Theodore Maxwell, MD (1847-1914) was an English doctor
medical missionary
Medical missions is the term used for Christian missionary endeavors that involve the administration of medical treatment. As has been common among missionary efforts from the 18th to 20th centuries, medical missions often involves residents of t ...
, founder of the
Kashmir Mission Hospital, and published author. Maxwell left England for
Kashmir shortly after receiving his MB from
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...
, and serving as a physician in
Addenbrooke's Hospital
Addenbrooke's Hospital is an internationally renowned large teaching hospital and research centre in Cambridge, England, with strong affiliations to the University of Cambridge. Addenbrooke's Hospital is based on the Cambridge Biomedical ...
. His arrival in
Srinagar, Kashmir, succeeded four years of missionary work by Dr.
William Jackson Elmslie. Maxwell founded a new hospital in Srinagar and laid the foundations for the work of his successors, including the establishment of the Kashmir Mission Hospital. After leaving missionary work, Maxwell wrote numerous papers for ''
The Lancet
''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823.
The journal publishes original research articles, ...
'' and compiled important medical knowledge to write ''Terminologia Medica Polyglotta: A Concise International Dictionary of Medical Terms.''
Background
Early life
Theodore Maxwell was born in 1847 and baptised on 6 May 1847 at St. John the Baptist Church in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
, England. His parents were Reverend Edward Maxwell and Mary Hogg Maxwell.
[Ancestry.com. West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1910 atabase on-line Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.] His mother, Mary Hogg Maxwell, was sister to
General John Nicholson, which provided Theodore with an important connection later in his life.
Education
Maxwell attended
Felstead Grammar School as a boy and later attended a private school in
Enfield. He then pursued an extensive professional education in the science field. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from
University College
In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...
in London in 1868. Maxwell went on to attend King's College, Cambridge, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1870, his Bachelor of Medicine degree in 1872, and his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1876. In 1882 he became a Doctor of Public Health, and in 1873 he became a
Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons
Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an intercollegiate basis by the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons (the Royal ...
in Edinburgh and a Fellow of the
Chemical Society
The Chemical Society was a scientific society formed in 1841 (then named the Chemical Society of London) by 77 scientists as a result of increased interest in scientific matters. Chemist Robert Warington was the driving force behind its creation.
...
.
Family
Theodore Maxwell married Elizabeth Eyre Ashley, the daughter of his former school teacher,
on 9 September 1873. After their arrival in India, his wife became pregnant. Their son, Arnold A. Maxwell, was born in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest ...
on 5 November 1874.
Medical missionary work
Journey
Maxwell worked in
Addenbrooke's Hospital
Addenbrooke's Hospital is an internationally renowned large teaching hospital and research centre in Cambridge, England, with strong affiliations to the University of Cambridge. Addenbrooke's Hospital is based on the Cambridge Biomedical ...
as a house-physician until he became interested in medical missionary work. The death of Dr.
William Jackson Elmslie in late 1872 left the Kashmir Mission desperate for a new missionary to take his place. When the
Church Mission Society asked Maxwell to step up, he eagerly did so. After marrying his wife in late 1873, they left for Kashmir in early 1874.
Service
Maxwell's arrival in Kashmir reestablished the mission after an almost two-year absence. He opened a dispensary in May 1874 but it was clear that more was needed. Maxwell rented a nearby native hut, where he saw hundreds of native patients each day. He soon felt the need for a new hospital in the Kashmir Medical Mission. He began this task with very little resistance from Kashmir natives. His deceased uncle, General John Nicholson, was instrumental in establishing the role of Maharajah, the British-installed ruler of the
Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir, officially known as the Princely State of Kashmir and Jammu, was a princely state during the Company rule in India from 1757 to 1858 as well as the British Raj in India from 1846 to 1952. The princely state was created after ...
, during the
First Anglo-Sikh War
The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company in 1845 and 1846 in and around the Ferozepur district of Punjab. It resulted in defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh empire and cession ...
in 1846. This connection gave Maxwell a favorable relationship with the current Mahajarah,
Ranbir Singh.
