Arthur Rowan (1896-1971): A humanitarian during the Japanese occupation in colonial Hong Kong

Arthur Rowan, a pharmacist of Eurasian ancestry, embodied fearlessness and selflessness throughout an extremely challenging period during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong between 25 December 1941 and 15 August 1945. During the three years and eight months of occupation by the Imperial Japanese Forces in this British colony, western pharmacy practice was disrupted and black market activities by unscrupulous traders were rampant. Arthur Rowan was the only pharmacist who had not fled the territory and was not held at the Japanese internment camp. Despite living in constant fear and danger, Rowan was able to smuggle medicines into the Stanley internment camps for those who needed them for life threatening conditions.