Book Description

The life story of Dr. Ethel Margaret Phillips (1876–1951) is remarkable. She was one of the first women to graduate as a medical doctor at the University of Manchester, in England. She was also a "suffragist" who became a pioneering missionary in China at a time when missions were invariably led by men, and women missionaries were dutiful wives. She remained unmarried and independent of any authority, save that of her own conscience. This occasionally led to hot disputes with those who did not share her views, such as the Anglican Bishop in China, William White. Margaret Phillips worked for the Society for Propagating the Gospel and the Canadian Church Inland Mission. Among her duties, she was responsible for building and running hospitals in Pingyin and Kaifeng. Later she moved to Peking where she practiced medicine as well as teaching in the Women’s Medical School. She was fluent in Chinese, giving lectures, and translating several medical texts into that language. Phillips endured the Japanese occupation of China during WW II. She fled China to England, as a refugee, when the Chinese Communists seized power. Her remaining years were spend in England where she died and was buried. Dr. Margaret Phillip’s life was one of faith, drama, stubborn focus, and Christian service. The biography, The Lady Named Thunder, is written by her adopted son, Cliff Phillips, from her extensive journals, letters and notes, as well as his own personal recollections. It seeks to place Margaret Phillip’s life within the greater stream of history. As it relies heavily on documentary evidence, the manuscript features the authentic voice of a unique woman, who found her cause as a medical missionary in China. Dr. Phillip’s career and life touches on various large themes including: the history of medicine, women’s history, Victorian life and childhood, foreign missions in China, foreign life in China under the Treaty System, development of Western medicine in China, and aspects of Chinese politics and international relations in the first half of the 20th century. The manuscript, although framed as a popular work, sheds complimentary light on the history of missionaries in China.