Heart to Heart
An Autobiography by Charles Toh
Reviewed by Kenneth Lyen
as told to Low Shi Ping
Published by World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd, 2019
Dr Charles Toh has been described as Singapore’s Father of Cardiology (1,2). He is a pioneer cardiologist who helped develop the Department of Cardiology at the Singapore General Hospital, set up the first Coronary Care Unit in 1966, and helped conceive and develop the idea of the National Heart Centre.
Heart to Heart is an eminently readable autobiography spanning Charles Toh’s entire life, and makes for a really heartfelt read. It traces his family background, where his paternal relatives migrated from China to Ipoh. His father worked as a banker and was a successful businessman. His mother came from Penang and looked after her family’s diamond business, and moved to Ipoh after their marriage.
Charles’s primary education started at a Hakka primary school, but he then moved to Anderson School, an English language school. He was only 11-years-old when the Japanese occupied Malaya in 1941. He describes the places the family had to hide from the invaders, but eventually when life in Ipoh became a little bit more normal, the family decided to allow him to attend a Japanese school. Charles gives a vignette of how his school was run, and that each lesson ended by singing a Japanese folk song. Incredibly he could continue piano lessons during this period.
After the war, Charles continued his secondary schooling at Anderson School. One of Charles' schoolmates who has remained a good friend to this day, is Wang Gungwu, also a Hakka.
After the war, he decided he wanted to become a doctor, and chose to study in Australia. He went on to do his housemanship in Australia. Life was tough. He wrote: “I remember there were times I work continuously for 72 hours, with short naps in between.” In 1957, he decided to continue his postgraduate training in England. There, he decided to become a cardiologist. ”I felt that it (cardiology) was based on very exact parameters, with logical conclusions based on a fixed set of clinical assessment tests and investigations – it was almost mathematical.”
Charles rotated through several other specialties before focusing on the heart. To this day he believes that doctors should have a strong general foundation in all areas of medicine and surgery before becoming a specialist.
Charles returned to Singapore in 1960 at the age of 30, and soon obtained a position at the university section of Singapore General Hospital. He spent the next 15 years in this department, and helped develop cardiology into a first-rate specialty.
The time was fertile for specialisation and he was supported by illustrious doctors, including Professors Gordon Ransome, Ernest Monteiro and Khoo Onn Teik. He started a cardiology laboratory, heart catheterisation procedures, and intensive monitoring of patients in a Coronary Care Unit which he established. He was President of the Singapore Cardiac Society twice, and was the Organising Chairman of the 5th Asia Pacific Congress of Cardiology in 1972.
Charles strongly believes in research and he laid the foundation for medical research in Singapore. “I was passionate and committed to developing a culture of research in Singapore…. a medical mind should be trained both in professional and research skills in order to be able to think originally.” He rose up the institutional ladder at the National University of Singapore, and was appointed Vice-Dean in 1972. He became chairman of the National Medical Research Council from 1994-2000. When the Ministry of Health was contemplating building a heart centre at the Singapore General Hospital, Charles was appointed Chairman of the Advisory Committee on the development of the National Heart Centre in 1996.
As an educationalist, Charles wrote: “I was later told by my students and nurses that I had a reputation for being very fierce.” His excuse was: “I had no time for trivialities.” During his period at the university, he taught thousands of medical students and trained many graduates to become cardiologists. Yes, he might be fierce, but he did get his students to think critically, independently and creatively. Many of his students have reached great accomplishments in Singapore and abroad, and thank him for his mentorship.
Charles contribution to public service is just as outstanding. He was a member of the Public Service Commission for 21 years from 1992-2013, and for the last 4 years he was Deputy Chairman (3). He was the only medical representative on the selection committee, and over the years he awarded hundreds of scholarships and promoted many civil servants to senior positions. He based his selection on the following principles: “We listened out for unusual, original and creative ideas on everything from current affairs, to how they envision the country would develop.” He added, “Those who could communicate their thoughts clearly, had a broad range of interests, and displayed an open mind were favoured.”
In 1960 Charles married Dr Victoria (Vicky) Tan who was working at the Singapore General Hospital where they met. They have 3 highly successful boys, one of whom is now Deputy Medical Director of the National Cancer Centre, Singapore. All three sons have written a few pages in this book. He has 4 lovely grandchildren. Sadly, Vicky developed liver cancer and passed on in 2010.
Charles is also a philanthropist, and has been very big-hearted in donating to the National Heart Centre for research and education, to the National Cancer Centre research and cancer, and to Xiamen University to set up the medical school there.
Charles has received many awards, including the Public Service Star in 2009. The above photo shows President SR Nathan giving the award.
The photos above show Charles' brilliant family.
I have known Charles for over 40 years and enjoy his great sense of humour in the doctors’ tea-room every morning. When he told us he got a hole-in-one playing golf, we all congratulated him. He has a lovely sonorous voice and, loves to sing Theresa Teng, Indonesian classics and other oldies. I heartily recommend this autobiography. It is very insightful and a wonderful account of the past 90 years of an outstanding doctor and humanitarian.
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REFERENCES
1. Chia Boon Lock: “The father of cardiology in Singapore - the honour belongs to Charles Toh”.
https://europepmc.org/article/pmc/pmc6119744
2. Peter Yan: “Charles Toh - is synonymous with one of the founding fathers of modern cardiology in Singapore”: http://news.sma.org.sg/4305/Citation2.pdf
3. Without fear or favour: 50 years of Singapore's Public Service Commission
https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/printheritage/detail/16ee6900-91e4-481c-9798-f4c19dff8b6c.aspx
4. Heart of the Matter Singapore Medical Association News 52: 30-31 (2020).
https://www.sma.org.sg/UploadedImg/files/Publications%20-%20SMA%20News/5208/Review.pdf
Reviewed by Kenneth Lyen
2 April 2020
Heart to Heart