After 40 years of service in Taiwan, American physician Noordhoff dies at age 91

在台服務40年後，美國醫生羅慧夫91歲辭世

Esteemed American physician Dr. Samuel Noordhoff dies at age 91, after providing medical care in Taiwan for over 40 years


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Dr. Samuel Noordhoff, an American physician who was instrumental in developing many crucial medical services during his 40 year tenure in Taiwan, died at the age of 91 on Dec. 3, reported CNA.

Noordhoff, who was born in Iowa in 1927, moved to Taiwan in 1959 to serve as a missionary, shortly after graduating from medical school at the University of Iowa. He is said to have started learning Taiwanese dialect his second day in Taiwan and quickly surprised his patients with his mastery of the language.

Over the next 40 years, Noordhoff laid the foundation of many forms of medical treatment, while serving successively as the president of Mackay Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. He not only worked in treating patients with cleft lips and palates, he also created many firsts, including, the first polio rehabilitation center, suicide prevention center, burn center, intensive care unit, and craniofacial treatment center.

The latter, the Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation, was founded with US$100,000 of his own savings in 1989. In 1999, Noordhoff stepped down from his role as president of Cheng Gung Memorial Hospital and retired in the U.S.

In his later years, Noordhoff started to suffer from health problems including leg muscle atrophy, prostate cancer, and Parkinson's disease, the latter of which started to limit his mobility. In announcing his death, the Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation today confirmed that he had died due to complications from Parkinson's disease, according to CNA.