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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1985

Missionary doctors vs Chinese patients: credibility of missionary health care in early twentieth century China.

This paper deals with the encounter between the Chinese and Western medical missionaries in early twentieth century China. Based on data of two Canadian Protestant missions in China before 1937, this study reveals that medical missionaries were generally ignorant of Chinese medicine, and they regarded Chinese medicine as part of an inferior, heathen culture. Such a 'mission-centric' perspective prevented the missionary doctors from creating an effective doctor-patient relationship with the Chinese patients. To the Chinese, missionary health care provided an additional health care pathway. The functional complementarity of Western medicine to the pluralistic Chinese medical structure enabled missionary medicine to gain increasing credibility from the Chinese, although few Chinese actually understood the basic principles of Western medicine. Implications of this missionary doctor-Chinese patient relationship in China are discussed.

China↗
PubMed1989

Are missionaries at risk for AIDS? Evaluation for HIV antibodies in 3,207 protestant missionaries.

Serum specimens (n = 6,045) obtained from 3,207 Protestant missionaries serving in 57 countries, including 28 African nations, between 1967 and 1984 were assayed for antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) screening and Western blot confirmatory testing. Seventy sera (1.2%) from 51 missionaries (1.6%) were ELISA positive; however, on Western blot confirmatory testing none was diagnostic of HIV infection. Twenty-two (43%) of the Western blot tests were read as indeterminate, with band p17 occurring with the greatest frequency (57%), followed by p24 (23%), either alone or in combination. The significance of these equivocal results is unclear, but they do not appear to be a consequence of exposure to either HIV or the related retrovirus HTLV-I. Based on this seroprevalence survey, we conclude that missionary staff and their families were not at high risk of HIV infection between 1967 and 1984, even when serving in regions of high HIV endemicity.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Missionaries and the early development of nursing in China.

By the late 1930s, nursing, which had come into being in China in the 1880s, had developed into a profession represented by a well-organized national association with a membership of 6,000, which was continuously expanding by hundreds of new recruits trained at nearly 200 nursing schools all over the country. The progress was remarkable. In retrospect, we can easily discern the outstanding contribution made by the Western medical missionaries. To the latter's dedication, the profession owed its birth and its incipient growth in particular. Trained missionary nurses, following in the footsteps of missionary pioneers, penetrated into all parts of the country to start dispensaries and hospitals literally from nothing. In 1923, China had 53 percent of the missionary hospital beds and 48 percent of the missionary doctors in the world. Missionary nurses constituted 32 percent of the total number of nurses in China in 1923 and their number reached a peak of nearly 700 in 1927. Although the number of medical missionaries, physicians, and nurses was tiny compared to the size of the nation's population, and although their interest in "healing the sick" aimed to serve their primary goal of "saving the soul," their contribution to nursing development in China, especially their efforts in training native nurses at numerous missionary hospitals and nursing schools, can hardly be overestimated. Derived from missionary involvement was another important contributor to the rapid progress of nursing: the Nurses' Association of China. Born in a critical stage of nursing development in the country, the NAC organized the profession and regulated its training through sponsoring registration, holding examinations, and developing a standard required curriculum. Essentially, it played the role of a great organizer and paved the way for the further growth of the profession. Coming from a totally different culture, missionaries had to overcome a lot of difficulty to adapt themselves to the environment in China. The problems they encountered varied from place to place. Geographically, the interior areas were more prone to antiforeign and anti-Christian feelings, whereas the coastal areas were, comparatively, more receptive to new ideas and techniques brought by Western missionaries. Fluctuating with the political developments in China, the missionaries' cause peaked when the nation welcomed them following the quelling of the Boxer upheaval and the overthrow of the dynastic monarchy, and ebbed when xenophobia or nationalism ran high in any form of massive political turmoil.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

China↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Personality trait profiles of missionary adolescents.

