Wang Yixin, Professor of Surgery, Former Director of the Urology Department at Renji Hospital

Introduction

He still recalls an arduous era when life was incredibly precious and painfully fragile. For him, birth is not merely the emergence of life, but the arrival of an individual with dignity, hope, and a future.

As a urological surgeon and andrologist, he became a pioneer in China’s family planning movement and the founder of the Shanghai Institute of Andrology. Believing that everyone deserves a quality and fulfilling life, he dedicated his career to advancing reproductive technologies.

“In my view, everyone must be responsible for new life,” he once said. “We may not know who a child will become decades from now, but before welcoming them, we must make responsible plans.”

His inspiring beliefs and relentless efforts overcame countless obstacles. He firmly believed that every new life should be born with promising dreams and the chance to embrace a happy future.

The Path to Medicine

Wang Yixin was born in 1938 in the firewood room of his family’s home in Yiwu, Zhejiang province. His birth was shaped by the tumult of the Second Sino-Japanese War. “According to local custom at the time, because my parents had just returned from fleeing the war, to avoid misfortune, I could not be born in the main house but had to be delivered in the firewood room. That’s how I came into this world,” he recalled with a smile.

Despite the raging flames of war, his family, both teachers, prioritized his education. At age 7, he began primary school, often transferring as his father moved for work. By 10, he was admitted to a more advanced primary school, graduating in 1949—the same year the People’s Republic of China was founded. He then excelled in middle school, and in 1952, was admitted to the prestigious Jinhua No. 1 Middle School with outstanding results.

He cherished the stability of this new school, knowing it was a hard-won opportunity. “From the time I was 8 or 9, I began traveling back and forth between home and school, a journey of over 5 kilometers of mountain roads at least once a week,” he said. “During vacations and on Sundays, I worked on the farm, becoming proficient in cutting firewood, harvesting rice, and carrying water. These experiences instilled in me a lifelong love for labor and sports.”

Life was difficult. For school, he carried his own luggage and his food for the week—typically just two small boxes of vegetables and preserved mustard greens. At 13, he participated in a work-study program, helping to build a local railway station. “Digging and carrying mud all day left my entire body aching,” he remembered. “But I studied diligently. Although it was arduous, it tempered my perseverance.” This period of hardship forged his resilience, a trait he knew was essential for achieving great things.

In 1955, Wang Yixin was admitted to the Medical Department of Shanghai Second Medical College. The new college emphasized clinical practice, allowing him to build a solid foundation. He graduated in 1960 and was assigned to the surgery department of the renowned Renji Hospital.

He began a four-year rotation through various surgical subspecialties. His career took a decisive turn in 1963. “I was a surgical resident when I received a notice to return to Renji Hospital for a new task,” he recounted. “The leadership told me they had selected me to lead a team of three physicians and one nurse responsible for vasectomy surgeries. It was an important turning point, and I accepted without hesitation.”

Within a year, he had successfully performed thousands of vasectomies with no complications, while also training his team and conducting research on new surgical techniques.

In 1964, he was selected for a highly competitive graduate program, equivalent to a master’s degree, under the renowned urologist Professor Wang Yijing. Only seven candidates were admitted that year. His research focus shifted from general urology to male contraception, which became the foundation of his life’s work.

A few years later, after graduating with his master’s, his expertise was formally recognized. In 1968, the Shanghai Municipal Health Bureau appointed him to lead a city-wide group established to prevent and treat vasectomy complications. His team compiled a manual on the subject that was later promoted nationwide.

By 1972, he had become a core figure in China’s national family planning effort. That year, the Ministry of Health held a national training course on family planning, and Wang Yixin was selected to lead the male contraception training, instructing doctors from across the country.

Difficult Exploration, Pioneer of Chinese Male Contraceptives

In the 1960s, as oral contraceptives were gaining popularity worldwide, the use of gossypol as a male oral contraceptive sparked significant debate.

Gossypol, a polyphenolic compound extracted from cotton seeds, works by inhibiting sperm production in the testes and suppressing sperm function in the epididymis. This leads to a low sperm count (oligospermia) or a complete absence of sperm (azoospermia), resulting in infertility. However, long-term use of this high-concentration drug posed serious risks, including hypokalemia (low potassium) and even irreversible infertility.

