Aiding and taking roots in Taiwan

▲ Mackay leads students in walking ministry and teaches at all times／Source：《Open Museum》

【Tooth extraction for the people】

　　Time back to more than a hundred years ago in Taiwan, when medical care was not very developed, the social health concepts, health status is generally poor, whether Chinese or indigenous people may be affected by superstition, values, and other factors.

　　On the other hand, this has also become the target of missionaries from Western countries to the East, in addition to bringing the gospel to the local areas, they often help to develop education, medical care, etc., to promote the welfare of the people at that time or improve the people's livelihood, and Mackay, who came to Taiwan at that time, was no exception. At that time, there was no advanced Western-style medical treatment in Taiwan, and Mackay even brought in Western medicines.

　　When Mackay came to Taiwan, he provided free medical treatment for the people, and the medical effect was remarkable, so many people came to Mackay for treatment, and Mackay successfully achieved the purpose of missionary work, which can be said to be a win-win situation. One of Mackay's many medical contributions is most famous for tooth extraction, and because of his missionary image of helping people to extract teeth, some people describe Mackay as a pastor with "one hand of Bible and one hand of tongs". In addition, Mackay had also recorded several teeth in his diary, and in the past 30 years in Taiwan, he and his assistants have pulled out a total of 21,000 teeth for Taiwanese! The tooth extraction tools used by Mackay are stored today in the History Museum of Tamkang High School. 　

▲ Mackay and his students hiked various places to get their teeth pulled／Source：《Open Museum》

　　In addition to dentistry, Mackay has also treated malaria in the population, and the method is to treat it with a drug called quinine (Quinine), and what is even more remarkable is that this medicine is as free as tooth extraction! Not only that, but Mackay also treats patients with leg abscesses (stinky feet) through cream-colored plaster purchased in the UK. During the Qing-French War in 1884, due to the French army's offensive on Taiwan, some Taiwanese people were dissatisfied with the Christianity that came from the West, and many churches were destroyed, plundered, and even persecuted by some believers.
 
  　　Even though people were unfriendly to Mackay he still contributed to the Qing-French War at the Hobe MacKay Hospital. When the Qing soldiers stationed in the Northern part of Jilong (present-day Keelung) were injured by French shelling, the Hobe MacKay Hospital took in and treated many wounded soldiers. After the end of the war, Liu Mingchuan, the Government Inspector, sent Sun Kaihua to the Hobe MacKay Hospital to thank him and donate money.

  　　Mackay's medical contribution in Taiwan's history is not small, not only to treat physical pain, but to improve the concept of hygiene at that time, etc., all of which can be achieved not only by Mackay's dedication on the road of mission, love, and confidence in the Father but also by Mackay's willingness to dedicate himself to this land with all his enthusiasm.

▲ Mackay leads students in walking ministry and teaches at all times／Source：《Open Museum》