James Boyd Neal And The Progression Of Western Medicine In Modern Shandong

James Boyd Neal(1855-1925),a medical missionary of the American Presbyterian Mission,came to China in 1883.He practised medicine and trained physicians in Tengchow and Jinan in succession.He is considered the main founder of modern medicine in Shandong.His ideas on medical education and his participation in the review of Chinese medical terminology profoundly influenced the transformation of medical missionary enterprise in China and modern Chinese medicine.There have not been any systematic academic studies on James Boyd Neal.This paper intends to explore the historical context of the transformation from traditional medicine to modern medicine based on the various activities Neal was involved in for the 39 years he stayed in China.This process caused the evolution of medical space,the emergence of a new type of doctor-patient relationship,the standardization of Chinese medical terminology,and the rooting of the college education system in local society.The study of the social landscape in Tengchow and Jinan during the late Qing Dynasty shows that the scarcity of local medical resources provided by the government and society often left the people helpless in the face of illnesses such as eye or skin related diseases.This everyday reality became a key element in the establishment of medical missionary enterprise in Shandong.Neal’s treatments had taken firm root in the region.He reconstructed the behavior and logic of patients that were seeking help through the church medical space,thereby establishing a "fiduciary" doctor-patient relationship.At the same time,Neal carried out the training of local doctors based on actual circumstances.By the late 1880s,his idea of medical education had taken shape,with comprehensive training,Chinese teaching,and co-operation in teaching forming its core elements.In the 1890s,despite the many obstacles described below,Neal successfully trained the first group of modern medical talents for Shandong with the"Peripatetic Class" model.In his medical education work,the most intractable problem for Neal was the lack of quality Chinese medical textbooks.This motivated him to translate three works himself in the 1890s:Yan Ke Zheng Zhi,Hua Xue Bian Zhi,and Pi Fu Zheng Zhi.The publication of these works corrected the false and unfounded evidence in the books on the market at the time and disseminated more cutting-edge and accurate modern scientific knowledge.Neal also participated in and led a series of terminology standardization campaigns organized by missionary groups in China.However,due to cultural,philosophical,personnel,and temporal constraints,the above efforts ultimately failed to achieve the results expected by Neal and others.In the early years of the Republic of China,Neal,together with the Chinese Medical Association and other local academic groups,started a new round of standardization of medicine nomenclature and eventually formed the modern medical expression system accepted by the Chinese society.In addition to "Chinese Translation of Western Works",Neal also paid special attention to scientific research.During his 39 years in China,he conducted research in various fields such as therapeutics,ophthalmology,pharmacology,nutrition,and infectious diseases.Neal tried to use his research result to combine modern medical theory and technology with local reality to guide clinical practice and improve people’s health awareness.As the landscape of Christian movements in China changed in the 20th century,Neal adapted,promoted,and practiced his medical education system accordingly.He gradually transformed his idea of regional co-operation education from a peripheral model to the preferred method among medical missionaries in China through platforms such as the China Medical Missionary Association and the China Medical Missionary Journal.His ideas gained traction in places such as Shandong and Beijing,shaping the future structure of Christian universities in China.Neal himself was based at Cheeloo University,seeking opportunities and resources as the administrator of the school,and leading the medical college to develop and grow,until medicine became a dominant discipline of the University.During this journey,the university’s relocation,the change of principals,the student movements intertwined with the Revolution of 1911,the May Fourth Movement,and other major historical events were all factors that influenced Neal.The turbulent situation and the rise of nationalism greatly reshaped Neal’s understanding and orientation toward his work in his later years.In summary,during his time in China,Neal facilitated the transformation of patients’ medical-care-seeking behavior,unified medicine nomenclature,established a standardized college education system.He also made great contributions to the creation and development of institutions such as the China Medical Missionary Association and Cheeloo University,proving himself an outstanding example in the progression of western medicine in Shandong.