Min Sein
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Thiri Pyanchi This article describes the religious, military and civil orders, decorations and medals of the Union of Myanmar. Religious honorary orders Before and after Myanmar's independence, governments presented two religious orders, Abhidhaja Mahā R ...
Min Sein (, ; formerly, Hoe Min Sein; 26 December 18989 November 1978) was a Burmese physician, educator and administrator. The first Burmese dean of the
Faculty of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...
of
Rangoon University The University of Yangon (also Yangon University; , ; formerly Rangoon College, University of Rangoon and Rangoon Arts and Sciences University), located in Kamayut, Yangon, is the oldest university in Myanmar's modern education system and the b ...
in
British Burma British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...
, Min Sein was one of the small group of senior physicians that rebuilt and expanded the country's medical education system from the ground up after the country's independence in 1948. He served as the dean of the medical school four times between 1947 and 1959, and led the Burma Medical Research Institute, the Burma Medical Association and the Burma Olympic Committee.


Early life and education

He was born Hoe Min Sein to landowner parents U Sine Hu and Daw Yin Cane on 26 December 1898 in
Pyapon Pyapon (; , ) is a town and seat of Pyapon District as well as Pyapon Township in the Ayeyarwady Region of Myanmar, along the Pyapon River, a distributary of the Ayeyarwady River. It is located about inland from the Andaman Sea, about south of ...
in the
Irrawaddy delta The Irrawaddy Delta or Ayeyarwady Delta lies in the Irrawaddy Division, the lowest expanse of land in Myanmar (Burma) that fans out from the limit of tidal influence at Myan Aung to the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, to the south at the mout ...
in
British Burma British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...
.Who 1961: 146 He went to high school in
Rangoon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...
(Yangon), and studied medicine at the
University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...
, and graduated with an MB in 1925.RCP Vol. VII: 402 He continued his studies at
Guy's Hospital Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital founded by philanthropist Thomas Guy in 1721, located in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the Kin ...
, London from 1927 to 1930, as a clinical assistant to Sir John Conybeare and Sir
Charles Symonds Air Vice Marshal Sir Charles Putnam Symonds (11 April 1890 – 7 December 1978) was an English neurologist and a senior medical officer in the Royal Air Force. His initial medical training was at Guy's Hospital, followed by specialised trainin ...
. In 1929, he received his MRCP certification from the
Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...
, and his MRCS from the
Royal College of Surgeons of England The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgery, surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wa ...
.Maung Wa 2009: 213–214


