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FOREWORD

IT is not inappropriate that, on the one hundredth anniversary of the sailing for India of the first medical missionary, we should turn our thoughts toward the many Christian physicians who have gone into lands where, on account of ignorance and superstition, human suffering is greatest.

Although others with a knowledge of Western medicine had preceded him in missionary service, it appears quite clear that John Scudder, who sailed for India from Boston, June 8, 1819, was the first appointee whose ability as a physician received serious consideration. It seems quite certain that, though other physicians had gone out before Dr. Scudder, not one of them considered himself a medical missionary nor used his knowledge of medicine except incidentally, if at all. At the beginning of the modern missionary movement, many Christians believed that their interest in other races should find its expression almost exclusively in the oral preaching of the gospel. Now it is known everywhere that medical missionary effort is one of the most useful forms of service. The author has had opportunity to observe medical work in various parts of the world, but not until he was asked to read rather widely in the preparation of this small volume, did he really appreciate to what an extent the medical missionary has often been a national figure, as well as a pioneer in the establishment of medical schools in non-Christian lands. As we face the task of strengthening a sense of brotherhood between great continents, it is evident that the medical missionary will continue to be one of the most helpful and influential forces. In the face of such a wealth of material, the author would have found it difficult to determine which of the many notable missionary-physicians to present in the ten chapters of this book. Fortunately, the characters were selected by a committee of the Missionary Education Movement.

It is not possible to recite here more than a few details of the life and work of each character, but the small volume is sent forth with the earnest hope that it will arouse in its readers a desire for a wider acquaintance and closer fellowship with MINISTERS OF MERCY in many lands.

JAMES H. FRANKLIN.

BOSTON, MAY, 1919