The Washington herald., 1911-01-29
CHINA SENDS OUT CALL
FOR WESTERN PHYSICIANS


! New York. Jan. N-China Is appealing
! to America for physicians. Who wants
! to go? The bubonic plague in Manchuria,
| in spite Of China's efforts to the con-
| trary. has spread southwark beyond the
Great Wall. and has appeared in Tientsin
and Pekin. in the Province of Chihli, and
in Cheefoo. in the province of Shantung
Apparently the empire. having within its
bounds a fourth of the human race. is
facing a widespread fight with one of the
deadliest of diseases.
Moreover China is caught with but
few physicians OF modern training. West
ern medical science, except in the port
/ cities where there are foreign settle
ments. is almost unknown throughout
the whole empire of more than 400. 900. .oO0
people, except as the medical missionary
scouts and picketS Of western medicine,
with their aseptic surgery. and with
their quinine. and with their knowledge
of microscopic organisms that are ar
rayed against human life everywhere
have established themselves to heal the
ills and hurts of a great race. and have
trained Chinese as doctors, assistants
and nurses.
The first death from plague in Pekin
was in mission hospital. and the same
cable message that told of his death said
that the Chinese officials were leaning
hard on til" missionary doctors for di-
rection in fighting the dread disease.
Later cables indicate that the missionary
physicians are far too few in number
and the Chinese government is now ap-
pealing to the West. in some cases
through the missionary societies. for ad-
ditional physicians. Offering to pay all
expenses. Doubtless many American
Physicians may go. but if they do. they
Will have 10 fight the epidemic in land
OF a tongue unknown to them. Only the
missionary physicians will know both
modern medicine and the language of the
common people.
Save some in Africa, few races must
depend so completely upon missionary
physicians for modern medicine as the
Chlnese, and in many parts Of China
there Is but one missionary physician for
many millions of people. The two prov
inces of Chihli and Shantung. where the
plague has already secured a hold.
contain "9.Ho"N. OF the % American
missionary physicians resident in the TWO
provinces. ~ are men and Il women.
OF the - British or German missionary
physicians there 16 are men and ;
women. There is one French physician
connected with the Franciscan hospital
at Cheefoo. This is total of 80 men and
women. foreign physicians. Western
trained, TO meet the needs of 50 600. 900
people. or one missionary doctor to l.OOD,-
0C0 Chinese.
The Directory of Foreign Residents
Of China. published at Hongkong. lists
but two foreign physicians in Tientsin,
apart from the missionaries. and these
two serve the foreign residents prima-
rily. There are several japanese phys-
clans, however. connected with two nom
missionary hospitals at Tientsin. There
are no foreign physicians in Pekin 9TH
er than those connected with the lega-
tions. and the missionary doctors. In
the two provinces there are 3e mission
airy hospitals. and in addition. 35 dis
penSaries are maintained. While some
of the hospitals are up to date and have
fairly adequate equipment. others are so
incomplete that aseptic surgery. especial
ly in major operations. is very difficult
to obtain. and accordingly the more
difficult and dangerous operations are
not attempted. In the privinces Of Chi
hi and Shantung there are 23s walled
cities. and in more than 200 of these
there is no resident foreign doctor.
The leading missionary societies doing
the medical mission work in Chilli and
Shantung provinces are the Board of
Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian
Church, the Board Of Foreign Missions
of the Methodist Church. the American
Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions. and the Southern Baptist Con-
yention, all of the United States; the
Baptist Missionary Society. the London
Missionary Society, and the United
Methodist Missionary Society. the London
Missionary Society, and the United |
Methodist Missionary Society. all Of
Great Britain: the General Evangelical
Protestant Missionary Society of Ger
many, and the China Inland Mission. an
International organization. ri
In the whole Chinese empire there arS
36s foreign missionary physicians. OF |
W hom a51 are men and la women. These
do their work in a7 hospitals and 2s2 |
dispensaries Their in-patients. for the |
last year, for which summary has been