John Glasgow Kerr

Kerr also believed that American general practitioners needed to persuade the Chinese to abandon what was described as outdated and "hostile" customs in order to adopt Western culture and the natural laws.

Kerr advocated free medical services for Chinese patients because he felt fees interfered with the healing of the sick and the spirit of Christianity.

[3] The hospital performed the first ophthalmological surgery, the first ovariotomy, the first lithocystotomy, the first etherization, and the first pathological anatomy in China.

[4] The Medical Missionary Society's Hospital was located on the Pearl River on Yan-tsai Street in Canton.

Peter Parker opened the Medical Missionary Society's Hospital in 1839 and was succeeded by John Kerr as physician in charge.

The most common treatments in 19th century China included: shackles, fetters, herb medicines, acupuncture, toxin liquid therapy, and magic words or formulas.

However, neither the city government or the Canton Medical Missionary Society wanted to fund a mental hospital.

Kerr used his own money to purchase 17 acres in Fangcun (southwestern Canton) as a building site for the hospital.

In Canton, Kerr performed around 48,918 surgeries; his specialty being lithotomy and lithotrity, the removal of gallstones from the urinary tract, bladder or kidney.

In this novel, Kerr also argued that hygiene was not just an individual problem, a large-scale attempt to undermine unhygienic habits and lifestyles required government regulations and law enforcement as well.

Kerr opened up a ward of the Canton Hospital dedicated to treating patients (ages ranging 20–59 years) who were addicted to opium.

Following the conference, the Permanent Committee for the Promotion of Anti-Opium Societies was established and Kerr became a leading member.

[6] The Committee resolved to continue their opposition to the opium traffic, urging Christians in China to arouse public opinion against it.

The desire of the missionaries that their ideas be carried out caused them to form "continuation committees" that were assigned tasks to assure that action would be taken on whatever matters had been approved by the conferences.