Renaissance man

Pioneering US missionary Rev Bradley was also Thailand's first surgeon and publisher

STORY BY YVONNE BOHWONGPRASERT, PHOTOS BY DR KATAVUT LOKAPHADHANA

Reverend Dan Beach Bradley - the 19th century American missionary - is best remembered for his contribution to the development of Thailand's medical and publishing industries.

New York-born Bradley was also the first Western physician who introduced the small pox vaccination here, and in his later years published Thailand's first daily, the Bangkok Recorder. He also translated and edited Thailand's first medical text book on midwifery.

Tracing his footsteps in Bangkok spanning over three decades takes some imagination for the reason that not much tangible evidence is left of him in the kingdom. Everything from his journals to family photos are housed at the Oberlin College Archives.

His grave at the Protestant cemetery on Charoen Krung Road is probably the only remaining monument to the great man who arrived in Thailand in 1835 at the age of 31 and died in 1873.

Dr Bradley's career in Thailand was multi-faceted, says Dr Katavut Lokaphadhana, a veteran pediatrician at Bangkok Christian Hospital, who has spent years researching his role model's life.

"Dr Bradley's journal chronicles his daily activities - not just as a missionary, but also as a dedicated physician, publisher and advisor to the ruling monarch at the time," he said. "He wrote about his personal struggle in a foreign land and his faith in Jesus helped him get through when times got rough. He introduced Thais to modern medicine, while the well being of the people was always at the heart of whatever he set out to do."

It took Dr Bradley six months by ship to travel from Boston to Thailand via Singapore. He sailed on the vessel Cashmere to Singapore, where he is said to have waited six months before he could find a connecting ship to Bangkok.

His writings reveal that the first landmark he remembered arriving here was the Chedi Klang Nam in Phra Pradaeng. Dr Bradley arrived at 9pm on his 31st birthday, disembarked and passed the immigration at Pak Nam. He set up his first dispensary - which was also his residence - near Wat Samphanthawong, a short distance from today's Talat Noi market.

Dr Katavut says he lived there for a while because at the time people had reservations about foreigners. Before he was given royal permission to lease land from Phra Klang in 1852 to build a house by Khlong Bang Luang, a canal in the Bangkok Yai area, he lived in a boat house near the Santa Cruz Catholic church.

Dr Bradley practiced surgery for six to seven years. The first person to go under his knife was a man of Chinese decent. It was carried out at his dispensary in Pak Nam, Samut Prakan, to remove a tumour from his forehead, and it was done without anaesthesia, while the first amputation involved a man who was injured at a temple fair at Wat Prayurawong in the Saphan Phut area.

According to Dr Bradley, a cannon misfire resulted in a number of deaths and injuries. The man was so badly hurt that his arm had to be amputated at the site, a task in which he was assisted by Robert Hunter, a Scot merchant. After recovering from the surgery he became a monk.

It is interesting to note that Dr Bradley was often rewarded for his medical assistance with generous food and related products. Despite the prevailing apathy towards foreigners, he commanded respect and admiration of the local people.

Dr Bradley's diary reveals a high incidence of cataract at the time. He used an old method to correct the problem, which involved using a needle to pierce the eye and push the opaque lens back to correct the defect. This was a popular technique until about 1850.

After a stint in surgery and medicine, Dr Bradley established the first newspaper in the country.

With royal approval, Dr Katavut says, Dr Bradley started the Bangkok Recorder on July 4, 1844. In the initial stage, the bi-monthly had 40-50 subscribers. The first printing house was near the Portuguese consulate in what is Captain Bush Lane today. It was then relocated to around Wat Prayurawong, and finally to his house at the mouth of Klong Bang Luang canal.

The Bangkok Recorder was discontinued after a short stint and resumed again in 1865. It lasted till 1866.

Aside from books on Christianity and Thai literature, he also played a role in publishing the first Thai dictionary in 1873. His endeavours fetched an income that was sufficient to sustain himself and his mission. In his later years he stopped receiving funds from the church.

The Bangkok Calendar - an almanac - ran from 1860-1872. Much of our information about Siam from that era comes from the Bangkok Recorder and Dr Bradley's diary, said Dr Katavut.

Horizons News
Bangkok Post
Thursday January 25, 2007