Encountering Modernity: Christianity in East Asia and Asian America

Chapter 6. Between Mission and Medicine: The Early History of Severance Hospital

140 6 Between Mission and Medicine The Early History of Severance Hospital Yunjae Park In 1994 Severance Hospital, one of the leading hospitals in Korea, proclaimed its mission to, “with the love of God, free humankind from disease and suffering.” It also manifested its vision “to be the most reliable medical institution, following in the footsteps of Missionaries, Allen, Avison, and donor philanthropist Severance.”1 As its mission and vision show, Severance Hospital has introduced itself as a Christian hospital and, to realize its vision, it established in 2001 a Center for Medical Mission that aims to support activities of Korean medical missionaries. It is clear that Christianity is the guiding spirit of the hospital. It was not, however, a Christian hospital from the beginning although it was established in 1885 by Horace Allen, an American medical missionary. As Korea then prohibited missionary work, even after opening itself to foreign countries in 1876, a missionary like Allen had to disguise himself as a medical doctor. In the process of founding Jejungwon, a predecessor of Severance Hospital , he had to stress that he was planning to establish a new Western-style hospital rather than a missionary one. Formally, it was a government or royal hospital, but it was a missionary hospital and a base for missionary work to Allen. The main theme of the history of Severance Hospital until 1894 was the struggle to transform the hospital into a purely missionary hospital. Even y. park 141 after a successful change, the job was not complete. It had to deal with the Japanese colonial government, which had a mixed attitude toward missionaries . As Japan was not a Christian country, missionaries were required to cooperate with the government to achieve their goals. Severance Hospital had to adjust to this changing environment. Balancing between mission and medicine was the fate of a missionary hospital like Severance Hospital in order to survive in a non-Christian country. Investigating the case of Severance Hospital, this chapter shows how it was transformed into a Christian hospital from a governmental one and how the medical missionary negotiated with government authorities in a non-Christian land. In conducting this investigation, this chapter highlights the ways in which Christianity emerged and grew with the help of medical work in Korea. Even after Korea opened itself to Western powers, the government prohibited the spread of Christianity because the Korean ruling elite, who were Sinocentric, believed that Christianity collided with traditional Confucian belief.2 It was a natural reaction for a country like Korea that had been accustomed to Confucian thought for more than five hundred years. The reaction and response by Koreans toward Western science and technology was different. The idea spread rapidly among Koreans that Western science and technology could be effective in making Korea a wealthy and mighty country. Indeed, Western medicine was regarded as a crucial component of Western science and technology. Koreans thought it could cure wounded soldiers more successfully than Eastern medicine. They also thought it could contribute to the protection of people’s lives by preventing the spread of contagious diseases.3 As early as 1884, a Korean newspaper printed an article demanding the establishment of Western medical schools at major ports.4 The question was how to teach Western medicine to Koreans. At the time, there were no Koreans who were skilled enough to give instruction in Western medicine. Hiring a foreign medical doctor was a practical way to overcome this problem. The opportunity to hire a foreigner to teach Western medicine came from an unexpected direction with the arrival of Horace N. Allen as the first Protestant missionary in Korea in 1884. In addition to being a missionary, Allen was a medical doctor. He had stayed in Shanghai for his first field mission and wanted to move farther north, where the environment would be more comfortable for his wife, who was about to give birth. Fortunately for Allen, an American Presbyterian mis- 142 chapter 6 sion had launched a plan to expand its mission base to Korea, which had once been regarded as one of the lands most hostile to Christianity, and decided to send Allen as its first missionary.5 On his arrival in Korea, Allen had to conceal his true purpose, pretending to be a medical doctor affiliated with the American legation. In less than four months, he was fortunate enough to have a chance to treat a high...