In 1887, the London Missionary Society of England sent Dr. Acumen Fahmy, a medical missionary, to Zhangzhou, Fujian Province. He founded the Zhangzhou Gospel (Union) Hospital by renting a private house beside Yuankui Temple on Dongmen Street, Zhangzhou City (now No. 189 Huadong Road, Xiangcheng District). In the hospital, medicine was administered to the public and a chapel was set up for preaching. To promote medical and health services and develop business, the hospital usually recruited the children of believers to study medicine (for five years).
Jiang Tianhan was a posthumous son, born in Tianxia Village, Longxi County in 1888. Since birth, Jiang had been living in poverty with his mother who was hired by others to make tofu to make a living. As a child, Jiang worked for his uncle, weaving a special cloth and grinding stone powder (to apply on the face or body skin) day and night without resting. His Christian uncle, acquainted with Dr. Acumen Fahmy, knew that the Union Hospital was recruiting apprentices. One day in 1899, Dr. Fahmy passed by Tianxia Village. Jiang’s uncle asked him to choose one of his three sons to be an apprentice. However, Dr. Fahmy didn’t see any of them as having the capability to study medicine after observing them for some time. Then, his uncle had no choice but to let the eleven-year-old Jiang Tianhan meet with the doctor who recruited him at first sight. Since then, Jiang had to study in the hospital, and work at his uncle's as well, which made him exhausted almost every day.
After graduating, Jiang practiced medicine in the hospital for six years. In his spare time, Dr. Fahmy (who knew Chinese) taught Jiang language, literacy, and culture, as well as business knowledge, and the Bible. After 12 years of study and work, Jiang gained much medical knowledge and skills and became a famous doctor of modern medicine in Zhangzhou.
Since Jiang became a qualified doctor, Dr. Fahmy sponsored him to purchase medical equipment for independently opening Shounan Medical Clinic with Medicine and Surgery departments at the temple area of Xinqiaotou, Zhangzhou City in March 1916. In his clinic, Jiang specially cared for underprivileged patients, and sometimes even treated them for free.
Jiang was a devout Christian. After practicing medicine for a few years, he donated his savings to build the Zhangzhou Union Hospital ( currently named Zhangzhou Municipal Hospital of Fujian Province), and Xiasha Chapel. He was later elected as the chairman of the hospital, and served as the elder of Xiasha Chapel in 1929. At the same time, he also contributed to three church schools out of a love for education.
Jiang died of a stroke and returned to heaven in May 1944 at the age of 56. He had three boys and six girls, most of whom went to college. Among them, the eldest son is a pastor who graduated from Nanjing Theological Seminary, and four other children become doctors following his will.
- Translated by Shuya Wang
1887，英国伦敦会差派医学博士巴阿美（Acumen Fahmy）到漳州，租用漳州府城东门街元魁庙边的民房（现芗城区华东路189号），创办漳州福音（协和）医院。医院对外行医，内设礼拜堂传道。医院为协助医疗事业和发展业务，通常招收信徒子弟入院习医（五年）。
蒋天汉1888年出生龙溪县田下村，他是遗腹子，出生后母子生活穷苦，仅靠母亲给人雇拥磨豆腐来维持生活，蒋天汉从小依赖叔父提携，每日替叔父做苦工，帮拉沙绿布和磨石粉（抺脸或抹皮肤用），起早摸黑做个不停。蒋天汉的叔父是基督徒，认识巴阿美医生并知道协和医院要招收学徒。1899年的一天巴阿美医生从田下村经过，其叔父请巴阿美医生从自己的三个儿子中挑选一个去当学徒，巴阿美医生谛视良久，觉得他三个儿子都不是学医的材料。其叔父只好让十一岁大的蒋天汉和巴阿美医生见面，巴阿美医生一看就选中了。从此以后，他一边在医院学习，一边回叔父家劳动，每天几乎搞得精疲力尽。
