Centered on Child Health: Zhu Futang and the Foundations of Pediatrics and Measles Prevention in China

Zhu Futang(诸福棠，1899-1994) (Fig. 1)was a pivotal figure in establishing the foundations of pediatrics and measles prevention in China. His academic career began in the mid-1920s and extended into the 1980s, spanning nearly six decades. His research encompassed experimental medicine, pediatric nutrition, infectious disease prevention, immunology, and clinical pediatrics, and was consistently centered on a core question: how to effectively improve child survival and health underresource-constrained settings. Through sustained research and practice, Zhu Futang progressively established the foundations for approaches to pediatric disease prevention and health care that were applicable to real-world conditions. With respect to measles, a long-standing threat to child survival, Zhu Futang integrated experimental research, clinical observation, and public health approaches, thereby contributing to the gradual transition from passive to active immunization and from individual-based prevention and treatment to population-level prevention.Figure 1. Zhu Futang with children (Source: the CAS Academicians Library)