5th Tan Tock Seng Hospital Oration: advances for life.

Advances for Life I am honoured and privileged to have been invited to deliver the 5th Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) Oration at the Opening of your 9 Annual Scientific Meeting. When I was invited, I hesitated for a moment as I have not been in active practice for quite a while, and I am grossly out of touch with recent advances especially in the biomedical field. But my hesitation was soon over-powered by a happy compulsion of being part of the TTSH family. I understand that I could choose to speak on anything, and that you are even prepared to take the risk of hearing a sermon! Thank you for your readiness to listen. Originally, I thought I was to give the lighter dinner talk with licence to ruminate on the past, but now I find myself in the more solemn Opening Ceremony. Anyway, I am delighted to be here with you, and to see the wonderful progress TTSH has made over the years, having come from the pre-electronic and pre-genomic era.