James Curtis Hepburn was born in Milton, Pennsylvania. He attended Princeton and Pennsylvania universities and became a doctor. He decided to go to Siam (later changing to China) as a medical missionary, but had to stay in Singapore for two years as the Opium War was under way and Chinese ports were closed to foreigners. After five years as a missionary, he returned to the United States (in 1845) and opened a medical practice in New York City. Wikipedia
"Do for others as you would have them do for you" (Matthew 7:12) is an apt expression for the works of Hepburn and his wife who devoted the best years of their life to the Japanese. www.meijigakuin.ac.jp/english/history.htm
The definitive Wikipedia entry for James Curtis Hepburn. Wikipedia is the biggest multilingual free-content encyclopedia on the Internet. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Curtis_Hepburn
