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Peter Parker (physician)
Encyclopedia
Peter Parker was an American physician
and a missionary
who introduced Western medical techniques into Qing Dynasty
China. It was said that Parker "opened China to the gospel at the point of a lancet."
in 1804 to an orthodox Congregational
family. His parents were farmers. Parker received a B.A.
degree from Yale University
in 1831, and his M.D.
degree from the Yale Medical School, then called Medical Institution of Yale College, in 1834. In January 1834, he completed his theological studies at Yale and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister.
, where he had the distinction of being the first full-time Protestant medical missionary to China. In 1835, he opened in that city the Ophthalmic Hospital, which later became the Guangzhou Boji Hospital
(the Canton Hospital). Parker specialized in diseases of the eye, including cataract
s, and also resected tumor
s. Parker also introduced Western anesthesia
in the form of sulphuric ether
. He served as president of the Medical Missionary Society of China
after his mentor Thomas Richardson Colledge
.
In 1844, Parker worked as Caleb Cushing
's main interpreter during the negotiations of the Treaty of Wanghia
with the Qing Empire. The treaty stipulated that it could be renegotiated after 12 years and in 1856, president Franklin Pierce
sent Parker to China in order to revise the treaty and gain more concessions from the Qing Empire, but was eventually unsuccessful in this endeavor.
, a Western-trained Chinese painter. Parker commissioned Lam Qua to paint patients at the Canton Hospital with large tumors or other major deformities. Some of the paintings are part of a collection of Lam Qua's work held by the Peter Parker Collection at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library
at Yale University. Parker left these portraits to the Pathology Department of the Yale Medical School, which later gave them to the Library.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
who introduced Western medical techniques into Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
China. It was said that Parker "opened China to the gospel at the point of a lancet."
Early life
Parker was born in Framingham, MassachusettsFramingham, Massachusetts
Framingham is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 68,318 as of the United States 2010 Census. -History:...
in 1804 to an orthodox Congregational
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
family. His parents were farmers. Parker received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1831, and his M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
degree from the Yale Medical School, then called Medical Institution of Yale College, in 1834. In January 1834, he completed his theological studies at Yale and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister.
China
In February 1834, Parker traveled to CantonGuangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, where he had the distinction of being the first full-time Protestant medical missionary to China. In 1835, he opened in that city the Ophthalmic Hospital, which later became the Guangzhou Boji Hospital
Guangzhou Boji Hospital
The Guangzhou Boji Hospital, Ophthalmic Hospital in Canton also known as the Canton Pok Tsai Hospital was a hospital in Guangzhou, Guangdong founded in November 4, 1835 by Peter Parker as an Ophthalmic hospital. In about 1854, John Glasgow Kerr became its director. In 1886 the hospital education...
(the Canton Hospital). Parker specialized in diseases of the eye, including cataract
Cataract
A cataract is a clouding that develops in the crystalline lens of the eye or in its envelope, varying in degree from slight to complete opacity and obstructing the passage of light...
s, and also resected tumor
Tumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
s. Parker also introduced Western anesthesia
Anesthesia
Anesthesia, or anaesthesia , traditionally meant the condition of having sensation blocked or temporarily taken away...
in the form of sulphuric ether
Diethyl ether
Diethyl ether, also known as ethyl ether, simply ether, or ethoxyethane, is an organic compound in the ether class with the formula . It is a colorless, highly volatile flammable liquid with a characteristic odor...
. He served as president of the Medical Missionary Society of China
Medical Missionary Society of China
The Medical Missionary Society in China was a Protestant medical missionary society established in Canton, China, in 1838. The first work of the society was to support the ophthalmic hospital in Canton run by Dr. Peter Parker, a medical missionary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign...
after his mentor Thomas Richardson Colledge
Thomas Richardson Colledge
Thomas Richardson Colledge was a Scottish surgeon with the East India Company at Guangzhou who served part-time as the first medical missionary in China. In 1837 he founded and served as the first president of the Medical Missionary Society of China.-Life:Colledge was born in 1796, and received...
.
In 1844, Parker worked as Caleb Cushing
Caleb Cushing
Caleb Cushing was an American diplomat who served as a U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts and Attorney General under President Franklin Pierce.-Early life:...
's main interpreter during the negotiations of the Treaty of Wanghia
Treaty of Wanghia
The Treaty of Wanghia , is a diplomatic agreement between the Qing Dynasty of China and the United States, signed on 3 July 1844 in the Kun Iam Temple...
with the Qing Empire. The treaty stipulated that it could be renegotiated after 12 years and in 1856, president Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...
sent Parker to China in order to revise the treaty and gain more concessions from the Qing Empire, but was eventually unsuccessful in this endeavor.
Lam Qua portraits
While in China, Parker met Lam QuaLam Qua
Lam Qua , or Kwan Kiu Cheong , was a Chinese painter from the Canton province in Ch'ing Dynasty China, who specialized in Western-style portraits intended largely for Western clients. Lam Qua was the first Chinese portrait painter to be exhibited in the West. He is known for his medical...
, a Western-trained Chinese painter. Parker commissioned Lam Qua to paint patients at the Canton Hospital with large tumors or other major deformities. Some of the paintings are part of a collection of Lam Qua's work held by the Peter Parker Collection at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library
Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library
The Harvey Cushing and John Hay Whitney Medical Library is the central library of the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. Previously known as the Yale Medical Library, it is one of the finest modern medical libraries...
at Yale University. Parker left these portraits to the Pathology Department of the Yale Medical School, which later gave them to the Library.
Reference
Edward V. Gulick. Peter Parker and the Opening of China. (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, Harvard Studies in American-East Asian Relations 3, 1973). ISBN 0674663268.External links
- Peter Parker Collection Yale University
- Chang, J. A reconstructive surgeon's taste in art: Dr Peter Parker and the Lam Qua oil paintings Ann Plast Surg. (1993)
- Christopher Gundman, "Peter Parker," Biographical Dictionary of Christianity in China http://www.bdcconline.net/en/stories/p/parker-peter.php
- Hume, Edward Peter Parker and the Introduction of Anesthesia into China Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences (1946)
- Rachman, Stephen Memento Morbi: Lam Qua’s Paintings, Peter Parker’s Patients Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities, Vanderbilt University