John Scudder Sr. (September 3, 1793 – January 13, 1855) was an American physician and missionary. He founded the first Western Medical Mission in Asia at
Ceylon
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
and later became the first American medical
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
Early life
Scudder was born in
Freehold, New Jersey Freehold, New Jersey may refer to:
* Freehold Borough, New Jersey, the county seat of Monmouth County
* Freehold Township, New Jersey
Freehold Township is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is both a r ...
, on September 3, 1793, the son of Joseph (a lawyer) and Maria Scudder.
His family was of English descent, with their first ancestor in the Americas being Thomas Scudder, who arrived from England. He graduated from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
in 1811, and the
New York College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is the graduate medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Founded ...
in 1813. He practiced successfully in New York City.
One day, while visiting a patient, he saw on a table the pamphlet ''Conversion of the World, or the Claims of the 600,000,000 and the Ability and Duty of the Churches Respecting Them''.
It convinced him to become a medical missionary.
He and his wife became missionaries of the
American Board
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the largest and most imp ...
, later of the
Dutch Reformed Board.
[Heideman Eugene P. (2001) ''From Mission to Church: The Reformed Church in American Mission to India'' (Historical Series of the Reformed Church in America), Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing Co., Grand Rapids Michigan, retrieved 7/11/200]
excerpts
/ref>
Ceylon
He went to Ceylon in 1819 and was assigned work in the Jaffna District as part of the American Ceylon Mission
The American Ceylon Mission (ACM) to Jaffna, Sri Lanka started with the arrival in 1813 of missionaries sponsored by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM). Although they had originally planned to work in Galle, the Briti ...
. He served there for nineteen years in the dual capacity of clergyman and physician. His most important service was the establishment of a large hospital, of which he was physician in chief. He was especially successful in the treatment of cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
and yellow fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
. He also founded several native schools and churches including the Batticotta Seminary
The Batticotta Seminary was an educational institute founded by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM)'s American Ceylon Mission at Vaddukodai, in the Jaffna Peninsula north Sri Lanka in 1823. It was founded as part of t ...
. Upon leaving Ceylon for India, he turned over the medical missionary leadership at Batticotta to Nathan Ward
Nathan Ward (born December 8, 1981) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey player.
Career
Ward's senior level career began with his move into the NCAA for Lake Superior State University (LSSU). Ward established himself quickly ...
.
India
In 1836 John Scudder and Rev. Winslow started a mission at Madras
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
with the purpose of establishing a printing press to issue the Scriptures
Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...
and tracts in the Tamil language
Tamil (; ' , ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian territory of Pudu ...
. He became the first American medical missionary in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. John Scudder Sr. established his residence at Chintadrepettah (Chintadripet). He was in the United States in 1842-1846 and returned to India in 1847 where he spent two years in Madura
Madura Island is an Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately (administratively 5,379.33 km2 including various smaller islands to the east, southeast and north that are administrati ...
giving medical aid to the Arcot Mission
The Arcot Mission of the Reformed Church in America was located in Arcot, Tamil Nadu, India. The mission was founded by the Scudder family including John Scudder Sr. (1793–1855) in 1851 in order to provide medical help and to proclaim lov ...
at the special request of the Board though not appointed as a member of it. In 1849 Scudder returned to his mission in Madras, where he laboured till his death. He took a visit for the benefit of his health to Wynberg, Cape of Good Hope, Africa where he died on January 13, 1855. He and his wife Harriet had six surviving sons and two daughters who all became medical missionaries and worked in South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
.
Evangelism
Scudder was one of the most indefatigable distributors of religious tracts that ever came to India.
He published " Letters from the East" (Boston, 1833) ; "Appeal to Youth in Behalf of the Heathen" (1846) ; "Letters to Pious Young Men" (1846);" Provision for Passing over Jordan" (New York, 1852), and many tracts and papers that were published in the "Missionary Herald". He also gave away Almanacs. The tracts were merely an accompaniment to his preaching.[Memoir of the Rev. John Scudder, M.D., 36 years Missionary in India, by J.B. Waterbury, u.]
Rev. John Scudder, M.D.
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scudder, John 1
American Protestant missionaries
Protestant missionaries in India
1793 births
1855 deaths
American Ceylon Mission
American expatriates in Sri Lanka
American expatriates in India
Protestant missionaries in Sri Lanka
Christian medical missionaries
People from New Jersey
American people of English descent