Tongde Medical College

In 1918, Shen Yunfei, a member of the Chinese Medical Association, had the idea of holding a medical school. In August of the same year, Tongde Medical Special College was established. The chairman of the association Jiang Fengzhi served as the principal, and Shen Yunfei served as the provost. The Institute of Medical Care was set up, with a five-year schooling system. The College was officially opened in September. In 1919, an affiliated hospital was built.

In 1920, the Chinese Medical Association decided that the school should be independent. Celebrities and scholars were hired to form a board of directors. Former leader of the Reform Movement of 1898, Kang Youwei, served as the chairman. In 1925, Huang Chujiu became the chairman and Pang Jingzhou principal. In 1932, the school reshuffled its board of directors, with Shao Lizi as the chairman and Gu Yuqi as the principal. At the same time, construction of the new school building began. From 1918 to 1935, Tongde Medical College was a junior college for medicine with a five-year schooling system. In 1935, the construction was completed and the school was opened. In September, the school officially changed its name to the Private Tongde Medical College and the schooling duration was changed to six years.

In 1952, Tongde Medical College merged with St. John’s University School of Medicine and Aurora University School of Medicine to form Shanghai Second Medical College. Tongde Medical College, as a private medical college run solely by the Chinese in Shanghai, existed for 34 years. With a total of 1,055 graduates, the College contributed a lot to the progress and development of the country's medical and health services.

Scientific research breakthroughs

1954

Completed China’s first cardiac mitral valve separation surgery

1956

Used atropine to treat Aspen syndrome caused by antimony poisoning for the first time domestically

1958

Successfully rescued Qiu Caikang, a patient with extensive burns

1963

Successfully performed the first replantation of a severed limb in the history of medicine globally

1973

Performed the first domestic open-heart surgery for an infant with cardiopulmonary bypass

1977

First successful orthotopic liver transplantation nationwide

1978

Completed the first heart transplant in Asia

1981

Completed the first conjoined infant separation operation in China

1986

The first around the world to use all-trans retinoic acid to induce differentiation in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia; 8 years later, the first to confirm internationally that the application of arsenic trioxide can specifically induce the apoptosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia, making a breakthrough in the treatment of recurrent leukemia

1991

The first to succeed in-situ replantation of scalp with avulsion in China

1999

Successfully bred the first domestic transgenic test-tube cattle carrying human serum albumin gene

1999

The first in China to research on and develop computer-assisted customized artificial joints and internal fixation devices for shape memory fracture which is now applied to clinical practice

2003

Successfully performed the first adult islet cell transplantation and adult islet cell-kidney transplantation in Asia

2004

Successfully performed the first seven-organ combined abdominal transplantation in Asia