Macao and the Introduction of Western Medicine into China

The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government will organize a Research Grant Lecture in the Cultural Affairs Bureau Auditorium (Edifício do Instituto Cultural, Tap Seac Square, Macao) on December 4 (Monday) at 6:30pm. Dr. Dong Shao Xin of Fudan University will give a lecture on “Macao and the Introduction of Western Medicine into China”.
Macao has been an important point of interchange with the West since its early history – it channeled eastern culture into Europe and western culture into China. The introduction of western medicine into China is one of the many important cultural exchanges to have taken place there since late Ming Dynasty.
Macao was the first city in Chinese territory to use western medicine, establishing its first western hospital in as early as 1568. During the early 17th century, the Jesuits of Macao’s St. Paul’s College researched both eastern and western medicine. As a result, many missionary doctors traveled into China to serve the Chinese imperial family, at times facilitated by the city’s senate. Various kinds of medicines were brought into China, expanding an already complex system of medicines and Macao’s medical activities spread across the Pearl River Delta, exemplified, for instance, by the clinics and pharmacies of the Franciscan Order.
In 1805, the smallpox vaccine was introduced into China through Macao. This extraordinary event gave Protestant missionaries a leading role in the history of the introduction of western medicine into China. In 1820, Dr. John Livingstone of the East India Company opened a clinic in Macao; while in 1828 Dr. Thomas R. Colledge, who also worked for the Company, established an eye hospital, going on to found the Medical Missionary Society in China in 1836. Macao’s role as the main channel for introducing western medicine into China gradually declined after the opening of the other five treaty ports.
Dong Shao Xin received a Ph.D. in History from Sun Yat-sen University in 2004 after which he took up a teaching position in Zhejiang University. Since August 2005, Dong has been conducting post-doctoral research at Fudan University’s Institute of Chinese Historical Geography. His academic research includes Macao history, the history of Sino-western relations, Catholic history in China and medical history. This research topic was awarded a grant in the 13th Research Scholarship Competition of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government.
The lecture will be given in Mandarin with Cantonese, Portuguese and English simultaneous interpretation. Entrance is free. For further details, please contact Ms. Chu of the Macao Historical Archives of the Cultural Affairs Bureau at 5986510, or visit the Cultural Affairs Bureau’s website: www.icm.gov.mo.