Dr. Tôn Thất Tùng's 110th Birthday

Today’s Doodle, illustrated by guest artist Chau Luong, honors the 110th birthday of Dr. Tôn Thất Tùng, the innovative Vietnamese surgeon who revolutionized the approach to liver resection surgery for doctors around the world.

Dr. Tùng was born on this day in Hué, Vietnam in 1912—a time when the French colonial government forbade Vietnamese people from pursuing advanced medical education. As an adult, Dr. Tùng protested this harsh policy and ignited an equal education movement. His efforts eventually forced the colonial government to allow Vietnamese students to take residency admissions exams in 1938.

In his four years of postgraduate school, Dr. Tùng dissected more than 200 livers and became the first to conduct such meticulous research on the organ. His deep knowledge of liver anatomy helped him realize the traditional approach to liver surgery—a method that took three to six hours to complete—was unnecessarily risky and cumbersome. Dr. Tùng founded a new surgery method that minimized bleeding by tightening the hepatic veins before the operation, shortening the operation down to only four to eight minutes. His groundbreaking technique, commonly known as the “Tôn Thất Tùng Method,”  is renowned by surgeons globally for its ability to reduce blood loss and save countless lives.

Happy birthday Dr. Tôn Thất Tùng! Thank you for pushing the boundaries of surgery to change the medical field forever.

Guest Artist Q&A with Chau Luong

Today’s Doodle was illustrated by Berlin-based guest artist Chau Luong. Below, she shares her thoughts behind the making of this Doodle:

Q. Why was this topic meaningful to you personally?

A: Vietnam is a country I hold dear to my heart as both of my parents were born there. They came to Germany at different points in their life as teenagers. I grew up between cultures— as an adult now I consider that a blessing but as a kid, it sometimes was tough. There were only very few Vietnamese people in German media but at home we would speak Vietnamese, so at times I felt a disconnect. It feels very special to see a Vietnamese person honored by a platform like Google on such a global level—especially since Tôn Thất Tùng belongs to the generation of my great grandparents. Growing up, I would have loved to see this kind of Vietnamese historic figure represented in Western society.
 

Q. What were your first thoughts when you were approached about working on this Doodle?

A: I was very excited, I'd say even honored in a way. What I love about Doodles is that they are easily accessible. It is therefore such a humbling experience to know that people from all walks of life might encounter my work.
 

Q. Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle? 

A: At the early stage of production, I skimmed through Vietnamese media on Tôn Thất Tùng. I noticed that he was often referred to as the man with the pair of golden hands ('đôi bàn tay vàng'). This particular metaphor moved me—in Vietnamese culture, gold is a symbol of fortune and happiness. My family would compare things to gold when they were of irreplaceable value. But moreover, I also believe it is a symbol of freedom for many of the Vietnamese diaspora. Vietnamese refugees often carried gold with them as payment not knowing where they might end up.
 

Q. What message do you hope people take away from your Doodle?

A: Tôn Thất Tùng lived in an extremely conflict-ridden time. Despite the national struggles, he decided to stay in Vietnam. He was one of the leading forces in establishing the country's healthcare system. I hope that my Doodle transports his commitment and pursuit to make life better for many generations of Vietnamese people to this day.

Early draft of the Doodle