Le Révérend George Leslie Mackay

Centenaire de sa mort
1844 - 1901

Il était surtout connu pour ses talents de dentiste, car on prétend qu’il aurait extrait 21 000 dents durant sa carrière de missionnaire à l’étranger.

Le samedi 2 juin 2001, la Fondation du patrimoine ontarien va inaugurer
une plaque provinciale à la mémoire du révérend George Leslie Mackay, dans le Parc Memorial, rue St. Andrew à Embro, Ontario.

Le texte de la plaque provinciale est le suivant :

LE RÉVÉREND GEORGE LESLIE MACKAY, 1844-1901

Fils d’immigrants écossais, missionnaire presbytérien, George Mackay naît près d’Embro (canton de Zorra). En 1872, il fonde la première mission canadienne outre-mer à Tamsui (Taiwan). Personnage singulier, sensible aux besoins locaux, George Mackay s’improvise dentiste et instruit le clergé. Il épouse une Taiwanaise, Tiun Chhang-Mian, dont il a trois enfants. Le « Barbare à la Barbe noire » travaille au nord de Taiwan jusqu’à sa mort. Il y construit 60 églises, plusieurs écoles et un hôpital. En 1881, il recueille des fonds, ici, dans le comté d’Oxford, pour financer la construction du Collège Oxford à Tamsui, qui devait devenir une université. Il inspire le mouvement des missions évangéliques en Ontario et il s’oppose farouchement à l’impôt canadien levé sur chaque immigrant chinois. Le révérend Mackay reste un héros national à Taiwan.

Dr. George Leslie Mackay was born in Oxford County, Ontario, Canada in 1844.
In 1880, Dr. Mackay founded the Tamsui Mackay Hospital, which was the first Western hospital in the northern part of Taiwan, helping countless patients, especially lepers and patients living in remote areas. The hospital was the forerunner of Mackay Memorial Hospital.

Although formally Mackay wasn´t a physician, he had received medical training and provided medical care for the sick while in Tamsui, taking the opportunity to preach the gospel at the same time.

He lightened people´s suffering, for example, by employing quinine to cure malaria, or by pulling the teeth of those with dental maladies.  

By his own count, he pulled 21,000 teeth over 20-odd years, leaving those who had previously been tortured by toothache with a \"tooth missing, hard to forget\" sense of grateful remembrance.

2022 150th Anniv of George Leslie Mackay Arrival in Taiwan Stamp Souvenir Sheet (s/s). Formosa(Taiwan), Rep of China. 

First day of issued: Mar. 09,2022.

  Dr. George Leslie Mackay was born in Oxford County, Ontario, Canada in 1844, and arrived in Tamsui Taiwan on March 9, 1872. In 1880, Dr. Mackay founded the Tamsui Mackay Hospital, which was the first Western hospital in the northern part of Taiwan, helping countless patients, especially lepers and patients living in remote areas. The hospital was the forerunner of Mackay Memorial Hospital. Although formally Mackay wasn´t a physician, he had received medical training and provided medical care for the sick while in Tamsui, taking the opportunity to preach the gospel at the same time. He lightened people´s suffering, for example, by employing quinine to cure malaria, or by pulling the teeth of those with dental maladies. By his own count, he pulled 21,000 teeth over 20-odd years, leaving those who had previously been tortured by toothache with a "tooth missing, hard to forget" sense of grateful remembrance. And as a missionary, Dr. Mackay never stopped teaching about Christianity, preaching the spirit of love and devotion to Christ. In addition, to enhance the welfare of farmers and raise agricultural production, he introduced seeds of many kinds of vegetables, fruits and flowers from Europe and America to Taiwan. Through other missionaries and believers, he encouraged farmers to plant these seeds, making a major contribution to Taiwan´s agriculture.  

Informations techniques :

Carte

Lien : http://www.heritagefdn.on.ca/French/Heritage/plaques/2001/pl-june2001.shtml

FDC :

Taîwan

1989 - n° 1793

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