Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 1996

Introductio n of Prof . Arthur K.C. Li (Written by Andrew Parkin) We may imagine the friendliest Greek god, Hermes, as smiling on this happy occasion, for h e is at once the god of oratory and medicine. The orators here today have the pleasant task of introducing a most brilliant surgeon an d a man of me r c u r i a l p e r s o n a l i t y. Yet h o w e v e r mercurial the subject, the message is plain: our new vice-chancellor has an astonishing record of accomplishments w o n b y a combination of talent, work and devotion to duty. Prof Arthur Li hails from a remarkable family that has been i n Hong Kon g for four generations. His f ami l y has p r o d u c e d successful people in differing walks of life, helping to build the Hong Kong w e k now today. After a classical Chinese grounding in his early, impressionable years. Prof. Li studied natural sciences in Cambridge, before completing the medical training that wo u ld make hi m a physician. Very soon he realized that he wo u l d prefer surgery. His special temperament and talents make him a man of action, a practitioner wh o really enjoys the challenges of surgical procedures. despite the dangers and anxieties. He revels in the teamwork and the emotional rewards of enabling his patients to renew their lives rapidly and safely. I use 'revels' in a precise way to signal the warmt h and great sense of humour he brings to his work. He also stresses the importance of preventative me d i c i ne as o p p o s e d to unnecessary surgery. Once his own skills are needed, though, he makes careful preparations and takes swift, decisive action. Apart from his obvious intellectual power, key elements in de f i n i ng the professiona l style of this complex and enormousl y vital man are firmness, humour, and charm, all products of his great natural exuberance. That his methods and thinking have been as skilful as they have been innovative, and no less publishable than successful, may be seen from the range an d repute o f his more than 220 publications in the field of hepatobiliary and upper gastrointestinal surgery. These, with the global reach of his work in Asia, America, Australia and Europe, have brought h i m many prestigious prizes and rare honou r s, most r ecen t ly the Chinese University Bulletin Autumn . Winter 1996 4