History
In mainland China, the Fathers, Brothers, and Sisters organized neighborhood clinics to give basic medicine and medical care to the locals. Before leaving for the missions, most Maryknollers received basic medical training, and some went on to become nurses or doctors before going to the missions. So in most villages where Maryknollers lived, some kind of medical aid was available.
Depending on a particular Maryknoller’s medical knowledge, they could provide a person with basic medications like aspirin and cough syrup, or with more advanced treatments like vaccinations and minor surgery. The Maryknollers provided treatment for burns, cuts, colds, broken bones, skin diseases, parasites, contagious illnesses like cholera, dental problems, eye diseases, and other injuries and illnesses. The Maryknollers also taught the people about basic hygiene and sanitation. Those who were interested learned to treat illnesses and injuries themselves. This way, if the Maryknollers left, someone would be able to take care of the people’s medical needs. These clinics in mainland China operated until the early 1950s, when all Maryknollers were expelled by the Chinese government.
The Sisters opened similar clinics in Hong Kong in the 1920s. They opened a larger clinic in 1940, which closed during World War II, and in 1955 they opened a new clinic to serve the resettled refugees who came to Hong Kong during and after the War. By 1961, the Sisters operated four clinics across Hong Kong.
In addition to neighborhood clinics, the Fathers and Brothers established leper colonies at Sunwui and Ngaimoon for those suffering from Hanson’s disease. The colonies grew out of the medical work already being done by lay missioner Dr. Harry Blaber, Fr. Joseph Sweeney, and other Fathers and Brothers in and around Toishan. People with the disease were banished from their homes and had no way to earn a living or get medical treatment. To build the colonies, the Maryknollers raised money to pay for proper houses, wells, fruit and vegetable gardens, and daily medicine. Although there was no cure for the disease, patients in these colonies could receive free treatment and live as comfortably as possible. The colony in Sunwui lasted from 1933 to 1937, and the colony in Ngaimoon from 1937 to 1953.
Maryknollers also established and worked in several hospitals. Dr. Blaber opened Sacred Heart Hospital in Toishan, Kongmoon, in 1932. This hospital served more than 13,000 patients a year and included a laboratory, pharmacy, operating room, and 30-bed ward. The hospital operated until 1941 and re-opened in 1947 under the direction of Maryknoll Sisters Dominic Marie Turner and Maria Corazon Jaramillo, who also operated an outpatient clinic. The hospital closed in 1952, when the Sisters and other staff were either arrested or forced to leave Toishan by the government.
From 1936 to 1938, the Sisters staffed Shanghai Mercy Hospital, a hospital for those suffering from mental illness. The Sisters worked with the female patients, while a group of German Brothers of Charity worked with the male patients. But after the Japanese invasion of Shanghai in 1937, the hospital’s financial condition became tenuous, and it was taken over by the Franciscan Sisters of Mercy in 1938.
After decades of providing medical aid in clinics, the Sisters opened Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital in Kowloon, Hong Kong, on August 16, 1961. The hospital provided inpatient and outpatient services, and was well-regarded by the community. The Sisters ran the hospital, serving as nurses, doctors, pastoral care providers, and administrators. In 1991, it became a public hospital and grew into a 200+ bed facility providing inpatient, outpatient, and ambulatory services. Some Sisters continue to work at Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital as pastoral care providers and hospital volunteers.
Collections Related to Medical Care
MFBA China Missions Collection, Series 1-4
MFBA Mission Diaries Collection, Series 2 Subseries 1 and 4-7
MFBA Newsletters, Series 2 Subseries 1
MFBA China History Project Records, Series 7 Subseries 3-5
MSA China-Hong Kong-Macau Missions Collection, Series 4-8, 10-11
MSA Mission Diaries Collection, Series 2 Subseries 2-9