The First Neurologist in Korea: Dr. Succ-Jo Suh.

Abstract

Dr. Succ-Jo Suh (1921-1999) graduated in 1946 from the School of Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University in Japan. Afterward, he returned to Korea and began his career as a medical doctor at the Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul National University. Due to his enthusiastic spirit for state-of-the-art medicine, however, he flew to the United States and completed an internship at St. Barnabas Hospital in New Jersey in 1949, a residency program in Thoracic Surgery of the Rockford Niagara Sanatorium in New York in 1950, a residency program in Internal Medicine of the New Jersey City Medical Center in 1952, and finally, a residency program in Neurological Medicine at the Bellevue Hospital of Cornell University in New York in 1953, making him the first Korean neurologist. After his residency training, he began working as an instructor in the Neurology Department of Cornell University in 1954. In January 1955, at the age of 34, he was appointed as an assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Union Medical College. Two years later, Dr. Myung Sun Kim, the Dean of Severance Union Medical College, bestowed a position of full professorship and head of the Department of Internal Medicine on Dr. Suh in recognition of his excellent education and practice in patient care (Fig. 1A).1 Dr. Suh organized a clinico-pathological conference for the first time in Korea, where many doctors and professors attended with much interest. During his time at Severance Hospital, he published nine original papers, seven review articles, and four case reports with coworkers (Fig. 1B). These works equal more than one third of all his publications. He then moved to Catholic University, where I met him as a student. Since then, I remained a close aide to him until he passed away on December 19, 1999. Therefore, it is my greatest honor and privilege to memorialize him here. The excellence of his research was continually proven at Catholic University from 1960 to 1964. During his time at Severance Hospital and Catholic University, he published most of his clinical studies on neurologic and endocrinologic diseases, especially on cerebral vascular accidents,2 Bell's palsy,3 cerebellar artery occlusion,4 physical therapy of hemiplegia,5 goiter,6 and diabetes.7 The excellence of the publications was reflected by the large number of study subjects included therein: 177 thyroid disease cases out of 133359 study subjects, 200 Bell's palsy patients out of 209084 subjects, and 183 diabetics out of 216656 individuals. These numbers were extremely hard to achieve in the early 1960s. In addition, under circumstances in which even basic laboratory facilities were not available, he undertook the uphill task of pioneering experimental studies using experimental animals.8 He proposed and strongly advocated for an independent academic society of neuroscience and a specialized training system for medical neurologists in the early 1960s. On February 25, 1971, he founded the Korean Neurological Society, where he served as the founding president. At a conference in the autumn of 1962, he introduced the Korean medical term Nyoejoljeung, meaning brain stroke, for the first time in Korea. Fig. 1 Pictures of Dr. Succ-Jo Suh (A) and colleagues (B) from graduation album in 1960, College of Medicine, Yonsei University. While studying in the US, Dr. Suh had dreamt of establishing hospitals in Korea equivalent to the Mayo Clinic in the United States. The initial realization thereof was the establishment of the Soonchunhyang Hospital in 1974 as the first medical foundation in Korea,9 where he served as a director in the Department of Internal Medicine. He later founded the Soonchunhyang Medical College in 1978. In 1980, he was inaugurated as the second Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Educational Foundation of Dong-eun Academy Institute and was committed to the establishment of a distinguished university for about 20 years until he passed away in December 1999. Even while administering the hospital, he spared no efforts to continue his studies and practice and was recognized as the most famous physician in those days. He was awarded the Dongbaek National Medal of the Republic of Korea in 1981 for his profound service in the fields of medical education and national health promotion. He always emphasized the importance of for human beings and for humanity, which have become the mission of Soonchunhyang University. In his medical practice, he emphasized humility and respect for patients by saying, It is not a doctor but Heaven that cures diseases. Doctors only serve as an aide to fulfill the good will of God. This spirit is upheld by all members of Soonchunhyang University, Seoul, Bucheon, Cheonan, and Gumi Hospitals.