Attendants at the Lintsing Church at a “Big Meeting” May 18th, 1930.
The Lintsing Memorial hospital was founded before the 1899 Boxer Rebellion as a dispensary that provided medicine to the local community. They operated out of a small room, only being able to give drugs and medicines to their patients, not having the equipment to perform operations or provide for inpatients. The Lintsing Memorial Hospital was truly founded In 1909 when a wealthy benefactor was able to provide the funds used to purchase a building to be turned into a hospital. The hospital worked to provide the best care it could with the meager resources they had. They slowly accumulated tools and equipment that expanded their capabilities with the help of donations from China and abroad.
Hugh L. Robinson joined the staff of Lintsing Memorial Hospital in 1926 after learning Chinese at the Yanjing School of Chinese Studies as one of only three doctors at the time. Robinson arrived at the hospital in a period of strife which ended halfway through his career there. They provided care to the soldiers and generals of many armies for free. Most notably Hugh and the other doctors held a feast for General Ma Hongkui, who then paid 500 silver dollars for the care of his soldiers.
Robinson’s report on his county-wide vaccination campaign at Lintsing
Robinson, along with other doctors in the hospital, administered many public health campaigns with the assistance of the local government. Local citizens were educated on how to better detect illnesses and mass vaccination campaigns were carried out by doctors at the hospital. Robinson worked alongside his wife, Olga, who worked as a nurse at the hospital. During his time at Lintsing, he would become the father of three children. He oversaw the free treatment of hundreds of men, women, and children who could not pay. Many were offered to pay with their own labor or that of their relatives to help repair and do unskilled work for the hospital which allowed them to save money and treat even more patients.
Patients at Lintsing Memorial Hospital
1930 Lintsing Memorial Hospital Annual Report