James L. Maxwell
First Western Medical Missionary in Taiwan
Late Qing
1836–1921
James Laidlaw Maxwell was a Scottish physician and English Presbyterian missionary who arrived in Taiwan in 1865, establishing the island's first Western-style clinic in Tainan. Initially expelled by hostile local residents, he relocated to Cihou before returning permanently to Tainan. Maxwell's skills in surgery and ophthalmology gradually won the trust of Han and Pingpu indigenous communities who had never encountered Western medicine. He trained local assistants, built up a network of clinics, and created institutional foundations that developed into the present Xinlou (New Building) Hospital in Tainan, still operational today. Maxwell is revered as the founder of modern medicine in southern Taiwan and a key figure in the early history of Christianity on the island.
Established Taiwan's first Western-style hospital in Tainan in 1865
Founded institutional predecessor of today's Xinlou Hospital in Tainan
First Western Medical Missionary in Taiwan
James L. Maxwell
Era
Late Qing
Lifespan
1836–1921
James Laidlaw Maxwell was a Scottish physician and English Presbyterian missionary who arrived in Taiwan in 1865, establishing the island's first Western-style clinic in Tainan. Initially expelled by hostile local residents, he relocated to Cihou before returning permanently to Tainan. Maxwell's skills in surgery and ophthalmology gradually won the trust of Han and Pingpu indigenous communities who had never encountered Western medicine. He trained local assistants, built up a network of clinics, and created institutional foundations that developed into the present Xinlou (New Building) Hospital in Tainan, still operational today. Maxwell is revered as the founder of modern medicine in southern Taiwan and a key figure in the early history of Christianity on the island.
Established Taiwan's first Western-style hospital in Tainan in 1865
Founded institutional predecessor of today's Xinlou Hospital in Tainan