Career


Colonial era

Upon return to Burma, Hoe joined the
Indian Medical Service The Indian Medical Service (IMS) was a military medical service in British India, which also had some civilian functions. It served during the two World Wars, and remained in existence until the independence of India in 1947. Many of its officer ...
, the military medical service of British India on 27 April 1931.Civil List 2014: 55 He joined the service right before the outbreak of an open rebellion by Burmese peasants hit hard by the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
. He served as a battalion medical officer with the British Forces throughout the rebellion (1931–1932). His rank in 1932 was captain,Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 1932: liii–liv and he was assigned to work for the government of Burma by the IMS on 26 February 1934.IMG 1934: 296 He became a lecturer in medicine at Rangoon Medical College in 1938, a major on 20 July 1939,Civil List 2014: 55 and the Medical Superintendent (Head) of
Rangoon General Hospital The Yangon General Hospital (YGH, ) is a major public hospital in a compound in Yangon, Myanmar. The 2,000-bed hospital consists of seven medical wards, three surgical wards, two trauma and orthopaedic wards, and 28 specialist departments for inp ...
in 1940. His career achievements were significant in colonial Burma. The colonial era medical community was mainly made up of foreign-born physicians and specialists that existed primarily in
Rangoon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...
(Yangon).(Myint Swe 2014: xi–xii): About half of the physicians and most of the specialists at
Rangoon General Hospital The Yangon General Hospital (YGH, ) is a major public hospital in a compound in Yangon, Myanmar. The 2,000-bed hospital consists of seven medical wards, three surgical wards, two trauma and orthopaedic wards, and 28 specialist departments for inp ...
were foreign born. To see a specialist, everyone in the country needed to go to RGH. The "small medical system was run mainly by foreigners and the tiny elite for foreigners and the tiny elite."
(Myint Swe 2014: 134–135): It was exceedingly difficult to get into medical school even in the late colonial period. The class size was disproportionately small for the size of country's population (13.2 million in 1921 and 16.8 million in 1941 (per Saito and Lee 1999: 1)). Between 1922 and 1941, a grand total of 543 students graduated from Rangoon Medical College (RMC), or 27 new graduates on average each year. Of the grand total, the number of indigenous Burmese graduates was only 228 (42%), or less than a dozen per year.
Indeed, in 1942, he was one of the only four Burmese officers (alongside Lt. Col. Henry Aung Khin, Lt. Col. Alfred Ba Thaw and Capt. Shwe Zan) in the Burma Medical Service (BMS), the successor of the IMS in Burma. (To be sure, some highly qualified Burmese physicians like his own wife Yin May or his RGH colleague Ba Than, both of whom were already
FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional certification, professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an wikt:intercollegiate, ...
surgeons, did not join the IMS.(Tin Naing Toe 2011): Yin May became the second Burmese woman FRCS in 1929. (Khin Thet-Hta et al 2005: 84): Ba Than received his FRCS in 1932. Yin May did join the BMS after the war in 1946 as a Lt. Col. to run the Lady Dufferin Maternity Hospital.Tin Naing Toe 2011) Hoe left Burma with the British administration to India during the
Japanese occupation of Burma The Japanese occupation of Burma was the period between 1942 and 1945 during World War II, when Burma was occupied by the Empire of Japan. The Japanese had assisted formation of the Burma Independence Army, and trained the Thirty Comrades, ...
(1942–1945). He was part of the exodus of medical professionals that evacuated the country along with the British administration.Myint Swe 2014: xii His wife remained in Burma, and ended up founding and running the main maternity hospital in Rangoon throughout the war years.Myint Swe 2014: 98–99 (Hoe, Yin May and their son fled Rangoon in early 1942 to escape the invasion but the family somehow got separated in Upper Burma. He made it to India but his pregnant wife returned to Rangoon alone.(Maung Wa 2009: 121–122, 213–214): Maj. Min Sein, Yin May and their son Thein Htut were in
Mandalay Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. It is located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631 km (392 mi) north of Yangon. In 2014, the city had a population of 1,225,553. Mandalay was founded in 1857 by Ki ...
on 25 March 1942. (Maung Wa 2009: 150): Yin May was in
Indaw Indaw (, ) is a town in northern Myanmar and is the principal town of Indaw Township, Katha District, Sagaing Region. It is located south-east of Indaw Lake. The rail junction at Naba is located about to the north-east of the town. History In ...
on 17 April 1942 without her family, and Min Sein sent her brother Thein Kyaw to fetch her.
(Myint Swe 2014: 98): Yin May gave birth to a baby in late 1942 in Rangoon as a single mother; Min Sein by then was in India.
) He served in the 14th Army from 1942 to 1946 as an Assistant Director, Medical Services (ADMS) and Deputy Director, Medical Services (DDMS). He returned with the British after the war. When the British restarted Rangoon Medical College as the Faculty of Medicine of Rangoon University in 1946, he became the Professor of Medicine (i.e. Head of the Department).UM1 Faculty of Medicine In 1947, Min Sein, as he was known now, became the first ever Burmese dean of the medical school, succeeding the Faculty's first dean Dr. William Burridge.Khin Thet-Hta et al 2005: 11 He was awarded the title of
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
by the British government in 1947,Medical Directory 1947: 2408 and promoted to the rank of Lt. Col. (although he is commonly, if imprecisely, referred to as Col. Min Sein in Burmese publications.)See (RCP 1954) and (RCP 1957) for his retired rank of Lt. Col. In Myanmar, Min Sein's rank is reported as colonel; see (Khin Thet Hta 2005) or (UM1 Department of Medicine). Furthermore, he did not quit the IMS until 1948.BMJ 1948: 110


