Our lives are essentially a group of stories that tell the story of our journey from birth to death, and our lasting legacy is the valuable memories etched within the minds of others and the stories they share about us. In this respect, “Malaya’s Lady Tiger” Dr Soo Kim Lan has carved an incredible tale – and it lives on to today. Her legacy of a life well-lived has been condensed right into a moving tribute to a lady who, against all odds, became the primary Chinese female doctor in Malaysia in 1923, breaking the prejudices against women in medicine in an era when societal norms didn’t do justice to women wanting to explore male-dominated fields.
A group of historical articles, private memoirs and private recollections from those closest to her, Malaya’s Grand Lady Of Medicine chronicles the life and times of Dr Soo and offers rare insights into Malaysia and Singapore over two centuries.
A Story of Ambitions
Born in 1894, Soo Kim Lan showed an early passion for medicine. Repairing and restoring dolls evolved into caring for injured homeless people, whom she would take home and nurse back to health. Despite her aspirations, the social norms of the time dictated that she follow the beaten path of being a teacher.
In the early twentieth century, women played a really stereotypical role in society, making it nearly not possible for them, and Soo particularly, to achieve admission to medical school. She received her early education at Lady Treacher School in Taiping. However, World War I broke out just before she accomplished her teacher training program. The war continued throughout her years as a teacher from 1915 to 1917, but Soo’s passion for pursuing her chosen field of medication never waned. In 1917, she won the Tan Giak Kim Scholarship to check medicine on the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore.
Her determination paid off and there was no turning back for the tenacious young woman. In 1923, she passed her final exams to graduate and shortly after became the primary female doctor in Malaysia.
HISTORY OF PASSION
Dr Soo, a lady ahead of her time, established her private clinic in 1927. She was the primary woman to run a clinic for ladies and youngsters, and provided medical services on the Chinese Maternity Hospital in Kuala Lumpur for over 33 years.
When the Malayan Union was formed in 1946, Dr. Soo was appointed to the Malayan Union Advisory Board. She used this platform to boost many essential issues related to health and healing. She sought to enhance public health and social welfare wherever she went, even when it meant delivering medical aid and day by day supplies to those in need, even to the distant kampungs (villages) of Terengganu.
For her efforts and selfless service, she was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1947, followed by the Pingat Jasa Kebaktian (Medal of Merit) from the Sultan of DYMM in Selangor in 1948 and the Ahli Mangku Negara (Member of the Order of the Defender of the Realm) from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 1971.
FAMILY HISTORY
While she made great strides in opening doors for ladies to enter the medical career and led the charge to enhance health look after all residents of the country, no matter race, Dr. Soo’s most significant role was as a benevolent matriarch to her large, clan.
Dr. Soo’s biography is written and curated by none aside from her great-granddaughter, Dr. Jacquelyn PY Soo, who has fond memories of her great-grandmother: “Everyone who got here out and in of our house was family. The few times our neighbors dropped in while we were boisterously playing within the garden, she was quick to inform us to greet them politely.
Her name Kim Lan means “Golden Orchid” in Cantonese, and along with her love of orchids, her love for her family, and her selfless passion for service, Dr. Soo undoubtedly led a life price reading about. Her great-granddaughter concludes, “This book was written with the hope that it’ll contribute to the understanding of our nation’s history and have a good time the lives of Malaysians who’ve contributed to constructing this country.
Source :New times of the Strait
