Hero of labor, People's Physician, Professor - Doctor Nguyen Thien Thanh is a formally trained scientist who grew up from battlefield realities and has made many contributions to the development of medicine in the country. in the fields of clinical treatment, scientific research, teaching and training, and also in the work of popularizing medical knowledge to all classes of people. It can be said that he is a scientist who always knows how to take advantage of the time that nature has given him to reach the pinnacle of science for the cause of protecting and caring for the health of the Vietnamese people.
Nguyen Thien Thanh - also alias Nguyen Minh Nhan and Nguyen Tra Vinh during the years of fighting against the French colonialists and American imperialists on the Southern battlefield - was born in the year of the Goat, 1919 in Phuong Tra village, Binh Hoa district, now Phuong Thanh commune, Cang Long district, Tra Vinh province. His father was Mr. Nguyen Van Tho, a provincial primary school teacher, who was very passionate about developing the health of the race, so at one time he became the first Football Association manager in Tra Vinh province. . He also actively participated in movements to spread the National Language as well as the Party's later democracy campaign. Therefore, Teacher Tho's name is often mentioned by veteran revolutionaries and seniors in Tra Vinh. His mother, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thang, a farmer woman but diligent, worked hard all her life, working hard to take care of her nine children.
At the age of six, Nguyen Thien Thanh was sent by his parents to study at Tra Vinh Primary School, his father's office. After finishing elementary school, he was sent to Colègge de My Tho to study for general education, then to lycée Pétrus signed (now Le Hong Phong school in Ho Chi Minh City) to complete the baccalaureate program and Mr. Ba Thanh. Belonging to the first batch of students in Indochina who did not have to receive the discriminatory native Baccalaureate diploma because that school year, the authorities unified the Western Baccalaureate with the native baccalaureate with an excellent, academically Student Nguyen Thien Thanh was selected by the Indochina educational administration agency to grant him a scholarship to study abroad in France in the fields of military, politics, and banking to train a new generation of henchmen, supplementing the ruling apparatus of the colonial regime. French people. Nguyen Thien Thanh and his family firmly refused. He took the train and headed to Hanoi to take the entrance exam to the University of Medicine (in the same year, the Hanoi School of Medicine, a college specializing in training Indochina physicians, was upgraded to a University of Medicine specializing in training. doctor). Here, student Nguyen Thien Thanh was admitted to the outpatient program and then to the hospital.
Student Nguyen Thien Thanh's final years of study at Hanoi Medical University were also the years that witnessed rapid changes in the situation, greatly influencing the fate of the country and the revolutionary process. Japan jumped into Indochina. Our Party advocated actively preparing to seize power, war zones were secretly established in the mountains and forests of Viet Bac, the Viet Minh Front was born calling for the entire people to unite, then the Japanese fascists staged a coup... Faced with that situation, the general student union in Hanoi issued a call for Southern students to "turn to the South" and a series of famous students such as Luu Huu Phuoc, Mai Van Bo, Huynh Van Tieng, Tran Buu Kiem... left school. returned to the South to build a revolutionary movement. That atmosphere had a strong impact on student Nguyen Thien Thanh. But he has his own way of doing things - focusing on completing his studies, and at the same time making contact with Viet Minh officials, helping buy and instructing how to use medicines as well as being ready to go to the war zone when needed. request.
On August 19, 1945, young doctor Nguyen Thien Thanh actively participated in protests to seize power. After that, he was elected to the People's Council of Bach Mai Hospital, where he is working. When the guns of the Southern resistance broke out, Nguyen Thien Thanh mobilized a number of students attending military classes to be ready to go to the South to fight. In October 1945, Nguyen Thien Thanh joined the Nam Tien Vi Dan detachment, officially joining the ranks of Uncle Ho's soldiers.
Setting out for the South, young doctor Nguyen Thien Thanh's wish was to return to his beloved riverside countryside to bring his talents and studies to serve the fight of officers, soldiers and fellow countrymen. But when he arrived at area V, due to the urgent demands of the battlefield, doctor Nguyen Thien Thanh was decided to stay in charge of military medicine in area V. Here, he built a surgical team to serve the Bo Keo Front. After that, he was the Captain of Surgical Team A to ensure military medical care in the northern part of the Thua Thien front.
