diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/67504-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67504-0.txt | 15953 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 15953 deletions
diff --git a/old/67504-0.txt b/old/67504-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1798e02..0000000 --- a/old/67504-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,15953 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Woman's Quest, by Marie E. -Zakrzewska - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: A Woman's Quest - The life of Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D. - -Author: Marie E. Zakrzewska - -Editor: Agnes C. Vietor - -Release Date: February 25, 2022 [eBook #67504] - -Language: English - -Produced by: The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive/American - Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A WOMAN'S QUEST *** - - - - - - A WOMAN’S QUEST - - THE LIFE OF MARIE E. ZAKRZEWSKA, M.D. - - EDITED BY - AGNES C. VIETOR, M.D., F.A.C.S. - - FORMERLY INSTRUCTOR IN PHYSICAL DIAGNOSIS AND SURGERY, WOMAN’S - MEDICAL COLLEGE OF THE NEW YORK INFIRMARY; LATER ASSISTANT - SURGEON, NEW ENGLAND HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN - AND CHILDREN, BOSTON - - [Illustration] - - D. APPLETON AND COMPANY - NEW YORK :: LONDON :: MCMXXIV - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1924, BY - D. APPLETON AND COMPANY - - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - -[Illustration: MARIE E. ZAKRZEWSKA, M.D. - -(From a photograph thought to have been taken some time in the ’60’s.)] - - MARIE E. ZAKRZEWSKA, M.D. (1829-1902) - - - _Accoucheuse en chef, Royal Hospital Charité, Berlin, Prussia; First - Resident Physician, New York Infirmary for Women and Children, New - York; Professor of Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children, and - Founder and Attending Physician of the Clinical Department (Hospital), - New England Female Medical College, Boston; Founder and First - Attending Physician, New England Hospital for Women and Children, - Boston._ - - - - - DEDICATED TO - - THE DEAR MEMORY OF A FRIEND - - ELIZABETH BIGELOW CONANT - - - - -FOREWORD - - -Viewed impersonally, this story of Marie E. Zakrzewska (Zak-shef’ska) -is one more document testifying to the Humanity of Woman. The fact that -the individual urge for the expression of this humanity found vent -along the line of Medicine, is a detail. It is also a detail that the -story is interwoven with an interesting transitional period in American -history and with the evolution of the American woman physician. - -The essential interest lies in the fundamental human instinct asserting -itself through the individual woman, dominating her and driving her -to reach out into the world until, after migrations over thousands of -miles and through various phases of civilization, she at last found an -environment favorable for the development which her spirit so ardently -demanded. - -Eventually stretching across the Atlantic Ocean, this Polish-German -branch of the Human Tree pushed through first one crevice and then -another, with here and there a struggling blossoming and leafage, to -find at last its best efflorescence and fruitage in the favoring sun -and air of America. - -Transplanted here, as are all the nations of mankind, her life finally -found fulfillment through the creation of the New England Hospital for -Women and Children, and though the influence which she exerted upon -the lives of the numbers of women medical students, women physicians, -women surgeons, and women nurses who have there, in turn, been helped -to develop and to express _their_ Humanity. - -Stopping on her way to help in the birth of the _first_ true -“Woman’s Hospital” in the history of the world (the New York Infirmary -for Women and Children), to develop the short-lived _second_ -(Clinical Department of the New England Female Medical College), and to -assist in the conception of the _third_ (the Woman’s Hospital of -Philadelphia), her life reached its fullest expression in the evolution -of the _fourth_ (the New England Hospital for Women and Children). - -Thus in no ordinary sense do the life and personality of Doctor -Zakrzewska endure in America, and especially in Boston. Thence the -inspiration of her life has extended throughout New England; throughout -the United States; back across the Atlantic to Europe; and across the -Pacific to the Orient. - -Is there, then, any part of the earth reached by educated medical women -where her living spirit does not penetrate, that unconquerable spirit -made manifest through her unchanging ideal--reasoned human standards -for women as for men. - -It is a common habit of our people to abbreviate long or unfamiliar -words and the American populace so generally declined to apply itself -to the complete pronunciation of the word _Zakrzewska_ that the -name was characteristically shortened to the first syllable. Hence, -“Doctor Zak” became the more familiar title, first of convenience and -then of that personal and unceremonious aptitude for appropriation -which we as a people display toward those whom we regard with -admiration and affection. - -The material for this biography was given to the editor by Dr. -Zakrzewska to prepare for publication with what might be called one -condition, and this has now been fulfilled. Circumstances which the -editor could not control, and which it is unnecessary to discuss -here, have delayed its appearance until now. The earlier chapters are -autobiographical and most of them were written in the form of a letter -to Miss Mary L. Booth, of New York, and were published in 1860 by -Mrs. Caroline H. Dall under the title of “A Practical Illustration of -‘Woman’s Right to Labor’; or A Letter from Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D., -late of Berlin, Prussia.” - -Finally, the editor desires to express her appreciation of the -assistance rendered by Miss Anne Sullivan, her secretary and synergetic -critic. - - AGNES C. VIETOR - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PART I - - (1829-1862) - - CHAPTER PAGE - - - BERLIN - - FOREWORD ix-xi - - I. Some recollections of childhood 3-7 - - II. School life begins 8-15 - - III. First knowledge of hospitals and reading - of medical books 16-19 - - IV. School life ends 20-25 - - V. Learns all details of household work; - then spends most of her time reading - in her father’s library; drifts - into assisting her mother, who has - become a trained midwife 26-34 - - VI. After regular course receives diploma - from School for Midwives and becomes - assistant teacher in the Royal - Hospital Charité 35-45 - - VII. Is appointed _Accoucheuse en chef_ and - succeeds Dr. Schmidt as teacher of - midwifery 46-54 - - VIII. Resigns her position 55-65 - - IX. Decides to go to America to help - establish a woman’s hospital, her - thoughts turned to Philadelphia 66-72 - - - NEW YORK - - X. Impressions and experiences on landing--Unable - to go to Philadelphia - or to establish a practice in New - York, she builds up a business in - fancy goods 73-91 - - XI. Social relations 92-98 - - XII. Meets Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell 99-106 - - XIII. Goes to Cleveland Medical School to - acquire the title of M.D. 107-119 - - - CLEVELAND - - XIV. Difficulties encountered by women - medical students in Cleveland, - Philadelphia, Boston, Edinburgh - (Scotland) 120-131 - - XV. Dr. Harriot K. Hunt’s attempt to - study at Harvard Medical School - and her practice in Boston 132-143 - - XVI. First visit to Boston--Meets many - noted men and women 144-158 - - XVII. An interesting week-end near Cleveland--Meets - Ralph Waldo Emerson--Receives - the degree of M.D. 159-175 - - - NEW YORK - - XVIII. Impossible for a woman physician to - rent an office or to be admitted for - study to a hospital or dispensary--Visits - Boston to ask money to - open the New York Infirmary for - Women and Children--Visit to - Philadelphia determines the building - of the Woman’s Hospital there 176-194 - - XIX. Frequent guest at the variety of social - “circles” then existing in New - York 195-208 - - XX. Opening of the New York Infirmary - wards and dispensary, with Dr. - Zakrzewska as resident physician - and superintendent--Mobbing of - the Infirmary following death of a - patient 209-219 - - XXI. Incident of Dr. J. Marion Sims--Second - mobbing of the Infirmary--First - attempt at establishing a - training school for nurses 220-234 - - - BOSTON - - XXII. Removes to Boston to become professor - of obstetrics in the New England - Female Medical College and - to establish a hospital department 235-242 - - XXIII. Meets opposition in her attempts to - elevate the standards of the college 243-258 - - XXIV. Her “Introductory Lecture” 259-270 - - XXV. Refused admission to Massachusetts - Medical Society because she is a - woman--Militant ostracism of - women by Philadelphia County - Medical Society, which tries to - crush the Woman’s Medical College - of Pennsylvania--She insists medical - students must be trained practically - as well as theoretically--Continuing - unable to elevate the - standards of the college, she resigns - from the faculty and the hospital - is discontinued 271-287 - - - PART II - - (1862-1902) - - CHAPTER PAGE - - XXVI. Founding of the New England Hospital - for Women and Children, - with Dr. Zakrzewska as first resident - and attending physician 291-298 - - XXVII. Letters to her first Boston student, - Dr. Lucy E. Sewall 299-313 - - XXVIII. Two stories illustrating her broad - common sense methods of studying - and treating patients 314-327 - - XXIX. Incident of Dr. Horatio R. Storer, the - only man ever appointed on the attending - staff--For the first time in - America the name of a woman is - listed officially as specializing in - surgery, Dr. Anita E. Tyng being - appointed assistant surgeon 328-344 - - XXX. Land bought in Roxbury for new - Hospital buildings--Dr. Helen - Morton--Sophia Jex-Blake 345-355 - - XXXI. New Hospital buildings completed--First - general Training School for - Nurses in America definitely organized--Dr. - Susan Dimock--First - Hospital Social Service in America - organized in connection with the - Maternity 356-365 - - XXXII. Dr. Zakrzewska goes to Europe for - her first vacation in fifteen years--Dr. - C. Annette Buckel 366-372 - - XXXIII. Attempts by Dr. Zakrzewska and the - other leading pioneer medical - women to keep the educational - standard for medical women from - being lowered--Opening of the - Woman’s Medical College of the - New York Infirmary--Movement - to open to women one of the great - medical schools for men, with special - reference to Harvard 373-387 - - XXXIV. Opening of the Massachusetts Medical - Society to women--Dr. Zakrzewska - declines to present herself a third - time for admission after having - been twice refused because she was - a woman 388-397 - - XXXV. Association for the Advancement of - the Medical Education of Women--Dr. - Mary Putnam Jacobi--The - New England Hospital establishes - District Nursing in its out-practice--Dr. - Zakrzewska leads another attempt - to persuade Harvard to admit - women to its medical school 398-415 - - XXXVI. Dr. Zakrzewska replies to the question, - “Should Women Study Medicine?”--Her - Opinion on “What’s - in a Name?” 416-434 - - XXXVII. Johns Hopkins becomes the first great - medical school in America to admit - women on the same terms as men--The - New England Hospital adds - new buildings for the Maternity - and for Nurses--Because of misbehavior - of men students Columbian - University of Georgetown closes - its doors to women--Dr. Zakrzewska - writes on “The Emancipation - of Women: Will It Be a Success?” 435-446 - - XXXVIII. Dr. Zakrzewska’s attitude as a critic: - her judgment on various details of - Hospital policy 447-456 - - XXXIX. Her private life; her home; her - friends; her ethics--Men physicians - who served as consultants at - the New England Hospital 457-467 - - XL. The New England Hospital adds new - buildings for the Dispensary and - for the Surgical department--Celebration - of Dr. Zakrzewska’s seventieth - birthday by a reception and - by the naming of the original main - building “The Zakrzewska Building”--Her - retirement from practice--Her - failing health--Her - characteristic acceptance of the inevitable--Her - death--Her funeral - service--Her farewell message 468-478 - - AFTERWORD 479-482 - - NOTES 483-498 - - BIBLIOGRAPHY 499 - - INDEX 501-514 - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - - Portrait of Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D. - (From a photograph thought to have been - taken some time in the ’60’s) _Frontispiece_ - - Second location of the New England Hospital - for Women and Children, Boston Page 331 - - Portrait of Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D. - (From a photograph taken about 1870) 352 - - First buildings of the New England Hospital - for Women and Children, erected 1872 (third - location) 357 - - Portrait of Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D. - (From a photograph taken in 1896) 468 - - - - - PART I - - (1829-1862) - - - - -CHAPTER I - - _Her reason for writing autobiography, to encourage average woman to - determine and decide for herself to do whatever she can--Polish-German - ancestry--Childhood in Berlin--Recollection of experience when - nineteen months old--Walks nine miles when twenty-six months old. - (Birth to five years of age: 1829-1834.)_ - - -I am not a great personage, either through inherited qualifications or -through the work that I have to show to the world; yet you may find, -in reading this little sketch, that with few talents and very moderate -means for developing them, I have accomplished more than many women of -genius and education would have done in my place, for the reason that -confidence and faith in their own powers were wanting. - -And for this reason I know that this story may be of use to others, by -encouraging those who timidly shrink from the field of action, though -endowed with all that is necessary to enable them to come forth and do -their part in life. - -The fact that a woman of no extraordinary powers can make her way, by -the simple determination that whatever she can do she will do, must -inspire those who are fitted to do much, yet who do nothing because -they are not accustomed to determine and decide for themselves. - -I do not intend to weary you with details of my childhood, as I think -that children are generally very uninteresting subjects of conversation -to any except their parents, who naturally discover what is beautiful -and attractive in them and appreciate what is said that corresponds to -their own feelings. I shall therefore tell you only a few facts of this -period of my life, which I think absolutely necessary to illustrate my -character and nature. - -I was born in Berlin, Prussia, on the 6th of September, 1829; and am -the eldest of a family of five sisters and one brother.