John Glasgow Kerr (November 30, 18241901) was an American medical missionary and philanthropist who helped establish The Canton Hospital, also known as the Ophthalmic Hospital, in Canton, China.
Kerr was born in Dunkinsville, Ohio and graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He arrived in Canton in May 1854 with his wife to run the Huiji Dispensary of the Presbyterian Mission and the Canton Hospital (1855); Kerr served as superintendent of the hospital for 45 years. In 1859, Kerr opened Boji (boji meaning spreading benevolence) Hospital, located in Zhengsha Street in a southern suburb of Canton. In 1860, Kerr opened of the second dispensary in Foshan, later becoming the largest hospital in the city. In 1899, Kerr opened the first mental hospital in China.
During his time in Canton, Kerr treated 39,440 inpatients and 740,324 outpatients from 4,000 villages.
Early life
John Glasgow Kerr was born on November 30, 1824. After his father's death, Kerr moved to Virginia to live with his uncle. In 1840, he started college in Granville, Ohio. Kerr studied medicine at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and graduated in 1847. He married Abby Lucy Kingsbury (1829–1855) in 1853 before leaving to become a medical missionary in China.
Career
Mission
Kerr believed that medical missionaries should influence political and social reforms. "To introduce these institutions into lands where they do not exist is an important part of the duty of medical missionaries." (Kerr, 1895, p. 11) Kerr regarded physicians as powerful and in a position of honor with the obligation to others because medicine is "a profession of benevolence." (Xu, 2011, p. 195).
Kerr also believed that American general practitioners needed to persuade the Chinese to abandon what was described as outdated and "hostile" customs in order to adopt Western culture and the natural laws. Kerr advocated free medical services for Chinese patients because he felt fees interfered with the healing of the sick and the spirit of Christianity.
Hospitals
Ophthalmic Hospital
Peter Parker established the Ophthalmic Hospital in Canton on November 4, 1835. After a few months, the hospital expanded to hold more than 200 people. The hospital performed the first ophthalmological surgery, the first ovariotomy, the first lithocystotomy, the first etherization, and the first pathological anatomy in China. The hospital also had China's first X-ray film shot and the first medical magazine printed. The Ophthalmic Hospital was later called the Boji Hospital. Kerr opened a Vaccine Department at the hospital in 1859, offering free smallpox vaccinations to Cantonese children. Kerr also published informational pamphlets on the importance of vaccinations.
Medical Missionary Society's Hospital
The Medical Missionary Society's Hospital was located on the Pearl River on Yan-tsai Street in Canton. It included 10 buildings and 300 patient beds. The hospital was managed and funded by the Medical Missionary Society.. Parker opened the Medical Missionary Society's Hospital in 1839 and was succeeded by John Kerr as physician in charge.
Mental hospital
Kerr retired from the Canton Hospital in 1899 to devote his time to caring for the mentally ill. In China, it was public custom to treat for the person as a whole, including mental syndromes. The most common treatments in 19th century China included: shackles, fetters, herb medicines, acupuncture, toxin liquid therapy, and magic words or formulas.
In 1872, Kerr appealed to the Medical Missionary Society to build a mental hospital in China. Between 1876 and 1880, Kerr campaigned for the necessary and rightful treatment of patients with mental illnesses in their own, designated hospitals. Kerr believed in treating and curing the mentally ill rather than isolating them from society. However, neither the city government or the Canton Medical Missionary Society wanted to fund a mental hospital.
Kerr used his own money to purchase 17 acres in Fangcun (southwestern Canton) as a building site for the hospital. With donors and assistance, two buildings were erected . He attended to 50 patients at the hospital before his death. The John G. Kerr Refuge for the Insane operated until 1937.