It was not until the end of 1947 that Doctor Nguyen Huu Nghiep, Inspector General of the Military Medical Department, decided to send Doctor Nguyen Thien Thanh to the Southern battlefield. Doctor Thanh was appointed as the Director of Military Medicine of Region IX and then became the Head of the Military Medical Department of the Inter-Region of the Southwest Region.
Returning to the Mekong Delta river region, young military doctor Nguyen Thien Thanh was like a fish returning to the water, swimming freely. Day and night, he worked hard to build a resistance military medical system in combat army units as well as in the provinces and districts of the Inter-Region. He directly participated in the rescue and treatment of many officers, soldiers, and compatriots injured by enemy bombs and specific diseases in tropical river regions. In early 1950, on his way to work in Tra Vinh province, unfortunately he encountered an enemy raid and Dr. Thanh was arrested. They transferred him to prisons in Tra Vinh, Can Tho, Vinh Long, and Saigon. At the Virgile prison, the expeditionary soldiers who guarded the prisoners were very surprised to see a young prisoner who spoke French very well and always attentively read any newspaper or document that fell into his hands. ta. Upon asking, we found out that the young prisoner was military doctor Nguyen Thien Thanh. Through their interactions with Doctor Thanh, the expeditionary soldiers gradually realized that they were participating in suppressing and invading a nation with cultural traditions, respect for humanity, and love for peace. Among those expeditionary soldiers, there was a person who was a medical student and secretly helped by buying and delivering scientific reports on the medical field to Dr. Thanh. Realizing that in recent years, due to the difficult conditions of the battlefield, he had not had access to the latest medical achievements, took advantage of his days in prison, and received the help of that expeditionary soldier. , Dr. Thanh tried his best to read, research, learn... he believed that when he was freed from the caged world, with new knowledge, he would serve more effectively in the heroic fight of his Fatherland.
From the books and newspapers that the expeditionary soldier bought for him, doctor Nguyen Thien Thanh suddenly read an article by H.Vachon mentioning the effectiveness of practical application of the Filatov method. However, Vachon is very cautious that this method is just a hypothesis that needs to be tested. With the sensitivity of a young scientist equipped with dialectical materialism, doctor Nguyen Thien Thanh believes that this is a new achievement in medicine and the prospect of applying it to practical conditions of the battlefield. The South is huge. From then on, he focused on carefully researching this method both in terms of theoretical basis and experimental statistics
After being released from prison (Dr. Thanh was released by France after we released Army Doctor Colonel Duris who was captured during the Border campaign), Dr. Nguyen Thien Thanh began applying the Filatov method in practical treatment. Then, on the occasion of Uncle Ho's birthday, on May 19, 1951, Dr. Thanh gave a scientific presentation on the topic of applying Filatov methods and theories to a large number of military medical officers, soldiers, and officers of the Ministry of Health. Can Tho province at the Western Division Military Hospital. On November 27, 1951, the Filatov method was officially used in treatment on the battlefield in the Southwest region, bringing extremely positive results, making patients excited, doctors happy, and people trusting. .
During his time in colonial prison, witnessing with his own eyes many examples of steadfastness as well as the dedication and sacrifice of Communist Party members for comrades and compatriots made the young intellectual Nguyen Thien Thanh impressed. After being released from prison, he strived to join the ranks of the Party. By 1952, that wish came true - he became a member of the Communist Party right on the battlefield in his hometown.
