Oen Boen Ing

In early 1935, Oen left Kediri for the central Javan city of Surakarta, where he opened a private practise while simultaneously working at the Ziekenzorg Hospital [id] (now Dr Moewardi Regional Hospital Surakarta) and a clinic operated by the Hua Chiao Tsien Ning Hui (HCTNH). He was appointed doctor to the Mangkunegaran Court in 1944, and during the Indonesian National Revolution (1945–1949) he provided treatment to republican forces. In 1952, after some time as a member of the Supreme Advisory Council, Oen oversaw the incorporation of the HCTNH clinic as the Tsi Sheng Yuan Clinic; it was renamed the Panti Kosala Hospital in 1965. He continued his private through the mid-1970s.

Oen was recognized for his pro bono work and his willingness to pay his patients' prescriptions. For his contributions to Mangkunegaran, he was granted a noble title. The government of Indonesia, meanwhile, granted him the Satyalancana Bhakti Sosial in 1975 for his treatment of revolutionaries. After his death, the Panti Kosala Hospital was renamed the Dr. Oen Hospital [id].

Early life

Oen was born on 3 March 1903 in Salatiga, Central Java, Dutch East Indies,^[1] the fourth of eight children.^[2] His grandfather was a sinshe (practicitoner of traditional Chinese medicine),^[3] while his father Oen Hwie An owned a cigarette company.^[1][4] The Oen family was wealthy and well-read, and thus Oen read works of Sino-Malay literature as well as the daily Sin Po. He completed his primary education at a Hollandsch Chineesche School in Salatiga, then moved to Semarang for his MULO studies. His secondary education was completed at an AMS in Yogyakarta.^[4] Frequently observing his grandfather's practise and helping him with patients, Oen desired to become a doctor; by the age of seven, he had memorized the names of numerous medicinal plants.^[5]

In a 1976 article, Oen recalled that his family had initially opposed formal medical training, desiring instead that he take over his father's company. His grandfather, he wrote, feared that he would focus more on earning income than treating the sick. Oen, feeling that he was ill-suited for entrepreneurship, chose to pursue his medical education and enroled at STOVIA in Batavia (now Jakarta) in 1922.^[6] During his studies, he often engaged in discussions with Moewardi and Mohammad Roem, who later became engaged in the Indonesian nationalist movement, and Ang Jan Goan and Kwa Tjoan Sioe, who participated in Chinese nationalist movements.^[3][7] Through his friendship with Kwa, the founder of the Jang Seng Ie Hospital [id] (now Husada Hospital) in Batavia, Oen was able to gain practical experience between 1928 and 1929.^[8]

Oen also became politically active, joining Chung Hsioh, a youth organization that – like the earlier

Oen graduated from Stovia in 1932 and established a medical practise in Kediri, funded by the organization Hua Chiao Tsien Ning Hui (HCTNH). In that east Javanese town, where medical care had been lacking,^[10] he met Corrie Djie Nio, the daughter of the majoor cina in the region; the two were married on 16 November 1934. In early 1935, Oen moved to Surakarta, in central Java. A farewell gala was held by HCTNH in April, with chairman Tan Khoen Swie praising Oen's charitable work.^[11] The clinic was closed through July, as a replacement for Oen had not been hired.^[12]

In Surakarta, Oen became an assistant doctor at the Ziekenzorg Hospital [id] (now Dr Moewardi Regional Hospital Surakarta);^[13] by the late 1930s, he had also become a doctor at a clinic established by the HCTNH's Surakarta branch.^[14] Some years later, he opened his own clinic at his home in the Banjarsari area. He also became engaged with the local branch of the THHK, organizing artistic performances, sports tournaments, and fun fairs.^[13] Oen was in this position when the Empire of Japan began its occupation of the archipelago in 1941.^[3] Unlike many members of the ethnic Chinese community, Oen was not detained, instead being allowed to continue his private practise.^[15]

After Indonesia

Due to his revolutionary activities, Oen drew the attention of Dutch military intelligence. At the same time, he gained a reputation as someone who could readily interact with people of all backgrounds, known to treat more than 200 patients every day, half of them receiving medical services pro bono. So great was his popularity that, when violence against the ethnic Chinese erupted in Surakarta, the Indonesian government received a petition for Oen to remain in the city to continue his practise rather than be evacuated.^[17] In December 1949, Oen was appointed by President Sukarno to the Supreme Advisory Council tasked with advising him in discharging his duties;^[17] the council was dissolved in August 1950 as part of the adoption of the Provisional Constitution.^[18]

Court doctor and Panti Kosala

In 1944, during the Japanese occupation, Oen was appointed the doctor of the Mangkunegaran Court.^[1] As court doctor, Oen was responsible for the health of everyone from the prince through the courtiers. He was the personal physician of Gusti Nurul, the daughter of Prince Mangkunegara VII. He established a personal friendship with Prince Mangkunegara VIII,^[3] who made him a court official on 11 September 1975 and gave him the title Kanjeng Raden Tumenggung Obi Darmohusodo; the name "Obi" was an initialism of Oen's birth name.^[1] Oen assisted with the births of all of the prince's children.^[19] This included Prince Mangkunegara IX, upon whom he bestowed the Chinese name Wu Yi.^[3] For his work with the court, he did not accept payment.^[19]

Through the 1950s, Oen remained active with the CHTH's Surakarta branch. He served on the council of its president, Kwik Thiam Hwat, and initiated annual commemorations of the

By 1976, Oen's health was deteriorating, and he had reduced his home practise to two days per week.[25] He fell into a coma in April 1977.^[23] Oen died at Telogorejo hospital, Semarang, on 30 October 1982.^[23] His body was brought to the Panti Kosala Hospital, where it was lain in-state.^[27] On 5 November, the Mangkunegaran Court held a funeral ceremony, led by Prince Mangkunegara VIII. A minute of silence was observed under the guidance of Mayor Soekatmo Prawirohadisebroto. Thousands of people lined the streets as Ong's body was escorted by palace officials to Tiong Ting Crematorium in a procession led by Sanyoto Sutopo Hadikusumo.^[28] He was survived by Corrie; the couple had no children.^[23]

Legacy

On 30 October 1979, Oen received the Satyalancana Bhakti Sosial for his service to the Tentara Pelajar during the revolution.^[28] The Panti Kosala Hospital was renamed the Dr. Oen Hospital [id] on 30 October 1983, commemorating his service to the hospital and Surakarta; a statue of Oen was dedicated at the hospital on 3 March 2003.^[29] During a 24 January 1993 ceremony, the Mangkunegaran Court granted Oen the title Kandjeng Raden Mas Toemenggoeng Hario Obi Darmohoesodo, one level higher than that Oen had received during his lifetime.^[19] In 2017, a biography of Oen was written by Ravando Lie and published by Kompas.^[3]

Regarding Oen's acceptance in the Mangkunegaran Court, the historian RM Daradjadi writes that the doctor's personal philosophy was similar to the Javanese concepts of sepi ing pamrih rame ing gawe ("working with dedication without expecting material rewards"). Darmadjadi also links Oen's practise with the three values espoused by Prince Mangkunegara I in his Serat Wedhatama: rumangsa melu handarbeni ("sense of shared ownership"), melu hangrungkebi ("shared accountability"), and malat sarira hangrasa wani ("willingness to improve oneself").^[3] Ravando Lie echoes this observation, noting that Oen's practise accorded with the Javanese philosophy of mamayu hayuning bawana, amemangun karyenak tyasing sesama ("to build this world is to make other people happy").^[30]

References

Works cited