Past President Dr. H.J. Orr-Ewing
Learning about our past presidents provides us with a window on the events that occurred before and during their service in Rotary. In the case of Dr. Orr-Ewing we learn about the British introduction of health care during late Ottoman Palestine. Dr. Or-Ewing was the head of the British Mission Hospital established by the London Society for the dual purposes of providing quality health care to and the conversion to Christianity of the Jews in Jerusalem- part of the Anglican Restorationist movement.
In the year 1919, Dr. Or-Ewing took over administration of the British Mission Hospital in Jerusalem following the many years of service of Dr. Charles Edward d’Erf Wheeler.
Dr. Orr-Ewing wrote a report following the retirement of Dr. Wheeler when he took charge of the British Mission Hospital:
Dr. Wheeler reopened the [British] Hospital in a small way on October 1, 1919, so that we have now reached the end of our second milestone under the new conditions [British administration in Palestine], and, as in all such times, we incline to cast a retrospective glance back over the year’s work…
Now he [Dr. Wheeler] is gone and the reputation he possessed amongst the Jews – a reputation acquired thirty-six years ago and endorsed by his years of self sacrificing work among his people he loved so well [Jews targeted for conversion] will no longer act as the attracting force drawing crowds to the Hospital.
[A note on the British Mission Hospital - It was established in 1883 by the London Society for Promoting Christianity Among the Jews to provide health care to Jewish in Jerusalem with expressed missionary interest to convert them to Christianity.]
Source: Thanks goes to Professor Yaron Perry of Haifa University who provided the picture and copy for the above narrative from his book Modern Medicine in the Holy Land, Pioneering British Medical Services in Late Ottoman Palestine
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