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Zhou Xiaoda(1919~2004), Professor of Neurology, Former Director of the Department of Neurology, Renji Hospital
Introduction:
He was a foundational figure in Chinese neuroscience, cultivating the field with immense passion and perseverance. A leading authority in neuropsychiatry, he used his expertise to bring new hope to those suffering in darkness. His contributions left an indelible mark on the history of neurological medicine. He achieved breakthroughs in clinical neurology and pioneered new frontiers in theoretical research. He earned an international reputation and, with a global perspective, brought advanced medical concepts and technologies back to China, propelling the field forward. Under his leadership, the Department of Neurology at Renji Hospital grew from a new specialty into a leading medical center. Though his life was finite, his contributions to neurology are eternal. His legacy endures through the many professionals he mentored, who continue his work at Renji Hospital and beyond.
The Path to Medicine
In the early 20th century, a time of profound transformation and challenge in China, many individuals of firm resolve emerged, dedicated to bringing hope to the people. Zhou Xiaoda was one such figure.
Born in Beijing in 1919 to an intellectual family, Zhou’s father was a government-sponsored student in Japan and was deeply influenced by both Eastern and Western cultures. He believed China’s future depended on scientific progress, making the pursuit of knowledge essential. In the Zhou family, education and scholarly achievement were held in the highest regard.
Zhou grew up in an environment rich with books. Exceptionally intelligent with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, he explored diverse fields under his father’s guidance. This cross-cultural education broadened his thinking and laid the foundation for his future innovations in medicine.
During his youth, Zhou’s family moved to Shanghai, a bustling metropolis that provided an exceptional educational environment. At that time, Shanghai uniquely represented modernity and a connection to the wider world. At St. John’s Middle School, Zhou encountered advanced Western educational philosophies and resolved to become a doctor, hoping to use his skills to help his fellow Chinese people during a difficult period.
To achieve this goal, Zhou studied with purpose, building a solid foundation for his medical career. His outstanding performance earned him admission to St. John’s University Medical School, one of China’s premier medical institutions. There, he demonstrated extraordinary diligence and talent, excelling academically and seizing every opportunity to hone his clinical skills.
Among the medical specialties, Zhou chose neuropsychiatry, a challenging and relatively new field at the time. Driven by curiosity, he embraced the challenge with passion and perseverance, earning the praise of his teachers and classmates.
Zhou skipped several grades and completed his studies ahead of schedule with exceptional results. This remarkable talent and diligence distinguished him as a rising star. In 1942, he earned his doctorate, marking a significant milestone in his medical journey.
After graduation, Zhou continued his forward momentum. He took a teaching position at his alma mater, mentoring a new generation of medical professionals, while also gaining practical experience at the Shanghai Red Cross Hospital and Shanghai Tongren Hospital.
This period of stability was short-lived. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces occupied the foreign concessions and seized Tongren Hospital. Outraged by the occupation, Zhou resolutely resigned. He felt that during a national crisis, his duty was to serve his country and its people, not to submit to the occupiers.
For the Motherland’s Progress
In 1946, after completing his studies, Zhou Xiaoda was awarded the prestigious Boxer Indemnity Scholarship to study in Britain. This opportunity, a recognition of his talents, marked a pivotal turning point in his career.
The Boxer Indemnity Scholarship program was established by the Chinese government to send top students abroad to learn advanced science and technology, with the expectation they would return to contribute to China’s development. Zhou was selected for this honor based on his excellent academic record.
At the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, and the Maudsley Hospital in Britain—world-leading centers in neuropsychiatry—Zhou’s skills rapidly advanced. He was exposed to the most advanced medical theories and practices, learning from renowned experts.
In his clinical work, he demonstrated keen observational and diagnostic skills, earning the respect of his British colleagues. He also immersed himself in research on electroencephalography (EEG) and brain pathology, recognizing that these fields would shape the future of medicine. He understood that continuous innovation was essential to provide the best care for patients.
As a Boxer Indemnity Scholar, Zhou joined an elite group of China’s top students. He was elected President of the Overseas Chinese Students Association, where he organized academic lectures and seminars, fostering intellectual exchange and Sino-British cultural understanding.
Despite being far from home, Zhou closely followed events in China. He maintained contact with progressive scientists like Li Siguang and Hua Luogeng, which broadened his perspective and strengthened his resolve to return and serve his motherland.
The founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 solidified Zhou’s decision to return. As his studies concluded, friends and colleagues encouraged him to stay in Britain, where attractive career opportunities awaited. However, Zhou was not swayed. He chose to return to the land that had nurtured him.
The new Chinese government also extended invitations for him to return and contribute to the nation’s development. This news filled him with enthusiasm, and he eagerly prepared to apply his knowledge to the building of a New China. For him, this was not just a career choice, but a commitment to his country and its people.
He actively prepared for his return, organizing his research and academic materials for the work that lay ahead.
Restoring Order and Reviving Glory
Zhou Xiaoda returned to a homeland of both opportunity and challenge. He resumed his teaching position at St. John’s University Medical School but soon recognized that to truly advance medicine, he needed to build and lead a medical institution himself.
In 1952, Zhou founded the Department of Neurology at Shanghai Renji Hospital and served as its first director. Although Renji Hospital was long-established, the neurology department was a new venture facing immense hurdles. Armed with the advanced concepts he had learned in Britain, Zhou began the challenging task of building the department from the ground up.
In the early 1950s, China was undergoing massive national reconstruction, and medical resources were critically scarce. Zhou faced a near-zero starting point, with a lack of essential equipment and drugs. Undeterred, he drove the department’s development personally, overseeing everything from infrastructure and equipment procurement to the training of specialized personnel. His hands-on leadership enabled Renji’s neurology department to rapidly distinguish itself and earn widespread acclaim.
