I. Changes of sites and names:
The history of Tongji Medical College of HUST could be traced back to 1907 when a small school named German Medical School for Chinese founded by a German Doctor Erich Paulun in Shanghai. Dr. Erich Paulun established this school and its affiliated hospital with the purpose to improve the medicare conditions of German citizens living in Shanghai. The name "Tongji" derived from the local dialect's pronunciation of "Deutschland" (means Germany ). Later, this medical school was renamed several times, and became the Medical School of National Tongji University in 1927.
During the Anti-Japanese War, National Tongji University had to migrate to avoid flames of war and relocated subsequently in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan Province, and finally settled down in Yibing, Sichuan Province. After marching on nearly half China for 8 years, it eventually moved back to Shanghai in April, 1946.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, in 1951 the medical school was moved from Shanghai to Wuhan, where it merged with the medical college of Wuhan University to form Central-South Tongji Medical College. Tongji Hospital, founded in Shanghai by Dr. Paulun, and Wuhan Union Hospital (formerly Hankow Mission and Hankou Union Hospital) founded in 1866 by Griffith John, a British, were attached to College as its teaching hospitals. In 1955, the college changed its name to Wuhan Medical College; and in 1985, it was renamed Tongji Medical University. On May 26, 2000, it became today's Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
1. German Medical School for Chinese in Shanghai (1907)
2. Tongji Technical Collge of Medicine and Engineering (1917), in Shanghai
3. National Tongji University Medical College (1927), in Shanghai
4. A map of its migration during Anti-Japanese War
5. National Tongji University Medical College (1941), in Yibin, Sichuan Province
6. Zhongnan Tongji Medical College (1951), in Wuhan, Hubei Province
7. Wuhan Medical College (1955), in Wuhan, Hubei Province
8. Tongji University of Medicine (1985), in Wuhan, Hubei Province
9. Tongji Medical College, HUST (2000), in Wuhan, Hubei Province
II. Historical Moments:
1. From the founding as German Medical School by German Military Dr. Paulun to early days after liberation, the college used 4 different names including Tongji German Medical School, Tongji Collge of Medicine and Engineering, Tongji Private School of Medicine and Engineering, National Tongji University. It has become a comprehensive university for medicine, engineering, liberal arts, sciences, and law from a school of medicine only. According to China Education Yearbook of 1934, National Tongji University was one of the 6 public schools that offered medical courses among all the 22 public universities and 18 colleges, and it boasted the most students and biggest premises among the 6 medical programs.
Founder Dr. Erich Paulun
2. As instructed by Central People's Government after Liberation, the medical college and its affiliated hospital moved from Shanghai to Wuhan, and merged with Wuhan University Medical College to establish Zhongnan Tongji Medical College. The College’s name then changed to Wuhan Medical College (1955) and Tongji University of Medicine (1985) afterwards. Pediatrics, Environmental Science and Health Management added, the university has become a high institute of medical education with full range of disciplines in South Central China, and one of state-level key medical institutes under the administration of Ministry of Health.
3. Prof. TANG Zhe, served as dean, with MAO Zedong, LIU Shaoqi, ZHU De, ZHOU Enlai, and other leaders during CPPCC National Committee meeting, 1960
Appointment letter to Prof. TANG Zhe as Dean, signed by MAO Zedong, Chairman of Chinese People's Central Government
4. President of Federal Germany Walter Scheel and German Ambassador visited TJMC in 1981
5. The first annual conference of Sino-German Society for Medicine in 1986.
6. President of Republic of Sudan, Mr. Omer Hassan Ahmed Elbashir visited TJMC in 1995.
7. Merged with former HUST and Wuhan Urban Construction Institute in 2000
8. Prof. QIU Fazu took the honorary title “People’s Medical Scientist”and Mr. YU Zhengsheng, attended the awarding ceremony as Secretary of Provincial Standing Committee of Hubei, 2004
9. Pathologist, Prof. WU Zhongbi met German Chancellor Merkel in 2006.