Frederick Charles Roberts (9 September 1862 – 6 June 1894) was an English physician and medical missionary who served with the London Missionary Society in Mongolia and China. Roberts spent his entire career as a practicing physician in East Asia, dying in China after seven years of mission work. He is best known for his contributions as the sole medical provider and second director at the Tientsin Mission Hospital and Dispensary in China, where he treated an estimated 120-150 patients a day, and for his famine relief efforts in the rural districts outside Tientsin. He also taught at the first Western medical school in China and is the namesake of Roberts Memorial Hospital, which was established in T'sangchou, China in 1903.
Early life and education
Fred Roberts was born in Manchester, England in 1862 to parents of distinguished Welsh lineage. He was the youngest of 12 children, although 3 of his siblings passed away before he was born. His parents were devout Christians, and Roberts was exposed to prayer and Bible lessons from a young age. Roberts claimed on his application to the London Missionary Society to have formally become a Christian at the age of 10.
Roberts' early education occurred at a local school run by Christian women. Between the ages of 11 and 13, he attended Manchester Grammar School. He began his college studies at Aberystwyth, the University College of Wales in 1876. It was there that he began pursuing the idea of becoming a missionary in China after he received a letter from his older sister, Mary Roberts, that stated her intentions to go to China as a missionary. He began studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1880 and graduated with his M.B., C.M. in 1886.
Mission work (1887-1894) In the months following his graduation from medical school, Roberts applied to serve with the London Missionary Society. Upon his acceptance, he was assigned to work with veteran missionary James Gilmour in Mongolia. It was decided that he would be stationed in Tientsin, China for his first months abroad so that he could enhance his Chinese and acclimate to medical missions in China.
Journey
Roberts sailed away from England in September 1887 on the s.s. Glenshiel. He was accompanied by several veteran missionaries on the ship, and he used his time at sea to study the Bible and Chinese. His ship arrived in Shanghai, China, where he and the other missionaries assigned to Tientsin rested for several days. From Shanghai, Roberts' group traveled north by land to the London Missionary Society settlement in Tientsin.
Tientsin
In Tientsin, Roberts resided with the London Missionary Society medical missionary stationed there, John Kenneth Mackenzie. Working alongside Dr. Mackenzie at the Tientsin Mission Hospital and Dispensary (later Mackenzie Memorial Hospital), he gained experience speaking Chinese, working in a Chinese hospital, and evangelizing with patients and medical students. He also taught in the medical school established by Dr. Mackenzie, which was the first medical school in China to teach Western medicine. When Dr. Mackenzie left the mission to treat patients in the countryside for several weeks, Roberts was put in charge of teaching surgery to the Chinese medical students. In March 1888, Mackenzie decided that Roberts was ready to help Gilmour in Mongolia.
Mongolia
Roberts made the journey to Mongolia with only a servant and a mule-drawn cart. His arrival was highly anticipated by Gilmour, who had no formal medical training. Roberts and Gilmour traveled between the London Missionary Society's three missions in the Mongolian countryside, remaining at each one for a few days. Roberts was involved with both medical work and sharing Christianity among the people. He also set aside time each morning to study Chinese.
Return to Tientsin
A few weeks into his service with Gilmour, Roberts was informed that Dr. Mackenzie had fallen ill and died. Roberts was then asked by the London Missionary Society to return to Tientsin to take over operations of the mission hospital. He was conflicted over leaving Gilmour alone, but he believed it was God's will for him to accept the position. Roberts did not further delay his return to Tientsin, making most of the journey by sea.