Shears, Benjamin Henry

Born in a mixed Euro-Asian family. His father, Edwin H. Shears, an Englishman who grew up in India , worked as technical director of the public works department. A mother born in Singapore, Lilian Gomez, of Sino-Singaporean-Spanish descent.

Educated at the school of St. Andrew, the prestigious Raffles Institution . In 1922, he went to study at the Institute. Raffles, the only school equipped with scientific laboratories, which made him an ideal place to realize his ambitions to become a doctor. In 1929 he graduated from King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore (now the National University of Singapore ). He worked as an obstetrician and gynecologist.

In 1940, he won a royal scholarship for a two-year postgraduate study in the UK. He was awarded a royal scholarship, which provided him with a two-year postgraduate study in the UK. However, the outbreak of World War II prevented his studies.

During the Japanese occupation of Singapore in the years 1942-1945 he headed the largest hospital on the island for women and children. During this period, he introduced the lower caesarean section for the first time, which led to lower mortality and morbidity in pregnant women than the upper caesarean section. After the war, he became the first Singaporean doctor appointed professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the College of Medicine. King Edward VII.

In 1947, he entered the Royal Medical School of Postgraduate Education in Great Britain to improve his qualifications. He graduated from graduate school in London, and in January 1948 he was the first obstetrician from Singapore who qualified as a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in England. In March 1948, with a specialist degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, he was recalled to Singapore, where he became a professor of obstetrics and gynecology. In June 1948, he was also appointed Honorary Consultant at the British Military Hospital.

In 1950 he became a doctor of medicine. He was the head of the Singapore General Hospital. From January 1950 to June 1960 - professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Malaya in Singapore. Later he was engaged in private medical practice. His significant contribution to medicine was vaginoplasty technology, which has been used for decades for sex reassignment surgery.

Well-known obstetrician and gynecologist . Member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ( UK ). Member of the American College of Surgeons . He has lectured in the USA and Great Britain , and the author of many articles for international and local magazines. He was the personal obstetrician and gynecologist of some members of the royal families of Malaysia. He dealt with family planning in Singapore. In early 1970, he was appointed to the Committee on Medical Specialization.

In the years 1971-1981 he served as President of Singapore , elected by the Legislative Assembly. He served as president for three consecutive terms until his death on May 12, 1981. Died due to cancer.

He was buried in a state cemetery near the War Memorial in Kranji .

• Star of the Republic of Indonesia Adipurna ( Indonesia ) (1974).
• Order of the Order of Sicatuna ( Republic of the Philippines ) (1976).
• Honorary Doctor of the National University of Singapore (1970).
• Honorary Member of the Royal Medical Society (1975).
• Honorary Member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (1976).

• In honor of Benjamin Henry Shears, the bridge and Sheares Hall building at Singapore National University are named.

• Biography
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