The Mission Field.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume I, Issue 5, 1 November 1910, Page 5

The Mission Field.

The Waiapu Diocese will have the honour this month of sending out to India one of her clergy — the Eey; 1 F. 0. Long,— and, moreover, Mr Long will be the first of the clergy of New Zealand to go out to the front under the auspices of the Church Missionary Association. And we rejoice to note; also, that the Diocese of Auckland, a month ago sent out to China the first missionary doctor on the staff of our C.M.A. Dr. Strange was an Auckland boy, who left years ago for England, and m course of time became M.R.0.8. andL.R.C.P. (London). Before offering for the mission field he was House Surgeon of St. George's Hospital, Hyde Park Corner, London. On his return to Auckland this year, Dr. Strange told his friends of his wish to go out to the front, whereupon a committee was formed ; three wellknown doctors and the same number of clergy combined m an appeal for medical missionary work, and with others made themselves financially responsible for Dr. Strange's work. The 0.M.A., with the consent of the 0.M.5., has accepted Dr. Strange to be a helper to Dr. Duncan Main, m his splendid work m the hospital of Hang Chow, said to be the largest and most up-to-date Mission Hospital m the world. . . ; Yet again, an offer has been received by the C.M.A. from another clergyman holding a cure m New Zealand. He has already been a missionary, and knows an Indian language "like a native," to use the ' phrase employed by one who was conversant with his Indian career. ' .. But to send him out the committee of the C.M.A. need £100 per annum guaranteed for three or four years, besides £50 towards passage money. Who will help ? If we cannot go ourselves, the next best thing is to send out our representative ! Medical Missions* The growth of Medical Missions during the last few years has been very marked. There are now 641 men and 34 L women with full medical qualifications working m 550 hospitals and 1024 dispensaries. , The in-patients admitted to these hospitals during last year numbered--164,245 ; {< dispensary treatments'- v during the same period amounted' to 4,231, 635 ; visits paid to outside patients were 144,701, the total individual patients numbering 4,272,468,

and the total " treatments" 7,501,013. Surgical operations were 157,655. Apart from hospitals and dispensaries, there were 88 leper asylunis with 6759 inmates. Commenting on these figures, The Lancet, June 25, says : — " Such is the advance estimated up to the present moment m the organisation, philanthropic and medical, which now constitutes an active contingent of the great missionary army, and the contribution it makes to the successful conduct of the campaign not only justifies its introduction, but calls loudly for further additions to its personnel and further extension of its equipment." The hospital at Hang Chow, to which Dr. Strange has been appointed, will on his arrival have a staff of four doctors. It has 250 beds; last year it received 1443 in-patients, while outpatients numbered 20,987. At Fuh-Chow, where the C.M.S. has a smaller hospital with 63 beds, a medical college for the training of Chinese medical students will shortly be opened. A fine building, containing lecture-rooms, student's quarters, and rooms for a single foreign missionary, has been finished, and to the superintendence of this medical college, Dr. B. Van Johnson Taylor (who has had thirty-two years' experience as a medical missionary m China) has been appointed, assisted by Dr. MacKenzie. What this Medical School may mean m the future to the multitude of suffering folk m China, who can estimate ? At present they are dependent on the methods adopted by native doctors or sanctioned by long-stand-ing custom, methods m many. cases cruel and barbarous m the extreme.