No matter how healthy a person is, it is inevitable to deal with gastroenterology in life. The digestive system involves many organs, and the spectrum of digestive system diseases is wide and complex. At the Gastroenterology Department of Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, with minimally invasive and precise endoscopic surgery and comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plans, countless problems have been solved. Here, there is meticulous care for every patient and the unremitting pursuit of gastroenterologists. Starting point: The innovative pursuit of a treatment group. In 1952, the internal medicine department of Guangci Hospital (predecessor of Ruijin Hospital) was reorganized into four professional groups: digestion, cardiovascular, endocrine, and hematology. Tang Zhenduo focused on digestion, and it was from this moment that the embryonic form of the digestive discipline at Ruijin Hospital began to emerge. At the beginning of the establishment of the Digestive Group, Professor Tang Zhenduo demonstrated outstanding innovative spirit and pioneered the use of rigid gastroscopy and liver puncture technology in China. In 1954, Professor Tang pioneered the use of a three lumen two sac tube for esophageal variceal rupture compression hemostasis and performed esophageal sclerotherapy injection therapy, becoming a pioneer in this field. In the 1970s, Professor Xu Jiayu led a team to diagnose and successfully treat a patient with intestinal vasoactive peptide tumor in China. Professor Xu Jiayu also introduced the well-known new drug "Domperidone", which greatly improved the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal motility disorders and promoted the development of this field. In October 1972, Xu Jiayu, as an important member of the visiting medical delegation to the United States, was received by President Nixon at the White House. On site, he was not only a doctor, but also took on the task of simultaneous translation. His outstanding performance not only won honors for the digestive team of Ruijin Hospital, but also showcased the charm of Chinese doctors at important occasions of medical exchanges between China and the United States. Development: Entering a new stage of combining diagnosis and treatment. In 1988, the Digestive Specialty Group was officially renamed as the Digestive Department of Ruijin Hospital, with Professor Wu Yuxin serving as the first department head. Adhering to the concept of "using clinical practice to promote scientific research and using scientific research to guide clinical practice", Professor Wu Yuxin has led a team to conduct extensive research in the fields of gastrointestinal hormones, gastric cancer, and other areas, with leading research results in China. In November 1992, Professor Jiang Shihu was appointed as the director of the Department of Gastroenterology, leading the team to vigorously promote the development of the department. In 1995, the Gastroenterology Department of Ruijin Hospital jointly organized the "Third Hong Kong Shanghai International Gastrointestinal Conference" with academic organizations from the United States, Australia, Japan, and other countries, attracting more than 1000 delegates, including over 200 foreign guests. The conference was held in Shanghai and Hong Kong for 7 days, with Professor Jiang Shihu serving as the chairman of the Shanghai conference, which sparked a huge international response. In 1996, Professor Jiang Shihu led a team to establish the Digestive Endoscopy Center. Subsequently, Professor Zhu Qi led the backbone physicians to carry out micro probe endoscopic ultrasound examination in China. Since then, the Ruijin Digestive Team has carried out many leading domestic works in the field of endoscopic ultrasound, officially entering a new stage of combining diagnosis and treatment. In 2003, Professor Zhong Jie completed the first domestic double balloon enteroscopy examination, and the team made important contributions to promoting the application of enteroscopy in China through years of systematic research. Deepening: The gastroenterology and endoscopy sub specialty is flourishing. In March 2000, Professor Wu Yunlin was appointed as the director of the gastroenterology department. He conducted in-depth thinking and positioning on the development of specialties, and chose endoscopic treatment of esophageal and gastric variceal bleeding caused by portal hypertension and early gastric cancer research as breakthrough points. Under his leadership, he collaborated with sister departments to establish an early gastric cancer collaboration special group, which increased the early gastric cancer surgery rate at Ruijin Hospital from 9.1% in 1995 to 22.45% in 2011, becoming a leader in early gastric cancer research in China. In early 2011, Professor Yuan Yaozong served as the director of the Gastroenterology Department. Under his leadership, the development of the National Clinical Pharmacology Base in the department was rapid. Not only did he achieve many results in clinical research of new