Huangfu Musan, Professor of Otolaryngology, Deputy Director of the Department of Otolaryngology at Renji Hospital 

Introduction

He is a pioneering figure in otolaryngology whose career has spanned decades, consistently distinguishing himself at the forefront of the medical field. Since beginning his medical journey, he has been deeply involved in clinical practice, known for his innovative approach and insightful treatment strategies. Through years of experience, he has continued to explore tirelessly, driving endless progress in his discipline.

He deeply believes that mentoring the next generation is more crucial to a field’s advancement than the efforts of any single person. Accordingly, he generously shares his experience, offering patient support and encouragement to young doctors. He often stands beside them in the operating room, providing steadfast reassurance: “Go ahead with confidence, I’m right behind you.” His words give young physicians the self-assurance and courage to pursue higher medical ideals.

When faced with the complexities and unknowns of medicine, he maintains a composed demeanor, methodically tackling challenges such as ototoxicity, cochlear development, and facial nerve injury. His relentless efforts have led to repeated breakthroughs at the Department of Otolaryngology at Renji Hospital, solving many clinical problems that had long troubled practitioners.

He is a compassionate elder, a selfless mentor, and a tireless explorer in medicine. Both now and in the future, his name will be inseparable from the Department of Otolaryngology at Renji Hospital, serving as an enduring inspiration for generations of medical professionals.

The Path to Medicine

In the 1930s, Shanghai, known as the “Paris of the East,” was a vibrant convergence of Eastern and Western cultures and a starting point for many of modern China’s historical currents.

The city was immersed in glamour and luxury, with neon lights on the Bund illuminating the Huangpu River and foreign-style houses lining the streets. At night, the ballrooms in the concessions would come alive.

Cinemas were among the most fashionable destinations, with major theaters showing the latest Hollywood films almost simultaneously with their Western releases. The screen presence of stars like Hedy Lamarr instantly became the talk of the town. The Paramount Ballroom was a nightly hub of joyful music and laughter, a social center for Chinese and foreign celebrities where jazz bands played and dancers swirled under the lights.

In 1934, Huangfu Musan was born in this legendary city.

His home was a small residence on Yongjia Road in Shanghai’s former French Concession, a district where many affluent merchants lived. His father had previously run a successful business in France and later operated mint and pharmaceutical factories in Shanghai.

In 1938, at the age of four, Huangfu Musan entered the kindergarten attached to the well-known Zhongxi Primary School, which served children from middle- and upper-class families. He spent his kindergarten and primary years there. Like other children, his childhood was filled with play, largely sheltered from the city’s political affairs. The Western-style education gave him an early understanding of Western society.

As a young boy, Huangfu Musan was mischievous and showed only average academic performance; his remarkable talents were not yet apparent.

In 1946, as Shanghai emerged from the shadow of World War II, Huangfu Musan graduated from Zhongxi Primary School and entered St. Francis Xavier’s College (also known as Laoji Middle School). At that time, the Chinese Civil War was looming on the horizon.

During junior high at Laoji Middle School, he loved sports, especially basketball and football, whenever he had free time.

In 1949, at a major turning point in Chinese history, the People’s Republic of China was founded, bringing profound changes to Shanghai.

Witnessing the strict discipline of the People’s Liberation Army as they entered the city, Huangfu Musan was moved by the new government’s efforts to stabilize prices and maintain social order, a memory that stayed with him.

From 1949 to 1952, he attended the senior high department of Laoji Middle School. During this period, his attitude toward life and learning changed. He became more diligent, realizing that mastering a skill was essential for a stable future and contributing to society. He decided to study medicine.

After graduating from high school in 1952, Huangfu Musan was assigned to the Shanghai Surveying and Mapping School. However, he was not prepared to follow this path and chose to self-study for the unified college entrance examination. He had only one goal: “to be admitted to a medical school.”

Medical School and Early Career

In 1953, a major reform reshaped medical education in Shanghai when three prestigious institutions—the Medical College of St. John’s University, the Medical College of Aurora University, and Tongde Medical College—merged to form the new Shanghai Second Medical College. That same year, Huangfu Musan passed the entrance exam and was admitted to the new institution’s Department of Medicine, an opportunity he greeted with great hope.

For him, this was more than just higher education; it was a chance to embrace a completely new future. The country’s transformation infused the new medical college with a vibrant energy, a stark contrast to the past. The college’s founding symbolized a fresh start for medical education and the nation’s commitment to healthcare. With countless patients needing treatment, it felt like the dawn of a new era in medicine.

At the new college, he studied alongside students from across China, exploring anatomy in labs and mastering the latest medical techniques in classrooms. The future was full of unknowns, but this uncertainty fueled his drive to pursue his dreams. Just as the city of Shanghai was constantly changing, he was ready to begin his own medical journey, embracing new challenges and seizing new opportunities.

