MEDICAL HELP FOR CHINESE /
WORK OF CHURCH HOSPITALS ADDRESS BY MR A. J. BRITLAND "Neither shall there be any more pain" (Revelation xxi., 4). was the text of an - address preached at St. Michael's Church yesterday morning by Mr A. J. Britland. treasurer of the Church of England diocese of North China, on the work of the medical missions in China. Mr Britland first pointed the essential part played by medicine in all mission work, saying that Christianity was a religion which was concerned about the body as well as about the soul. He said that the introduction of Western medicine into the more backward countries had been associated with the work of missionaries, and had opened the door to an acceptance of Christianity. - The Church had founded the first medical schools in China, said Mr Britland, and from the start it had emphasised the value and the necessity of medical work. There were now four hospitals in the North China diocese. In the larger centres, the cities, the work wa"s now being done chiefly by municipalities and by the Government; but a great many of the country districts were still uncared for. apart from the work of the missionaries. Only one parish in the diocese was without a hospital now—to build one at. present was out of the question, but the Church had been able to send a doctor and a nurse to help the people there. Last year 50,000 out-patients had been treated in the Church hospitals, said Mr Britland, and 1925 in-patients. The cost a year was approximately £3OOO. of which £250 was found in New Zealand. The hospitals were primarily for the benefit of the poor people, heathen and Christian alike, and they were the only institutions of their kind in the villages. They were the'only facilities for medical attention, each one providing for a population of about half a million. The hospitals were under the control' of Chinese doctors as superintendents, though a great deal of the work of management was taken over by English trained nurses. The medical work, said Mr Britland, was an attempt to do in these days what Christ had done during His ministry on earth. China had suffered turmoil and unrest; the people were weary of the failure of experiments and they were looking to the Church for guidance and help. Mr Britland snoke at the evening service in the Cathedral.
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Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21465, 6 May 1935, Page 11
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401Untitled Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21465, 6 May 1935, Page 11
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