James Henderson, M.D. (1829–1865) was a British physician, surgeon, and author. After attending a meeting of the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society (EMMS International) on 18 December 1856, he decided to become a medical missionary.Henderson, James. Life of James Henderson, M.D. Comp. D. M. Hodge. New York: Robert Carter And Brothers, 1873. Library of Princeton University. Web. 16 Oct. 2015. In these early years of his medical missionary work training, Henderson evidently displayed his religious values by emphasizing the importance for students who were studying medicine at the time to become Christians and medical missionaries. During his time in Edinburgh Medical School, he was described as being a “uniformly regular, punctual, and diligent; conscientious, zealous, and laborious; kind to the poor, and self-denying [student].”Henderson, James. Life of James Henderson, M.D. Comp. D. M. Hodge. New York: Robert Carter And Brothers, 1873. Library of Princeton University. Web. 16 Oct. 2015. Starting his notable medical missionary work in the mid-nineteenth century, Henderson worked in the London Missionary Society, where he took charge of the Chinese Hospital, which is called Renji Hospital.Henderson, James. Life of James Henderson, M.D. Comp. D. M. Hodge. New York: Robert Carter And Brothers, 1873. Library of Princeton University. Web. 16 Oct. 2015. Henderson played a critical role in educating about surgical techniques, sanitation, and chloroform as well as making overall improvements in the hospital and surrounding environment.

Biography James Henderson was born to the Henderson family in a small cottage on a moor in northern Scotland. He was the youngest of three children, including an older brother and sister, two and four years respectively. When he was just three years old, his father died after serious complications from a rupture in a blood vessel in a lung.Henderson, James. Memorials of James Henderson, M.D., medical missionary to China. 3rd ed. London: J. Nisbet, 1868. HathiTrust Digital Library. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. Two years after his father's death, the family migrated to his mother's father's house where Henderson was brought up in a neighborhood filled with superstition, ominous feelings, and witchcraft.Henderson, James. Memorials of James Henderson, M.D., medical missionary to China. 3rd ed. London: J. Nisbet, 1868. HathiTrust Digital Library. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. At thirteen years old, Henderson became an orphan and thrown into a world of uncertainty, independence, and sorrow as his mother and grandfather, his two biggest idols, died.Vaughan, Canon. "HINTON AND HENDERSON; or, the story of two doctors, English and scotch."Good Words Jan. 1878: 784-90. Rpt. in British Periodicals. Vol. 19. ProQuest News and Magazines. Web. 17 Oct. 11 2015.

Careers Henderson's sudden independence forced him to seek out random jobs. His first boss was a farmer who paid him less than a shilling a week, which was upsetting since he worked too hard.Vaughan, Canon. "HINTON AND HENDERSON; or, the story of two doctors, English and scotch."Good Words Jan. 1878: 784-90. Rpt. in British Periodicals. Vol. 19. ProQuest News and Magazines. Web. 17 Oct. 11 2015. Then, he worked for another farmer until he was sixteen years old. His third job was being a servant to the surgeon of the district, which most certainly was when his interest in medicine spurred.Vaughan, Canon. "HINTON AND HENDERSON; or, the story of two doctors, English and scotch."Good Words Jan. 1878: 784-90. Rpt. in British Periodicals. Vol. 19. ProQuest News and Magazines. Web. 17 Oct. 11 2015. Then, he was an underbutler. In 1859, he became a Director of the London Missionary Society. His most notable profession was running the Renji hospital. Meantime, he subsequently attained the position as vice-president of the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.Vaughan, Canon. "HINTON AND HENDERSON; or, the story of two doctors, English and scotch."Good Words Jan. 1878: 784-90. Rpt. in British Periodicals. Vol. 19. ProQuest News and Magazines. Web. 17 Oct. 11 2015.

Early Influences/Inspiration Overall, Henderson endured a childhood of monotony, and was able to find happiness in the few opportunities he received to be educated after the age of sixteen years. He looked up to his mother and credited her for his actions: “I had the greatest love and reverence for my mother; whatever she said I most firmly believed was right, and whatever she intimated I ought to do, I was only too glad to do it. Nothing could give me greater pain than to think she was displeased with me; nor can I recall to this day one single act of disobedience to her, thank God!”Vaughan, Canon. "HINTON AND HENDERSON; or, the story of two doctors, English and scotch."Good Words Jan. 1878: 784-90. Rpt. in British Periodicals. Vol. 19. ProQuest News and Magazines. Web. 17 Oct. 11 2015. The other minor impact was his maternal grandfather who gave him plentiful advice. Perhaps, the greatest influence came from the poor class, who inspired Henderson with their feelings of gratitude even in times of great suffering. Hence, he was motivated to seek opportunities in the “large field of usefulness.”Henderson, James. Life of James Henderson, M.D. Comp. D. M. Hodge. New York: Robert Carter And Brothers, 1873. Library of Princeton University. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.