BACKGROUND: The study objective was to compare the Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis secondary population norms for adolescents, to test results of Assemblies of God missionary adolescents, and determine if the mission's experience had significant impact on personality traits. METHODS: A retrospective record review study of Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis test results administered to all missionary adolescents aged 13- to 18-years-old, having attended a yearly school of missions from 1986 to 1994, was performed. A two-sample, two-tailed t-test was used for statistical analysis. Test results were compared with standard adolescent and adult norms. Initial, and second test results when available, were compared for significant personality trait changes in adolescents over a 2-3 year interval, while in the mission's program. Subpopulation norms were calculated for the study group. RESULTS: Initial tests from 438 study group adolescents demonstrated significant differences in 7 of 9 personality trait categories for males, and 8 of 9 for females, compared with test adolescent norms. Initial, and second test comparisons were performed in 67 adolescents, and showed no significant changes in the personality trait scores in males and females. Personality trait profiles for females more closely resembled adult than adolescent norms, with 8 of the 9 personality trait categories showing no significant difference between adult female norms and study females. CONCLUSION: Clinicians and mission's sending agencies should be aware of the unique Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis test patterns for missionary adolescents, and that Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis norm tables for adolescents seem inadequate in evaluating missionary adolescents. Appropriate subpopulation norms are likely necessary. The impact of missions on personality trait categories of missionary adolescents seems negligible, but needs further research with methods that assure follow-up testing. These considerations could apply to other subpopulations and psychological tests.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Survey of rabies preexposure and postexposure prophylaxis among missionary personnel stationed outside the United States.

BACKGROUND: Of the 36 cases of human rabies that have occurred in the United States since 1980, 12 (33%) were presumed to have been acquired abroad. In the United States, it is recommended that international travelers likely to come in contact with animals in canine rabies-enzootic areas that lack immediate access to appropriate medical care, including vaccine and rabies immune globulin, should be considered for preexposure prophylaxis. In 1992, the death of an American missionary who had contracted rabies while stationed in Bangladesh highlighted this high-risk group. METHODS: To assess their knowledge of rabies risk, rabies exposures, and compliance with preventive recommendations, we asked 695 missionaries and their family members to complete questionnaires about their time stationed abroad. RESULTS: Of the 293 respondents stationed in countries where rabies is endemic, 37% reported prior knowledge of the presence of rabies in their country of service. Only 28% of the personnel stationed in rabies-endemic countries received preexposure prophylaxis. Having preexposure prophylaxis specifically recommended increased the likelihood of actually receiving it (O.R. 15.6, 95%CI 7.4 - 34.9). There were 38 reported exposures (dogs = 66%, another human = 20%), proven or presumed to be rabid. Three of the people exposed received rabies immune globulin and vaccine; 11 received vaccine alone; 8 received only basic first aid, and 16 received no treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Although American missionaries stationed abroad are at an increased risk for exposure to rabies, compliance with established preventive measures was low. Prior to being stationed abroad, an educational rabies-prevention briefing, including encouragement to receive preexposure prophylaxis, could be an effective intervention for missionaries to decrease their risk of rabies.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Analysis of services of medical missionaries during the late Yi-Dynasty and the era of the Japanese occupation of Korea].

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 on 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 were 133 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 Proppagation 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. ...

Christianity↗
PubMed1994

Effects of Ill Health on the Service of Scottish Presbyterian Missionaries 1867-1929.

The experience of Scottish Presbyterian missionaries serving overseas between 1867 and 1929 was analyzed. Data were compiled during a 4-year postgraduate research program from such sources as the General Assembly Reports of the Foreign Mission Committees of the Church of Scotland, numerous missionary magazines, school records, medical directories, and newspaper and medical journal obituaries. Data show that the year of appointment, the mission station and continent location, and medical knowledge were all influencing factors on the length of missionary service, early retirement on account of ill health, death in service, and age at death. This method of comparative, historical study may have further useful applications in looking at the health experience of other groups who lived and worked abroad at the turn of the century, such as civil servants, the military, or other comparable missionary groups.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

This mysterious and intangible enemy: health and disease amongst the early UMCA missionaries, 1860-1918.

From the first moment of the UMCA's incursion into the African interior, the greatest challenge it faced was the problem of mortality and morbidity. Between 1860 and 1918, over one-third of the mission staff were lost to death, or invalided out due to ill-health. This article tracks the institutional response to the problems of death and disease, and seeks to explain why, from the mid-1890s, there was a notable downward shift, both in the numbers of missionaries dying, and in the numbers forced to retire through sickness. For the first 35 years of the UMCA's existence, it paid little attention to establishing and enforcing a disease-management strategy. Health issues were left to the individual missionaries, and medical policy (in as much as the UMCA can be said to have had a 'policy' before the mid-1890s) was driven by the periphery. A mortality crisis in the 1890s refocused the attention of the Mission authorities on the need to establish more rigorous procedures for overcoming the impact of disease. Control over medical policy was centralized, and structures established for the better enunciation and enforcement of this policy. This institutional response ensured an improvement in the health environment of the missionaries, and consequent reductions in the impact of disease upon the UMCA.

