kapil1990 wrote:
In April 1841, medical missionary Reverend Peter Parker, M.D., addressed an enthusiastic audience gathered at a special meeting of the Boston Medical Association. His subject was "the condition and prospects of the hospitals of China." He described his own work at the hospital he had established in the foreign factory district outside the city walls of Canton where he offered free treatment for both rich and poor. At P’u Ai I Yuan (Hospital of Universal Love, as it was known in Chinese) Parker and his colleagues used western surgical techniques as a means to facilitate religious conversion. Medicine, Parker believed, could be the "handmaid of religious truth," and he held regular religious services for his patients.
While he had, at best, modest success attracting converts to Christianity, the hospital had fostered tremendous goodwill among the Chinese. It was a bright spot amid the gloomy period of Western-Chinese tension that led to the outbreak of the Opium Wars between Great Britain and China. Forced to flee Canton because of these rising hostilities, Parker returned to the United States to raise money and interest in his operations. In the spring of 1841, he spoke to many religious societies, a few medical bodies, and even the United States Congress, where he preached to members of the House and Senate and lobbied legislators on the need for diplomatic relations with China.
In his talks, Parker described the state of medical and surgical knowledge—or, rather, scientific ignorance—in China. Despite the surgical feats of legendary ancient doctors such as Hua T’o of the third century A.D., surgery did not develop to any great extent in China. Some accounts attribute this to Confucian precepts about the integrity of the body and proscriptions against any form of mutilation or dismemberment; others emphasize the pharmacological tendencies within traditional Chinese medicine and a preference for moxas and other caustic plasters.
Whatever the cause, it was undoubtedly the case that Parker’s surgical practice tapped into a huge unmet need. Almost as soon as he opened his Ophthalmic Hospital in Canton, as it was known in English, he acquired a reputation as a surgeon of such skill that the hospital quickly became a general hospital. Parker and his small staff handled thousands of cases each year, treating more than fifty thousand cases by the 1850s. His hospital became the model for other medical missions, and Parker and his British colleagues formed the Medical Missionary Society of China to coordinate the efforts of all the western hospitals springing up in the trading ports of Asia. Parker earned his reputation performing operations to remove tumors and cataracts—forms of surgery with relatively good odds of success and ones that could be accomplished quickly, important in an era without anesthetics. Because of the absence of surgery in China, a large number of patients were afflicted with mature tumors (typically five to thirty-five years old) of a size seldom seen in Europe or the United States. Parker was able to help these patients in ways previously thought impossible in China. He has thus been credited with bringing Western medicine to the most populous country on Earth
1. The author mentions
Hua T’o in the third paragraph most probably in order to
(A) underscore the need for modernization of nineteenth century Chinese medicine
(B) trace the history of important figures in Chinese medicine
(C) call attention to the lack of leading physicians in nineteenth century China
(D) celebrate the historical achievements of Chinese physicians
(E) defend Chinese medicine against unfair criticism
2. According to the passage, all of the following are true of Peter Parker EXCEPT
(A) He was skilled as a surgeon.
(B) He believed that the poor deserved quality medical treatment.
(C) He felt disdain for the medical practices of nineteenth century China.
(D) He lobbied intensely to bring Western medical knowledge to China.
(E) He did not achieve his missionary goals in China.
3. The primary purpose of the passage is to
(A) discuss the status of the medical profession in China before the arrival of Peter Parker
(B) argue that China could not have gained modern medical knowledge without the influence of Peter Parker
(C) demonstrate the need in China before the nineteenth century for outside medical knowledge
(D) challenge the predominant view of nineteenth century Chinese medicine
(E) examine the circumstances of the introduction of Western medicine to nineteenth century China
Hua T'o is mentioned in the following context: "In his talks, Parker described the state of medical and surgical knowledge--or, rather, scientific ignorance--in China. Despite the surgical feats of legendary ancient doctors such as Hua T'o of the third century A.D., surgery did not develop to any great extent in China."
(A) CORRECT. The fact that, by the nineteenth century, Chinese surgical knowledge had not developed beyond that of an "ancient" doctor underscores the need to modernize nineteenth century Chinese medicine.
(B) Hua T’o is the only Chinese medical figure mentioned in the passage, so the author does not mention him to trace the history of such figures.
(C) The topic sentence of the second paragraph concerns the lack of medical and surgical knowledge, not the lack of leading physicians in nineteenth century China.
(D) While the author recognizes Hua T’o’s achievements, citing “the surgical feats of legendary ancient doctors,” the overall context reveals that the point was not to celebrate such achievements, but to indicate how little had been achieved since.
(E) The author does not defend Chinese medicine against criticism; in fact, the author uses the example of Hua T’o to support Parker’s opinion about the state of scientific ignorance in China in the nineteenth century.
Question 2This question asks which of the statements about Peter Parker is not true. Four of the statement can be verified in the text, allowing us to select the correct answer by process of elimination.
(A) In the last paragraph, the passage states that Parker "acquired a reputation as a surgeon of such skill that the hospital quickly became a general hospital."
(B) In the first paragraph, the passage states that Parker "offered free treatment for both rich and poor,” so he must have believe that all deserved quality medical treatment.
(C) CORRECT. While Parker did not feel that that nineteenth century Chinese medical practices were advanced, the passage never mentions an emotion similar to "disdain" in describing Parker's feelings towards these practices.
(D) In the second paragraph, the passage states that Parker "returned to the United States to raise money and interest in his operations." Additionally, Parker "and his British colleagues formed the Medical Missionary Society of China to coordinate the efforts of all the western hospitals springing up in the trading ports of Asia."
(E) The second paragraph opens with the statement that Parker “had, at best, modest success attracting converts to Christianity," suggesting that he did not completely achieve his missionary goals.
Question 3The question asks for the primary purpose of the passage. In other words, what was the author's agenda in writing the passage? The correct answer must take the entirety of the passage into account without misrepresenting the author's intent. Typically, the opening paragraph and the topic sentences of each paragraph will reveal the focus of the passage.
(A) The passage focuses primarily on the medical activities of Peter Parker in China and on behalf of China, not on the status of the medical profession in China before his arrival in the country.
(B) The author summarizes the contributions of Peter Parker, ending the passage with the statement that Parker “has thus been credited with bringing Western medicine to” China, but does not argue that China could not have gained modern medical knowledge without the influence of Peter Parker.
(C) The passage focuses on the introduction of Western medicine into China, not the state of medicine in China before the nineteenth century.
(D) The only view of nineteenth century Chinese medicine presented in the passage is that of Peter Parker, who spoke on the subject in his talks once back in the West. The passage does not challenge Parker’s view.
(E) CORRECT. The passage as a whole concerns the activities of Peter Parker and his influence in bringing Western medicine to China in the nineteenth century.
close
Updated on: 14 Sep 2021, 11:41
59%
(03:32) wrong 
35%
(medium)