On 22 April 1875 Maxwell and his wife arrived back in Srinagar after treating patients in Murvee for a few weeks. Upon his arrival, Singh granted the land and resources for a new hospital, which he opened on 4 May 1875. The hospital was maintained and furnished largely due to
Thomas Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook
Thomas George Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook, (22 January 182615 November 1904) was a British Liberal statesman. Gladstone appointed him Viceroy of India 1872–1876. His major accomplishments came as an energetic reformer who was dedicated to ...
, who supported many of Maxwell's efforts to improve the state of the mission in Kashmir.
[North India: Mission Book 1875-1876. 1875-1876. Government Papers. The National Archives, Kew. ''Research Source''. Web. December 16, 2020]
Maxwell played a large role in the incorporation of native doctors, who were once viewed as "worse than useless",
into the medical work in the hospital and the country. His work alongside natives built a strong relationship between the Kashmir Medical Mission and the people of Kashmir.
Towards the end of Maxwell's work in Kashmir, the Maharajah sanctioned the building of a Mission House, which further strengthened the medical mission's presence and relations in Kashmir.
Return
In August 1875, after almost two years of medical mission work, Maxwell began to feel as though he had given the experience "a fair trial" and that he did not have the physical strength for the work anymore. He decided to leave the Kashmir Medical Mission in February 1876, giving General Lake and the Church Mission Society adequate time to find a replacement missionary.
However, in early September 1875, Maxwell began to suffer from "faintings" and after consultation with another doctor in the area, decided that he was unwell and must return to Europe as soon as possible. His wife also began to feel weak from their work, and they planned to leave Kashmir through
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the '' de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the sec ...
on 1 November.
Maxwell was replaced in the mission by
Dr. Edmund Downes who served as a religious missionary prior to qualifying as a physician.
The Maxwells left India on 25 October 1875 by means of a ship at Bombay.
After Maxwell returned to England due to his illness, he practiced medicine in
Hanwell
Hanwell () is a town in the London Borough of Ealing, in the historic County of Middlesex, England. It is about 1.5 miles west of Ealing Broadway and had a population of 28,768 as of 2011. It is the westernmost location of the London post t ...
. In 1878, Maxwell and his wife moved to
Woolwich
Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thro ...
, where he continued his practice in medicine until his retirement.
Legacy and death
In addition to founding the Kashmir Mission Hospital, Maxwell wrote numerous papers about his medical findings from his time in Kashmir for ''The Lancet''. In ''The Lancet'', he also wrote about his experience with and ideas for improvements upon university teaching in London, along with his own medical observations from his practice. Maxwell wrote 15 articles for ''The Lancet'' from 1878 to 1911.
Most notably, Maxwell authored ''Terminologia Medica Polyglotta: A Concise International Dictionary of Medical Terms,'' which is still regarded as an important cultural and knowledge source.
Theodore Maxwell was an enthusiastic and accomplished exponent of letterpress printing as a hobby. He established the Amateur Printers' Association in 1895 and introduced a quarterly journal, ''Amateur Printing'' which appeared in 72 editions between June 1895 and January 1913. Maxwell was the driving force behind ''Amateur Printing'', acting as editor of the magazine and secretary of the Association. Despite his appeal for help with the journal in 1912, none was forthcoming and publication ceased after the January 1913 edition, as he said it would. St Bride Library in Fleet Street holds a complete set of ''Amateur Printing''. Many editions contain exemplary work by Dr Maxwell.
Maxwell continued to face heart problems and retired from his medical practice in 1908.
Theodore Maxwell died in his home in Woolwich, England, on 13 February 1914, at the age of 67.
Publications
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References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell, Theodore
Christian medical missionaries
Church Mission Society missionaries
Alumni of King's College, Cambridge
1847 births
1914 deaths
Anglican missionaries in India
English Anglican missionaries