Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year, begins on the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar. This year is the Year of the Tiger, which begins February 1st. Festivities for Chinese New Year will typically last for 16 days, ending with the start of the Lantern Festival. For those who celebrate, Chinese New Year is a time to get together with family and honor traditional Chinese culture. Let’s take this time to honor a brilliant Chinese medical scientist, Tu Youyou (屠呦呦).
Early Life
Tu Youyou was born and raised in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China. She became the first Chinese person to win the Lasker Award, and the first woman of the People’s Republic of China to receive a Nobel Prize. After falling ill with a tuberculosis infection, Tu became interested in medical research to help people who suffer from infectious diseases. After graduating from Beijing Medical College, she was determined to research about traditional Chinese medicine and its benefits. In 1955, Tu graduated from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences after doing extensive research on Chinese herbal medicine.
“Chinese medicine will help us conquer life-threatening diseases worldwide, and people across the globe will enjoy its benefits for health promotion.”
Contributions
During the mid-to-late 1960’s, an outbreak of malaria spread around Southern China. Tu became part of a research effort to help lessen the spread of the disease. In 1969, she began to screen traditional Chinese herbs to see if they would be useful for her research team. In search of a cure, she looked at ancient Chinese medical texts for reference. After testing over 2,000 herb varieties and recipes, Tu and her team found that an extract in sweet wormwood was effective in treating bouts of fever— a common symptom of malaria. Tu herself volunteered to be the first human subject for the drug, saying, “As head of this research group, I had the responsibility.” Tu’s research and efforts have saved millions of lives. In 1977, her research team released their findings to the world. In 1981, Tu presented her work to the World Health Organization. Tu was finally internationally recognized for her work in 2015, when she was awarded with the Nobel Prize. She is now the Chief Scientist of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.
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