Beyond the Microscope: Prof. KY Yuen on Empathy, Mortality, and Over Half a Century in Medicine
At the Hong Kong Book Fair, Professor Yuen Kwok-yung - Chair Professor of Infectious Diseases at HKUMed and Managing Director of the Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics (CVVT) - joined renowned psychiatrist Dr May Miao for an intimate dialogue surrounding his autobiography, 'My Life in Medicine: A Hong Kong Journey' (“顯微鏡下看穹蒼：袁國勇自述”).
Reflecting on half a century in medicine, childhood hardships, and the fragility of life, Prof. Yuen shared profound insights on why experiencing patient suffering cultivates better doctors, the future challenges facing Hong Kong’s healthcare system, and why writing an annual will helps us cherish every moment. Below is an edited excerpt of their conversation.
Below is an edited excerpt of their conversation.
A Childhood Marked by Adversity, Deep Empathy for Patients' Suffering
Dr. Mia: Reading your autobiography, I learned that you faced significant hardships as a child, and your mother even feared you might not survive. Later, you also suffered a serious traffic accident. How did these trials and setbacks shape your decision to become a doctor?
Professor Yuen: When I was about four or five, my mother enrolled me in a kindergarten in Sai Ying Pun. The air pollution there was severe. One bitterly cold winter morning, after school, I suddenly developed a high fever. My clearest memory is of my mother carrying me on her back in a baby sling at 5 a.m. to queue for a consultation at the Sai Ying Pun Jockey Club Clinic (then called the "National Hospital").
In those days, they might only hand out 40 to 50 queue numbers each morning. If you didn't get one, you were left to fend for yourself. I queued from 5 a.m. until 9 a.m. before I saw a doctor. I still vividly remember that I was seen by a foreign female doctor and then sent to Queen Mary Hospital for treatment. Years later, when I looked up the records, I learned that she was Elaine Field, Hong Kong's first pediatric specialist. During my illness, my mother never came to visit me in the hospital. I found this strange. When I was older, my father told me that the doctors had said I was almost certainly going to die. My mother cried every day and couldn't bear to watch me pass away, which was why she didn't dare to visit. This experience made me understand that an illness doesn't just affect the patient - it deeply impacts the entire family.
Another incident happened when I was in primary school. At the time, my mother was seriously ill and couldn't take me to and from school every day. We lived in Sai Ying Pun, but my primary school was in Wan Chai at Dah Fat Hau, quite a distance away. So my mother asked a neighbor boy, about 13 years old, to take me to school. But he had no idea how to look after anyone. Once, when we were getting off the bus, I was pushed and fell, then was dragged along by the bus for some distance. I lost consciousness immediately. I suffered fractures to my pelvis and shoulder blade. Someone carried me home, and I remained unconscious for a full day, only waking up the next day. Later, I went to a bonesetter, who forcibly manipulated my bones back into place without anesthesia; the pain was unbearable. It wasn't until I studied medicine later that I realized these two fractures shouldn't have been forcibly reset at all; they would have healed gradually with just immobilization and rest.
Nevertheless, I consider these experiences a blessing in disguise, as they gave me a profound understanding of patients' suffering and the pressures on their families. I often tell medical students that experiencing illness and understanding family pressures firsthand is by no means a bad thing for becoming a good doctor. That's why I encourage students to donate blood; if you're not even willing to do that, how can you talk about healing others? The process of having blood drawn, receiving IV fluids, or even trying to insert a feeding tube on yourself, though uncomfortable, lets you truly appreciate what patients go through. If you've personally experienced fasting for 30 hours, you'll be able to empathize with the feeling when a patient is fasted and given IV fluids for 30 hours due to abdominal pain.
A Classmate's Cancer Reveals Life's Fragility
Dr. Miao: I recall that you and Dr. Chan Kin Sang once cared for a classmate of yours - Dr. Law. This experience also had a profound impact on your values. Could you share that with us?
Professor Yuen: When I was deciding to go to United Christian Hospital, Dr. Chan challenged me, saying: We often call ourselves Christians. Now the emergency room of this Christian hospital is on the verge of collapse - are we just going to stay in the teaching hospital? The grassroots people and new immigrants there are the ones who need help the most. His words deeply moved me.
Another pivotal event happened during my internship. At that time, Dr. Law, who had the best academic record in our class, went on vacation to Taiwan. After returning to Hong Kong, he developed a fever. We initially thought he might have dengue fever or malaria, so we ran a blood test. When the results came out, we were shocked to find his white blood cell count was abnormal. I sat by his bed holding the report, too stunned to speak, because the diagnosis was leukemia. Later, we organized a fundraiser and successfully raised HK$200,000 to send him to a hospital in London for a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, he passed away a year and a half later. In his final days, we brought him back to United Christian Hospital to care for him. Every day after work, we would go and chat with him.
This experience made me fully realize just how fragile and brief life is. Since I had chosen the path of medicine, I needed to seriously think about how to spend my life. In the blink of an eye, I'm now 70 years old. Decades have passed like a gentle breeze. That's why I often encourage everyone to write a will once a year - it constantly reminds you to cherish your time and not waste it needlessly.
Treat Others with All Your Heart; Kindness Will Come Back to You
Dr. Miao: Inevitably, you encounter setbacks and failures in your work. How do you face adversity? Where does your strength and resilience come from?
Professor Yuen: The source of my strength has differed at various stages of life. As a child, my mother gave me a tremendous sense of security. Although we were poor, she often took on handcrafts to do at home. Every day, I sat beside her and worked together with her. Those moments of mother-son companionship are among my happiest memories and gave me a deep, solid foundation of security.
As I grew older, colleagues, friends, and brothers and sisters from church gave me enormous support. For example, during the SARS outbreak in 2003, the pressure we faced was overwhelming. At that time, the unknown virus kept claiming lives, and external inquiries and attention never ceased. In those moments, although some colleagues needed to take leave for family reasons, many more stepped forward voluntarily and formed an incredibly strong team; partners like Dr. Chu Chung Ming from United Christian Hospital also joined us.
This taught me that when you're in trouble, the trust and respect you've built in ordinary times will transform into a powerful source of support. As long as you treat your patients and students with all your heart and diligence, when you need help, that goodwill will ultimately come back to you.
Uphold Truth and Love in the Face of the Era's Challenges
Dr. Miao: You've maintained close interaction with young people for a long time and even lived in student dormitories. Given the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), geopolitical turmoil, and other uncertainties, the next generation often feels lost. What advice do you have for young people?
Professor Yuen: The younger generation should face the challenges of the modern era together with their peers, just as we did in our time. Although the core principles never change, the specific issues they must deal with now are completely different. With the advancement of AI, doctors who lack "interventional skills" will find it hard to survive in the future. This is because AI far surpasses humans in memory, data analysis, and mastery of the latest knowledge. However, AI cannot provide warmth or humanistic care, nor can it build trust between doctor and patient. These are precisely the irreplaceable values of human beings.
Moreover, future society may face enormous upheavals such as climate change and resource shortages. In the face of such turbulence and uncertainty, only by upholding truth and love can one achieve inner peace and freedom. As the Bible says, strength comes from calmness and rest. No matter how the environment changes, truth and love will always be our most solid foundation.