Religion James Henderson was a very religious man whose strong Christian faith was sometimes the only reason he was able to define his existence in the poverty-stricken society. Daily, his pious, widowed mother made it a deal to make sure all the kids were well-versed in Scripture, Scotch paraphrases, and Shorter Catechism.Henderson, James. Memorials of James Henderson, M.D., medical missionary to China. 3rd ed. London: J. Nisbet, 1868. HathiTrust Digital Library. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. Around the time of his mother's death, he dedicated his life to service of Christ. One of his premature desires was to become the minister of the Free Church, which he later abandoned.Vaughan, Canon. "HINTON AND HENDERSON; or, the story of two doctors, English and scotch."Good Words Jan. 1878: 784-90. Rpt. in British Periodicals. Vol. 19. ProQuest News and Magazines. Web. 17 Oct. 11 2015.

Education At an early age, Henderson was literate, but neither wrote nor knew basic math. His all-time wish was to study in a university, which was tough since he was of low status and older. He believed in the whole “Where there is a will, there is a way” ideology; his prayers were soon answered.Vaughan, Canon. "HINTON AND HENDERSON; or, the story of two doctors, English and scotch."Good Words Jan. 1878: 784-90. Rpt. in British Periodicals. Vol. 19. ProQuest News and Magazines. Web. 17 Oct. 11 2015. Between 1855 and 1858, he was a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.Henderson, James. Memorials of James Henderson, M.D., medical missionary to China. 3rd ed. London: J. Nisbet, 1868. HathiTrust Digital Library. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. Finally, he obtained a diploma as a physician from the University of St Andrews in 1859.Henderson, James. Life of James Henderson, M.D. Comp. D. M. Hodge. New York: Robert Carter And Brothers, 1873. Library of Princeton University. Web. 16 Oct. 2015. One of the directors of the London Missionary Society perfectly summed up his astonishment of Henderson's journey through life with respect to education: “I could hardly believe that he had never seen the inside of a school, even of the humblest character, and that, twenty years before, he had been a bare-footed lad, herding sheep on the muir of Rhynie; that, some thirteen years ago, he could not have written his own name, and nevertheless he had forced his way to the University of Edinburgh, had taken prizes in classes of two hundred medical students, received the diploma of the College of Surgeons, and won for himself the respect and friendship of men of the highest Christian character and professional distinction.”Henderson, James. Life of James Henderson, M.D. Comp. D. M. Hodge. New York: Robert Carter And Brothers, 1873. Library of Princeton University. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.

Medical Missionary Work

Turning Point On 18 December 1856 Henderson attended a meeting of the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society (EMMS) and decided to become a medical missionary. By this time, the society unanimously adopted twenty-eight year-old Henderson.Henderson, James. Life of James Henderson, M.D. Comp. D. M. Hodge. New York: Robert Carter And Brothers, 1873. Library of Princeton University. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.

Early efforts Henderson yearned to be a popular physician, specifically, a surgeon beyond his native land. In August 1858, there was no opening abroad and he settled for private practice in the native country in Rhynie, Aberdeenshire for seven months.Henderson, James. Memorials of James Henderson, M.D., medical missionary to China. 3rd ed. London: J. Nisbet, 1868. HathiTrust Digital Library. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. Much to his dismay, he was unsatisfied even though his business was very successful. In 1859, under the supervision of Reverend G.D. Cullen, he applied to the Directors of London Missionary Society. A fellow director expressed his gratitude for Dr. James Henderson to join their team: “His self-possessed manner, gentlemanly bearing, and frank answers to all the questions put to him in turn by the several members of the committee, excited special interest in him as a man; while his evident simple-hearted devotedness to the great work of Christian missions, his anxiety to consecrate his talents and attainments to the service of Christ among the Chinese as a missionary physician, and his manifest intelligence and proved energy of character, secured the suffrages of the whole board, and he was unanimously accepted.” After joining this society, Henderson was assigned by Dr. Elijah Coleman Bridgman to take over the Chinese Hospital in Shanghai, formerly run by Mr. William Lockhart (surgeon) and Dr. Benjamin Hobson.Henderson, James. Life of James Henderson, M.D. Comp. D. M. Hodge. New York: Robert Carter And Brothers, 1873. Library of Princeton University. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.

Journey