The death of his father in 1955 was a significant blow, further straining the family’s finances, but Huangfu Musan remained determined to continue his studies.

In 1958, he graduated from Shanghai Second Medical College. Filled with enthusiasm and a desire to heal, he joined Renji Hospital, Shanghai’s oldest Western-style hospital, as a resident physician in the Department of Otolaryngology.

The busy corridors, quiet wards, and nurses in their white uniforms at Renji Hospital were imbued with a sense of history and compassionate care. For the young Huangfu Musan, this was the place to put his years of learning into practice and step into the professional world of medicine.

After joining the Department of Otolaryngology, Huangfu Musan’s life revolved around microscopes, surgical knives, and medical records. He moved constantly between wards and operating rooms, facing patients’ pain and hope while reminding himself to listen attentively and diagnose patiently. As a resident, he focused on every detail, continuously honing his surgical skills. He knew that each decision and diagnosis would directly impact a patient’s quality of life.

In the early stages of his career, he was fortunate to be mentored by Professor He Yongzhao, a renowned expert in otolaryngology. A leading figure in the field, Professor He was known for his profound expertise in tympanoplasty, his rigorous academic standards, and his exceptional surgical skills. Having studied abroad, he brought back the latest international medical concepts and techniques, invigorating the department and offering young doctors a rare opportunity to learn.

Under Professor He’s guidance, Huangfu Musan was exposed to the latest advancements in otolaryngology, especially in tympanoplasty, where his mentor’s experience opened new doors. In 1966, Huangfu Musan co-authored the paper “Indications for Tympanoplasty” with He Yongzhao and Pan Genchang, a pioneering achievement that brought new hope to many patients with ear diseases.

In clinical practice, he collaborated with Professor He and Dr. Li Xuemin on key issues related to bone conduction hearing tests. Their research was published in the 1966 issue of the Chinese Journal of Otolaryngology, providing new approaches for clinical hearing diagnosis. During this period, Huangfu Musan continuously accumulated clinical experience, growing into a doctor with outstanding diagnostic and treatment capabilities.

As his experience grew, Huangfu Musan’s achievements became more prominent. In 1965, he was promoted to attending physician, a recognition of his professional abilities and years of hard work. With the mentorship of Professor He Yongzhao, his surgical skills became more refined and his academic research more in-depth.

However, the social upheavals of the late 1960s swept across the country. The advent of the Cultural Revolution brought widespread turmoil, forcing many academic activities and medical work to a halt. For doctors dedicated to medical research, this was an immense challenge.

Revitalization and Progress

After a decade of turmoil, China began to recover from the upheaval of the Cultural Revolution, and various sectors of society entered a new stage of development. For the Department of Otolaryngology at Renji Hospital, this was an era of both challenge and opportunity. As the hospital revitalized its healthcare and research functions, Huangfu Musan, then in the prime of his career, took on the responsibility of leading the department’s rapid development, drawing on his deep expertise in otolaryngology.

Huangfu Musan’s research during this period spanned multiple areas, including cochlear vestibular dysfunction, tympanic membrane repair, and brainstem evoked potentials. His findings were promoted to major hospitals across the country, providing valuable clinical references for otolaryngologists nationwide.

In just a few years, he published several papers, including “Cochlear Vestibular Manifestations of Jugular Foramen Pathology,” “Clinical Observation of 239 Cases of Tympanic Membrane Repair with Temporalis Fascia,” and “The Effect of Stimulus Repetition Rate on Human Brainstem Electrical Response.”

Among these, his 1979 paper, “Cochlear and Vestibular Dysfunction Caused by Physical Labor or Environmental Pressure Changes,” was particularly relevant to the era and highly practical. This study explored how physical labor and environmental pressure changes could affect inner ear function, revealing how external physical stress could lead to inner ear dysfunction. By analyzing clinical cases, Huangfu Musan highlighted the role of factors like labor intensity and environmental pressure in hearing and balance disorders. This research provided otolaryngologists with crucial insights for diagnosing and preventing occupational hearing loss and pressure-induced inner ear diseases.

In 1980, Huangfu Musan received a valuable opportunity to study at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. This international exchange had a profound impact on both his career and his department. Under the mentorship of world-renowned expert Professor J.B. Snow, Huangfu Musan deepened his knowledge in otology.

He also participated in the annual meetings of the American Academy of Otolaryngology and the American College of Surgeons. These conferences allowed him to engage with global peers and stay current with the latest research and innovations. He presented his own findings, especially his studies on the cochlear vestibular manifestations of jugular foramen pathology and the effects of physical labor on inner ear function, which garnered significant international attention and recognition, laying the groundwork for his future role as an academic leader.

