| The author's purpose is to reconstruct the historical facts of the medical service in the areas founded by the Border Service Department of Church of Christ in China (hereafter as BSDCC) .The July 7th Incident of 1937 marked the beginning of Japan's all-out attack upon China. The Nanjing National Government, was heavily threatened and was forced to remove its capital to Chongqing. Along with it, many industries, colleges and social organizations removed to the West. Christian organizations also diverted its center of missionary work to the Southwest China one after another because they could not be protected effectively and were badly injured in the war. The historical position of the Southwest China, which was so-called border areas then, suddenly ascended. Out of concern for the urgent need of constructing the rear base, the National Government came to pay its attention to the Southwest border areas and took many measures to develop it. But the Southwest border was backward and its social situation was unsatisfactory, which made difficulties to the National Government to build the Southwest border areas, but also provided unprecedented historical chances to Christian missionary work.Under the advocacy of Chen Jingyi and with the help of the National Government, the BSDCC was established, which aimed at taking social service and preaching the Gospel for the people in the Southwest border areas. The BSDCC had three service areas. One was in the west of Sichuan Province, the second was in the center of Xichang, the capital of Xikang Province and the third was in Yunnan Province.The BSDCC build up special medical organizations in the west of Sichuan as well as in the Service Areas of Xichang. Yunnan Service Areas did not carry out medical work because of its short existence.In the west of Sichuan, the BSDCC mainly set up Weizhou hospital, Zagu-nao hospital and the united hospital cooperated with the Lixian Government. The daily work in the West-Sichuan service areas included treating the patients at the clinic and having physical examinations for the people during making a circuit treatment around the villages. Besides these, some medical activities were launched by theclinics of some schools and by the primary training classes of nurses. In the Xikang Service Areas, the BSDCC founded several hospitals and clinics, such as Xichang center hospital, Hesi clinic, Dechang clinic, Luojia-chang clinic, Sikai clinic, Puwei clinic and midwifery training classes etc. These medical organizations carried out long-term daily medical service for the people in the border district. In addition, the BSDCC organized the student service teams to serve for the people of West Sichuan and Xikang. All of these were helpful to the people and extended the influence of the BSDCC.During the course of serving for the people in the borderland, the BSDCC organized experts and workers to study how to delve the special laws of the local illnesses such as Kala-azar and Goitre to serve the people in the borderland better. These medical service and study, to a certain extent, solved the problems that the border people heavily suffered from the illness, and spread the modern medical knowledge, changed the bad habits and customs, stimulated the development of the medical and health undertakings, and contributed to scientific research in medicine. As a kind of social service work launched by Christianty,the medical and health works had close ties with the preaching the Gospel. In the course of service, the BSDCC carried out a lot of works to preach the Gospel. However, the aim of preaching in China transferred from preaching directly in the past to attaching importance to promoting of the social reform and progress. The position of preaching the Gospel simply was not outstanding in the border service.The border service underwent three different periods, namely, the War of Resistance Against Japan, the War of Liberation, and the initial post- liberation period. But the main service work was carried out in the first two periods. |
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