Kuang Yaolin (1920-2016), Professor of Surgery and the former Director of General Surgery, Deputy Director of the Department of Surgery at Renji Hospital.

Introduction

With his exceptional surgical skill and profound insight, Dr. Kuang Yaolin forged a new frontier in the treatment of portal hypertension. With his compassionate heart, he earned the trust of every patient. His life stands as a testament to a deep reverence for life and a profound dedication to the art of medicine.

In challenging times, he served during the Korean War and in Albania, fulfilling his duty with distinction. He believed that every surgery was a race against death, and every treatment a solemn commitment to preserving life. As a surgeon, he used his hands to create new opportunities for patients and his intellect to advance the field of medicine.

His life was dedicated to the pursuit of medical excellence. In the treatment of portal hypertension, he not only pioneered numerous surgical techniques but also, with his visionary thinking, shaped the direction of the entire discipline.

When we reflect on the life of Dr. Kuang Yaolin, we see not only the remarkable achievements of a medical scientist but also the warmth and kindness of a mentor. He demonstrated through his career that in the practice of medicine, true compassion is a timeless force, inspiring generations of practitioners.

The Path to Medicine

Kuang Yaolin was born in 1920 to parents from Taishan, Guangdong, a region renowned as the ancestral home of many overseas Chinese.

The year 1920 was a period of significant global and national change. The First World War had officially concluded, and within China, a profound intellectual and political transformation was underway. In November of that year, Chen Duxiu drafted the first program and the “Manifesto of the Communist Party of China” in Shanghai, marking a pivotal moment in modern Chinese history. In the medical field, China was entering a new era, systematically adopting and implementing Western medical theories.

Kuang Yaolin’s parents were open-minded and liberal, placing a special emphasis on their children’s education. This ensured that Kuang Yaolin had excellent educational opportunities from a young age. As he grew, his thirst for knowledge intensified. During high school, he set his sights on a career in medicine. To gain admission to medical school, he devised a rigorous study plan. Ultimately, he was accepted into the medical school of St. John’s University with outstanding grades, fulfilling his long-held ambition.

At the St. John’s University Medical School, Kuang Yaolin’s years were stimulating and formative. At what was then China’s premier private medical school, he systematically studied the fundamental theories of medicine while continuously honing his clinical skills through hands-on practice. Throughout his university years, he actively participated in clinical work, laying a solid foundation for his future career.

In 1947, Kuang Yaolin graduated with honors from St. John’s University, earning a Doctor of Medicine degree.

Upon the recommendation of Professor Lan Xichun, then Professor of Surgery at St. John’s and Director of Surgery at Hongren Hospital; Professor Huang Mingxin, Director of Internal Medicine; and Dr. H.W. Boone, the hospital’s director, he was appointed to oversee the clinical education of the hospital’s junior staff.

Professor Lan Xichun was a pioneer and leading figure in China’s cardiovascular surgery field. He was instrumental in developing the specialty in China and was one of its founding fathers. He would become the most influential mentor in Kuang Yaolin’s life.

This role in clinical education gave Kuang Yaolin the opportunity to apply his knowledge in practice and to gain a deeper understanding of a physician’s responsibilities and mission.

In 1953, following the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Shanghai Second Medical College was established. The medical schools of St. John’s University, Aurora University, and Tongde Medical College were merged to form this new institution, and their affiliated clinical hospitals were gradually integrated into its system.

Following the merger and reorganization of Hongren Hospital and Renji Hospital, Kuang Yaolin followed renowned medical pioneers like Lan Xichun to Renji Hospital.

A Medical Career in the New China

In the early days of the People’s Republic of China, the nation faced the immense task of reconstruction. The country was confronted with unprecedented challenges, including scarce resources, underdeveloped infrastructure, and a shortage of technical talent. It was within this difficult environment that the Chinese people began the arduous process of nation-building.

The medical field faced its own set of enormous challenges. Resources were extremely limited, and medical technology lagged behind. Many diseases could not be treated effectively, and the health of the population was in urgent need of improvement. Crude hospital facilities, outdated equipment, and insufficient drug supplies were daunting problems for the healthcare system.

In 1952, as the Korean War raged, Kuang Yaolin answered his country’s call to service and joined a medical team sent to aid North Korea.

At that time, Tonghua City in Jilin Province served as a crucial rear base for the war effort. Hundreds of thousands of People’s Volunteer Army soldiers prepared for deployment there, as a constant stream of trains carried thousands of tons of military supplies to the front lines. Throughout the city, medical personnel worked around the clock to treat nearly 200,000 wounded and ill soldiers.

In Tonghua, Kuang Yaolin joined the medical team led by the renowned surgical expert Professor Huang Jiastu, participating in the intense work of treating the wounded. In an era of material scarcity, he, like other surgeons, used his skill and compassion to heal countless soldiers. He often reflected on this period with a sense of pride.

Upon his return to Shanghai, Kuang Yaolin immediately dedicated himself to advancing China’s surgical field.

The year 1954 marked a milestone for the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Renji Hospital. Kuang Yaolin assisted Professor Lan Xichun in completing China’s first successful mitral valve commissurotomy for stenosis. This procedure, used to treat a narrowing of the heart’s mitral valve, was a major breakthrough for the country’s medical community, filling a critical gap in domestic cardiac surgery.