While building the department, Zhou also prioritized mentorship. Through his meticulous guidance, he trained successive cohorts of specialists in clinical practice, teaching, and research. These professionals became instrumental in the growth of Renji’s department and were also deployed to establish neurology departments at other major hospitals, including Ruijin, Xinhua, and Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital. They also helped found the neuropsychiatry discipline at Shanghai Second Medical College. Internationally renowned figures in Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders today, such as Professors Chen Shengdi and Le Weidong, were among his protégés.
Zhou also fostered a strong research environment, emphasizing the integration of clinical work with scientific inquiry. His team conducted pioneering studies on the EEG of epilepsy and brain tumors, research on acupoint anesthesia, and studies on neural meridians. These studies advanced the theoretical understanding of neuropsychiatric medicine and provided valuable clinical evidence.
He was particularly influential in the field of electroencephalography (EEG). He introduced advanced foreign techniques and adapted them for Chinese patients. At a time when temporal lobe epilepsy was poorly understood, Zhou, leading physicians Cai Yan and Chen Junning, conducted a detailed study of 110 cases, systematically recording clinical symptoms and EEG changes. This landmark research significantly elevated the diagnostic standards for temporal lobe epilepsy in China and contributed to international academic exchange in the field.
In 1952, Zhou co-founded Shanghai Second Medical College and established its Department of Neuropsychiatry. This new department became a cornerstone for training the next generation of specialists in China. Zhou leveraged his international experience to build a solid foundation for the country’s future in neuropsychiatric medicine and research.
In the years before the Cultural Revolution, the Department of Neurology at Renji Hospital became a first-class domestic discipline, recognized as a national benchmark in the field.
The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), a decade of political turmoil, severely impacted all sectors of Chinese society, and medicine was no exception. The department’s research was halted, its facilities were damaged, and its team of specialists was scattered. As its founder, Zhou was deeply concerned, but he remained resilient, confident that medicine and the nation would eventually rebound.
Following the end of the Cultural Revolution, China entered an era of reform and opening-up. Now in his sixties, Zhou dedicated himself fully to rebuilding the department. He worked alongside colleagues to restore clinical work, teaching, and research.
Under his leadership, clinical practice gradually returned to normal. Zhou, drawing on his vast experience, pushed forward with key research projects, initiating studies on stroke rehabilitation and conditions like continuous muscle fiber activity syndrome. The department’s basic and clinical research on Parkinson’s disease was particularly prominent, earning commendation from the State Science and Technology Commission.
Recognizing the devastating loss of talent during the previous decade, Zhou made training a new generation a top priority. After graduate admissions resumed, he served as a doctoral supervisor, personally mentoring students. Many of his trainees have become leaders in academic circles both in China and abroad.
With the increase in international exchanges after the reforms, Zhou actively sought to close the gap between Chinese and international medicine. He visited the United States, Canada, and Japan to learn advanced medical knowledge and practices, bringing new perspectives back to China.
Through these joint efforts, the Department of Neurology at Renji Hospital regained its vitality. Its facilities were significantly upgraded, with new laboratories established for neurobiology and neuropathology, along with specialized clinics for epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and muscle disorders. These enhancements boosted the department’s research capabilities and improved patient care.
By this time, the Department of Neurology at Renji Hospital had re-established itself as a first-class, comprehensive discipline renowned for its excellence in clinical practice, teaching, and research, earning high praise both domestically and internationally.
Weathering Storms to See the Rainbow
Beyond his demanding roles at Renji Hospital and Shanghai Second Medical College, Zhou Xiaoda held numerous influential positions across the medical community. He was entrusted with the healthcare of central government leaders, a role that expanded his clinical experience and professional influence.
Within academic institutions, he served as a Council Member of the Chinese Medical Association and as Vice Chairman of its Society of Neurology and Psychiatry. He was also an Academic Advisor to the National Neurogenetics Group and a member of the Medical Professional Committee of the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, contributing to both national and local medical research.
Within the Shanghai branch of the Chinese Medical Association, he chaired the Neurology Society and the EEG and Clinical Neurophysiology Society, while also serving as Vice Chairman of the Geriatrics Society. He held key positions within the Ministry of Health, including Vice Chairman of the Cerebrovascular Disease Expert Consultation Committee and membership on its specialized committees for neurology and psychiatry. He also contributed to the Ministry’s work on reviewing and editing medical textbooks.
Zhou’s expertise extended to rehabilitation for persons with disabilities through his work with the China Association of Persons with Disabilities, and he supported higher medical education by participating in professional title evaluation committees. He also contributed his insights to the “Shanghai Health Development Strategy Research” project. Furthermore, he authored and edited key texts, including Practical Neurology and the Neurology Handbook, providing essential resources for medical professionals.
Even in his later years, as his health declined, Zhou remained deeply committed to the department’s future. He often said there was still much work to be done. Even while hospitalized, his focus never wavered. When colleagues and students visited, he would eagerly inquire about the department’s progress and discuss the latest international developments in neuroscience. Despite his illness, he remained cheerful and articulate, often speaking for hours about his plans for the department, always expressing his eagerness to return to work as soon as his health permitted.
However, he would not live to see that day. Professor Zhou Xiaoda passed away in 2004, at the age of 85. His death was deeply felt by the medical community, which had lost an eminent expert and leader, and by the countless students and colleagues who had benefited from his knowledge and guidance. His dedication and spirit of service are remembered by all who knew him. His spirit and achievements continue to inspire new generations of neurologists to advance the field.
re pioneers in the field of neurology to strive tirelessly for the advancement of neuroscience.
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