HKU Bulletin November 2006 (Vol. 8 No. 1)

CONTENTS Editor The Registrar Editorial Board Sheila Stimpson, Dora Yue Writers Kathy Griffin, Allison Jones, Adam Luck (London) Photographers Jon Freeman (London), Richard Jones, sinopix photo agency Graphic Designer trinity & co. Printer HeterMedia Services Limited Items for Publication Items for publication in The University of Hong Kong Bulletin or suggestions for subjects which might be included should be addressed to the editorial board, Knowles Building, telephone number: 2859 2229, fax number: 2559 9459 or e-mail: bulletin@hku.hk . Items should include the author’s name and University contact details. If you have any comments or suggestions to make regarding the content or format of The University of Hong Kong Bulletin , please direct them to the editor for consideration by the editorial board. Printed on recycled paper. 1 T he University recently received from the College of Arms a copy of the 1913 Letters Patent which describes the University’s first Shield. The original vellum scroll was lost during the turmoil of the Japanese Occupation (1941 – 45). We now have a complete record of our heraldic symbols. These comprise, apart from the 1913 Letters Patent, a watercolour of our first Shield painted in 1958, Letters Patent for the full armorial bearings received in 1984, and a recent re-interpretation of the University’s Shield and Flag obtained in 2005. I t i s hoped t o d i sp l a y t hese documents in the lead-up to our centenary celebrations. NEWS ROUND-UP 1 u Letters Patent 1 u University of Toronto Names ‘Giants of Biomedical Science’ 2 u Modernising Chinese Medicine HISTORY 3 u Lord Lugard’s Legacy COVER STORY 4 u Seeking a Cure for the Incurable RESEARCH 6 u Children at Risk 7 u Do You Understand? 8 u Paradox of Obesity 9 u Coral Colonies Farmed in Tanks 10 u Faking It 11 u Genes On and Off Buttons PEOPLE 12 u Keeping the Records Straight 13 u Passion for Global Citizenship ARTS 14 u Artistic Reverence Explored 15 u Rare Books on Display 16 u Our Man in Peking 17 u Rita Dove 18 u Bound Feet and Queues STUDENTS 19 u Project SEE Inspires an Off-shoot 20 u Building for the Future University of Toronto Names ‘Giants of Biomedical Science’ T he Vice-Chancellor, Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, has been named one of ten ‘Giants of Biomedical Science’ by the University of Toronto. Professor Tsui was honoured in recognition of his outstanding achievements in biomedical science and joins the ranks of University of Toronto luminaries such as Sir Frederick Bating, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1923, and Dr Wilfred Bigelow who developed the first artificial cardiac pacemaker. A bronze sculpture, dedicated to Professor Tsui, has been unveiled in the University of Toronto’s Giants of Biomedical Science Hall, in the Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomedical Research. The Centre will also dedicate a floor to Professor Tsui. The ten ‘Giants’ either began, or made their mark, at the University. Professor Tsui held the H.E. Sellers Chair in Cystic Fibrosis at the University of Toronto before taking up his position as Vice-Chancellor at The University of Hong Kong in 2002. He said: “I am delighted to receive such an honour from the University of Toronto where I established my academic career and scientific pursuits. Looking ahead to the future, I will continue to contribute to science and education in Hong Kong and to build the bridge between East and West.” NEWS ROUND-UP