The Google doodle depicting Wu Lien-teh, the father of the modern surgical face mask. （Photo: Google）

Google's doodle honored Wu Lien-teh, Wednesday, a Chinese-Malay epidemiologist who pioneered the use of face masks and helped fight a deadly disease in northeastern China in 1910.

Born in Penang, Malaysia, on March 10, 1879 Wu was instrumental in the development of public health in China, the country from where his family originated. He was the first person of Chinese descent to graduate from Cambridge University with a degree in medicine.

During the plague of 1910-11, Wu performed what is believed to be China's first ever postmortem examination. He succeeded in isolating the bacterium responsible for the pneumonic plague, which went on to kill around 60,000 people.

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Wu, who had been recruited to fight the pandemic by the Imperial Qing court, argued the disease was spread via respiratory droplets, challenging the commonly held misconception that – like the Bubonic plague – it was spread by rats or fleas.

The epidemiologist subsequently made a mask using cotton and gauze, with extra layers of cloth and secure ties. This is thought to be the first time that mask-wearing had been used to control a virus.

Wu encouraged medical staff and others to wear the mask, while advising authorities to impose social restrictions on the affected areas. Travel was forbidden, the sick self-isolated and cremation – then taboo in much of China – was permitted.

In 1911, Wu chaired an international conference at which he shared his findings, disseminating vital epidemiological knowledge and techniques. The epidemic led to the establishment of a modern health service in China in which Wu held various positions before returning to Malaysia in 1937.

His work forms the basis of much of the disease and virus control utilized to help fight the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.