James Galt (missionary)

At the time, Hangchow was estimated to have 26 million residents, and had been ravaged by the Taiping Rebellion.[10] The land was reportedly burned, with mass evacuation of its people and all business halted. Missionary work had preceded the rebellion in the form of then Bishop of Victoria John Burdon's work in 1859.[11] However, this work was halted and destroyed in the midst of the violence. Missionary work was restarted in 1864 with the work of two native residents of Hangchow known as Miao and Dzang.[11]

Galt journeyed to Hangchow in 1871. He first studied the language and the people[12] before establishing the hospital and beginning his 8 ¾ years of service for the Church Missionary Society. Records from the time indicate Galt and his co-worker, Rev. A. E. Moule, had their patience tested time and time again while operating the hospital.[13] However, in accordance with the Society's hope the two would stay on task, Moule wrote, "Dr. Galt, in addition to medical skill and devotion to his professional work, uses every opportunity for bringing the Gospel home to his patients, and he possesses patience and kindness, which are not unnoticed by the heathen who come under his influence."[10]

After founding the hospital in Hangzhou, Galt's work was later expanded by David Duncan Main,[14] who created a medical school within the hospital. Main wrote reports back to the Church Missionary Society about Galt's hospital, including, "Life is too short to tell you about the thousands of out-patients and over a thousand in-patients[...]"[15] Major issues faced by the hospital included scarlet and dengue fever.[15] Furthermore, the hospital reported conducting baptisms,[15] thus working toward the religious missionary's goal of spreading Christianity.

Eventually, the hospital was taken over by the Japanese during the country's pre-World War II expansions in 1937.[16] Records of the hospital's existence and functionality exist beyond 1948.[1]