Type Missionary Total enrollment 3,300 (2010) Headquarters Hong Kong | Established 1 October 1887 Founded 1 October 1887 | |
Affiliation London Missionary Society Founders William Hartigan, Patrick Manson Similar The University of Hong K, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, London School of Hygiene, Sun Yat‑sen University, Republic of China Military A | ||
The Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese (Chinese: 香港華人西醫書院) was the first teaching institution in Hong Kong to fully adopt and accept Western medical practices. It was established in 1887 by the London Missionary Society, and was considered a breakthrough in opening up western medical research and development to the Far East. The best known alumnus of the college is Sun Yat-sen, Chinese revolutionary, first president and founding father of the Republic of China. The successor to the college is the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong.
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History
The College was the predecessor of the Medical Faculty of the University of Hong Kong. The London Missionary Society founded the establishment in 1887. Ho Kai, James Cantlie, Patrick Manson and G.P. Jordan were the founding professionals. Important initiatives were led by notable members such as Dr Patrick Manson, an experienced medical practitioner who made his name in the field of tropical medicine. Having served in the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs as a medical officer for 18 years, he took up private practice in Hong Kong from 1883 to 1889. Sir Kai Ho Kai was also a member of the Chinese elite in Colonial Hong Kong. He played a major role in convincing the Chinese population that western medicine was an acceptable in a culture that had been largely dominated by traditional Chinese medicine.
In 1907 the school was renamed to Hong Kong College of Medicine. In 1908 it was authorized to sign death certificates. The nucleus of the school would later create the foundation for the new University of Hong Kong in 1910. Chinese society at the time was not quite ready for western medicine. As a result, many of the medical graduates had difficulty finding employment.