Africa, Central↗
PubMed1990

High incidence of viral hepatitis among American missionaries in Africa.

Protestant missionaries (n = 360) serving in sub-Saharan Africa between 1967-1984 were studied to determine the risk of hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Personnel were serologically screened for antibody to both the hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV) and the surface antigen to the hepatitis B virus (anti-HBs) prior to departure, periodically during service abroad, and upon completion of their African tour. Rates of seroconversion were used as measures of the incidence of infection. Prior to service, 16% of the staff had anti-HAV and 3% had anti-HBs; post-service rates were 42% and 26%, respectively. Over 90% of the staff with greater than 20 years of service were seropositive for anti-HAV. For both viruses, the infection rate was highest during the first 1-2 years of service, when 28% of those susceptible to HAV and 11% of those susceptible to HBV became infected. Over the next decade, the median annual attack rate was 5.4% for HAV and 4.2% for HBV. Differences in the missionary HBV infection rate among the various African nations served tended to reflect differences in the magnitude of chronic HBV carriage among indigenous population groups. We conclude that missionaries to sub-Saharan Africa are at enhanced risk of both HAV and HBV infection, and that all should receive passive immunization with immune globulin and active immunization with hepatitis B vaccine.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1992

Mortality trends of American missionaries in Africa, 1945-1985.

Mortality trends of missionary staff serving in sub-Saharan Africa were tracked for the period 1945-1985. For 1945-1970, when more complete incidence data were available, the missionary death rate was approximately 40% lower, after adjustment, than would be expected in a comparable US population. This trend persisted through 1985. Between 1945 and 1970, the largest number of fatalities was attributable to malignancy, atherosclerosis, accidents, and infectious disease, and the greatest mortality risks, compared with the US experience, were from homicides, the complications of pregnancy, and infections, notably malaria, hepatitis, and polio. Beginning in the late 1950s, motor vehicle accidents became the leading cause of death. Since the 1960s, accidental causes of death have been approximately 50% higher than in the US, and homicides have been four times higher. During this same period, the infectious disease death rate decreased to approximately that within the US. Currently, the leading causes of mortality are motor vehicle accidents, malignancy, and atherosclerosis, followed by other accidental causes, notably aircraft mishaps and drownings. Viral hepatitis is presently the leading infectious disease cause of death. Other contemporary lethal infections include malaria, rabies, typhoid, Lassa fever, and retroviral infection. It was concluded that missionaries in sub-Saharan Africa had a death rate approximately half that expected in a comparable domestic control population. Preventive strategies, particularly relative to accident and infectious disease prevention, could effectively reduce mortality risk further.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1995

The risk of viral hepatitis A, B, C, and E among North American missionaries.

The seroprevalence and incidence of hepatitis A, B, C, and E virus infection were determined among North American missionaries (n = 328) serving in various geographic locations between 1967 and 1984. The mean age of subjects at entry into the study was 39.7 years (range 5-73 years); 65% were female; 89% had lived outside the United States before the study began. Seventy-eight percent of subjects served in sub-Saharan Africa during the study. At initial evaluation, 50.9% of the subjects had antibodies to hepatitis A virus (total anti-HAV), 8.5% to hepatitis B virus core antigen (total anti-HBc), 0.6% to hepatitis C virus (total anti-HCV by second-generation immunoblot assay), and 0% to hepatitis E virus (IgG anti-HEV). After an average period of service of 7.3 years (2,396 person-years total), 5.8% of the missionaries seroconverted to anti-HAV, 5.5% to anti-HBc, 0.6% to anti-HCV, and 0% to anti-HEV. This study indicates a relatively low risk of hepatitis C and E virus infection among missionaries while confirming the previously reported high risk of hepatitis A and B virus infection. Hepatitis A and B vaccination is recommended for long-term travelers to developing countries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

[Early missionary medicine in Taiwan].

