Morse, Esther, 1898-1975.

American Esther Morse (1898-1975) was a Presbyterian medical missionary, first on Hainan Island, China and later in Lahore, Pakistan, from 1930 to 1963. Her medical work focused on women's and children's health and her career included internment by the Japanese during World War II and later confinement by the communist government in China.

From the description of Esther Morse papers [microform], 1921-1976. (Harvard University, Divinity School Library). WorldCat record id: 229668405

From the description of Esther Morse papers, 1921-1976. (University of Oregon Libraries). WorldCat record id: 67840505

Born in Dustin, Nebraska, 1898, Esther Malinda Morse was a physician and spent a lifetime serving the Presbyterian Church as a missionary doctor in China, India, and Pakistan. Morse attended Hastings College and the University of Nebraska College of Medicine. She obtained her medical degree in 1930 and entered the Presbyterian Missionary Society. She arrived in Kachek on Hainan Island (off the southern coast of China) in the fall of 1930. She learned Cantonese and spent much of the next twelve years on the island. Morse had specialized in obstetrics in medical school. Consequently, most of her patients were women and young children, in particular, expectant mothers and their newborns. Morse's papers indicate that the majority of her work was medical rather than evangelical.

In December 1940, the Japanese Army placed Morse, along with other American missionaries in Hainan, under arrest as prisoners of war. In her letters, Morse recounts this experience as well as her exchange and repatriation in 1942.(NOTE: She was pictured with 47 other persons in Life Magazine of May 19, 1942, who were believed to be among the 200 Americans held captive). Morse did not stay long in the United States. By 1944, after touring the U.S. raising support for overseas missionaries, Morse again set out to return to China. She suffered health problems and spent much of 1944 convalescing in Miraj hospital in Calcutta, India. The Presbytery assigned her to stay in India until January of 1946 when she returned to China. Initially, she worked in Canton (Guangzhou) before finally returning to Hoihow (Haikou) on Hainan Island.

After spending almost three years confined to her hospital by the communist government, Morse left China in 1953 and obtained a new assignment that sent her to Lahore in western Pakistan. She remained there until 1963 when she retired from missionary work and returned to the United States. She lived in Washington State until her death in 1975.

From the guide to the Esther Morse papers, 1921-1976, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)