English and Scottish missions in the late eighteenth and early to mid-nineteenth centuries not only brought the Gospel message, they were also instrumental in fomenting social reforms, bringing medical care, and ending pagan practices that destroyed the lives of women and children.
Robert Morrison (1782-1834) was the first Protestant missionary to China. He began studying Chinese along with theology and medicine as a student in Northumbria, England. In 1807 the London Missionary Society sent him to Canton, China.
David Livingstone (1813-1873) was a renowned missionary and explorer. He grew up in Glasgow, Scotland in a poor family. He studied on his own and was able to enter the University of Glasgow in 1830 where he earned degrees in theology and medicine.