# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S289
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

ae
&
a
-

mt

ee,
'

6

aA

i

368 MISSIONS

B :
Since the medical mission is a direct reflection of the Sponsor;
organization, it becomes important that only the highest st; mag
be maintained with regard to personnel and physical equipment
We, therefore, plead with Synod that an over-all plan to ;.;
the standards of existing institutions to acceptable levels be formu.
lated and that new hospitals be organized when qualified Personne}
become available.

To this end we suggest that attention be directed first to our

hospital in Ambur, India, which requires the sum of $35,009 for
improvement purposes. This fund is to be used for the following
improvements:

1. The building of a new wing. The capacity of the entire
hospital needs expansion. Moreover, the new building should be
equipped with necessary furniture and fixtures of good quality.

2. The provision for an improvement of operating and delivery
rooms. These rooms are to be completely outfitted with n
equipment such as operating tables, operating lights, sterilizers,
and the necessary instruments to carry out average major surgery,

3. The provisioning and equipping of an X-ray examining room,

- X-ray examinations have been shown to be a necessary adjunct

to any hospital. The room should have X-ray equipment capable
of performing routine tyes of examination and should be supplied
with the necessary X-ray film processing devices.

The requests are motivated by three premises. The first is
that we expand our services to the needy; the second, that we
provide adequate hospital facilities and medical attention for our
own missionary and medical personnel; and finally, that we provide
the doctor who has agreed to enter the field with the equipment
necessary to carry on an acceptable standard of medical practice.

Cc

The high standards outlined in the previous section cannot
be carried out without the aid of physicians and surgeons resident
at the hospital. Such personnel are difficult to obtain. Medical
students on completion of their medical training are loath to make
additional sacrifices, particularly in view of the strenuous and
lengthy course of studies, the high cost of education, the possibility
of a lucrative practice, and to some degree a stigma attached by
their associates to any one who accepts a missionary status.

In order to supply the medical mission program with competent
personnel, we plead with Synod that the following proposals be
seriously considered. . a
1. An organization composed of consecrated medical men and
members of the clergy, which would include medical missionaries

MISSIONS 369

and missionaries on furlough or retired, should be provided for.
Their duties would consist of contacting likely pre-medical and

.-dental students, inspiring them with a zeal for the Lord’s
work and the following up of these contacts.

2 A fund is to be set aside to give financial aid to worthy
students who desire to enter the field of medical missions. The
motivating cause for acceptance of the scholarship should be pri-
marily the furthering of the Lord’s work and not a source of aid
to medical students who have inadequate private financial re-
sources. , These funds need not be repaid if the recipient remains
in a foreign field for a reasonable period of time. Repayment at
current rates of interest are to be made by those who fail to com-
plete the course or fail to accept a position.

3, A missionary center in our home country is to be organized
and necessary buildings erected. In this building will be housed
missionaries and medical missionaries on furlough, students, and
their families. Housing will be without charge. A likely place
for such an arrangement would be the campus of our Seminary
in St. Louis. This location would give the missionaries and students
access to two large universities and medical schools. Postgraduate
work would thereby be easily available.

The purpose of such housing will be to promote fellowship,
nurture interest, and heighten the zeal of those who have conse-
crated themselves to this work.

4. Furthermore, an association with a Lutheran hospital should
be encouraged so that it may become a medical center. for our
medical missionaries. The hospital is to act as a central agency
for the collection of medical material for our foreign missions. and
for the dissemination of pertinent medical information, arid possibly
supplies, to our medical missions. The hospital should act as
a home base so that prospective. graduates may follow an accept-
able internship and even obtain accredited residencies.

It is our sincere prayer that our Synod will give increasing
attention to the promotion of: medical missions.

Orro H. Grunow, M.D. Cuartes G. OBERMEYER, M. D.
American College of Radiology

Chief of Anesthesi _
edie Mallinckrodt Institute of pital, St Louis 7 teran Hos
tadiology, ington Univer- Chai L . . te

sity Medical School sion Assn. utheran Medical Mis
Chairman, Memorial Committee vs
Wotreanc F. Butie, M.D. .

Teo. H. HANSER, M. D..

F.A.C.S., Surgical Staff, Lutheran
sard Member, Letheran Hospital
ember, i i
_ Vicksburg wl uw eran Hospital,
ecutive Committee, Lutheran
Medical Mission Assn.

Resident in Training, Lutheran.
issionary-Designate to
Ambur, India, Lutheran } Mission
Hospital