| Creator | Medical Missionary Society in China |
| Title | Medical Missionary Society of Canton, China records |
| Dates | 1838 |
| Identification | CC 8 |
| Quantity | 0.1 linear feet (1 folder) |
| Collection Abstract | The Medical Missionary Society of Canton, China records consist of a report issued in 1838 containing minutes from two public meetings, a copy of the Society's founding proposal, and a financial and medical report from the Ophthalmic Hospital at Canton. |
| Historical Abstract | The Medical Missionary Society of Canton, China was founded on February 21, 1838 by Dr. T R. Colledge and Dr. Peter Parker, who served as President and Vice President. The Society worked to provide free medical care for the poor in China until its dissolution at an unknown date. |
| Language | Material in English. |
| Location | Collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Archives staff for more information. |
Collection is open.
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[Identification of item: description and date], Medical Missionary Society of Canton, China records, CC 8, Simmons College Archives, Boston, MA, USA.
Transferred from the Simmons College School of Social Work Library, 1991
Accession number: 94.004
Processed by Nanni Deng and Ahmad-Hakimi Abd-Hamid, 1994
Supervised by Peter Carini and Megan Sniffin-Marinoff
This collection guide was encoded as part of the LEADS project by Meghann Wollitz, July 24, 2012
The Medical Missionary Society of Canton, China was founded as a result of a pamphlet issued in 1836 by Dr. Peter Parker. It contained valuable suggestions as to the desirability and the possibility of increasing the work of furnishing gratuitous medical care for poor Chinese, and "looking to the formation of a society for the furtherance of this special objective." (Stevens., p. 134)
On February 21, 1838, in a largely attended public meeting held in Canton, The Medical Missionary Society of Canton was officially founded with Dr. T.R. Colledge as President and Dr. Peter Parker as Vice President.
The objective of this society is to encourage gentlemen of the medical profession to come and practice gratuitously among the Chinese by affording the usual aid of hospitals, medicine and attendants: but that the support or renumeration of such medical gentlemen be not at present within its contemplation. (Stevens., p. 135)
Dr. Parker played a prominent role in the work and development of the society. Parker was the first medical missionary in China and was integral to the establishment of commercial and diplomatic relations between the United States government and China. Parker died in 1888 at the age of 83.
Due to the lack of information, the date when the Medical Missionary Society ceased operation has not been determined.
All information taken from:
T.R. Colledge and Peter Parker, Address and Minutes of Proceedings of the Medical Missionary Society Canton, China 1838. Printed at the Office of the Chinese Repository.
George B. StevensThe Life, Letters and Journals of the Rev. and Hon. Peter Parker (Wilmington, Delaware: Scholarly Resources Inc., 1972)
The records of the Medical Missionary Society of Canton, China contain an address and minutes of proceedings in the form of a report issued in 1838.
The first part of the records consist of the minutes of two public meetings which were held in February and April 1838. The discussions of these meetings centered around the formation of the regulations and resolutions of the Medical Missionary Society and set forth the objectives and fundamental principles of the society. The address was authored by Society President T.R. Colledge, Vice President Peter Parker and Vice President E.C. Bridgman.
A copy of the proposal of the Medical Missionary Society of Canton, China published in October 1836, appears in the appendix. This collection also includes lists of officers and members, trustees, directors for life, members for life, annual subscribers and foreign agents. Also included are a list of subscriptions and donations and a record of accounts.
The records also contain a copy of the ninth report of the Ophthalmic Hospital at Canton which includes a detailed report on the hospital's operation for the quarter term ending December 31, 1838. The report has a breakdown of the expenses for the term covered. Also included is a tabular statement of the numbers of each disease that had come under observation at the hospital.
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
Arranged into one series:
Part of the School of Social Work Library Charities Collection.
Public meeting minutes, the Society's founding proposal, and a financial and medical report from the Ophthalmic Hospital at Canton.
Box 1