In 1954, doctor Nguyen Thien Thanh moved to the North. With practical experience in treatment on the battlefield over the years, Dr. Thanh is considered a good clinician. Not satisfied with himself, he threw himself into researching books, newspapers and documents as if to make up for the nine years he spent on the battlefield. Doctor Thanh's efforts to surpass himself have become an example for young physicians. A few years later, he was sent by the Party and State to do a PhD on the topic of Pavlov's theory at the Soviet Institute of Advanced Neurological Activity. In 1960, Nguyen Thien Thanh successfully defended his Associate Doctorate of Medicine thesis. This thesis was highly appreciated by the scientific community in general and Soviet physicians in particular. After that, he continued to stay in the Soviet Union for another period of time to do more clinical research on advanced neurological activity, a field that was still very new to Vietnamese medicine at that time.
Faced with the ability of sensitive scientific thinking and the attitude of diligent, serious, and methodical work - the conditions to become a true scientist - the Soviet scientific community and the Party and State recommend Associate Doctor Nguyen Thien Thanh carried out his PhD thesis but he refused to return to his country. He often joked: "My life still has one big thesis - that is the health of wounded and sick soldiers, compatriots and comrades in the South who are still engulfed in the smoke and flames of war."
During this time, his partner, battlefield nurse Duong Thi Minh (from An Truong commune, Cang Long district) always strived to follow her husband's example, raising their children while studying intermediate and then university programs. Specialized medical system.
In 1964, the resistance war against American imperialism by the Southern people became increasingly fierce, posing many problems to the medical community that needed to be solved. It's malaria that's raging; physical exhaustion due to poor diet in the sacred forest environment... With the accumulated knowledge, Associate Dr. Nguyen Thien Thanh eagerly rushed into the battlefield like a small student eager to enter a big school of actual fighting.
Entering the battlefield, the first issue that Associate Dr. Thanh focused on researching was the treatment and prevention of malaria for officers, soldiers and people in liberated areas. From treatment methods in advanced countries to the extremely poor conditions of the Vietnam battlefield, he contributed to the development of a reasonable treatment regimen. In particular, pay attention to both aspects of improving the patient's health and using specific medications with appropriate, safe and effective dosages.
In 1967, Associate Doctor Nguyen Thien Thanh continued to do in-depth research on the topic of malaria. This time, he and the K71 Military Hospital team researched and applied the treatment of malnutrition caused by malaria in young recruits by combining nutritional doses of Insuline with Filatov therapy. and hydrolyzed sugar prepared on the spot, providing the patient's body with both Glucose and Fructose.
Without stopping there, Associate Dr. Nguyen Thien Thanh and the K71 hospital team, since 1968, have perfected the treatment method for malignant hemoglobinuria. From then until the end of the resistance war, K71 Hospital applied clinical treatment to 113 patients, reducing the death rate to two times lower than scientific data in advanced countries.
In 1970, Deputy Doctor Nguyen Thien Thanh was promoted to Deputy Director of Regional Military Medicine and Director of K71 Institute.
With the sensitivity and sophistication of a creative and experienced scientist, from 1971 - 1972, Associate Dr. Nguyen Thien Thanh realized a great problem facing the Vietnamese medical community: preserving Maintain and strengthen the health of leading cadres and cadres of the Party and State who are getting older but still have to work and fight in poor and difficult conditions. As Director of K71 Institute, he focuses on understanding the reality of officials and elders in the region. After that, he often went to countries with a highly developed level of expertise in treating and preventing diseases for the elderly such as the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic, Japan, etc.
After 1975, Deputy Doctor Nguyen Thien Thanh was decided by the Party Central Committee Secretariat to hold the position of Chairman of the Central Health Council and Director of Thong Nhat Hospital. These are important responsibilities in caring for and protecting the health of middle and high-level leaders and international guests.
In 1980, Associate Doctor Nguyen Thien Thanh was awarded the title of Professor by the State, right in the first round of academic titles awarded by the State.
In 1982, Professor Nguyen Thien Thanh cooperated with Central Pharmaceutical Enterprise 24 to successfully research and produce two new pharmaceuticals, Kaglutam (ie Kalium Glutamate) and Spirulina Linavina (Vietnamese Spirualina algae). Effective in treating some liver diseases, while protecting the health of the elderly.
