CHINA COAST DOCTOR
Michael Humpries will be treating us to some extracts from his second book "Surgeon on the China Seas". He found the the original longhand journal of Charles Courtney, Surgeon RN in which the RN doctor is "Recounting experiences and observations of the Second Opium War 1856-1860". Disease, accidents and battle injuries in foreign climes have been the lot of naval surgeons throughout history and fortunately this journal is one of the many accounts of some extraordinary experiences.
The original journal was found by Michael when following up on a lead at the National Archives in London. The box contained this gem of a journal which is a leather bound book written in longhand. Michael's talk follows the Surgeon RN Charles Courtney around the China Seas as well as takes us through Michael journey to writing and producing his second book from the original journal. Many dedicated friends and experts have been generous with their time as well as surprised by the contents. The journey has taken him even to the Beijing based Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences as there is a volume of the journal about traditional medicine as practised in Shanghai circa 1850's.
Michael Humphries is a physician and specialist in respiratory diseases who is currently engaged in clinical research and has lived in Hong Kong and China for nearly 30 years. He is Honorary Adjunct Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong. Also he is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (L&E), the Hong Kong College of Physicians as well as the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine.