Isabella Bartholomew Mears

Mears was born in West Lothian, Scotland to James Bartholomew, a farmer, and Jane Ford. She trained as a teacher, before Scottish medical missionary Colin S. Valentine encouraged her to pursue medical training as preparation for Christian work. In 1881 she obtained the L.K.Q.C.P.I. qualification in Ireland, one of the few professional pathways available to women, and became the twenty-fifth woman listed in the British Medical Register. Among her instructors was William Pope Mears, an anatomy lecturer at the London Hospital. The couple married on 17 April 1879 and later moved to Tynemouth. They had four children including Frank Charles. == Missionary work ==

In 1890, Isabella and William Mears joined CMS and relocated to the South China Mission in Fuh-kien (modern Fujian), centered in Fuh-chow (Fuzhou). Both Isabella and William Mears published letters in CMS periodicals during and after their missionary tenure describing their medical work, evangelism and encounters with local Chinese religious practices. Mears worked closely with Powers on medical treatment and Christian education of the local patient population. They assisted with women’s wards, outpatient wards, dispensary work, and the training of local students who were affiliated with the Fuh-Chow medical mission. After their return to England, he remained active in CMS affairs. == Later life ==

The family settled in Edinburgh for the education of their children. Translation work Mears continued to translated Chinese religion and philosophy in Scotland. She published several works on Chinese classical philosophy, including a 1916 translation of Lao-Tzu’s Tao Teh King, and a 1931 book Creative Energy which included a preliminary translation of the Yih King. Death and legacy Mears died in 1936 in Inveresk, Midlothian, Scotland. Two of her children entered the medical profession, while her son Sir Frank Mears became an architect. The sanatorium at Woodburn served as a nurses’ home for the Royal Infirmary from 1922 to 1966 and eventually became part of the Astley Ainslie Hospital. == References ==