Relocating medicine: Medical mission and Western medicine in China 1807-1840

Abstract

Using the historical case of how medical missionaries introduce Western medicine into China during 1807-1840, this article shows that during the process of knowledge transmission, the initial conditions of entry of a new knowledge have long term effects that are difficult to overcome. Because of the practical circumstances faced by Protestant missionaries when they first arrived at China in the 19th century, they had to rely on Chinese assistants. They also had to assume medical mission as an evangelizing tool. Consequently, both religious work and medical work were conducted with the help of local assistants of lower class origins. The local agents of this new knowledge were poor students who were outside of the traditional knowledge system. However, in traditional China, legitimacy was based on status, literary and lineage. Therefore, the result of this way of relocating knowledge is that the new knowledge was lack of ground for building legitimacy in the traditional society.