John Dudgeon
Encyclopedia
John Dudgeon was a Scottish
physician
who spent nearly 40 years in China
as a doctor, surgeon, translator, and medical missionary
.
Dudgeon attended the University of Edinburgh
and the University of Glasgow
, in the latter of which he graduated M.D.
and Master of Surgery
in 1862. In 1863, he was appointed to the Medical Mission of the London Missionary Society
to serve at the hospital in Peking established by William Lockhart
, arriving in China in December 1863. He was also Medical Attendant to the British Legation
in Peking (modern-day Beijing
) from 1864-1868. Dudgeon was appointed Professor of Anatomy and Physiology at the Imperial College (Tongwen guan
) during the 1870s and 1880s. In Wanderings in China, Constance Frederica Gordon Cumming wrote:
He was an accomplished Chinese scholar, and during his long residence at Pekin he studied the manners and customs of the inhabitants, and the semi-annual reports that he forwarded to the Chinese Maritime Customs Service
contain a large amount of valuable information regarding the climatic condition, physical features and drainage, and general habits of the people bearing upon health. He was the author of an Historical Sketch of the Ecclesiastical, Political, and Commercial Relation of Russia with China, of a Chinese work 脱影奇观 On the Principles and Practice of Photography, the first of its kind, and of an article in the Pekin Magazine (in Chinese) on the virtues of quinine
, in which he pointed out the dangers of the imported spurious article. To the Chinese Medical Journal he contributed papers on A Modern Chinese Anatomist, and A Chapter on Chinese Surgery. He also made several contributions to other medical journals, especially on subjects connected with the medical practice and materia medica
of China. Various editions of his Kung Fu books are still available to purchase : "Kung Fu or Taoist Medical Gymnastics: The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qigong Beginning Practice" and "Chinese healing arts: Internal Kung-Fu" co authored with William Berk. Over a period of 10 years he translated both Gray's Anatomy and Holden's Osteology into an 18 volume Chinese edition.
Dudgeon resigned from the London Mission Society in 1884 after conflicts over the prioritisation of evangelical and medical work. Thereafter he continued in private practice in Peking until his death in February 1901.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
who spent nearly 40 years in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
as a doctor, surgeon, translator, and medical missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
.
Dudgeon attended the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
and the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, in the latter of which he graduated M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
and Master of Surgery
Master of Surgery
The Master of Surgery is an advanced qualification in surgery. It is most commonly abbreviated Ch.M. or M.S., as well as M.Ch. and M.Chir. from its Latin name, Magister Chirurgiae or the English form of Master of Surgery....
in 1862. In 1863, he was appointed to the Medical Mission of the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
to serve at the hospital in Peking established by William Lockhart
William Lockhart
William Lockhart was an English Roman Catholic priest; the first of the Tractarian Movement to convert to Roman Catholicism.-Early life:...
, arriving in China in December 1863. He was also Medical Attendant to the British Legation
Legation
A legation was the term used in diplomacy to denote a diplomatic representative office lower than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an Ambassador, a legation was headed by a Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary....
in Peking (modern-day Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
) from 1864-1868. Dudgeon was appointed Professor of Anatomy and Physiology at the Imperial College (Tongwen guan
Tongwen Guan
Tongwen Guan , or the School of Combined Learning was a government school for teaching Western languages , founded at Beijing, China in 1862 during the late-Qing Dynasty...
) during the 1870s and 1880s. In Wanderings in China, Constance Frederica Gordon Cumming wrote:
He was an accomplished Chinese scholar, and during his long residence at Pekin he studied the manners and customs of the inhabitants, and the semi-annual reports that he forwarded to the Chinese Maritime Customs Service
Chinese Maritime Customs Service
The Chinese Maritime Customs Service was a Chinese governmental tax collection agency and information service from its founding in 1854 until its bifurcation in 1949 into services operating in the Republic of China on Taiwan, and in the People's Republic of China...
contain a large amount of valuable information regarding the climatic condition, physical features and drainage, and general habits of the people bearing upon health. He was the author of an Historical Sketch of the Ecclesiastical, Political, and Commercial Relation of Russia with China, of a Chinese work 脱影奇观 On the Principles and Practice of Photography, the first of its kind, and of an article in the Pekin Magazine (in Chinese) on the virtues of quinine
Quinine
Quinine is a natural white crystalline alkaloid having antipyretic , antimalarial, analgesic , anti-inflammatory properties and a bitter taste. It is a stereoisomer of quinidine which, unlike quinine, is an anti-arrhythmic...
, in which he pointed out the dangers of the imported spurious article. To the Chinese Medical Journal he contributed papers on A Modern Chinese Anatomist, and A Chapter on Chinese Surgery. He also made several contributions to other medical journals, especially on subjects connected with the medical practice and materia medica
Materia medica
Materia medica is a Latin medical term for the body of collected knowledge about the therapeutic properties of any substance used for healing . The term 'materia medica' derived from the title of a work by the Ancient Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides in the 1st century AD, De materia medica libre...
of China. Various editions of his Kung Fu books are still available to purchase : "Kung Fu or Taoist Medical Gymnastics: The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qigong Beginning Practice" and "Chinese healing arts: Internal Kung-Fu" co authored with William Berk. Over a period of 10 years he translated both Gray's Anatomy and Holden's Osteology into an 18 volume Chinese edition.
Dudgeon resigned from the London Mission Society in 1884 after conflicts over the prioritisation of evangelical and medical work. Thereafter he continued in private practice in Peking until his death in February 1901.