The Canton Hospital
Sun Yet Sen Memorial Hospital Sun Yet Sen University 中山大学孙逸仙纪念医院 | |
---|---|
Sun Yet Sen University | |
Government hospital | |
Type | District General, Teaching |
Affiliated university | Sun Yet Sen University |
Services | |
Emergency department | Yes |
Beds | 3000 |
History | |
Former name(s) | Ophthalmic Hospital in Canton |
Opened | 1835 |
Links | |
Lists | Hospitals in China |
Other links | Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University |
The Canton Hospital (廣州博濟醫院) or Ophthalmic Hospital in Canton, also known as the Canton Pok Tsai Hospital, was founded by Protestant medical missionary
Background Information
Canton
Canton, now Guangzhou, was the center of foreign and international trade in China during the period of the late Qing dynasty. Canton was the only city in China where foreigners were allowed to set foot, thereby making it the only place where European and Chinese merchants could trade. Its location next to the
Dr. Peter Parker
Peter Parker was an American Protestant medical missionary. Before travelling to China, he attended Yale University for postgraduate work in theology and medicine. However, his main goal in travelling to China was not to practice medicine; instead, it was to save the Chinese from idol-worshipping and introduce them to Protestantism and Christianity. He first began work in the hospital by treating diseases in the eye because he was told it would be the fastest way to gain the trust of the Chinese. Because many of the natives regarded all foreigners as barbarians, it was important for Parker to gain the natives' trust in order to perform medicine on them and introduce them to Christianity.
Eventually, Parker found so much joy in treating patients that he ultimately committed himself to becoming a full-time doctor, instead of a part-time evangelist and part-time doctor like he had originally planned.[2] During his twenty years of work in China, Parker treated over 50,000 patients. In the later years of his life, he became a fervent promoter of medical missions and played an instrumental role in increasing their importance and popularity.
History of the Hospital
On November 4, 1835, Peter Parker opened the Canton Hospital, which was the first Western-style hospital in China.
Under the support of the American Board and Canton businessmen, the hospital was the first and most famous charitable missionary hospital in
Eventually, the hospital became so well known and in demand that it had to turn away patients because it became too much for only one physician. The hospital’s Chinese name, Pok Tsai, means Universal Helpfulness, which shows that everyone knew that the hospital would serve all classes in the community, Chinese and foreign.[6] In order to stay open, Parker depended on support from missionary colleagues and local business firms and merchants (especially Chinese merchant How-Qua). Because he didn’t charge for his services, he relied on their money to stay open. In addition, this hospital also led to Western-style medical education in China, when Parker and Dr. E.C. Bridgman trained three young Chinese men to help out in the hospital. However, it was not until 1866 that the first western-style medical school, the Boji Medical School, was established in the hospital. This medical school was run by missionaries, and is now part of the Sun-yatsen University of Medical Sciences.[7]
In 1840, the
Functions of the Hospital
The hospital’s main goals included the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the distribution of free
Legacy
The Canton Hospital is one of the most influential missionary hospitals in South China. Not only was it the first hospital that brought the concept of public health to the city of Canton, but it is also sustainable, as it still exists today as one of the most prestigious ophthalmic institutes in the world. Throughout its time open, the hospital set many records in Chinese medical history, including being the first western medicine school in China, and producing the first Chinese medicine magazine and the first x-ray film. In addition, the Canton Hospital gave explicit expression to the concept of medical missions for the first time. In 1838, it led to the creation of the Medical Missionary Society in China, a Protestant medical missionary society established in Canton, which was dedicated to promoting religious missions and gaining the trust of the Chinese through medical care, instead of through preaching. In 1898, Parker’s successor, John Glasgow Kerr, founded The Asylum for the Insane in Canton, which was the first institution in China dedicated to the mentally ill.[12] This was a direct result of the hospital’s success, and shows the impact that it had on public health and medicine in China.
Today it is the Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. It is a tertiary referral hospital.
See also
- Mary Hannah Fulton, American physician at Canton Hospital in the 1890s
- John Glasgow Kerr, Second Superintendent of the Canton Hospital
- Mary West Niles, first female medical missionary physician and Superintendent Women's Ward
- William Warder Cadbury, Chief Physician(1917) and Superintendent(1930) of the Canton Hospital
References
- ^ "History of Canton China | Canton China Virtual Museum." History of Canton China | Canton China Virtual Museum. Canton China Virtual Museum, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2016.
- ^ Snyder, Charles. "7 Green Pea Street." Archives of Ophthalmology 75.6 (1966): 887. Web.
- ^ Grundmann, C. H. (2005). Sent to heal!: Emergence and developmemt of medical missions. Lanham: University Press of America.
- ^ Stevens, George Barker. Markwick, William Fisher. The life, letters, and journals of the Rev and Hon Peter Parker. [1896] digitized 2009. pg 118.
- ^ Chan, C. (2011). The First Western-Style Hospital in China. Archives of Ophthalmology, 129(6), 791. doi:10.1001/archophthalmol.2011.120
- ^ 张斯. "Canton hospital: the first Western hospital in China_Guangdong News_www.newsgd.com." Canton hospital: the first Western hospital in China_Guangdong News_www.newsgd.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2016.
- ^ Deng, Y. Z. "Development of Medical Education in China." Academic Medicine 65.8 (1990): 512-4. Web.
- ^ "Parker, Peter (1804-1888)." Parker, Peter (1804-1888) | History of Missiology. BU School of Theology, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2016.
- ^ 张斯. "Canton hospital: the first Western hospital in China_Guangdong News_www.newsgd.com." Canton hospital: the first Western hospital in China_Guangdong News_www.newsgd.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2016.
- ^ Snyder, Charles. "7 Green Pea Street." Archives of Ophthalmology 75.6 (1966): 887. Web.
- ^ "尋找孫中山的香港足跡——香港"孫中山史跡徑"懷古_時政頻道_新華網". Big5.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved 2011-09-26.
- ^ Blum, Nava, and Elizabeth Fee. "The First Mental Hospital in China." American Journal of Public Health 98.9 (2008): 1593. Web.
External links
- Trinity College (Connecticut)'s collection: Canton Hospital, Canton, China.