Wang Yixin and his colleagues launched systematic research into these side effects and the reversibility of the drug’s anti-fertility effects. Their research revealed that gossypol directly impaired the kidneys’ ability to retain potassium, leading to this dangerous condition.

This discovery provided crucial insights into the drug’s side effects, offering a vital scientific basis for its future research and clinical application.

Wang Yixin also turned his attention to topical contraceptives, leading research on nonoxynol-9 contraceptive films. This spermicidal film offered a safer, more convenient alternative to oral contraceptives. Its main ingredient, nonoxynol-9, kills sperm and prevents them from entering the uterus, all without harming the beneficial bacteria in the vaginal environment.

Wang Yixin’s team confirmed the film’s high efficacy and safety. It was found to be non-irritating to human tissues, with no significant impact on the reproductive system or menstrual cycles. This made it a particularly suitable option for special populations, including breastfeeding and menopausal women.

This research provided a practical foundation and clinical support for a new contraceptive option, offering a valuable alternative when oral contraceptives were not suitable.

Wang Yixin also conducted broader research on social fertility, such as the “Study on Semen of Chinese Fertile Men,” to better understand the reproductive health of the population. These projects earned him second and third prize awards for scientific and technological achievement from the National Family Planning Commission’s key “Sixth Five-Year Plan” projects.

Authoring Books and Dedication to Urology and Andrology

In the 1970s, family planning was a major national priority in China. Feeling a duty to contribute, Wang Yixin edited the seminal book, Family Planning Techniques, with the section on female family planning written by experts from the Shanghai International Peace Maternal and Child Health Hospital and the male section by Wang Yixin himself.

“The book offers a comprehensive guide to both male and female family planning,” he explained. “It details the basic principles, mechanisms, and history of various techniques, while also presenting the latest advances. Covering everything from reproductive anatomy and contraception to abortion and infertility, our goal was to provide readers with the scientific guidance needed to make informed decisions.”

The publication was significant in reshaping public understanding of reproductive autonomy and health. It served as a practical guide for the proper application of family planning techniques nationwide. Unlike dry official manuals, it presented the science in a systematic and accessible way, proving crucial for advancing China’s family planning efforts and promoting social progress.

In 1978, the book was honored with a Scientific and Technological Achievement Award at the National Science Conference.

Wang Yixin’s focus on family planning technology earned him national recognition. He was named an “Advanced Individual in Family Planning Technology” by the National Family Planning Commission in 1986 and received an honorary certificate from the Ministry of Health in 1989 for his contributions to the field.

In 1998, he authored the influential monograph, Diagnosis and Treatment of Male Infertility, which drew significant attention within the medical community. Through continuous academic exploration and diligent research, he became one of the pioneering figures in andrology in China.

He also contributed to foundational medical education, authoring chapters for the 7th edition of the national textbook Surgery and the 2006 graduate textbook Surgery—Frontiers and Debates, helping to build a strong foundation for tens of thousands of medical students.

His expertise continued to be sought after. In 2004, he contributed to the compilation of Wu Jieping Urology. In 2005, he was honored for his decade-long contributions to the Chinese Andrology Society. By 2008, he was appointed as an expert for the Ministry of Education’s Science and Technology Award Evaluation Committee, where he made outstanding contributions to the evaluation of national scientific awards.

Learning from Foreign Experience to Create a Chinese Urology Legend

“After China began its reform and opening-up, I was selected to study abroad, an opportunity to understand the world beyond our borders. In January 1989, I set off for the University of Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital. I was curious about the unfamiliar country, the new hospital, and full of expectation for the clinical techniques and medical systems I would encounter.”

The University of Edinburgh Medical School is a prestigious institution in Scotland and one of the oldest in Europe. Its reproductive medicine program consistently ranks among the top three worldwide, which was what most attracted Wang Yixin. It was there that Professor Ian Wilmut, the embryologist who cloned “Dolly” the sheep, conducted his groundbreaking research.

Upon returning to China, Wang found the urology department at Renji Hospital at a crossroads, lacking experienced successors. He took on the role of department director at this critical moment.

