William Warder Cadbury (Chinese name: 嘉惠霖; 1877 – October 15, 1959) was an American physician, professor, researcher, author, and medical missionary. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania's Medical School, he traveled to Canton (Guangzhou), China, where he eventually became the most well-known internal medicine doctor in the region during the time period of the Republic of China. At Canton Hospital, he served as a doctor, professor, writer, and eventually superintendent multiple times. In his 40 years working in Canton (1909-1949), he put forward relentless efforts to improve the Canton Hospital and nearby areas in Canton, bettering the health of many thousands of Canton people. In 1935, he published a detailed book on the history of the hospital, called At the Point of a Lancet." One Hundred Years of the Canton Hospital, 1835-1935, which earned him recognition as the top 10 famous University of Pennsylvania Alumni for 1935.
Early life and education W.W. Cadbury was born in 1877 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Some say his birth date is October 15, but another source says his birth date is unknown. He was the son of Joel and Anna Kaighn Cadbury and a birthright member of the Philadelphia Monthly Meeting for the Western District (now called the Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting). W. W. Cadbury is distantly related to John Cadbury, founder of Cadbury, the chocolate company.
He graduated from the William Penn Charter School in 1894. In 1898, he graduated from Haverford College with a B.A. and then went on to get an M.A. from Haverford in 1899. In the 1900 US Census, at age 22, he was listed as a "medical student" under his family's name. He graduated from the Medical School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1902. From 1903 to 1905, he was a resident physician at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. Afterwards, he went to Vienna for graduate school and then returned to the University of Pennsylvania to teach pathology and pharmacology. He worked as a pathologist at St. Mary's Hospital from 1906 to 1909.
Family and personal life in China
In 1911, Cadbury married Sarah Imbree Manatt, who died shortly after in 1912. Then, in 1917, he married Catharine Balderston Jones, who changed her name to Catharine Jones Cadbury. They had three daughters, Jane B. Cadbury, Emma Cadbury, and Catharine C. Cadbury.
While in Canton, Cadbury and his family lived in the William Penn Lodge. This home was gifted to him by the University of Pennsylvania's Christian Association. Historical records at Sun Yat-sen University and Yale University have images of the home, which still stands today (image can be found here). He created an orchid garden at this residence.
Around 1924, Cadbury adopted the young son of Kuomintang General . General Lei wanted his son to grow up in a Christian and American environment. The young son, named James Cadbury Lei (李業?, Lei Ip Nung). Lei became a part of the family, and in return, General Lei contributed funds to construct a small hospital near Canton on Honam Island.
Missionary journey Calling While studying to become a doctor at the University of Pennsylvania, W.W. Cadbury was inspired to work in China by a past graduate of Penn's Medical School, Andrew Patton Happer, who had raised money to establish Canton Christian College in 1888. Happer was inspired to work in China after hearing a lecture by Peter Parker, the founder of the hospital in which W.W. Cadbury would work for much of his life: Canton Hospital.
In 1909, as a member of the University of Pennsylvania Christian Association, Cadbury traveled to Canton, China, by ship to work at the University Medical School. This school was associated with Canton Christian College (later renamed Lingnan University in 1927) and managed by the board of the Christian Association of the University of Pennsylvania. He had chosen to work in a location in China removed from visible poverty. The Society of Friends in Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting supported his work. The Cadbury Fund was created to assist him: it raised $2,000 annually to subsidize his missionary work.
Cadbury believed he had a duty to bring Western Medicine to China and to help the people of China. He revealed this feeling of duty in a 1911 letter to the editor of a medical journal. He referenced how European doctors dedicated their lives to developing medicine in the American colonies, and thus he believed that American doctors had the duty to do the same for the people of China. He said: "Can we, who have reaped what they have sowed, do better than follow their example and help the men in this great land of China to realize their ideals of establishing schools of medicine modeled after the institutions of Europe and America?"
Canton Hospital & Lingnan University Professor and Doctor
Cadbury started his work in Canton as a teacher at the University Medical School (part of Canton Christian College) and as a physician (an internist specifically) at Canton Hospital. He was welcomed by the Chinese, as they viewed Canton Christians like Cadbury as people who came to help, not disturb.
When he first arrived, he was one of the three American teachers at the school. Since "Cadbury" was difficult to translate, his students called him a name that together meant "belief, elegance, and selfless" (3 characters: 嘉惠霖 Jiā Huìlín). Having studied Chinese, he was able to communicate with students, patients, and colleagues in Chinese. Historical records today have pictures of him and his students in 1911.
