THE TRAINING OF NATIVE MEDICAL MISSIONARIES.
It is now very generally believed, by those interested in the extension
of the Redeemer's kingdom, that, if Heathendom is ever to be brought
over to Christ, it must be by _native agents_. Dr. Elmslie was fully
convinced of this before he went to Kashmir, and his Indian experience
deepened the conviction. He set himself, therefore, to excogitate a plan
whereby native medical missionaries might be trained on the spot. He
drew up a paper on the subject, which embodies much thought and careful
investigation, and submitted it to the Conference of the Church Mission,
and also to the Punjaub Medical Missionary Society. The following,
without the introductory sentences, is Dr. Elmslie's paper:–
"It may interest this Conference to know that, during the past year, I
have been asked to aid in establishing a medical mission at no fewer
than eight different stations in this extensive province.... To obtain,
at present, European medical missionaries for these numerous stations in
the Punjaub being all but hopeless, it behoves us to look around and see
whether or not we cannot, from the material which we already possess,
supply, in a great measure at least, our wants in this respect.
"No one, even for a moment, will maintain that a native agent is, in all
points, equal to a European one; but every one will readily admit that,
as to command of the vernacular, and an intimate acquaintance with the
manners, customs, and modes of thought of the inhabitants of this
colossal Empire, the former is greatly superior to the latter. What,
therefore, is lost in one way is gained in another; and while we are, on
no account, to slacken our efforts to import as many European agents as
we can find, and as the means at our command will allow, it is
manifestly wise and expedient on our part, to do our very utmost to rear
an efficient native medical mission agency.
"Though the different missions in the Punjaub are young, compared with
those of Bengal, Madras, and Bombay, nevertheless, I am led to believe
that, with comparative ease, a little band of students, in every way
qualified as to head and heart, could be mustered from among them.
"Since my arrival in India, I have heard more than one experienced
missionary complain of the considerable difficulty met with in finding
agreeable and suitable employment for their better gifted and educated
converts. If facilities were afforded to this class of native Christians
to study medicine, with the view of devoting themselves to missionary
work in the capacity of doctors, it is highly probable that this
difficulty would, in some measure at least, be obviated, and much direct
Christian power and influence would be utilised and retained within the
pale of the Church, which, as things now are, is, comparatively
speaking, lost to her; for, I am given to understand, that many of the
young native Christians of good parts enter Government employ as
writers, &c., after quitting the higher mission schools and colleges,
and thus, of course, their direct influence and help are, to a great
extent, lost to the Church. This, we think, is more than she can at
present afford. She requires to husband her resources, and turn them to
the very best account. But further, on this head, in all probability,
and that at no very distant day, there will be lucrative and influential
openings in the large and prosperous cities of the Punjaub for private
native physicians and surgeons, who have been educated by European
teachers, as we find to be the case in the other large cities of the
Empire,–for example, in Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, &c.; and it is
unquestionably most desirable that these openings, when they do occur,
should be occupied by native Christian men, whose example and influence
will be on the side of Christianity, and not by heathens, who will
perpetuate and thicken the awful surrounding darkness.
"With respect to the young medical missionary students, it is
imperatively incumbent on the ordained missionaries, in charge of the
missions from which they are respectively sent, to see well to it that
they are really converted men, so far as they are able to judge, and
have, more or less, a desire to serve God in direct mission work. Next
to this all-important and indispensable qualification, I think the
medical mission students, before beginning their proper professional
studies, should possess a competent knowledge of the English language,
and be well grounded in the Hindu and Mohammedan controversies, so that,
when favourable opportunities present themselves to them in their
intercourse with the people, they may be able, in a clear, quiet, and
affectionate manner, to give a reason for the faith that is in them, and
to show the glaring errors and absurdities of Hinduism, and the religion
of the false prophet. That they may do this efficiently, it is
absolutely necessary for the students to be intimately acquainted with
their Bibles.
"But, having found young men suitable, so far as we can judge, as to
faith and mental attainments, the next question that forces itself upon
our notice for consideration is, How are we to give these young men such
a medical education, as will be likely to command the respect and
patronage of their bigoted and adverse fellow-countrymen? At first
sight, this is a question which it is not easy to answer. Medicine, both
as a science and art, has of late years been so extended and developed
in every branch, that we hold it to be now utterly impossible for one
man, as formerly, to teach it efficiently and comprehensively. To do so
requires a staff of able teachers, an expensive apparatus, and, more or
less, suitable accommodation, all of which would entail such an enormous
amount of expense, as would put it completely out of our power to
possess an establishment, solely and exclusively, for medical mission
purposes. But, most fortunately for the feasibility of our scheme, such
an establishment already exists, and we need only to avail ourselves of
its advantages, to procure from it all that we can desire.
