Path：Gratitude>Mackay Hospital

Dr. George Leslie Mackay（1844-1901）

 

Mackay Memorial Hospital, which is under the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, was set up to commemorate Dr. George Leslie Mackay. Dr. Mackay was born in Canada in1844. When he was 10 year-old, he determined to be a missionary.

◆Learning Taiwanese

 

On March 9, 1872, Dr. Mackay was sent by the Canadian Presbyterian Church to Taiwan and started his mission, and he settled down in Tamshui. He rent an apartment for the use of living space, yet worship service, medical practice, and medical school. Because Dr. Mackay was keen on involving in the local community, he learned Taiwanese from shepherd children during leisure time. Five months later, he also could preach gospel in Taiwanese.

◆Marrying a Taiwan national

 

In 1878, Dr. Mackay married with Ms. Cong-ming Chang (from Wugukeng town). Being a son-in-law of Taiwanese, he overcame the culture differences so that he did great achievements on expanding the missionary among Taiwanese women and stopping racism among the local people.

◆Establishing Mackay Hospital

Dr. Mackay founded the first hospital with western medical practice, Mackay Hospital in 1880. It was the predecessor of Mackay Memorial Hospital nowadays. During the first period of his occupation till 1880, there were twenty churches and 20 local preachers, as well as 300 believers. Dr. Mackay not only offered medical services in the medical center, he also led the medical mission team to many places around northern Taiwan. “Bible on one hand, a clamp on the other" was the distinctive scene at that time. Dr. Mackay performed tooth extractions up to 20,000 within three decades in Taiwan.

◆Devoting a life time to Taiwan

Dr. Mackay with his strong will and endurance established twenty churches in Tamshui, Wugu, Miaoli, Taipei, Keelung, Hsinchu, etc. in eight years between 1872 and 1880, in his medical mission. He then went to the far-reaching aboriginal villages as well as across mountains to propagate his ministry to Yilan, Hualien. He dedicated his life to sermon as well as medical work.

◆A Taiwanese forever

Not only that, he opened the first western-style school in northern Taiwan - Oxford College in 1882 and Female Academy which pioneered girls’ education in Taiwan in1884. Although Dr. Mackay suffered from throat cancer in his last years, he regularly gave lectures. He passed away at home in Tamshui on June 2 of 1901 and later was buried in the town. He became a forever Taiwanese citizen.

 

◆The well respected Dr. Mackay

Dr. Mackay made his most efforts to the missionary work for three decades in northern Taiwan to an extent that over 60 more churches were establishment and thousands of believers were baptized . Because of his passion for Taiwan and the strengthened spirit of serving people, he got through the situation from being against by the local people to a result that he gained reverence and was treated as the courtesy of gentry; and even more, was awarded by the governor.

References :
Mackay Memorial Hospital http://www.mmh.org.tw/intro/intro3.asp
Huwei Culture and History Workshophttp://tamsui.yam.org.tw/tspe/tspe0001.htm
Image Sources :
Taiwan Historical Associationhttp://www.twhistory.org.tw/20010604.htm
Aletheia Universityhttp://www.au.edu.tw/ox_view/mackay/2index.htm
Mackay Memorial Hospital
http://www.mmh.org.tw/intro/intro3.asp
http://www.mmh.org.tw/intro/intro6.asp
Danshui Historic Shiteshttp://www.tshs.tpc.gov.tw/tai2_16.asp?H1m_sn=9
Tamshui Presbytarian Churchhttp://www.mackay.com.tw/02_01_04.htm