Shanghai Jiguang Senior High School has a history of 126 years, formerly known as Myron College, founded by the London Church of England in 1898. In 1927, China took back the right to education and renamed it Shanghai Private Myron Middle School.
In the Hongkou District Archives collection of the "Myron Middle School 40th Anniversary Commemorative Magazine" and the English version of the school board meeting minutes, the names of two famous orthopedic surgeons in Shanghai, Niu Huilin and Niu Huisheng, are prominently listed. According to archival information, Niu Huilin, the first Chinese vice president of Yan Chai Hospital and president of the Shanghai Red Cross Society, became a member of the Advisory Committee of Myron College (the predecessor of Myron College Board of Trustees) in 1923. In 1928, Niu Huisheng, then the president of Shanghai Orthopaedic Hospital, was elected chairman by the board of trustees of Myron Middle School, the second Chinese chairman since the establishment of the school council.
Niu Huilin (1889-1937), born in Shanghai in 1889, was the first generation of returnee Western physicians in China and the first Chinese vice president of Renji Hospital. After graduating from St. John's University School of Medicine in Shanghai in 1907, he went to Cambridge University in England to obtain a doctorate in medicine and became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. In 1919, Niu Huilin resolutely gave up the preferential treatment abroad and returned to China to work, serving as the vice president and director of surgery of Renji Hospital.
▲Niu Huilin
His younger brother, Niu Huisheng (1892-1937), was born in 1892 and graduated from St. John's University in Shanghai in 1910 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In that year, he went to Harvard Medical School in the United States for further study. After receiving his M.D., he went to St. Luke's Hospital in New Fieldford City as a surgeon. In 1928, Niu founded Shanghai Orthopedic Hospital, the earliest orthopedic hospital in China, with Niu Huisheng as the president. He is one of the earliest orthopedic specialists in Western medicine in China.
▲Niu Huisheng
The illustrious resumes of the Niu brothers are linked to their family backgrounds. According to records, Pastor Ni Yunshan, who has a background in the London Protestant Church, has three daughters, and the eldest daughter, Ni Qijin, is married to Niu Shangzhou, the father of the Niu brothers. Niu Shangzhou was the first batch of young children to study in the United States by the Qing government, and Ni Qijin's sister Ni Qizhen married Mr. Song Yaoru, and their daughter was the famous Song sisters. The Niu family and the Song family are actually brothers-in-law. Influenced by their families, the Niu brothers received a Western-style education from an early age and later became Christians.
Like Soong Ching Ling, the Niu brothers have deep patriotic feelings and have dedicated their lives to their beloved motherland and medical cause. According to the official website of Renji Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, in 1927 and 1932, the famous Red Army general Chen Geng was seriously injured in the leg and secretly came to Shanghai twice for medical treatment. Chen Geng's two leg injuries were very serious, and under the backward medical level at that time, he could almost only amputate his limbs. However, with the skillful hands and benevolence of the Niu brothers, he was able to save his legs and made more important contributions to the cause of China's revolution and liberation. During the Anti-Japanese War in Shanghai on January 28, the Niu brothers, Song Qingling, He Xiangning and others actively organized rescue work and treated a large number of wounded and sick. With their rich experience, they organized, commanded, and participated in the treatment of a large number of wounded, saving the lives of many soldiers and civilians.
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Article source: Hongkou District Archives "Past Events" journal (No. 1, 2023), with deletions.
Author: Shen Yu
Narrator: Bamboo Forest Rain and Dew
Source: Shanghai Hongkou