"In the Government Medical College, Lahore, with its experienced and
Christian Principal, Dr. Scriven, and his able colleagues, we possess a
medical school in every way suited to our present purpose. So much
regarding the medical mission students, and how they are to receive a
medical education that will really fit them for the very responsible
duties of their profession.
"But further, with whom are the medical students to reside, during their
stay in the capital and attendance at college? Who is to be their
helper, counsellor, and true friend, when they are far away from those
who had previously been all that to them? And who, above all things, is
to cherish the missionary spirit in them, and show them how to apply
their medical and surgical knowledge and skill to the spread of the
gospel? It appears to me that no one is nearly so well qualified for
this most important work as one who is himself performing the functions
of the medical missionary. In addition to the discharge of this duty,
the medical missionary would have ample time to carry on extensive
medical mission work in Lahore. Indeed, for the proper and complete
training of the medical missionary students, it is unquestionably
indispensable that he should do so. As some difficulty may be
experienced, at least for some time, in finding a suitable agent for
this important post, and as the necessary funds for carrying on this
part of the present plan may not be realisable just now, one of the
American missionaries resident in Lahore might be requested to allow the
students to live in his compound, and to take a friendly and Christian
interest in them, till a medical missionary arrives from home to assume
the whole superintendence.
"With reference to the extent of medical education which our students
should receive, I am of opinion that we should qualify them for becoming
practitioners, equal in attainments, at least, to the Government
sub-assistant surgeons.
"That we may get and retain the very best of the young men belonging to
the respective missions of the Punjaub, it is necessary, we think, to
hold out to them adequate inducements as to status and salary. Unless we
do so, we are likely to get inferior men, and, it is probable, the whole
scheme may thereby prove a failure. It is to be hoped, however, that the
Punjaub Medical Missionary Society, especially, will look to this point.
"I am very happy to be able to inform this meeting, that already some
progress has been made in collecting funds to defray the necessary
expenses of this scheme in its embryo beginnings. Dr. Henderson, one of
the Professors of the Lahore Medical College, undertook, at the
commencement of last hot season, to collect as much money as would be
sufficient for three scholarships of twelve rupees each a month, for one
year. I have little doubt that, if suitable young men come forward, we
shall soon find ourselves in the possession of funds, amply sufficient,
to defray the increased expenditure. From the little I know of the
Punjaub, I feel fully convinced, that our fellow-countrymen only require
to have a really needful and feasible scheme presented to them, to
elicit their generous liberality.
"Such, then, is a very brief and rough outline of the scheme I have to
propose respecting medical missions in this province. And I trust, if it
meet the approval of those now present, we shall soon see at Lahore, a
little band of Christian young men, preparing themselves for this
comparatively new and important sphere of Christian usefulness."
The scheme was very cordially approved by the members of the Conference,
and of the P. M. M. Society, and Sir Donald M‛Leod also spoke warmly in
its behalf.
"I have," he said, "carefully read the paper, drawn up by Dr. Elmslie,
on the subject of training native Christian youths for the duties of
medical missionaries; which paper was recently read by him at a
Conference of the Church Missionary Society, held at Amritsar, as well
as before a meeting of the Punjaub Medical Missionary Society.
"I have long been convinced, that medical missions are eminently
suitable and appropriate in the present circumstances of India, and
calculated, accordingly, to prove of the very greatest value and
importance here; and as I have, on many occasions, recorded my opinion
to this effect, I need not enlarge on it in this place.
"Holding, then, this opinion, I highly approve of Dr. Elmslie's
proposal, which I think likely, if carried out, to enable us to extend
medical missions much more rapidly and widely than we can hope to do in
any other way, at the same time that it adds another most important and
appropriate mode of employing and providing support for our native
Christians, to the very few which have, as yet, suggested themselves;
thus helping largely towards the solution of one of the most difficult
problems we have to solve, in respect to the heterogeneous bodies of
native Christians assembled, under the existing system, at our mission
stations."
Dr. Elmslie wished the native Christians to be educated up to the
standard of sub-assistant surgeon. "And I entirely agree with Dr.
Elmslie," writes Sir Donald M‛Leod, "in considering this to be a very
essential point."
The reader will observe that Dr. Elsmlie's paper altogether ignores the
valuable services which, as matter of fact, have been rendered to the
cause of medical missions, by "_non-qualified_" Christian natives in
Madagascar, Travancore, Madras, and other places. It is a valuable
document, notwithstanding, and will doubtless get due attention when the
subject of the training of native medical evangelists, and native
medical missionaries, receives the comprehensive and exhaustive
treatment which its importance merits.