Few readers of the Recorder will object to the first two articles in the September number being devoted to Medical Mission work in Corea, As a rule missionaries now are not behindhand in sympathy to Bishop Verroles, an early worker in Corea, who wrote, in 1843; "the divine charity embraces all the world, the Scythian and the barbarian, from the Ichthyophagi of Saghalien to the Negro of Niger." "Dr.
J. Hall's paper on *Pioncer Medical Missionary Work in the interior of Corea," is full of happy enthusiasm, unobtrusive yet infectious, It ix pleasant to read of a Former patient's gratitude and its. practical outlet; of the Governor's testimony to the foreigner's character; und of: the people's eagerness to listen to and be doctored, once their fears were allayed. And much need the people have of the medical missionary's aid. When the sick are without friends here," says Dr. Hall, "they have a hard time; often they are put out on the city wall to die, and frequently we find them before it is too late and take them to the hospital, where they are clothed and fed, and with proper treatment in a good room they soon recover." From the few facts fanyers, and. privations the pioneer mis-ven it is easily apparent what, hardships,
sionary in Corea has 10 unch Phe article on Woman's Medical Mission Work, Seoul, Corea," by Rosetta Sherwood "Hall, M.D. is written in a bright and graphic manner. With her happy style of description we quite enjoy our peop into the operating room; Intead of being repelled by and developing " distaste for instruments and sponges, we become interested ina brave and helpful new assistant, who before she came could neither read nor write her native tongue, but in a few months at the girls' school learned both. Her first experiences led to an_unpremeditated offering up of her breakfast, but that did not deter her from returning and bravely helping all through the operation.
"Asshowing the growth of woman'smedical work in Seoul, we quote Dr. Hall's own words; During my first year here I treated 2,476 cases among all classes, the highest and the lowest; 277 of these were surgical cases and 77 were calls to patients in their homes; last year the number of cases treated was 4,023,—397 of which were surgical and 140 calls to the homes, and the work thus far this year promises to outgrow the last. We have added three new wards to our hospital, one pleasant room of which is for children. We are also building a new operating-room."
In connection with hare-lip operations we come upon some awkward results of the Corean custom of husband and wife never scving each other before marriage. Yo show that the disappointments are not always on the part of the husbands, reference is made to the personal experience of a patient who jumped into a well to drown herself, because she did not love her_husband. "From the fact that the would-be suicide tells the story, we infer that she did not succeed in the attempt. We do not. doubt. the story, for, as the saying goes, truth came out of a well so did she.
Encouraging facts are given as to how many are first interested in the gospel by what they hear in the hospital, and the manner in which work is followed up in the homes of former patients. The risks of such visits are considerable. We are told of one case where the salt for the egos hospitably provided, was brought in the hand of a servant who had been seen a little before carrying a child broken out with small-pox. "When she came in later on with the same sick baby to watch the visitors eat, it was found she had also peded the' chestnuts and oranges, and removed the shells from the boiled eggs they had enjoyed Dr. Hall tells also of some of the ways in which her patients have been treated by Corean doctors:—Many have scars, where they have been burned with red-hot irons, for this or that trouble. I have removed several tumors, the skin over which had thus been burned. I am treating a woman now, who for a pain in her ara was burned so deeply that the tissue sloughed down to the muscle, and she had erysipelas in her whole arm and shoulder. " Yesterday I withdrew 96 ounces of fluid from a woman with dropsy, who had been burned in three places nearly through the abdominal walls. She remarked, as the fluid flowed away, that she had no further use for Corean doctors. Many a wrist and ankle have been made to need amputation by having needles stuck in them for a mere sprain. Ihave treated abscesses that had been poulticed with human feces; one woman with curvature of the spine was given a decoction of snakes after the Corean doctor (?) had failed with the hot iron treatment; another poor sick woman gave a history of having sucked the syphilitic sores of her husband cure him! Some other modes of treatment with their terrible results would be too improper to relate.
Following these come various articles which will receive more or less attention according to the particular bent of the reader.—Whilst all will agree as to the injunction of faithfully following New Testament principles, many will object to Dr. P. Crawford's contention in his article, "Churches and the Commission," that the execution of the commission is committed
church of ularly worsl rin christians to every organised congregation of local rather than to what Di Crawford calls representative assemblies or to external organisations of any kind. Mr. Cook's sketch of the late. P. Keasberry gives many details of n work among the Malays, and all he tells of the devoted life and abundant labours of his hero, makes it easily understood how Mr. Keas-berry's name has become a household word Singapore. The Rev. A. Sydenstricker emphasises the great importance the Saviour attached to the teaching and training of his disciples, and subjoins to his article six practical inferences with regard to the importance of missionaries following their Master's example.
'The story of Lum Toon and his wife, so full of pathos and inspiration will be a treat for the readers of the Recorder, and we imagine that many, besides educa: tionalists, will find an echo, or rather a better' expression of their feelings, as well as a stimulus, in Dr. A. P. Parker's remarks on Our Opportunity." It is shown that China's need is the measure of the opportunity that now is open for so planting Western education the soil of Chine, that 8 will baooiie and self-perpetuating, " Space forbids uy, indigenous growth, self-propagatin,
however, pointing, out the, wany, good things in Dr, Parker's article, or in his admirable review, in "Our Book Table," of Dr. Pilcher's "Physical Geography, or in the other interesting matter that makes up the September number, The Messenger, Vol. VI, No. 9, September, 1893. Shanghai, American Presbyterian Mission Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.