[1] - -[1] The figures throughout the text refer to corresponding numbers in -Notes, pages 483 to 498. - -My early childhood passed happily, though heavy clouds of sorrow and -care at times overshadowed our family circle. I was of a cheerful -disposition, and was always in good humor, even when sick. I was quiet -and gentle in all my amusements. My chief delight consisted in telling -stories to my sister, one year younger than myself. She was always -glad to listen to these products of my imagination, which were wholly -original, for no stories were told me, nor had I any children’s books. - -My heroes and heroines were generally distinguished for some mental -peculiarity--as kind or cruel, active or indolent--which led them into -all sorts of adventures till it suited my caprice to terminate their -career. - -In all our little affairs I took the lead, planning and directing -everything; and my playmates seemed to take it for granted that it was -their duty to carry out my commands. - -My memory is remarkable in respect to events that occurred at this -time, but it always fails to recall dates and names. - -When twenty years of age, I asked my father what sort of a festival he -took me to once, in company with a friend of his who had only one arm. -We walked through meadows where daisies were blossoming in millions and -rode in carriages that went round continually until they were wound up. - -My father answered, with much surprise, that it was a public festival -of the cabinet-makers, which was celebrated in a neighboring village, -and that I was, at that time, only nineteen months old. He was so much -interested in my story that I related another of my memories. - -One dark morning, my mother wakened me and hastened my dressing. After -this was accomplished, she handed me a cup of something which I had -never tasted before and which was as disagreeable as was asafœtida in -later years. This was some coffee which I had to take instead of my -usual milk. - -Then I went with my father to the large park called “The Thiergarten,” -where we saw the sun rise. I began to spring about, looking at the -big oaks which seemed to reach into the heavens, or stooping down to -pluck a flower. Birds of all kinds were singing in chorus, while the -flower-beds surrounding the statue of Flora scented the pure morning -air with the sweetest of perfumes. - -The sun ascended meanwhile, from the edge of a little pond covered with -water-lilies. I was intoxicated with joy. The feeling of that morning -is as fresh to-day as when I related this to my father. I know I -walked till I got fairly tired, and we reached a solitary house beyond -the park. - -Probably fatigue took entire possession of me, for I remember nothing -more till we were on our way home and the sun was setting. Then I -begged for some large yellow plums which I saw in the stores. My father -bought some, but gave me only a few. I had a desire for all and stole -them secretly from his pockets, so that when we reached home, I had -eaten them all. - -I was sick after I went to bed, and remember taking some horrible stuff -the next morning (probably rhubarb), thus ending the day which had -opened so poetically in rather a prosaic manner. - -When I repeated this, my parents laughed and said that I was only -twenty-six months old when my father’s pride in his oldest child -induced him to take me on this visit, and that I walked the whole -way--a distance of about _nine miles_. - -These anecdotes are worth preserving only because they indicate an -impressionable nature and great muscular endurance. - -It is peculiar that between these two events and a third which occurred -a year after, everything should be a blank. - -A little brother was then born to me, and he lay undressed upon a -cushion, while my father cried with sobs. I had just completed my third -year and could not understand why, the next day, this little thing was -carried off in a black box. From that time I remember almost every -day’s life. - -I very soon began to manifest the course of my natural tendencies. Like -most little girls I was well provided with dolls, and on the day after -a new one came into my possession I generally discovered that the dear -little thing was ill and needed to be nursed and doctored. - -Porridges and teas were accordingly cooked on my little toy stove, -and administered to the poor doll until the _papier mâché_ was -thoroughly saturated and broken, when she was considered dead and -preparations were made for her burial--this ceremony being repeated -over and over again. - -White dresses were put on for the funeral; a cricket was turned upside -down to serve as the coffin; my mother’s flower pots furnished the -green leaves for decoration; and I delivered the funeral oration in -praise of the little sufferer while placing her in the tomb improvised -of chairs. - -I hardly ever joined the other children in their plays except upon -occasions like these, when I appeared in the characters of doctor, -priest and undertaker; generally improving the opportunity to moralize, -informing my audience that Ann (the doll) had died in consequence of -disobeying her mother by going out before she had recovered from the -measles, etc. - -Once I remember moving my audience to tears by telling them that little -Ann had been killed by her brother who, in amusing himself with picking -off the dry skin after she had had the scarlatina, had carelessly torn -off the real skin over the heart, as they could see; thus leaving it to -beat in the air and causing the little one to die. This happened after -we had all had the scarlatina. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - _Begins school life--Her conduct already guided by habits of - reasoning and self-government--Conflict between such guidance and - the school rule of unquestioning obedience to authority--First - friendship with a girl--First contact with an insane person; changes - an intractable patient to a docile one--Allowed to assist nurse in - hospital in care of blind cousin--Observation of defects in hospital - care arouses desire to be some day a head nurse, so as to prevent such - defects and have patients treated more kindly. (Five to nine years of - age: 1834-1838.)