digestive system drugs, but he also undertook a large number of Phase I clinical research projects for the Clinical Pharmacology Base of Ruijin Hospital. As the editor in chief of the Chinese Journal of Digestive Diseases, he has also done a lot of work for the development of the magazine, responsible for and organizing domestic experts to formulate many consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of digestive system diseases. In March 2018, Professor Zou Duowu served as the head of the Gastroenterology Department and the Director of the Digestive Endoscopy Center at Ruijin Hospital as the academic leader. Professor Zou Duowu has identified five sub specialties as the main focus of the department in light of the new situation: diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic diseases based on digestive endoscopy, diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases, innovation in digestive endoscopy technology, diagnosis and treatment of early gastrointestinal cancer, functional gastrointestinal diseases, and motility disorders. The key to disciplinary development lies in people. Professor Zou Duowu regards "talent cultivation and team building" as the primary task for the development of the discipline. At present, the gastroenterology department has formed a sub professional team with a certain talent thickness in each endoscopic diagnosis and treatment technology (such as EUS, ERCP, ESD), achieving a thriving trend of "distinctive features of the department, expertise of the personnel, and comprehensive combination of technology and sub professional improvement". The Gastroenterology Department of Ruijin Hospital is a key discipline of the National Education Commission's Digestive Department, a key discipline of the "211 Project", a key discipline of the Ministry of Education's Digestive Department, a clinical key specialty of the Ministry of Health, a doctoral degree authorization point and key discipline of the Digestive Department of Shanghai Second Medical University, a national drug clinical research base, and a training base for digestive endoscopists of the Chinese Medical Association. Care: To this day, there are still people who "fly away" to seek medical treatment for the Ruijin Digestive brand, focusing on providing services to patients. Behind it, a major objective reason is that there are indeed many difficult and complicated digestive system diseases, which lead to patients' "going to many hospitals but still not seeing well". The assessment of medical development also responds to the expectations of patients. In recent years, Ruijin Digestive has led the establishment of multidisciplinary groups and clinics such as "Inflammatory Bowel Disease Multidisciplinary Group", "Gallbladder and Pancreatic Disease Multidisciplinary Group", "Digestive Dynamics Disease Multidisciplinary Group", etc., providing precise and personalized comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plans centered on patients. The effect of "Ruijin digestion" is still amplifying. The Department of Gastroenterology at Ruijin Hospital has always focused on clinical teaching and the treatment of difficult and complicated diseases such as fever under investigation, and has maintained the tradition of weekly rounds for difficult cases. Currently, every Wednesday, Professor Yuan Yaozong and Professor Zou Duowu preside over a major ward round for digestive difficult cases. This tradition attracted many doctors to come to Ruijin Hospital for further studies as early as the 1950s and 1960s. Professor Zhou Dianyuan, a senior figure in the digestive industry in our country, once studied here. Professor Zhou has stated on many occasions that his learning experience in the Guangci Digestive Professional Group has played an important role in his future academic career development. According to incomplete statistics, from 1980 to 2024, the Gastroenterology Department of Ruijin Hospital has received over 1500 trained physicians from all over the country. As a doctor, one not only needs superb medical skills, but also a compassionate heart. Whether it is floods, earthquakes, or critical moments in the fight against epidemics, there will always be the presence of gastroenterology medical staff on the front line of disaster relief. In order to facilitate numerous patients to come to Ruijin Hospital for examination, starting from the beginning of 2020, the Department of Gastroenterology in Shanghai has taken the lead in adding weekend anesthesia gastroscopy examinations and optimizing the examination process, significantly reducing the appointment time for anesthesia gastroscopy; At the same time, new weekend specialist clinics and "Inflammatory Bowel Disease Nursing" special weekend specialist clinics have been added to further facilitate and enhance patients' diagnosis and treatment experience. Caring for the patient, putting the patient first, seeking truth and being pragmatic, and studying the mysteries of the Tao "is not only our belief, but also our daily practice Professor Zou Duowu said. (New Society)