In the same year, Kuang Yaolin became the first surgeon in China to employ gastric variceal ligation combined with splenectomy to treat acute massive hemorrhaging caused by portal hypertension. This innovative surgical method greatly improved outcomes for patients and saved many lives.

Kuang Yaolin’s research on portal hypertension continued, and he would later become one of China’s top experts in the field. Through long-term basic and clinical research, he made significant contributions that influenced the medical community both in China and internationally.

In the 1950s, Kuang Yaolin also researched surgical treatments for conditions such as gastrointestinal atresia in infants and acute pancreatitis. He led research on cholelithiasis (bile duct stones), advancing the clinical application of biliary surgery, and later conducted in-depth research on postoperative complications of these procedures.

In the following decade, the study of traditional Chinese medicine emerged as a new direction for addressing healthcare challenges. Kuang Yaolin, along with colleagues, conducted research on the effects of acupuncture on biliary pressure, bridging traditional Chinese acupuncture with modern surgical research.

In 1964, Kuang Yaolin was invited to participate in a national reform of medical education organized by the Ministry of Health. Drawing on his extensive knowledge and clinical experience, he provided valuable recommendations for the development of medical education.

Even during the subsequent decade of political turmoil, Kuang Yaolin persisted in his medical explorations.

In 1972, as China’s relations with the world began to thaw, medical aid served as a bridge for international friendship. Recommended by the Ministry of Health, Kuang Yaolin traveled to Albania as one of China’s first medical experts to provide aid abroad.

At the First Hospital of Tirana, he served as a guest professor in gastroenterology. His solid foundation in internal medicine, comprehensive knowledge, and accessible teaching style made him popular among local doctors and students. He imparted knowledge and fostered goodwill, becoming an envoy for cultural exchange.

During his year in Albania, Kuang Yaolin also participated in many complex surgeries, saving numerous patients’ lives.

After returning to China in 1973, he continued his groundbreaking work. That year, he pioneered the mesenteric-vena cava side-to-end anastomosis in China, providing a new treatment option for patients with re-bleeding after splenectomy for portal hypertension.

A Leader in Surgery in the Reform Era

Following the period of Reform and Opening-Up, Kuang Yaolin achieved even greater success, developing new methods in multiple areas of general surgery.

In 1979, he and his colleagues published a paper on the surgical treatment of functional insulinomas, analyzing data from 78 patients. In 1981, he published “Measurement of Pressure and Flow in the Common Bile Duct During Surgery,” which provided a new intraoperative monitoring tool that significantly improved the safety and success rate of biliary surgery.

In 1981, he was appointed to the Schistosomiasis Research Committee of the Ministry of Health. In 1985, he received a certificate of commendation and a first-class merit award from the Shanghai Schistosomiasis Prevention and Control Leadership Group.

In 1984, Kuang Yaolin made significant progress in thyroid surgery. In two papers, he proposed innovative techniques for Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder causing hyperthyroidism. His surgical methods improved safety and reduced postoperative complications, offering patients a more effective treatment option.

Since pioneering the mesenteric-vena cava anastomosis in 1973, the procedure was performed with increasing frequency. In 1984, he published a retrospective study evaluating its effectiveness in treating portal hypertension, laying the groundwork for its continued refinement.

In the field of acute pancreatitis, he published a paper detailing its specific clinical manifestations, providing an important reference for early diagnosis and treatment.

In 1989, he summarized the long-term effects of portosystemic shunts on liver and islet cell function, offering new perspectives on the impact of these surgeries, which divert blood flow to relieve pressure in the portal vein.

From the 1990s onward, Kuang Yaolin, now in his seventies, remained fully dedicated to clinical research in endocrine surgery and portal hypertension.

In the early 1990s, he published an evaluation of shunt surgery for portal hypertension, summarizing its development and highlighting areas for future research. By 1996, he was exploring new surgical treatments for thyroid and pancreatic cancers, incorporating international standards to improve success rates and patient prognosis in China. In 1999, he researched surgical strategies for pancreatic tumors and the management of their complications.

By 2004, now over eighty years old, Kuang Yaolin had not stopped his clinical work and continued to publish papers.

Mentoring the Next Generation

Since the late 1970s, Kuang Yaolin had dedicated himself with great passion to mentoring the next generation of medical professionals.

He was a meticulous teacher who emphasized the importance of detail, a philosophy that deeply influenced many young talents. He believed teaching should extend beyond professional knowledge to the cultivation of character. He often said that attention to detail determines success or failure, a principle he embodied in both his rigorous academic work and his personal life. He was known for his refined appearance, integrity, and punctuality. He had broad interests and spoke impeccable English, qualities that reflected in his teaching and life.

In 2008, Kuang Yaolin was diagnosed with colon cancer and underwent surgery. The procedure was complicated, but he demonstrated remarkable resilience and recovered. In the final two years of his life, though confined to his home and weakened by illness, he maintained his spirit.

On August 26, 2016, Kuang Yaolin passed away at Renji Hospital at the age of 96. His life was one of profound dedication to medicine and his country. His erudition, humility, and magnanimity made him a lifelong model for many physicians.

Editor: Chen Qing @ ShanghaiDoctor.cn, 

Note: Chinese Sources from “The Path of Benevolent Medicine” which was published in 2024. It records 90 important medical figures in the history of Renji Hospital. Yewen Renyi (ShanghaiDoctor.cn) team was one of the major writers of the book and is authorized by Renji hospital to create English version on the website of ShanghaiDoctor.cn