Parker, Peter, 1804-1888

Peter Parker, medical missionary and diplomat to China, was born in Framingham, Massachusetts in 1804. His parents were farmers and devout followers of the orthodox Congregational faith. After graduation from Yale College in 1831, Parker studied both theology and medicine and was awarded an M.D. from Yale in 1834. In January of the same year he was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry in Philadelphia and departed a month after for Canton as the first Protestant medical missionary to China. With assistance from American and British benefactors, he opened in 1835 the Ophthalmic Hospital at Canton. Parker specialized in treating diseases of the eyes, especially cataracts, but also performed general surgery including the removal of large tumors. He is probably best known for the introduction of anesthesia to China, employing sulphuric ether. With the onset of the Opium War (1840-1842), Parker returned to America, where he sought financial support for his hospital and married Harriet Colby Webster in 1841. In 1842, Parker resumed his medical practice at Canton and became involved in diplomatic relations between America and China. In 1844 he served under Caleb Cushing, U.S. Attorney General, and assisted in negotiating the first treaty between the two countries. Due to a prolonged illness, Parker returned to the United States in 1855 only to sail back to China later that year as the American Commissioner and Minister to China. Parker settled in Washington D.C. in 1857, where he became active in organizations such as the Evangelical Alliance for the United States of America and the Smithsonian Institution, as well as in the medical community. He died in January 1888.

From the description of Peter Parker collection, 1823-1947 (inclusive), 1823-1884 (bulk). (Yale University). WorldCat record id: 702171624

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