_ - - -When five years old, I was sent to a primary school. Here I became a -favorite of the teacher of arithmetic, for which study I had quite a -fancy. The rest of the teachers disliked me. They called me unruly -because I would not obey arbitrary demands without being given some -reason, and obstinate because I insisted on following my own will when -I knew I was in the right. - -I was told that I was not worthy to be with my playmates; and when I -reached the highest class in the school, in which alone the boys and -the girls were taught separately, I was separated from the latter and -placed with the boys by way of punishment, receiving instructions with -them from men, while the girls in the other class were taught by women. - -Here I found many friends. I joined the boys in all their sports, -sliding and snowballing with them in winter, and running and playing -ball in summer. With them I was merry, frank and self-possessed, while -with the girls I was quiet, shy and awkward. I never made friends with -the girls or felt like approaching them. - -Once only, when I was eleven years old, a girl in the young ladies’ -seminary in which I had been placed when eight years of age won my -affection. This was Elizabeth Hohenhorst, a child of twelve, remarkably -quiet and disposed to melancholy. - -She was a devout Catholic, and knowing that she was fated to become a -nun, was fitting herself for that dreary destiny, which rendered her -very sentimental. She was full of fanciful visions, but extremely sweet -and gentle in her manners. My love for her was unbounded. I went to -church in her company, was present at all the religious festivals, and -accompanied her to receive religious instruction: in short, I made up -my mind to become a Catholic and, if possible, a nun like herself. My -parents, who were Rationalists, belonging to no church, gave me full -scope to follow out my own inclinations, leaving it to my nature to -choose for me a fitting path. - -This lasted until Elizabeth went for the first time to the -confessional. And when the poor innocent child could find no other -sin of which to speak than the friendship which she cherished for a -Protestant, the priest forbade her to continue this, until I too had -become a Catholic, reminding her of the holiness of her future career. -The poor girl conscientiously promised to obey. - -When I came the next morning and spoke to her as usual, she turned away -from me and burst into tears. Surprised and anxious, I asked what was -the matter. In a voice broken with sobs, she told me the whole story -and begged me to become a Catholic as soon as I was fourteen years old. - -Never in my whole life shall I forget that morning. For a moment, I -gazed on her with the deepest emotion, pitying her almost more than -myself; then suddenly turned coldly and calmly away without answering a -single word. My mind had awakened to the despotism of theology and the -church had lost its expected convert. I never went near her again and -never exchanged another word with her. This was the only friend I had -during eight and a half years of uninterrupted attendance at school. - -A visit that I paid to my maternal grandfather when seven or eight -years old made a strong impression on my mind. - -My grandfather, on his return from the war of 1813-1815 in which he -had served, had received from the authorities of Prenzlau (the city in -which he lived) a grant of a half-ruined cloister with about a hundred -acres of uncultivated land attached, by way of acknowledgment of his -services. He removed thither with his family, and, shortly after, -invited the widows of some soldiers who lived in the city to occupy the -apartments which he did not need. The habitable rooms were soon filled -to overflowing with widows and orphans, who went to work with him to -cultivate the ground. - -It was not long before crippled and invalid soldiers arrived, begging -to be allowed to repair the cloister and to find a shelter also within -its walls. They were set to work making brick, the material for which -my grandfather had discovered on his land: and in about five years -an institution was built, the more valuable from the fact that none -lived there on charity but all earned what they needed by cultivating -the ground; having first built their own dwelling which at this time -looked like a palace surrounded by trees, grass and flowers. Here, in -the evening, the old soldiers sang martial songs or told stories of the -wars to the orphans gathered about them, while resting from the labors -of the day. - -I tell you of this institution so minutely to prove to you how wrong it -is to provide charitable homes for the poor as we provide them, homes -in which the charity always humiliates and degrades the individual. -Here you have an instance in which poor crippled invalids and destitute -women and children established and supported themselves under the -guidance of a clear-headed, benevolent man, who said, “Do what you -like, but work for what you need.” He succeeded admirably, though he -died a very poor man, his younger children becoming inmates of the -establishment until they were adopted by their relatives. - -When I visited my grandfather, the “convent,” as he insisted on -calling it--rejecting any name that would have indicated a charitable -institution--contained about a hundred invalid soldiers, a hundred -old women and two hundred and fifty orphans. One of the wings of the -building was fitted up as a hospital and a few of the rooms were -occupied by lunatics. - -It was my greatest delight to take my grandfather’s hand at noon as -he walked up and down the dining room between the long tables around -which were grouped so many cheerful, hearty faces; and I stood before -him with an admiration that it is impossible to describe as he prayed, -with his black velvet cap in his hand, before and after dinner. Though -I could not comprehend why he should thank another person for what had -been done, when every one there told me that all that they had they -owed to my grandfather. - -One afternoon, on returning from the dining room to his study, I spied -on his desk a neatly written manuscript. I took it up and began to -read. It was a dissertation on immortality, attempting by scientific -arguments to prove its impossibility. I became greatly interested, and -read on without noticing that my grandfather had left the room or that -the large bell had rung to call the family to dinner. - -My grandfather, a very punctual man who would never allow lingering, -came back to call and to reprimand me; he suddenly started on seeing -the paper in my hands and snatching it from me tore it in pieces, -exclaiming, “That man is insane, and will make this child so too!” A -little frightened, I went to the dinner table, thinking as much about -my grandfather’s words as about what I had read, without daring, -however, to ask who this man was. - -The next day, curiosity mastered fear. I asked my grandfather who had -written that paper, and was told in reply that it was poor crazy Jacob. -I then begged to see him, but this request my grandfather decidedly -refused, saying that he was like a wild beast and lay without clothes -upon the straw. I knew nothing of lunatics, and the idea of a wild -man stimulated my curiosity to such an extent that from that time I -teased my grandfather incessantly to let me see Jacob. He finally -yielded to be rid of my importunity and led me to the cell in which -he was confined. What a spectacle presented itself in the house that -I had looked on as the abode of so much comfort! On a bundle of straw -in a corner