th December, 1987. The 3-day workshop saw doctors from the Hospital and leaders in the field of endoscopy from the United States, England, Australia and Japan giving demonstrations on the whole range of new techniques in the field. These included endoscopic sphincterotomy and removal of bile duct stones, endoscopic stenting for malignant biliary strictures, injection sclerotherapy for bleeding oesophageal varices, laser treatment for oesophageal tumours, endoscopic haemostasis for bleeding ulcers and colonoscopic polypectomy. Over 100 specialists in gastroenterology from all over the world attended. Fibreoptic endoscopy is the frontier of gastroenterol In the past decade there has been major breakthrough in using endoscopy for treatment rather than diagnosis. Conditions that needed surgery in the past can now be treated with endoscopy, with much less suffering on the part of the patient. The University's Combined Endoscopy Unit, established at the Prince of Wales Hospital in 1984, has made major contributions to the development of therapeutic endoscopy. Research on several new methods of endoscopic therapy, applicable to diseases prevalent in Hong Kong, have been successfully concluded by doctors in the Unit. One of these, the therapy for recurrent pyogenic cholangitis caused by stones in the bile ducts, can now be removed by a new endoscopic technique without resort to open 8