An overview of the Sino–German symposium on new developments in surgical and basic pathology

Abstract

For more than 100 years, a longstanding intense relationship based on many mutual activities has become part of Chinese andGermanmedical history. For example, in 1907, Dr. Erich Paulun, a German doctor working in Shanghai around the turn of the 19th century, founded the first “Deutsche Medizinschule fur Chinesen” (German Medical School for Chinese), later the Medical Faculty of the Tongji University (Shanghai and Wuhan). There, the tradition of a German-based medicine has been upheld until today, leading to student education with lectures in the German language. In Germany, many Chinese doctors have been and still are working while influencing the medical development of many fields. Traditional Chinese Medicine, for example, is very popular in Germany and adds a lot of stimulating ideas to so-called Western medicine. Due to the political situation, there was a period of silence beginning with World War II up to the 1980s, and, only after the policy of openness, could the co-operation be re-established step by step by strong activities from both sides. In the field of anatomical and surgical pathology, the recent years were dominated by the intention to share knowledge and skills as well as to exchange young colleagues. For example, a telepathology project was initiated between Shanghai, Chongching and Berlin, supported by the National Science Foundation of China and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. To give these activities a framework, the authorities of the German and the Chinese Society of Pathology agreed to establish continuous interactions, e.g. with the presence of representatives at the annual meetings of each society. Among other reasons, this was to reflect the dramatically increasing importance of the People’s Republic of China in the scientific community. As a first step, a Sino–German Symposium on New Development in Surgical and Basic Pathology was held in Hangzhou, China, between 22 April 2004 and 24 April 2004. Attending this symposium were 23 leading pathologists from both countries, supported by the Sino–Germany Science Center and chaired by Professor Maode Lai (Zhejiang University, China) and Professor Manfred Dietel (Humboldt University, Germany). This meeting not only covered a comprehensive update of recent developments in surgical and basic pathology but also provided a general aspect of these fields in both countries. It intended to establish a forum to foster the communication and collaboration for pathologists of China and Germany. This report summarises the essential information from the meeting.