We could use the British National Anthem for most of our pioneers, as most were British. Possibly we should use hymns for our medical missionaries, as they would likely claim that their spiritual motivations outstripped their political ones. But our difficulty in this chapter is that we feature two doctors whose religious beliefs were at opposite ends of the Christian spectrum. Which hymn would we choose?

What they did have in common was a deep commitment to the latest medical science of the day. They carried this science within their versions of Christianity, seeing it as an outgrowth of their faith. Fair enough. But that is exactly the thinking of “God Save The Queen”: the third stanza says “Thy choicest gifts in store on her be pleased to pour…” There was a clear assumption that God had, and should, favor Britain over other peoples.

Likewise, with our two Christian doctors, there is an unstated assumption that God favored medical science over all other forms of healing, especially ones they found among the people they worked with. It appeared, in fact, that their loyalty was to the gospel of science.

Send me your reactions at [email protected]. Visit my website at https://globalhealth757.wordpress.com/ .