Research On British Medical Missionary James Henderson And Medical Health Care In Modern Shanghai Of China

The introduction of western medicine to China is related to western missionary.In the early modern,Protestants built hospitals,medical schools,and public health services in China,played an important role in modern Chinese medical and health undertakings.James Henderson,a doctor of medicine,a member of the Royal Surgery Society,and a missionary of the London Missionary Society,was sent by the Society to Shanghai in1860 to take over the work of the Chinese Hospital.During his five-year medical and missionary work in Shanghai,he left considerable written records in various forms,such as hospital work reports,letters,memoirs and monographs.The effort currently attached on James Henderson research is flimsy;therefore this study is with important academic value.Founded in 1844,the Chinese Hospital is the first western medical institute in Shanghai after its opening to the world.From medical theory,institutional system,treatment to technique,practices of the Chinese Hospital were completely different from the conventional Chinese medical practices.During his presidency of the Chinese Hospital in the 1960 s,Henderson played an active role in a wide spectrum of medical activities,such as treatment,first aid,health and epidemic prevention,infectious disease prevention,charity and social relief,etc.His work drove Chinese people to understand and accept western medicine.The Chinese hospital has dual functions of treating diseases and preaching,which is the rudiment of the specific path of the localization of Protestantism in China.However,the actual effect of Henderson’s work in the Chinese hospital far exceeds that of the missionary.He started from the bottom of society and influenced the change of people’s concept of western medicine through the process of integrating into Chinese society.In particular,with his special attention to and in-depth thought about the relationship between climate,environment and health,and between hygiene and health,he wrote Shanghai Hygiene,the first health guide for the Europeans then living in Shanghai,covering diet,beverage,clothing,sports,sweating,bathing,liver health,sleep,emotions,and so on.Although the attention he placed on personal health care is still of great significance today,he found out the objective problems related to public health.From Henderson’s writings on the development of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),western medicine and the TCM literature,it is not hard to see his insights to TCM and medical practice.Undeniably,Henderson had quite a lot of criticism on TCM,yet he also pointed out its merits.His remarks on the history of TCM and the contents of TCM literature reveal that he considered China as one of the earliest countries to have medical practice,which introduced TCM to the West.Henderson attached great importance to case accumulation,combined clinical and scientific research closely,and applied the research results to clinical practice,which promoted the spread of western medicine in China.At the same time,he actively advocated the establishment of Western medicine education in Shanghai and proposed to teach knowledge about western medicine in English and other European languages through the establishment of medical faculty.