Ernest Steven Monteiro

Ernest Steven Monteiro
Ernest Steven Monteiro; CBE FRS BBM PJG FRFPS
	Photo of E.S. Monteiro as Ambassador of Singapore to Cambodia in 1966 to 1968
Ambassador of Singapore to the United States
	In office; January 1969 – September 1976
Preceded by	Wong Lin Ken
Succeeded by	Punch Coomaraswamy
Ambassador of Singapore to Cambodia
	In office; 1966–1968
Personal details
Born	21 December 1904; Singapore, Straits Settlement
Died	2 March 1989 (aged 84); Singapore
Cause of death	Liver failure
Spouse(s)	Una Marie Lewis (div. 1971); Ling Mie Hean (m. 1971⁠–⁠1989)
Children	5
Alma mater	St Anthony's School; Raffles Institution; King Edward VII College of Medicine;
Occupation	Physician, Diplomat

Ernest Steven Monteiro, CBE FRS BBM PJG FRFPS (21 December 1904 – 2 March 1989), was a physician in preventive medicine[1] and Singapore's ambassador to Cambodia, USA and Brazil.[2]

Education

Monteiro was educated in St Anthony's School, Raffles Institution and King Edward VII College of Medicine.[1][3][4]

Career

Monteiro started his medical career in Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) in 1929.[3][4]

During the Japanese Occupation, Monteiro was Director of Middleton Hospital for Infectious Diseases, which was TTSH’s infectious diseases wing and a predecessor of National Centre for Infectious Diseases in Singapore.[5] He discovered that the available quantity of diphtheria antitoxin was depleting. He exposed live goats to diphtheria to create more antitoxin.[5]

After completing his post-graduate studies on a Queen's Scholarship in 1949, he was elected head of Faculty of Medicine of the then University of Malaya, Singapore in 1956-1960.[1][3][4][6]

In 1958, he started to use Sabin vaccine on a mass scale to protect young children and adults from polio to wipe-out beri-beri with Vitamin B-1 and eliminated diphtheria in children.[1] By 1977, diphtheria and polio had become things of the past for Singaporeans.[5]

Upon his retirement in 1965, he was appointed the Emeritus Professor and Pro-Chancellor of National University of Singapore.[1] Monteiro taught many medical students from Singapore and Malaysia. Among his students were Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed (former Prime Minister of Malaysia) and Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali.[1] He played a major role in establishing high standard of medical practice in Singapore.[1]

Monteiro was appointed the first Ambassador of Singapore to Cambodia in 1966-1968 and to United States and Brazil in 1969-1976.[1][2][3][4][6]

Monteiro came back home in 1977 and continued his private practice as a physician.[1]

Family and death

Monteiro died of liver failure on 2 March 1989.[3][4] He divorced Una Marie Lewis, his first wife, in April 1971,[7] and secretly married Ling Mie Hean on August 1971 in Washington.[8] He has two sons (Dr Edmund Hugh Monteiro and Dr Gerald Monteiro) and 2 daughters (Jean and Irene) from the first marriage and a son, John Monteiro, from the second marriage.[1]

Honours

Monteiro was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1957 Birthday Honours.[9] The Republic of Singapore awarded him Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (BBM) in 1963 and the Pingat Jasa Gemilang PJG in 1968.[1] He was also named a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1972 for the Promotion of Health for his achievements in preventive medicine.[1] In 1973, he was awarded an International Award for Distinguished Service of the US National Kidney Foundation.[1]

References

"Still working after a lifetime of achievements". The Straits Times. 25 August 1986. p. 2.
"Portrait of Dr. E.S. Monteiro, President of Singapore Recreation Club". BookSG – via NLB.
"ES Monteiro dies at 85". New Paper. 3 March 1989. p. 4.
"Medical pioneer Monteiro dies at 85". The Straits Times. 4 March 1989. p. 33.
Cheong Suk-Wai. "Doctor, Doctor!: Singapore's Medical Services". Biblioasia. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020 – via NLB. Scroll to section The Goats That Saved Lives
"Portrait of Dr. E.S. Monteiro, Ambassador of Singapore to Cambodia". BookSG – via NLB.
"Envoy gets divorce". The Straits Times. 23 April 1971. p. 20.
"Our US envoy's secret wedding to nurse". The Straits Times. 10 November 1971. p. 17.
"No. 41089". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 June 1957. p. 3391.

Diplomatic posts
New title	Ambassador of Singapore to Cambodia 1966 – 1968	Succeeded by unknown
Preceded by Wong Lin Ken	Ambassador of Singapore to the United States 1969 – 1976	Succeeded by Punch Coomaraswamy

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[ST19860825-1] "Still working after a lifetime of achievements". The Straits Times. 25 August 1986. p. 2.

[BookSG2-2] "Portrait of Dr. E.S. Monteiro, President of Singapore Recreation Club". BookSG – via NLB.

[NP19890303-3] "ES Monteiro dies at 85". New Paper. 3 March 1989. p. 4.

[ST19890304-4] "Medical pioneer Monteiro dies at 85". The Straits Times. 4 March 1989. p. 33.

[biblioasia-5] Cheong Suk-Wai. "Doctor, Doctor!: Singapore's Medical Services". Biblioasia. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020 – via NLB. Scroll to section The Goats That Saved Lives

[BookSG-6] "Portrait of Dr. E.S. Monteiro, Ambassador of Singapore to Cambodia". BookSG – via NLB.

[ST19710423-7] "Envoy gets divorce". The Straits Times. 23 April 1971. p. 20.

[ST19711110-8] "Our US envoy's secret wedding to nurse". The Straits Times. 10 November 1971. p. 17.

[9] "No. 41089". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 June 1957. p. 3391.