The Kobe Sanitarium by W. C. DUNSCOMBE, M. D.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · May 14, 1908

The Kobe Sanitarium

By W. C. DUNSCOMBE, M. D.

DURING the last year the Lord has blessed in the work to a greater degree than we had dared to hope. Many times the way has seemed to be hedged up with difficulties, and at times it has seemed as if the work must be closed up here. However, the trials and difficulties have caused us to seek God more earnestly, and we have not been disappointed; for he has helped us.

When my wife and I first came here, there was one patient, as the institution had been without a physician for some time. But the patients soon began to come in, and from that time to this we have more than paid expenses. At present, the institution is crowded, and during the last week we have had to refuse admittance to three patients because of lack of room. From the very first, the Lord has sent us patients as fast as we have been able to take care of them. After we were well settled here, I received notice that I must pass the regular examination in order to practise in Japan. If I continued to practise before I had passed this examination, they informed me that I would be arrested and fined. As the law then read, it would take nearly two years before I would receive my certificate, as I would have to take three examinations several months apart. This would mean the closing up of our medical work here. For a time there seemed to be no other alternative, but finally a high official took hold of the matter for us, and after a great deal of patient effort the ordinance was changed so that foreigners would be allowed to take all the examinations at one time. Then I took the examinations, my papers were examined as soon as I had written them, and I was given my certificate.

It seemed providential that before I received my certificate, very few local patients came. However, after this they began to come in quite fast, so that now many of the townspeople are our patients. We have religious services every day, and many of the patients ask why we keep the Sabbath, etc. Thus we have had the opportunity to present the truth. The majority of our patients are missionaries from Japan, Korea, and China, and it is hard to estimate the good that the seed sown here will do. From time to time we have had a large portion of all the missionaries here in Japan at our sanitarium, and many missionaries, from other parts of the Orient. We hold services with them every day, and I am sure that these prayer-meetings bring us all nearer together, and nearer to God.

In the last year we have bought and paid for new equipment valued at one thousand dollars (gold), added five hundred and some dollars to our bank account out of our earnings, and paid part of our small debt. So we feel that the Lord has blessed us in a temporal way also.

Our sanitarium workers are few, and for a long time we had to work very hard; but now that Miss Dehn has come to help us, the work will be easier for all. The greatest problem that we now have to deal with is the language. It is essential that we learn the language, but it is very difficult most of the time to get much opportunity to study while engaged in the sanitarium work.

We are hoping soon to secure a larger and better equipped institution in the country. This institution will be for both Japanese and foreigners, and we are also planning to have a training-school in connection with it. This will enable us to give our native young people a training in health principles and in simple treatments, and evangelistic work as well. The work surely is great, and as we lay the foundation for a larger and broader work, we need your prayers that we may keep close to God, and be guided by him in all our plans for the future.

W. C. DUNSCOMBE, M. D.