of the room, with no furniture save its bare walls, sat -a man clad only in a shirt, with the left hand chained to the wall -and the right foot to the floor. An inkstand stood on the floor by -his side, and on his knee was some paper on which he was writing. His -hair and beard were uncombed, and his fine eyes glared with fury as we -approached him. He tried to rise, ground his teeth, made grimaces, and -shook his fist at my grandfather, who tried in vain to draw me out of -the room. - -But, escaping from his grasp, I stepped towards the lunatic who grew -more quiet when he saw me approach, and I tried to lift the chain which -had attracted my attention. Then, finding it too heavy for me, I turned -to my grandfather and asked, “Does not this hurt the poor man?” I had -hardly spoken the words when his fury returned, and he shrieked: - -“Have I not always told you that you were cruel to me? Must this child -come to convince you of your barbarity? Yes, you have no heart.” - -I looked at my grandfather: all my admiration of him was gone, and I -said, almost commandingly: - -“Take off these chains! It is bad of you to tie this man!” - -The man grew calm at once and asked imploringly to be set free, -promising to be quiet and tractable if my grandfather would give him a -trial. His chains were removed the same day, and Jacob was ever after -not only harmless and obedient but a very useful man in the house. - -I never afterwards accompanied my grandfather. I had discovered a side -in his nature which repelled me. I spent the remainder of my visit in -the work rooms and the sick room, always secretly fearing that I should -meet with some new cruelty, but no such instance ever came to my view. - -On my return from my grandfather’s I found that a cousin had suddenly -become blind. She was soon after sent to the ophthalmic hospital, where -she remained for more than a year, and, during this time, I was her -constant companion after school hours. I was anxious to be useful to -her; and being gentler than the nurse, she liked to have me wash out -the issues that were made in her back and arms. The nurse, who was very -willing to be relieved of this duty, allowed me also to cleanse the -eyes of the girl next my cousin; and thus these cares were soon made to -depend on my daily visit. - -Child as I was, I could not help observing the carelessness of the -nurses and their great neglect of cleanliness. One day, when the head -nurse had washed the floor and left pools of water standing under the -beds, the under nurse found fault with it, and said, “I shall tell the -doctor when he comes why it is that the patients always have colds.” -“Do,” said the head nurse. “What do men understand of such matters? If -they knew anything about them, they would long ago have taken care -that the mattress upon which one patient dies should always be changed -before another comes in.” - -This quarrel impressed itself upon my memory, and the wish rose in my -mind that some day I might be a head nurse to prevent such wrongs and -to show kindness to poor lunatics. - - - - -CHAPTER III - - _School life continues--Her mother begins training for career of - midwife--Because of eye trouble, Marie resides in hospital with her - mother, and becomes protégée of Dr. Müller--First real knowledge of - medicine as a career--Adventure in morgue and dissecting rooms--Begins - to read medical books. (Nine to eleven years of age: 1838-1840.)_ - - -At the end of the year, my cousin left the hospital. At the same time, -trouble and constant sickness fell upon our family. - -My father, who held liberal opinions and was of an impetuous -temperament, manifested some revolutionary tendencies, which drew upon -him the displeasure of the government and caused his dismissal, with -a very small pension, from his position as military officer. This -involved us in great pecuniary difficulties, for our family was large -and my father’s income too small to supply the most necessary wants, -and to obtain other occupation was for the time out of the question. - -In this emergency, my mother determined to petition the city government -for admission to the school of midwives established in Berlin, in order -in this manner to aid in the support of the family. Influential friends -of my father secured her the election, and she was admitted to the -school in 1839, I being at that time ten years of age. - -The education of midwives for Berlin requires a two years’ course of -study, during six months of which, they are obliged to reside in the -hospital to receive instructions from the professors together with the -male students. My mother went there in the summer of 1840. I went to -stay at the house of an aunt who wished my company, and the rest of the -children were put out together, to board. - -In a few weeks my eyes became affected with weakness so that I could -neither read nor write, and I begged my mother to let me stay with -her in the hospital. She applied for permission to the director and -received a favorable answer. - -I was placed under the care of one of the physicians (Dr. Müller), who -took a great fancy to me and made me go with him wherever he went while -engaged in the hospital. My eyes being bandaged, he led me by the hand, -calling me his “little blind doctor.” In this way, I was constantly -with him, hearing all his questions and directions, which impressed -themselves the more strongly on my mind from the fact that I could not -see but had to gain all my knowledge through hearing alone. - -One afternoon, when I had taken the bandage off my eyes for the first -time, Dr. Müller told me that there was a corpse of a young man in the -dead-house that had turned completely green in consequence of poison -that he had eaten. I went there after my rounds with him, but finding -the room filled with relatives who were busily engaged in adorning the -body with flowers, I thought that I would not disturb them but would -wait until they had gone before I looked at it; meanwhile I went -through the adjoining rooms. - -These were all freshly painted. The dissecting tables, with the -necessary apparatus, stood in the center, while the bodies, clad -in white gowns, were ranged on boards along the walls. I examined -everything, came back, and looked to my heart’s content at the poisoned -young man, without noticing that, not only had the relatives left but -the prosector had also gone away, after locking up the whole building. - -I then went a second time to the other rooms, and looked again at -everything there; and at last, when it became dark and I could not -leave the house, sat down upon the floor and went to sleep, after -knocking for half an hour at the door in the hope that some passer -might hear. - -My mother, who knew that I had gone with Dr. Müller, did not trouble -herself about me until nine o’clock, when she grew uneasy at my stay; -and, thinking that he might have taken me to his rooms, went there in -search of me, but found that he was out and that the doors were locked. -She then inquired whether the people in the house knew anything about -me, and was told that they had last seen me going into the dead-house. -Alarmed at this intelligence, my mother hastened to the prosector, who -unwillingly went with her to the park in which the dead-house stood, -assuring her all the way that I could not possibly be there; but, on -opening the door, he saw me sitting close by on the floor fast asleep. - -In a few days after this adventure, I recovered the use of my eyes. -As it was at this time the summer vacation in which I had no school -tasks, I asked Dr. Müller for some books to read. He inquired what -kind of books I wanted. I told him, “Books about history,” upon which -he gave me two huge volumes, the _History of Midwifery_ and the -_History of Surgery_. Both were so interesting that I read them -through during the six weeks of vacation, which occupied me so closely -that even my friend Dr. Müller could not lay hold of me when he went -his morning and evening rounds. - -From this time I date my study of medicine, for though I did not -continue to read on the subject, I was instructed in the no less -important branch of psychology by a new teacher whom I found on my -return to school at the close of the summer vacation. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - _Takes highest prizes at school--Helpful friendship with one of - her men teachers--Begins to understand relation of public opinion to - personal conduct--School life ends. (Eleven to fourteen years of age: - 1840-1843.)_ - - -To explain better how my mind was prepared for such teaching, I must -go back to my position in school. In both schools that I attended I -was praised for my punctuality, industry and quick perception. Beloved -I was in neither. On the contrary, I was made the target for all the -impudent jokes of my fellow pupils, ample material for which was -furnished in the carelessness with which my hair and dress were usually -arranged, these being left to the charge of a servant who troubled -herself very little about how I looked, provided I was whole and clean. - -The truth was, I often presented a ridiculous appearance; and once I -could not help laughing heartily at myself on seeing my own face by -accident in a glass, with one braid of hair commencing over the right -eye and the other over the left ear. I quietly hung a map over the -glass to hide the ludicrous picture and continued my studies, and most -likely appeared in the same style the next day. - -My face, besides, was neither handsome nor even prepossessing, a large -nose overshadowing the undeveloped features; and I was ridiculed for -my ugliness both in school and at home, where an aunt of mine who -disliked me exceedingly always said in describing plain people, “Almost -as ugly as Marie.” - -Another cause arose to render my position at school still more -intolerable. In consequence of the loss of his position in the army, my -father could no longer afford to pay my school bills, and was about to -remove me from school, when the principal offered to retain me without -pay. She disliked me and did not hesitate to show it, nor to tell me -whenever I offended her that she would never keep so ugly and naughty a -child _without being paid for it_, were it not for the sake of so -noble a father. - -These conditions and harsh judgments made me a philosopher. I heard -myself called obstinate and willful, only because I believed myself -in the right and persisted in it. I felt that I was not maliciously -disposed towards any one but wished well to all, and I offered my -services not only willingly, but cheerfully wherever they could be of -the least use, and saw them accepted, and even demanded, by those who -could not dispense with them, though they shunned and ridiculed me the -same as before. I felt that they sought me only when they needed me; -this made me shrink still more from their companionship, and, when my -sister did not walk home from school with me, I invariably went alone. - -The idea that I might not wish to attach myself to playmates of this -sort never occurred to any one, but I was constantly reproached with -having no friends among my schoolfellows, and was told that no one -could love so disagreeable and repelling a child. This was a severe -blow to my affectionate nature, but I bore it calmly, consoling myself -with the thought that they were wrong, that they did not understand me, -and that the time would come when they would learn that a great, warm -heart was concealed beneath the so-called repulsive exterior. - -But, however soothing all this was for the time, a feeling of -bitterness grew up within me. I began to be provoked at my ugliness, -which I believed to be excessive. I speculated why parents so kind -and good as mine should be deprived of their means of support merely -because my father would not consent to endure wrong and imposition. -I was indignant at being told that it was only for my father’s sake -that I was retained in a school where I tried to do my best and where -I always won the highest prizes; and I could not see why, at home, -I should be forced to do housework when I wanted to read, while my -brother who wished to work was compelled to study. When I complained of -this last grievance, I was told that I was a girl and never could learn -much, but was only fit to become a housekeeper. - -All these things threw me upon my own resources and taught me to -make the most of every opportunity, custom and habit to the contrary -notwithstanding. - -It was at this juncture that I found, on my return to school, the -psychologic instructor of whom I have spoken, in a newly engaged -teacher of history, geography and arithmetic, all of which were my -favorite studies. - -With this man I formed a most peculiar friendship, he being twenty -years older than myself, and in every respect highly educated; I, -a child of twelve, neglected in everything except my common-school -education. - -He began by calling my attention to the carelessness of my dress and -the rudeness of my manners, and was the first one who ever spoke kindly -to me on the subject. - -I told him all my thoughts; that I did not mean to be disagreeable, -but that every one thought that I could not be otherwise; that I was -convinced I was good enough at heart; and that I had at last resigned -myself to my position as something that could not be helped. - -My new friend lectured me on the necessity of attracting others by an -agreeable exterior and courteous manners, and proved to me that I had -unconsciously repelled them by my carelessness, even when trying the -most to please. His words made a deep impression on me. I thanked him -for every reproach, and strove to do my best to gain his approbation. - -Henceforth, my hair was always carefully combed, my dress nicely -arranged, and my collar in its place; and as I always won the first -prizes in the school, two of the other teachers soon grew friendly -towards me and began to manifest their preference quite strongly. - -In a few months, I became a different being. The bitterness that had -been growing up within me gradually disappeared, and I began to have -confidence in myself and to try to win the companionship of the other -children. - -But a sudden change took place in my schoolmates, who grew envious of -the preference shown me by the teachers. Since they could no longer -ridicule me for the carelessness