Lam Qua (Guan Qiaochang)
Peter Parker, 1844
Guangzhou, Guangdong Province
Oil on canvas
Courtesy of the Bicentennial Collection, Historical Library, Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library, Yale University, parker_peter_001.dc
Peter Parker’s medical ledger, 1851
Courtesy of the Peter Parker Collection, Historical Library, Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library, Yale University, PPS4B6F03_001
In 1834 Peter Parker traveled to Canton, becoming the first Protestant medical missionary in China. The following year, he opened the Ophthalmic Hospital to teach medicine and surgery to his Chinese students. He is perhaps best known for introducing anesthesia to China. Parker commissioned respected artist Lam Qua, who painted this portrait, to document his patients’ ailments.