Happy Birthday Professor Fung

Yuan-Cheng Fung celebrated his 100^th birthday last Sunday.

When Russ Hobbie and I needed to cite a general biomechanics textbook in Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology, we chose Biomechanics: Mechanical Properties of Living Tissues by “Bert” Fung.

Whenever a force acts on an object, it undergoes a change of shape or deformation. Often these deformations can be ignored… In other cases, such as the contraction of a muscle, the expansion of the lungs, or the propagation of a sound wave, the deformation is central to the problem and must be considered. This book will not develop the properties of deformable bodies extensively; nevertheless, deformable body mechanics is important in many areas of biology (Fung 1993).

According to Google Scholar, Biomechanics has over 10,000 citations, implying it’s a very influential book. In his introduction, Fung writes

Biomechanics seeks to understand the mechanics of living systems. It is an ancient subject and covers a very wide territory. In this book we concentrate on physiology and medical applications, which constitute the majority of recent work in the field. The motivation for research in this area comes from the realization that physiology can no more be understood without biomechanics than an airplane can without aerodynamics. For an airplane, mechanics enables us to design its structure and predict its performance. For an organ, biomechanics helps us to understand its normal function, predict changes due to alterations, and propose methods of artificial intervention. Thus diagnosis, surgery, and prosthesis are closely associated with biomechanics.

Another of Fung’s books that I like is A First Course in Continuum Mechanics. He states his goal in its first sentence. It’s a similar goal to that of IPMB.

Our objective is to learn how to formulate problems in mechanics, and how to reduce vague questions and ideas to precise mathematical statements, as well as to cultivate a habit of questioning, analyzing, designing, and inventing in engineering and science.

A special issue of the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering is dedicated to Fung’s birthday celebration. The editors write

Dr. Fung has been a singular pioneer in the field of Biomechanics, establishing multiple biomechanical theories and paradigms in various organ systems, including the heart, blood vessels, blood cells, and lung… He has mentored and trained many researchers in the biomechanics and bioengineering fields. His books … have become the classic biomechanics textbooks for students and researchers around the world. Dr. Fung is a member of all three U.S. National Academies—National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and National Academy of Medicine. He is also a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a member of Academia Sinica. He has received many awards including the Timoshenko medal, the Russ Prize, and the National Medal of Science.

Fung earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aeronautics from the Central University of China in 1941 and 1943. College must have been difficult in China during the Second World War. I bet he has stories to tell. After the war he won a scholarship to come to the United States and study at Caltech, where he earned his PhD in 1948.

Fung joined the faculty at Caltech and remained there for nearly twenty years. In the 1950′s, he became interested in biomechanics when his mother was suffering from glaucoma. In 1966, Fung moved to the University of California at San Diego, where he established their bioengineering program. He is known as the “Father of Modern Biomechanics.”

Happy birthday Professor Fung.