Studies on the doctor-patient relationship in early Chinese missionary hospitals

Abstract

During the 19th century, missionary hospitals were set up by the missionaries in China, establishing a new doctor-patient relationship with doctors at the dominant position. In the early Chinese missionary hospitals, the doctor-patient relationship was relatively good, which could be seen from Chinese people's feelings of gratitude to the medical missionaries. The early missionary hospitals were totally controlled by the western Christians during the 1820-1860. Such good doctor-patient relationship was the results of common action of multiple factors, including Christianity, free medical charges, management idea based on humanism, the idea of the hospitals to avoid medical risks, family concept in traditional Chinese culture and so on.