Mackay Mission Hospital, Historic medical site in Tamsui, Taiwan.
Mackay Mission Hospital is a historic building that originally served as the first Western medical clinic in northern Taiwan and shaped the region's introduction to modern medicine. The structure combines traditional Taiwanese construction with functional design for medical treatment.
The clinic was established in 1879 and was northern Taiwan's first facility for Western medical treatment and training. It introduced completely new healing methods to an area where traditional medicine was the only option.
The hospital shows how foreign doctors and local practitioners worked together and influenced each other's approaches. The rooms remind visitors of how much medical care changed during that era.
The location sits near the river and preserves much of the original equipment from that era. Visitors should move slowly through the tight spaces and look closely at the detailed furnishings.
The dental section here treated more patients than any other place in the region at that time, because toothaches had long gone untreated. This specialization made the clinic a destination for people suffering from dental pain.
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