Taiwan, as mainland China, first received modern medicine from Christian missionaries. Although Western medicine was introduced by the Dutch in the 17th century, it disappeared after their expulsion by Zheng Chenggong. It was not until 1865 when the British Presbyterian Church sent Dr. James Laidlow Maxwell to Taiwan to engage in medical and missionary work that Western medicine was able to take root in Taiwan. The last three decades of the 19th century were a key period in the development of modern medicine in Taiwan. This paper discusses three major figures in early missionary medicine in Taiwan, Dr. James Laidlow Maxwell, Rev. George Leslie Mackay, and Dr. David Landsborough and their contributions to the development of modern medicine in Taiwan.

History, 19th Century↗
PubMed1994

[The uniformity of medical terms in early period: a review on the work of China Medical Missionary Association].

Translation in medical terminology was a subject the medical missionaries encountered in China. The medical missionaries had done a lot of useful work in standardizing medical terms. Their work impelled the spread and development of Western medicine in China. It also laid a foundation for the uniformity of medical nomenclature. Unfortunately, this complex task was far beyond the reach of medical missionaries and had to leave it to those Chinese physicians who were well educated in modern medicine.

China↗
PubMed1991

A survey of the health of British missionaries.

The results of medical examinations carried out on 212 missionary personnel from one missionary society returning on leave to the UK are presented. The great majority of missionaries worked in developing countries. They served in 27 countries altogether and for a total of 488 person years. The commonest illnesses reported overseas were malaria (87.3 per 1000 person years at risk), diarrhoea (63.5), anxiety (63.5), depression (41.0) and giardiasis (38.9). More illnesses were reported from West Africa (698 per 1000 person years at risk) than from any other region. Ten people (4.7%) were repatriated for health reasons and 10 relatives also returned as a consequence. Sixty per cent of those returning did so because of psychiatric illness. The highest rates of immunization achieved were for yellow fever (100% of those travelling to affected countries), tetanus (93%), polio (85%), typhoid (71%) and tuberculosis (53%). The results of urinalysis (100% of adults), full blood counts (78% of adults) and stool tests (74% of all people) are reported. The study shows that the history and psychiatric examination are an important part of the medical examination of people returning from overseas. Physical examination and urinalysis did not contribute much information, although the full blood count and absolute eosinophil count were useful tests.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Missionary health: the great omission.

North American mission boards were surveyed to identify and prioritize missionary medical problems and determine initiatives for improving health. Malaria was the most common nontrivial medical complaint, and viral hepatitis the most serious. Nevertheless, only 72 percent of boards recommend malaria prophylaxis, 57 percent ascribe to regular immune globulin use, and 31 percent advocate hepatitis B immunization. Sub-Saharan Africa was considered the region of the world where missionary health was most in peril. Besides strategies to minimize the risks of malaria and hepatitis, recommendations for improving missionary health include greater use of rabies and typhoid vaccines; increased attention to mental health concerns and accident prevention, particularly seat belt use; increased health education regarding both clinical issues and public health principles; improved scheduling for relaxation and family time; and greater availability of comprehensive health services before departing, while abroad, and upon returning from an overseas assignment.

Christianity↗
PubMed1995

Inadequate basic preventive health measures: survey of missionary children in sub-Saharan Africa.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of basic preventive health measures for missionary children of sub-Saharan Africa. DESIGN: A retrospective survey of the immunization status, water and vegetable treatment, malaria prophylaxis and prevention, fluoride prophylaxis, immune globulin (human) prophylaxis, and preventive education was completed on 35 missionary children, aged 8 months to 17 years (7.3 year average), from several sub-Saharan African countries. RESULTS: Immunizations were incomplete in 91% of the children. Preventive measures were inappropriate for water treatment in 16%, cleaning of vegetables in 35%, malaria prophylaxis and prevention in 81%, fluoride prophylaxis in 84%, and immune globulin (human) prophylaxis in 94% of veteran children. Blood type was unknown in 86% and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase status was unknown in all children. Sixty seven percent of the children recently examined received no preventive education. CONCLUSIONS: Missionary children of sub-Saharan Africa are not provided necessary preventive health services. Physicians and agencies working with these children must provide appropriate preventive health guidance and services.

Africa↗