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Tamsui Culture in detail

Hobe Mackay Hospital

Hobe Mackay Hospital was the first Western-style hospital in Taiwan. It was built by Canadian missionary Dr. George Mackay, who was one of the earliest and most influential Christian missionaries to have lived in Taiwan.

After arriving in Taiwan, Mackay - who was also a trained doctor - began offering medical services to the public in a small clinic in Tamsui named "Hobe Hospital" ("Hobe" is the old name for the district of Tamsui).

This clinic gained international renown in 1877 for discovering the world's first case of "Lung Fluke". Then, in 1879, Mackay was given NT $2,500 by a woman called Mackay (not related to Dr. Mackay) to commemorate her late husband. He used this money to build a hospital on the spot at which the clinic had been. Mackay designed the new building himself. It featured Taiwanese-style architecture but with western doors and windows.

After Dr. Mackay passed away, his successors moved the hospital to a modern building in Taipei City in 1912, which is the current location of the Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei Branch. A century later, however, the structure of the Hobe Mackay Hospital in Tamsui still remains. The building is currently under the management of the Tamsui Church.
How to get there
Located next to a church in Mackay St, the little side alley near the large roundabout at the end of old street.
Google Map

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Last Updated : 3/28/2024