Mackay Memorial Hospital (), established on 26 December 1912, is one of the largest medical centers in Taiwan. It is a private Christian hospital in Zhongshan District,

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, mostly associated with

George Leslie Mackay George Leslie Mackay 偕瑞理 or 馬偕 ''Má-kai'' (21 March 1844 – 2 June 1901) was a Canadian Presbyterian missionary. He was the first Presbyterian missionary to northern Taiwan (then Formosa), serving with the Canadian Presbyterian Mis ...

, the first modern

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 ...

to northern Taiwan. The

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

is deeply rooted in the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

tradition and under the spiritual guidance of the

Presbyterian Church in Taiwan The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT; ; ) is the largest Protestant Christian denomination based in Taiwan. The PCT is a member of the World Council of Churches, and its flag features a "Burning Bush," which signifies the concept of burning ye ...

History

The original Mackay Hospital — named Mackay Clinic — was built by Mackay in

Tamsui Tamsui District (Hokkien POJ: ''Tām-chúi''; Hokkien Tâi-lô: ''Tām-tsuí''; Mandarin Pinyin: ''Dànshuǐ'') is a seaside district in New Taipei, Taiwan. It is named after the Tamsui River; the name means "fresh water". The town is popula ...

in 1880 and named to commemorate

, whose widow donated the funds. At that time, the Mackay Clinic was the first western medical institution in northern Taiwan. It was temporarily closed in 1901 at the death of Mackay. Mackay Hospital was reopened in 1906. In 1912, it was relocated from Tamsui to

and renamed Mackay Memorial Hospital. Its logo bears the date of the original foundation: 1880. Clarence Holleman ran the financially struggling hospital from 1957 to 1960, and during his tenure, corresponded with , who became Holleman's successor. In 1967, the hospital built the first

intensive care unit 220px, Intensive care unit An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensiv ...

in Taiwan. Chang Chin-wen, a colleague of Noordhoff's, derived the term's Chinese translation. Two years later, Mackay Memorial Hospital began offering services as the first suicide prevention center in Southeast Asia. Chang, who had watched ''

The Slender Thread ''The Slender Thread'' is a 1965 American drama film starring Anne Bancroft and Sidney Poitier. It was the first feature-length film directed by future Oscar-winning director, producer and actor Sydney Pollack. Poitier portrays Alan, a college s ...

'', advocated for a suicide hotline as well, which became operational in July 1969. Nordhoff later sent Chang to study medical management in the United States, while Nordhoff himself returned to the US to be trained in cleft lip and palate surgery. After their return to Taiwan, Mackay Memorial Hospital built the first specialized cleft lip and palate center in Taiwan. In 1994, it established the first demonstration burn ward in Taiwan.

Notable births

Tsai Ing-wen Tsai Ing-wen (; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician serving as president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) since 2016. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Tsai is the first female president of Taiwan. She served as ...

, President of Taiwan

References

External links

{{Authority control 1880 establishments in Taiwan 1912 establishments in Taiwan Hospitals established in 1880 Hospitals established in 1912 Hospitals in Taipei Protestant hospitals

History

Notable births

See also

References

External links