In 1986, Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy established the Department of Age Accuracy. This was the first time in Vietnam that the issue of age accumulation and the protection and health care of the elderly was taught in the elderly. university into a specialized subject. As a leading expert in the field as well as the first person to lay the foundation for this science, Professor Nguyen Thien Thanh is the head of the department. He is the main person who develops the curriculum, lesson plans, and textbooks for this subject. Since then, many classes of Tich-age specialist doctors have graduated, making an important contribution to the cause of protecting and caring for the health of the elderly throughout the southern provinces.
In 1989, when he was in his seventies, Professor Nguyen Thien Thanh was relieved of his duties as Director of Thong Nhat Hospital and Chairman of the Central Health Council by the Party and State, so that he could relieve himself of his purely domestic duties. administration, affairs. Although he has officially retired, with the working spirit of a scientist, he focuses his energy and intelligence on in-depth research in the field of chronology.
As our country's economic life changes in a positive direction and social living standards become higher and higher, the major of Age Analysis is increasingly playing a role. In 1989, the Ministry of Health established the Center for Age Accumulation in Ho Chi Minh City. Professor Nguyen Thien Thanh, Head of the Department of Age Accumulation at Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, was appointed by the Ministry of Health. as Director of this Center.
In November 1997, Professor Nguyen Thien Thanh, as an expert on age accumulation, was added to the Southern Central Health Protection Council.
At the same time, at the National Congress of the Vietnam Veterans Association, Colonel Professor Nguyen Thien Thanh was trusted by the Congress to be elected to the Executive Committee for the second term (1997-2002).
With a heart always passionate about his birthplace, in two consecutive National Assembly sessions VI and VII, he ran for election in Cuu Long province and was trusted by the people of the province to be elected as his representative. At the 6th National Assembly, Professor Nguyen Thien Thanh was appointed as Deputy Chairman of the Social and Cultural Committee and at the 7th National Assembly, he was Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly's Science and Technology Committee.
Throughout Professor Nguyen Thien Thanh's life, it can be seen that the revolutionary cause and the scientific career are always closely linked. He chose and went through his revolutionary life on the path of science and he always thought that science was the best way for him to serve the revolution and the people. Up to now, even though he has reached the age of eighty, Professor Nguyen Thien Thanh still maintains good health, the intelligence and sensitivity necessary in science as well as the sacrifice and dedication of a revolutionary.
Professor Nguyen Thien Thanh's scientific career reveals the following main characteristics:
- He always strives to surpass himself and reach scientific heights. From his youth to retirement, he always took advantage of his time to study and research, whether it was in a colonial prison, a battlefield where bombs fell or exploded, or when he was a leading expert. branch. With that spirit, he always grasps with special sensitivity the major problems that are and will be posed to the country's medicine such as the application of the Filatov method, the treatment of malaria and its sequelae. in the actual conditions of war or the problem of accumulating school years... and he set himself the task of rising and taking over those problems to best serve the Fatherland and his people.
For Professor Nguyen Thien Thanh, classic knowledge and practical treatment experience are both valuable. Therefore, in addition to actively cultivating knowledge, he always focuses on clinical treatment experience. He is always present in hot spots on the battlefield, directly providing treatment and treatment to compare and supplement knowledge from books. Not only that, Professor Nguyen Thien Thanh greatly appreciates the experience of his seniors, colleagues and future generations of young physicians.
As a true scientist, Professor Nguyen Thien Thanh attaches great importance to training and fostering his colleagues and future generations of physicians. The knowledge that he studied and researched as well as the practical experience that he accumulated were wholeheartedly passed on to everyone. Therefore, even in the harsh circumstances of the years of fighting against the French in the Western Inter-Region or the battlefields of the Central Department, he always found every way and every time to open training classes and foster medical staff. Later, in peaceful conditions, especially after retirement, teaching and training were an important part of his career. Not only that, Professor Nguyen Thien Thanh regularly writes books and documents to disseminate medical knowledge to all classes of Vietnamese people.
Because of those great contributions, Professor Nguyen Thien Thanh was honored by the State with the title Hero of Labor in 1985.
In 1989, he was honored by the State with the title People's Doctor.