蒋天汉毕业后又被留院从医六年，巴阿美医生在公余时间教蒋天汉识字学文化（巴医生懂中文），传授业务知识、教读《圣经》，经过十二年的学习和工作，使蒋天汉学得许多医学知识和医疗技术，成为漳州城名西医。（==此句当summary）
蒋天汉学成出师后，巴阿美医生资助他购置医疗设备，于1916年3月，在漳州城新桥头大庙口独立开设寿南医药局，内、外科并设。蒋天汉开设诊所，凡贪苦平民求医就诊，倍加照顾，甚至赠医送药。
蒋天汉是个虔诚的基督教徒，开业行医几年后，稍有积余，助捐大款建漳州协和医院，又捐资修建下沙礼拜堂，后被选为漳州协和医院董事长，1929年间任下沙礼拜堂的长老。同时，他又热爱教育事业，先后捐助三所教会学校。
蒋天汉因中风不治，于1944年5月荣归天家，享年56岁。 蒋天汉先生育有三男六女，大部分都培养成大学生，其中大儿子还是南京神学院毕业的牧师，还有四个子女继其遗志当上医生。
漳州协和医院董事长蒋天汉的传奇人生
In 1887, the London Missionary Society of England sent Dr. Acumen Fahmy, a medical missionary, to Zhangzhou, Fujian Province. He founded the Zhangzhou Gospel (Union) Hospital by renting a private house beside Yuankui Temple on Dongmen Street, Zhangzhou City (now No. 189 Huadong Road, Xiangcheng District). In the hospital, medicine was administered to the public and a chapel was set up for preaching. To promote medical and health services and develop business, the hospital usually recruited the children of believers to study medicine (for five years).
Jiang Tianhan was a posthumous son, born in Tianxia Village, Longxi County in 1888. Since birth, Jiang had been living in poverty with his mother who was hired by others to make tofu to make a living. As a child, Jiang worked for his uncle, weaving a special cloth and grinding stone powder (to apply on the face or body skin) day and night without resting. His Christian uncle, acquainted with Dr. Acumen Fahmy, knew that the Union Hospital was recruiting apprentices. One day in 1899, Dr. Fahmy passed by Tianxia Village. Jiang’s uncle asked him to choose one of his three sons to be an apprentice. However, Dr. Fahmy didn’t see any of them as having the capability to study medicine after observing them for some time. Then, his uncle had no choice but to let the eleven-year-old Jiang Tianhan meet with the doctor who recruited him at first sight. Since then, Jiang had to study in the hospital, and work at his uncle's as well, which made him exhausted almost every day.
After graduating, Jiang practiced medicine in the hospital for six years. In his spare time, Dr. Fahmy (who knew Chinese) taught Jiang language, literacy, and culture, as well as business knowledge, and the Bible. After 12 years of study and work, Jiang gained much medical knowledge and skills and became a famous doctor of modern medicine in Zhangzhou.
Since Jiang became a qualified doctor, Dr. Fahmy sponsored him to purchase medical equipment for independently opening Shounan Medical Clinic with Medicine and Surgery departments at the temple area of Xinqiaotou, Zhangzhou City in March 1916. In his clinic, Jiang specially cared for underprivileged patients, and sometimes even treated them for free.
Jiang was a devout Christian. After practicing medicine for a few years, he donated his savings to build the Zhangzhou Union Hospital ( currently named Zhangzhou Municipal Hospital of Fujian Province), and Xiasha Chapel. He was later elected as the chairman of the hospital, and served as the elder of Xiasha Chapel in 1929. At the same time, he also contributed to three church schools out of a love for education.
Jiang died of a stroke and returned to heaven in May 1944 at the age of 56. He had three boys and six girls, most of whom went to college. Among them, the eldest son is a pastor who graduated from Nanjing Theological Seminary, and four other children become doctors following his will.
- Translated by Shuya Wang
Story of Christian Doctor, Chairman of Gospel Hospital in Fujian