In 1982, he participated in the annual meetings of the American Academy of Otolaryngology and the American Otological Society in Florida and Palm Beach, building closer connections with international colleagues.

Soon after, Huangfu Musan concluded his studies in the U.S. and returned, bringing back a wealth of advanced medical knowledge. He eagerly shared this with his colleagues in China and began to enhance the department’s management and technical standards by introducing new equipment and providing regular training. Under his leadership, the Department of Otolaryngology at Renji Hospital gradually became one of the leading departments in the country.

During this period, he placed a special emphasis on audiology and otoneurology. He applied the Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) technology he had learned in the U.S. to clinical practice, leading to significant breakthroughs in diagnosing deafness and other hearing disorders. The adoption of ABR not only improved diagnostic capabilities at Renji Hospital but also spurred the development and popularization of the technology nationwide.

In research, he continued to push forward. In 1986, he and his colleagues published “Experimental Study of Click-Evoked Brainstem Response in Guinea Pigs,” exploring the functional mechanisms of the auditory system. He also co-authored papers on Type III tympanoplasty.

From 1982 to 1988, Huangfu Musan served as Associate Chief Physician and Associate Professor. As the department grew, it cultivated a team with an international vision and exceptional skills. He fostered a collaborative academic atmosphere, encouraging colleagues to propose innovative ideas and technical improvements.

In 1989, he was officially promoted to Chief Physician, the highest recognition of his relentless efforts and outstanding contributions. The increasing workload did not diminish his sense of responsibility; he often personally diagnosed complex cases and guided young doctors through surgical demonstrations.

Throughout his distinguished career in otolaryngology, Huangfu Musan always balanced theory with practice. He dedicated himself to researching cutting-edge issues in audiology and translating those findings into clinical solutions, bringing hope to countless patients. He became a national leader in brainstem auditory evoked potential research, earning widespread recognition in international academic circles. Through his efforts, he continuously advanced the technological progress of otolaryngology in China, establishing his department as a leading academic center in the country and the Asia-Pacific region.

Established Leadership

Entering the 1990s, under the direction of Huangfu Musan, a series of profoundly influential research projects were launched, spanning critical areas such as ototoxicity, cochlear development, and facial nerve injury. Applying his rigorous scientific approach and extensive clinical experience, he guided his team in overcoming numerous challenges, making lasting contributions to the field of otolaryngology.

In the early 1990s, he completed foundational research projects, including “The Relationship Between Kanamycin Nephrotoxicity and Ototoxicity,” “Embryonic Development of the Inner Ear in Guinea Pigs,” and studies on advanced microscopy techniques for cochlear observation.

Clinically, Huangfu Musan also achieved significant success, refining and sharing treatment methods for rare and complex conditions. Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the external auditory canal, for instance, is a rare malignant tumor. In his paper “Report of Three Cases of Adenoid Cytic Carcinoma of the External Auditory Canal,” he detailed the pathological manifestations, diagnostic processes, and treatment plans for these patients.

Similarly, in his “Analysis of 32 Cases of Exploratory Tympanotomy,” he summarized the outcomes of these surgeries, showcasing not only the department’s sophisticated surgical skills but also its outstanding ability to analyze subtle lesions.

Huangfu Musan consistently explored new technologies. In his collaborative study on the “Application of Masking Noise in Bone Conduction Auditory Brainstem Response Testing,” he investigated methods to improve accuracy. This work was crucial for enhancing these tests, providing a valuable alternative for patients unable to undergo subjective hearing assessments.

Huangfu Musan’s work bridged basic research and clinical application, giving his findings broad academic impact and ensuring their wide adoption in clinical practice, thereby advancing the entire field. His outstanding contributions, particularly in auditory neurology and cochlear function research, solidified his standing as a leading figure in both national and international academic circles.

Even as he advanced in age, Huangfu Musan never lost the passionate belief in medicine that had driven him since his youth, and his enthusiasm for scientific exploration never waned.

He deeply understood that the discipline’s sustainable development depended on empowering the next generation. As department director, he mentored young doctors with a selfless attitude, giving them the trust and support they needed to fully showcase their talents in both clinical practice and research.

He believed that every young doctor had unique potential and that a mentor’s role was to be their solid backing. Both in and out of the operating room, he engaged with students with humility and kindness, creating an environment that was both relaxed and challenging, fostering their continuous growth.

After decades of practice, Huangfu Musan dedicated his entire life to the Department of Otolaryngology at Renji Hospital. His contributions to the field were truly outstanding. From the passionate pioneering of his youth to the intensive cultivation of his later years, he remained steadfast at his post, continuously advancing the discipline to new heights.