Analysis of Services of Medical Missionaries During the Late Yi-Dynasty and the Era of the Japanese Occupation in Korea

Hwang, Sang Ik; Kee, Chang Duck

Abstract

Authors investigated the services of medical missionaries during the late Yi-Dynasty and the era of the Japanese Occupation in Korea. The information and materials were got from the following primary sources: The Searching Report of the European and American Residents in Korea (1907-1942); The Korean Mission Field, Vol 1 (1905.11) - Vol 37 (1941.11); Christian Newspapers, No 1 (1915.2) - No 1128 (1937.7). Through this study we found that 280 medical missionaries came to Korea to do the medical services during the period from 1884 to 1941. Among them 133 were medical doctors, 5 dentists, 6 pharmacists and 136 nurses. And it was found that 71 medical missionaries (25%) belonged to US Northern Presbyterian Church, 50 (18%) to US Northern Methodist Church, 38 (14%) to US Southern Presbyterian Church, each 32 (11%) to US Southern Methodist Church and Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (Anglican Church), 20 (7%) to Canadian Presbyterian Church, each 12 (4%) to Australian Presbyterian Church and Catholic Church, 9 (3%) to Seventh Day Adventist Church, and 31 Western medical personnels without connection to any missionary society. So we confirmed that most of the missionary medical services during this period were performed by the American missionary societies, which was compatible with the acceptible idea. The average duration of services by the medical missionaries was 13.0 years, which was about 5 years longer than that of the non-missionary Western doctors and nurses in the same period. The medical missionaries were more in number during the era of the Japanese Occupation than during the late Yi-Dynasty, however, their socio-cultural significance seemed to be higher in the late Yi-Dynasty. And authors found that the nearly all of the medical services by the missionaries were carried out in the regions belonging to the respective missionary society.