“The situation was quite challenging. Some even suggested merging the urology department into general surgery. I felt this would stifle its development, so I took on the responsibility of leading it. I focused on team-building, and over time, the department’s morale and cohesion improved significantly.”

At the same time, Wang championed large-scale kidney transplantation, establishing a complete system that laid the foundation for the department’s future growth.

“The development of kidney transplantation was vital for the comprehensive improvement of urology. To this day, our Renji Hospital remains a top-tier institution in the field.”

In 1993, after studying various instruments, Wang invented the “Multifunctional Combined Surgical Retractor,” which won a third prize for service invention in Shanghai. The device replaced the need for a surgical assistant to manually hold back tissue, ensuring surgical quality while being convenient, labor-saving, and reliable. This innovation significantly simplified procedures and shortened operation times.

That same year, Wang presented an important clinical study at the International Prostate Disease Symposium in Edinburgh, earning the attention of experts.

“Since the 1990s, our department has adopted less traumatic, quicker, and less painful procedures like microwave therapy and various laser surgeries, which are better suited for elderly patients. We also conducted extensive clinical and experimental studies on prostate cancer, applying prostate-specific antigen (PSA) for diagnosis and post-treatment monitoring. From 1993 to 1994, our epidemiological survey on benign prostatic hyperplasia, which randomly selected 1,582 men over 40 in Shanghai, had a considerable impact.”

In 1995, Wang was honored to be invited by renowned urology and andrology professor Wolfgang Weidner to study as a senior visiting scholar at Justus Liebig University Medical School in Gießen, Germany.

Infusing New Energy into Urology and Andrology

When discussing the development of urology and andrology in China, two figures stand out: Wang Yixin and Jiang Yu.

Professor Jiang Yu graduated from Shanghai Tongde Medical College in 1950, a renowned private institution whose alumni included many of China’s medical luminaries. Professor Jiang dedicated his career to developing urology at Renji Hospital, successfully establishing its urology and andrology departments. Later, Wang Yixin and Jiang Yu together made significant contributions to the foundation of andrology in China.

To promote information exchange and accelerate progress, Wang established the Shanghai Renji-Merck Prostate Disease Research Information Exchange Center and the Renji-Janssen Andrology Research and Training Center. These public-private collaborations were an innovative approach that reshaped the landscape of urology and andrology development in China at the time.

In 1997, Wang’s World Health Organization collaborative research project, “Study on Infertility Caused by Varicocele,” won the Third Prize of the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Progress Award. In 1999, he was elected Chairman of the Andrology Committee of the Shanghai Medical Association and Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Urology Society.

Simultaneously, with the approval of the Ministry of Health, his department became a national continuing education unit for andrology and prostate diseases and was approved as a drug clinical research base. Wang continued his relentless efforts in research and academic exchange, leading the field forward. In 2001, he founded the Shanghai Institute of Andrology. As he later reflected, “On December 21, 2021, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the institute’s establishment.”

The Shanghai Institute of Andrology brought together top experts from China and abroad, dedicated to advancing urology and andrology and improving men’s health. The institute conducted multiple studies on prostate disorders, sexual dysfunction, and male infertility, solidifying Renji Hospital’s position as a national leader in the field.

In 2003, under Wang’s leadership, Renji Hospital established the Shanghai Human Sperm Bank following an expert appraisal by the Ministry of Health. This assisted the hospital’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in launching assisted reproductive technologies. In 2004, after another appraisal, the hospital launched projects including in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and artificial insemination, officially establishing its Department of Reproductive Medicine.

Before his retirement, Wang had contributed to 49 monographs and published 130 academic papers. After retiring, he remained tirelessly dedicated to China’s andrology cause.

“As long as my mind remains clear, I can still move, and all aspects are functioning well, I will serve the people for a lifetime.”

In 2013, he received the Second Prize of the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Award for his research on the “Pathogenesis and New Diagnostic and Treatment Methods for Male Infertility.” In 2015, he was elected Chairman of the Sexual Medicine Committee of the Shanghai Reproductive Health Industry Association.

For decades, under Wang Yixin’s leadership, urology and andrology at Renji Hospital matured and achieved brilliance. Now retired, he watches with gratification as the department he led continues to thrive, his confidence in its future unwavering.

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