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VALUE OF MEDICAL MISSIONS. Chap. VII. 



old fisherman was dropping his anchor at the 

 mouth of the river on a windy day, when his 

 hand got entangled in the cable, so that it was 

 almost twisted off. The thumb was found to be 

 much mangled, the back of the hand was almost 

 destroyed, and the metacarpal bones fractured, so 

 that the fingers and palm were all that were left. 

 The result of skilful treatment is that the hand 

 " is now almost well, though the man will not 

 have much motion in his fingers." 



Such are the labours of the medical missionaries ; 

 skilful, unwearied, and free to all as their native 

 air, or their refreshing streams. The soldier, the 

 sailor, merchant, mechanic, farmer, and labourer, 

 high and low, rich and poor, have the benefits of 

 the hospital freely offered to them. In 1853 no 

 fewer than 11,028 patients had been operated 

 upon, or treated in some way, while in 1854 the 

 number amounted to 12,18L 



But the Medical Missionary Society have objects 

 which are even of a higher nature than " healing 

 the sick and curing all manner of diseases." When 

 the patients assemble for medical treatment in the 

 hall of the hospital they have the Gospel preached 

 to them by one of the members of the London 

 Mission. Private religious instruction is also given 

 to patients in the different wards. And thus, 

 while the heart of the cold and unfeeling Chinese 

 is softened and opened up by kindness— which he 

 feels to be disinterested, and which acts like spring 

 showers upon plants — the seeds of the Gospel of 



