Rock-steady Wu helps cancer patients cross troubled waters

Liver specialist, 96, still inspiring colleagues and medical students at Shanghai hospital

It was a Tuesday morning and chief surgeon Wu Mengchao of Shanghai's Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, surrounded by his young students, had just helped remove a liver tumor from a patient. The operation took the 96-year-old Wu about 35 minutes, whereas it would usually take two hours for an average surgeon.

Despite his advanced age, Wu, the nation's top hepatobiliary surgeon, does not show the slightest hesitation in his surgical capabilities. His glasses and mop of gray hair are the only signs of his advancing years. His mind remains sharp, his eyes are clear, and his hands are rock steady.