In the same 1911 letter to the editor (mentioned in the above section), he shared the progress the school has made and plans for growth. At the time, he and three other physicians were in charge of the medical school. He and his colleagues were teaching classes on anatomy, physics, ophthalmology, histology, and more. In 1912, while teaching, Cadbury met Sun Yat-sen. Sun Yat-sen had previously studied medicine at Canton Hospital under John G. Kerr, and like the other foreign teachers at Canton Christian College, Cadbury supported Sun Yat-sen's ideology and political views. By 1913, Cadbury had seen his students gain so much knowledge and experience at the school, and he proudly claimed that they were "well-educated young men of fine Christian character" ready to "do their share in the upbuilding of the great Chinese nation." The same year, he also became a teacher at Gongyi Medical School (), which had reached out to the Canton government for help.
Cadbury was also one of the few doctors known to rehabilitate both the mind and the body of his patients. Genuinely concerned for the wellbeing of his patients, he was known to check on them and wear his stethoscope at all times. Those around him observed that he was a very knowledgeable, highly skilled, and effective doctor. Over the years, he became the most well-known internist in Canton. He tried to emulate William Osler, who was a famous internist in the 1800s. In 1913, he was named the principal doctor for Canton Hospital. Then, in 1914, he joined the specialized medical staff of Canton Hospital.
He had come to Canton with hope and a vision to greatly improve the hospital. The conditions of the hospital, medical supplies, and health environment weren't nearly as developed as those in the USA. In 1913, he and three other doctors donated money to the Canton Medical Missionary Society to further improve the hospital. Thus, in addition to being involved in the hospital's internal medicine department, he helped establish a lab for pathology research and ran a rehabilitation center in the college. As he expanded his endeavors and philanthropic work, he continued serving as a physician and researcher at Canton Hospital.
Leadership in the hospital As Cadbury continued to be an internal medicine doctor at Canton Hospital, he assumed important leadership roles. In 1917, Cadbury was nominated as a chief physician, taking on the role of organizing and leading the other doctors.
Then, in 1930, he was appointed superintendent of Canton Hospital by the Lingnan University Board. Soon afterward, Lingnan University assumed control over Canton Hospital and renamed it Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital (still referred to as "Canton Hospital" for the rest of the article). In September 1932, the hospital at Lingnan University and its outpatient clinic were transferred to this hospital, which Cadbury headed.
He served as a superintendent of Canton Hospital multiple times. In late 1938, during which the Japanese had begun attacking Canton as part of the Second Sino-Japanese War, he became a superintendent so that the hospital would be under foreign control; that way, it would be protected from Japanese forces. Fortunately, Canton Hospital and Lingnan University weren't greatly affected by these attacks. He ran the hospital at this time, which continued to help people with both medical treatment and spiritual guidance.
Religion Cadbury's Quakerism influenced his missionary efforts in Canton. In an article for The Friend, he said he had gone to Canton in order to "institute in Canton instruction in medical science according to the practice of modern civilization, and incidentally the promotion of Christianity, as way may open." As early as 1910, he included religious promotion in his work. For example, he taught a few classes on religion, such as a course on Comparative Religion for Lingnan University students. Additionally, he and his wife held worship services in their home and even exposed Christianity in the local villages. However, he didn't forcefully impose his religion on those he treated.
In 1914, the University of Pennsylvania Christian Association ended its affiliation with Canton Christian College after being unable to establish an official religion. Cadbury, however, stayed, emphasizing service over religious doctrine. He framed religion in the perspective that he and his students, in the name of Christ, should do good and better the world. Under his influence, many of the students became Protestants, but he never mentioned if they were Quakers specifically.
Work as a researcher In the same 1911 letter, Cadbury spoke of the exciting opportunity to conduct "original research in a tropical city like Canton." This excitement translated to his work. In the pathology lab that he had helped establish, he conducted research on the various epidemics present in Canton. He accumulated research by doing urine analysis, blood analysis (white blood cells), and even stool analysis of afflicted patients. He measured their glucose and protein levels as well.
Starting in 1918, Cadbury treated lepers, who were outpatients in the Canton Hospital leprosy clinic, for one year. The Canton Hospital was the first to have an organized leprosy clinic in China. He injected these patients with a mixture of chaulmoogra oil, resorcin, and camphorated oil. Then, he reported the results in The China Medical Journal in 1920. He wrote:"We must state that the various remedies, as outlined above, while in most cases of leprosy, they have definite therapeutic value, yet unless the patients are cared for in a sanatorium, given proper food, together with baths and attention to personal hygiene, a complete cure can hardly be looked for."In 1926, Cadbury tackled the widespread issue of Chinese children not knowing their birth dates. He collected information from 1013 Cantonese children. His calculations to estimate the ages of these children revealed an understanding of the customs of the Canton people. For example, he learned that most of the children claimed they were born in August, September, and October, most likely due to the tradition that Canton merchants were gone for most of the year except around Chinese New Year.
Chinese-US relations