Bulletin No. 2, 2020

A Day in the Life of the Vice-Chancellor   21  At 4:25 pm, he sat with his eyes closed in the first row of Lecture Theatre 4 of the Esther Lee Building at Chung Chi College, collecting his thoughts for his talk ‘Combining Western and Chinese Medicine: Is It Worthwhile?’ Most members of the audience were Chinese medicine practitioners, some with basic western medical training. Sung was certainly flexing his intellectual muscles over the bringing together of the West and the East. ‘Are there Chinese medicine practitioners among us?’ With that and a bit of self-effacing humour—he confessed that he had not received any training in Chinese medicine and did not dare to teach fish how to swim—he began his talk. He spoke of the University’s stance towards Chinese medicine: its support for the Chinese medicine programme; its encouragement of interaction between experts in Western and Chinese medicine. He compared the theoretical systems of Chinese and Western medicine, and praised the former’s human-centred diagnostic approach. He cited his earlier pioneering research on the use of traditional Chinese medicine as a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome as an example of the integration of Chinese and Western medicine, and shared his first-hand experience of acupuncture. Sung conducted the ensuing Q & A session in an unconventional way. He asked his audience questions. ‘If I placed a student of Western medicine in your clinic, how would you teach him?’ The audience responded with enthusiasm. Chinese medicine practitioners, instructors and graduates of schools of Chinese medicine all offered their views. Then Sung shared with them his vision of incorporating an introductory course on Chinese medicine into the Western medical curriculum. His car was waiting outside on Chung Chi Road at 6:00 pm. A dinner was scheduled for 7:00 pm. He had time to get back to his office for a bit of work.