Albin Garfield Anderson (安道善, 1882–1971): A History of Medical Missionary Work

Albin Garfield Anderson was born on April 13, 1882 in Andover, IL, USA (Fig. 1). He was the first of two children born to a second generation Swedish immigrant. Anderson's father was a pastor at a Methodist church in Central Sweden, and worked as district superintendent in Chicago. He graduated from Lake View High School (in Chicago), Northwestern University (with a Bachelor's in Liberal Arts in 1904), and the School of Medicine at Northwestern University (1908). After completing his internship at St. Francis Hospital in Kansas, he transferred to radiology. He married Harriet Florence Peterson on November 16, 1910. After the wedding, they left the United States on December 5, 1910 and arrived in Korea on January 4, 1911. He was appointed a medical missionary for the Wonju area on March 5, 1912 at The 5th Association of the Methodist Conference in Sangdong Church, Seoul. While in Seoul, he studied Korean and worked as a faculty member at Severance Union Medical College: he was appointed director of Severance Union Medical College from 1931 to 1937.