Manson once again had charge of a small Missionary Hospital for the local population and for seamen. He soon realised that he had to contend with local prejudice against Western Medicine. There would be a commotion outside the Hospital. A Chinese patient was struggling with two attendants who were trying to bring him in. The patient could be heard to cry: “No want this evil house….. Is Western poison.” This reaction was brought about by rumours that the European doctor was giving out poisoned pills. Later he encountered prejudice of a different kind. The missionaries accused him of over-emphasis on the teaching of medicine, to the detriment of spreading the gospel. They parted company and he started a dispensary in the poor Chinese quarter.
The staple diet of most of the Chinese was rice, or a mixture of rice and sweet potatoes, spiced with pickled vegetables and salted fish. Meat, such as pork or beef was considered a luxury that few could afford. Manson could do nothing about this but he was determined to deal with the smallpox, which affected most of the population and caused a death rate of one in three. Eventually he successfully introduced Jenner’s vaccination, available at home since early in the century, and saved countless lives.
He also started a small private practice, for there was a European community of several hundred. In contrast to most of the population, they lived in a pleasant spot up on the hill overlooking the town. Their houses were large and cool and each had its own tropical garden. Summers were very hot, but tempered by cooling sea breezes; the winter was dry and bracing. There was plenty of choice in recreation and social life centred on the excellent club. You could go pony racing, snipe shooting, fishing, or even big game hunting for tiger, if you were so inclined.
But his comments on his fellow Europeans, written in 1871, have a contemporary medical ring: “Did the residents display as much wisdom in the furnishing of their tables