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6. “The Thing Has Come at Last”
- Rutgers University Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
c h a p t e r 6 “The Thing Has Come at Last” Wellcome Historical Medical Museum, which moved to its current location on Euston Road in 1932, was founded by Sir Henry S. Wellcome (1853–1936), a pharmacist and entrepreneur. Specializing in the history of medicine and science, this unique institute has been considered “the first and best medical museum in the world.”1 Its Oriental Department has extensive Indian, Tibetan, Chinese, and Japanese collections. In March 1938, Chiang Yee, whose teaching position at SOS was in jeopardy, came for a job interview with the director, P. J. Johnston-Saint. They talked about the Chinese and Japanese collections of the museum, and Johnston-Saint showed him the Chinese exhibits. Later that day, Yee prepared a thank-you letter, expressing his interest in the job. He was to leave for Ireland, but he would contact the museum again as soon as he returned in two weeks. He seemed comfortable in promoting himself. The letter was on his personal stationery, bearing his Parkhill Road address and the pen name “The Silent Traveller” printed on the top. He mentioned that he had already published three books, prospectuses of which were included.2 As promised, Yee wrote Johnston-Saint again on April 19 after his return from the trip. In addition to reaffirming his confidence and interest in the job, he asked for another meeting to discuss the job. He wrote the letter with a brush pen on fine-textured absorbent paper, which contained colored woodblock printed flower painting. The cursive lines and strokes of his writing, with slight variations in width and speed, glided and flowed gracefully against the colorful background. It was eye-catching and aesthetically appealing. Yee was hired to work in the Japanese and Chinese sections of the museum, beginning on May 6. His job was to help the museum arrange an exhibit on the history of Chinese medicine. He worked every Friday, and from June 28, when his term at the SOS ended, he worked three days per week. The museum paid him 2 guineas for every day he worked.3 He earned a reputation as being thoughtful and sensitive. Whenever he decided 83 chiang yee 84 to take on a project, he would plunge in and come up with fresh ideas. Immediately after his first visit to the museum, he began to consider the best way to arrange Chinese exhibits. He had observed that many European museums had “a lot of difficulties” in proper presentation of their Chinese collections.4 In his opinion, a chronological arrangement of the Wellcome exhibits would not do justice to the complex and rich medical history of China. He visited Dr. Harold Balme on May 12, and the two discussed this subject in detail. Both believed that it would be “far better” to present the exhibits in four thematic categories: 1) folklore in relation to sickness and death; 2) the Chinese conception of the human body; 3) Chinese pharmacology; 4) medical and surgical practice.5 Balme then submitted a proposal to Johnston-Saint and mentioned that Yee had “most generously offered” to make “a set of illustrative pictures” which “should make the whole section of the museum vivid and interesting to all visitors in a way that a mere collection of old and dusty exhibits will never do.”6 The war situation in China was a constant concern to Yee. After the fall of Nanjing and Shanghai, the Nationalist government retreated to Hankou, and northern Jiangxi on the Yangtze River became strategically critical to its defense. It was believed that the fall of Jiangxi would mean the loss of the entire south of China. In June 1938, the Japanese started its campaign to conquer Hankou. Jiangxi thus became the frontline for fierce battles on an unprecedented scale. Madang and Pengze Counties fell on June 27 and 29, respectively. A week later, Hukou was conquered and the passage from Poyang Lake to the Yangtze River was blocked. On July 25, Jiujiang fell. The Japanese armies slaughtered hundreds of villagers and burned down numerous houses, turning villages and towns into debris and wreckage. According to incomplete data, 313,249 Chinese in Jiangxi were killed, and 191,201 were wounded. Among the dead were 33,900 children and 84,379 women.7 Ji had been caring for Yee’s family as well as his own. In spring of 1938, both families evacuated to Yichang of Hubei Province, planning to move farther...