Tsung-Ming Tu Book Collection Donation Ceremony at NTU Library

NTU Library held the Tsung-Ming Tu (杜聰明) Book Collection Donation Ceremony at 14:00 on Friday, August 24. The choice of the date was particularly meaningful as the following day, August 25 in 2018, marked the 125th birthday of the owner of the book collection—Dr. Tsung-Ming Tu (1893-1986), who was the first doctor of medicine in Taiwan, the first dean of the NTU College of Medicine, former NTU Interim President, and the founder of Kaohsiung Medical College (later reorganized and renamed “Kaohsiung Medical University”).

Dr. Tsung-Ming Tu graduated from Taiwan Governor’s Medical School (predecessor of the NTU College of Medicine) in 1914 and received his doctorate of medicine from Kyoto Imperial University (now Kyoto University) in 1922. He was the first Taiwanese professor teaching at Taihoku Imperial University (now NTU) during Japanese rule. Dr. Tu had made invaluable contributions to medical education, research, and administration in Taiwan. Besides his pioneering research on pharmacology and toxicology, Dr. Tu also founded Kaohsiung Medical College in 1954 and served as its first president for more than a decade.

Dr. Tu’s commitment to medical research and education has been reflected on the abundance and richness of his book collection, which goes beyond the field of medicine to cover humanities, arts, and social welfare. To thank Dr. Tsungming Tu Foundation for donating this precious collection of books, the University Librarian Prof. Kuang-Hua Chen (陳光華) received the donation on behalf of NTU at the ceremony, announced the establishment of the “Tsung-Ming Tu Collection” in the library, and presented a certificate of appreciation to Prof. Charles W. Tu (杜武青), grandson of Dr. Tu and Chairman of Dr. Tsungming Tu Foundation.

The Tsung-Ming Tu Collection contains a total of over 8,000 items, including 5,840 Chinese, Japanese, and English books, and 2,505 issues of 113 journals. In addition, the precious collection involves a great number of thread-bound ancient books on medicine, old medical books published during Japanese rule and the early Republican period, as well as calligraphy copybooks and inscription rubbings. The collection is stored in the Special Collection Area on the fifth floor of NTU Library. Some of the books are shelved in open stacks in a specific area for display, whereas rare books and special items are preserved in closed stacks for access by request only. NTU Library will continue to provide professional services and environments to preserve this precious collection for future research and the generations to come.