Post-independence

After the country's independence in 1948, Min Sein was one of the few physicians left in the country. His post-independence career centered on rebuilding and expanding the country's medical education system. He was instrumental in restarting the medical school after the war. After independence, Min Sein and Ba Than took turns being the dean of the medical school for the next 11 years. Ba Than served three terms: 1948–1949, 1951–1953, and 1955–1957 while Min Sein served three more terms: 1949–1951, 1953–1955, and 1957–1959, (in addition to his 1947–1948 term before independence.) Min Sein also served as the Professor of Medicine from 1946 to 1959.The web page of the University of Medicine 1, Yangon (UM1 Dept. of Medicine) says he served from 1945 to 1959. But as per its own page (UM1 Faculties), the medical school was reopened only on 26 September 1946, and Min Sein was appointed as its head only then. Under their leadership, the country produced 532 MBBS graduates between 1948 and 1957 in comparison to the 543 graduates between 1922 and 1941 during the colonial era.Myint Swe 2014: 263 Min Sein also represented the country on several occasions. He was a member of or leader of the country's missions to the UK, the US (1952), the USSR (1954) and Japan (1958).Who's Who 2005: 377 From 1956 to 1958, he was a member of the Expert Committee on Maternal and Child Health of the
WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...
,Congress 1957: 68 and a member of the Technical and Scientific committee, WHO. He also took on several roles in various national associations ranging from the Burma Medical Association (president, 1955–1956), the National Health Council, the National Fitness Council, and the Burma Olympic Committee (1948) to the Opium Enquiry Commission and the Racing Enquiry Commission. He was also president of the Britain-Burma Society, vice-president of the Burma Veterans League, and president of the Burma Medical Research Institute. He retired from his twin roles as the Dean of the medical school and Professor of Medicine in 1959. He was succeeded by Maung Gale as dean,UM1 Facutlty of Medicine and Shwe Zan as Professor of Medicine.UM1 Dept. of Medicine He received his FRCP fellowship from the Royal College Physicians at the end of his career in 1959. For his services, he was awarded the title of
Thiri Pyanchi This article describes the religious, military and civil orders, decorations and medals of the Union of Myanmar. Religious honorary orders Before and after Myanmar's independence, governments presented two religious orders, Abhidhaja Mahā R ...
by the Burmese government in 1949. He also received his
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
title from the British government by 1970.Per (RCP 1967: 24), he was still an OBE in 1967. But per (RCP 1970: 98), he had become a CBE by 1970.


Personal life

He married Yin May in 1936. Yin May was the first Burmese obstetrician and gynecologist, and the first person to perform the Caesarian section in British Burma as well as the first Burmese ever to become a fellow in three different disciplines. The couple had a son and a daughter, including Thein Htut, a gastroenterologist,Maung Wa 2009: 215(Singh 1991: 166): Thein Htut FRCP FRCPEdin FRACP was born on 2 June 1939. as well as an adopted son, Mya Thein Han, who went on to become the director of
Myanmar Army Medical Corps The Myanmar Army Medical Corps (MAMC) is a specialist corps in the Myanmar Army which provides medical services to all Myanmar Army personnel and their families. The MAMC forms the Myanmar Armed Forces' essential military medical services under th ...
.Yay 2018Victoria Hospital Surgery 2020 Min Sein was a lifelong sports enthusiast. He was a Guy's Hospital tennis Blue; inter-collegiate long jump champion, Calcutta; president of the Burma Olympic Association, 1948, and captain of the Burma Golf Club. He was president of the Burma National Amateur Athletic Federation, and also of the Weight Lifting and Body Culture Federation, and director and steward of the Rangoon Turf Club. Min Sein died on 9 November 1978, six weeks after his wife's death on 29 September 1978.Tin Naing Toe 2011 He was 79.


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Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{citation , last=Yay , first=Patrick , title=Agony to Agony: Part One: in Search of Tranquility , year=2018 , publisher=AuthorHouse , isbn=9781546299202 20th-century Burmese physicians People from Ayeyarwady Region 1898 births 1978 deaths Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Burmese people of Chinese descent Recipients of the Thiri Pyanchi University of Calcutta alumni Commanders_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire