2015 Chuan Lyu Lectures in Taiwan Studies Lecture 1 "Modern Medicine in Taiwan during the Missionary Period (1865-1895)"

Mon 18 May 2015

Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Faculty of

2015 Chuan Lyu Lectures in Taiwan Studies

Dr LAI Chi-Wan
Medical Doctor and Educator, Taiwan

The Making of Modern Medicine in Taiwan, 1865 to the Present

Monday, 18th May, 2015
5pm in Rooms 8 & 9 (Ground Floor)
Faculty of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies (Sidgwick Site)

Lecture 1: Modern Medicine in Taiwan during the Missionary Period (1865-1895)

This is the period when Western medicine was first introduced to Taiwan by foreign missionaries, some of whom were also medical doctors. I will particularly introduce three major figures: James Laidlaw Maxwell (1836-1921), George Leslie MacKay (1844-1901), and David Landsborough III (1870-1957). I shall focus on how these missionaries are remembered in my homeland, especially how they conquered public fear, misunderstanding, and resistance to Western medicine, and left legacies in how they cared for the ill. I also wish to share some of my fond memories of Dr. Landsborough’s son, the late Dr David Landsborough IV, who served at the hospital his father had founded. Lastly, I shall explain how Taiwan has transformed from being a “receiver” to a “provider” of such international good-will and charity.

Dr. LAI Chi-Wan graduated from the Medical College of National Taiwan University in 1969. He completed his neurology and psychiatry residency training at National Taiwan University Hospital (1970-1974) and neurology residency/epilepsy fellowship at the University of Minnesota Hospitals (1975-1979). Before his return to Taiwan in 1998, he was a Professor of Neurology with the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He then served as the Dean of the College of Medicine and Vice President of Tzu Chi University in Taiwan until 2001. He served as Chairman of the Medical Education Committee, Ministry of Education in Taiwan, and Chairman of the Taiwan Medical Accreditation Council.

Cost: Free entry