Thomas Cochrane, 1866-1953
Encyclopedia
Thomas Cochrane M.B. C.M (1866–1953) was a Scottish
medical missionary
. He is notable for founding the first school to teach Western Medicine to Chinese trainee doctors and for his influential London
based campaigns to promote missionary work.
, Scotland
. In 1882 he was inspired to become a missionary after listening to the evangelical preacher Dwight L. Moody
. He trained to become a doctor at Glasgow University and in 1897 traveled to China with the London Missionary Society
.
when the country was in the throes of the Boxer rebellion
. Braving threats from bandits, he traveled from village to village in an ox cart dispensing medical aid. Mr and Mrs Liddell, the parents of Eric Liddell
the famous runner, were also there at the time. In 1900, he moved to Beijing
to restore the hospital there which had been almost totally demolished. Cochrane succeeded in obtaining royal support for his work after he healed the Empress Dowager Cixi
's chief eunuch and her chief lady in waiting. He decided to establish the hospital as a training hospital to train Chinese as western style doctors, and with the support of the empress and other missionary bodies founded the Peking Union Medical College. To support the students, Cochrane translated western medical books like Heath’s Anatomy (1909) and Heath’s Osteology (1910) into Mandarin. In 1916 the hospital was handed over to the Rockefeller Institute
.
, London. In 1924, together with like minded trustees businessman Sidney J. W. Clark and Roland Allen
he set up the Survey Application Trust, an organisation to promote missionary work through publications. He himself served as the editor of the publication World Dominion. In 1949, he founded the publication The World Christian Handbook. His campaigning though his publications and the missionary conferences held at the Mildmay Centre were an inspiration to many at the time to fund and participate in missionary activities.
, Middlesex
in 1953.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
medical missionary
Medical missions in China
Medical missions in China by Protestant Christian physicians and surgeons of the 19th and early 20th centuries laid many foundations for modern medicine in China. Western medical missionaries established the first modern clinics and hospitals,provided the first training for nurses, and opened the...
. He is notable for founding the first school to teach Western Medicine to Chinese trainee doctors and for his influential London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
based campaigns to promote missionary work.
Early life
Cochrane was brought up in GreenockGreenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. In 1882 he was inspired to become a missionary after listening to the evangelical preacher Dwight L. Moody
Dwight L. Moody
Dwight Lyman Moody , also known as D.L. Moody, was an American evangelist and publisher who founded the Moody Church, Northfield School and Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts , the Moody Bible Institute and Moody Publishers.-Early life:Dwight Moody was born in Northfield, Massachusetts to a large...
. He trained to become a doctor at Glasgow University and in 1897 traveled to China with 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...
.
Work in China
Cochrane arrived in Chaoyang hospital, MongoliaMongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
when the country was in the throes of the Boxer rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
. Braving threats from bandits, he traveled from village to village in an ox cart dispensing medical aid. Mr and Mrs Liddell, the parents of Eric Liddell
Eric Liddell
Eric Henry Liddell was a Scottish athlete, rugby union international player, and missionary.Liddell was the winner of the men's 400 metres at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris...
the famous runner, were also there at the time. In 1900, he moved to 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...
to restore the hospital there which had been almost totally demolished. Cochrane succeeded in obtaining royal support for his work after he healed the Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi1 , of the Manchu Yehenara clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908....
's chief eunuch and her chief lady in waiting. He decided to establish the hospital as a training hospital to train Chinese as western style doctors, and with the support of the empress and other missionary bodies founded the Peking Union Medical College. To support the students, Cochrane translated western medical books like Heath’s Anatomy (1909) and Heath’s Osteology (1910) into Mandarin. In 1916 the hospital was handed over to the Rockefeller Institute
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a private university offering postgraduate and postdoctoral education. It has a strong concentration in the biological sciences. It is also known for producing numerous Nobel laureates...
.
Campaigns to promote missionary work
Cochrane believed that missionary work should be co-ordinated, organised and well supplied. In 1913, the Christian Literature Society of China published his Survey of the Missionary Occupation of China with an accompanying atlas showing missionary occupation in the provinces of China. The work called for trained personnel, medical equipment, and supplies. After he returned to England in 1915, he continued to encourage the gathering and promotion of knowledge on the state of missionary work and needs across the world. He founded the Mildmay Movement for World Evangelisation, based in the Mildmay Centre, next to the Mildmay Mission Hospital (a separate and older organisation) in IslingtonIslington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, London. In 1924, together with like minded trustees businessman Sidney J. W. Clark and Roland Allen
Roland Allen
-Life:He was born in Bristol, England, the son of an Anglican priest; but was orphaned early in life. He trained for ministry at Oxford and became a priest in 1893. Allen spent two periods in Northern China working for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel...
he set up the Survey Application Trust, an organisation to promote missionary work through publications. He himself served as the editor of the publication World Dominion. In 1949, he founded the publication The World Christian Handbook. His campaigning though his publications and the missionary conferences held at the Mildmay Centre were an inspiration to many at the time to fund and participate in missionary activities.
Personal life
Cochrane was married twice. He had three sons by his first wife and after she died in 1930, he married again and gained six stepdaughters. He died in PinnerPinner
- Climate :Pinner's geographical position on the far western side of North West London makes it the furthest London suburb from any UK coastline. Hence the lower prevalence of moderating maritime influences make Pinner noticeably warmer in the spring and the summer compared to the rest of the capital...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
in 1953.