of my dress, they now began to -reproach me for my vanity and to call me a coquette who only thought of -pleasing through appearances. - -This blow was altogether too hard for me to bear. I knew that they -were wrong, for with all the care I bestowed on my dress, it was not -half so fine as theirs, as I had but two calico dresses which I wore -alternately, a week at a time, through the summer. I was again repelled -from them; and at noon, when the rest of the scholars went home, I -remained with my teacher-friend in the schoolroom, assisting him in -correcting the exercises of the pupils. - -I took the opportunity to tell him of the curious envy that had taken -possession of the girls, upon which he began to explain to me human -nature and its fallacies, drawing inferences therefrom for personal -application. He found a ready listener in me. My inclination to -abstract thought, combined with the unpleasant experience I had had -in life, made me an attentive pupil and fitted me to comprehend his -reasoning in the broadest sense. - -For fifteen months, I thus spent the noon hour with him in the -schoolroom, receiving lessons in logic and reasoning upon concrete and -abstract matters that have since proved of far more psychologic value -to me than ten years of reading on the same subjects. - -A strong attachment grew up between us: he became a necessity to me, -and I revered him like an oracle. But his health failed, and he left -the school at the end of these fifteen months in a consumption. - -Shortly after, he sent to the school for me one morning to ask me to -visit him on his deathbed. I was not permitted to leave the class until -noon; when, just as I was preparing to go, a messenger came to inform -the principal that he had died at eleven. - -This blow fell so heavily upon me that I wished to leave the school at -once. I was forced to stay three weeks longer, until the end of the -quarter, when I left the schoolroom on the first of April, 1843, at the -age of thirteen years and seven months, and never entered it again. - - - - -CHAPTER V - - _Training in all details of housework--After mastering them, spends - most of time reading in father’s library--Gradually begins assisting - mother in care of patients--Contact with the heights and depths of - human nature, from dens to palaces--Nurses two aunts and keeps house - for their family--Dr. Arthur Lutze guides her reading in homeopathy - and mesmerism--Attack of “brain fever”--Father burns books from - Dr. Lutze--Marie learns French, plain sewing, dressmaking and the - management of the household, while continuing to assist in mother’s - practice. (Fourteen to eighteen years of age: 1843-1847.)_ - - -On the same day that I quitted my school, an aunt with whom I was a -favorite was attacked with a violent hemorrhage from the lungs, and -wished me to come to stay with her. This suited my taste. I went, and -for a fortnight was her sole nurse. - -Upon my return home, my father told me that, having quitted school, -I must now become a thorough housekeeper of whom he might be proud, -as this was the only thing for which girls were intended by nature. -I cheerfully entered upon my new apprenticeship, and learned how to -sweep, to scrub, to wash and to cook. This work answered very well as -long as the novelty lasted, but as soon as this wore off, it became -highly burdensome. - -Many a forenoon when I was alone, instead of sweeping and dusting, I -passed the hours in reading books from my father’s library, until -it grew so late that I was afraid that my mother, who had commenced -practice, would come home and scold me for not attending to my work, -when I would hurry to get through, doing everything so badly that I had -to hear daily that I was good for nothing and a nuisance in the world; -and that it was not at all surprising that I was not liked in school, -for nobody could ever like or be satisfied with me. - -Meanwhile, my mother’s practice gradually increased, and her generous -and kindly nature won the confidence of hundreds who, wretchedly poor, -found in her not only a humane woman but a most skillful practitioner. - -The poor are good judges of professional qualifications. Without the -aid that money can buy, without the comforts that the wealthy hardly -need, and without friends whose advice is prompted by intelligence, -they must depend entirely upon the skill and humanity of those to whom -they apply. Their life and happiness are placed in the hands of the -physician and they jealously regard the one to whom they intrust them. - -None but a good practitioner can gain fame and praise in this class, -which is thought so easily satisfied. It is often said, “Oh! those -people are poor and will be glad of any assistance.” Far from it! There -is no class so entirely dependent for their subsistence upon their -strength and health. These constitute their sole capital, their stock -in trade; and when sick, they anxiously seek out the best physicians, -for, if unskillfully attended, they may lose their all, their fortune -and their happiness. - -My mother went everywhere, both night and day, and it soon came to pass -that when she was sent for and was not at home I was deputed to go in -search of her. In this way, I gradually became a regular appendage to -my mother, going with her in the winter nights from place to place and -visiting those whom she could not visit during the day. - -I remember that in January, 1845, my mother attended thirty-five women -in childbed--the list of names is still in my possession--and visited -from sixteen to twenty-five daily, with my assistance. I do not think -that, during the month, we were in bed for one whole night. Two thirds -of these patients were unable to pay a cent. - -During these years, I learned all of life that it was possible for a -human being to learn. I saw nobleness in dens, and meanness in palaces; -virtue among prostitutes, and vice among so-called respectable women. -I learned to judge human nature correctly, to see goodness where the -world found nothing but faults, and also to see faults where the world -could see nothing but virtue. - -The experience thus gained cost me the bloom of youth; yet I would -not exchange it for a life of everlasting juvenescence. To keep up -appearances is the aim of every one’s life; but to fathom these -appearances and to judge correctly of what is beneath them ought to -be the aim of those who seek to draw true conclusions from life or to -benefit others by real sympathy. - -One fact I learned, both at this time and afterwards, namely, that -men always sympathize with fallen and wretched women, while women -themselves are the first to raise and cast the stone at them. - -Why is this? Have not women as much feeling as men? Why, women are said -to be made up entirely of feeling. How does it happen then that women -condemn where men pity? Do they do this in the consciousness of their -own superior virtue? Ah, no! for many of the condemning are no better -than the condemned. - -The reason is that men know the world, that is, they know the obstacles -in the path of life, and they know that they draw lines to exclude -women from earning an honest livelihood while they throw opportunities -in their way to earn their bread by shame. All men are aware of this; -therefore, the good as well as the bad give pity to those who claim it. - -It is my honest and earnest conviction that the reason that men are -unwilling for women to enter upon public or business life is not so -much the fear of competition or the dread lest women should lose their -gentleness, and thus deprive society of this peculiar charm, as the -fact that they are ashamed of the foulness of life which exists outside -of the house and home. The good man knows that it is difficult to -purify it; the bad man does not wish to be disturbed in his prey upon -society. - -If I could but give to all women the tenth part of my experience, they -would see that this is true, and would see, besides, that only faith in -ourselves and in each other is needed to work out a reformation. - -Let woman enter fully into business with its serious responsibilities -and duties; let it be made as honorable and as profitable to her as -to men; let her have an equal opportunity for earning competence and -comfort--and we shall need no other purification of society. Men are no -more depraved than women, or rather, the total depravity of mankind is -a lie. - -From the time of my leaving school until I was fifteen years old, my -life was passed as I have described, in doing housework, attending -the sick with my mother, and reading a few books of a scientific and -literary character. At the end of this time, a letter came from an aunt -of my mother’s, who was ill and whose adopted daughter (who was my -mother’s sister) was also an invalid, requesting me to visit and nurse -them. I went there in the fall. - -This was probably the most decisive event of my life. My great-aunt -had a cancer that was to be taken out. The other was suffering from a -nervous affection which rendered her a confirmed invalid. She was a -most peculiar woman, and a clairvoyant and somnambulist of the most -decided kind. Though not ill-natured, she was full of caprices that -would have exhausted the patience of the most enduring of mortals. - -This aunt of mine had been sick in bed for seven years with a nervous -derangement which baffled the most skillful physicians who had -visited her. Her senses were so acute that one morning she fell into -convulsions from the effect of distant music which she heard. None of -us could perceive it, and we fully believed that her imagination had -produced this result. But she insisted upon it, telling us that the -music was like that of the Bohemian miners who played nothing but -polkas. I was determined to ascertain the truth, and really found that -in a public garden one and a half miles from her house such a troop had -played all the afternoon. No public music was permitted in the city -because the magistrate had forbidden it on her account. - -She never was a Spiritualist, though she frequently went into what is -now called a trance. She spoke, wrote, sang and had presentiments of -the finest kind while in this condition, far better than I have ever -seen here in America in the case of the most celebrated mediums. - -She even prescribed for herself with success, yet she was not a -Spiritualist. She was a somnambulist, and, though weak enough when -awake, threatened several times to pull the house down by her violence -while in this condition. She had strength like a lion and no man could -manage her. I saw the same thing in the hospital later. - -This aunt is now healthy; not cured by her own prescriptions or the -magnetic or infinitesimal doses of Dr. Arthur Lutze, but by a strong -emotion which took possession of her at the time of my great-aunt’s -death. She is not sorry that she has lost all these strange powers, but -heartily glad of it. - -When she afterwards visited us in Berlin, she could speak calmly and -quietly of the perversion to which the nervous system may become -subject if managed wrongly; and she could not tell how glad she was to -be rid of all the emotions and notions she had been compelled to dream -out. Over-care and over-anxiety had brought this about, and the same -causes could again bring on a condition which the ancients deemed holy -and which the psychologist treats as one bordering on insanity. - -The old aunt was extremely suspicious and avaricious. Eight weeks after -my arrival, she submitted to an operation. The operating surgeon found -me so good an assistant that he intrusted me often with the dressing of -the wound. - -For six weeks, I was the sole nurse of the two, going from one room to -the other both night and day, and attending to the household matters -besides, with no other assistant than a woman who came every morning -for an hour or two to do the rough work, while an uncle and a boy -cousin were continually troubling me with their torn buttons, etc. - -I learned in this time to be cheerful and light-hearted under all -circumstances, going often into the anteroom to have a healthy, hearty -laugh. My surroundings were certainly anything but inspiring. I had the -sole responsibility of the two sick women--the one annoying me with her -caprices, the other with her avarice. In one room, I heard fanciful -forebodings; in the other, reproaches for having used a teaspoonful -too much sugar. I always had to carry the key of the storeroom to the -old aunt in order that she might be sure that I could not go in and -eat bread when I chose. At the end of six weeks she died, and I put on -mourning for the only time in my life, certainly not through grief. - -In connection with the illness of my aunt I have mentioned Dr. Arthur -Lutze. He was a disciple of Hahnemann, and I think a doctor of -philosophy--certainly not of medicine. Besides being an infinitesimal -homeopathist, this man was a devotee of mesmerism. He became very -friendly towards me and supplied me with books, telling me that I would -not only make a good homeopathic physician but also an excellent medium -for mesmerism, magnetism, etc. - -At all events, I was glad to get the books, which I read industriously, -and he constantly supplied me with new ones so that I had quite a -library when he left the place, which he did before my return. He, too, -lived in Berlin, and inquired my residence, promising to visit me there -and to teach me the art he practiced. - -I remained with my aunt until late in the spring, when my health failed -and I returned home. I was very ill for a time with brain fever, but at -last recovered and set to work industriously to search for information -in respect to the human body. - -Dr. Lutze kept his word: he visited me at my home, gave me more -books, and directed my course of reading. But my father, who had -become reconciled to my inclination to assist my mother, was opposed -to homeopathy and especially opposed to Dr. Arthur Lutze. He even -threatened to turn him out of the house if I permitted him to visit -me again, and burned all my books except one that I snatched from the -flames. - -From this time, I was resolved to learn all that I could about the -human system. I read all the books that I could get on the subject, and -tried besides to educate myself in other branches. - -My father was satisfied with this disposition, and was glad to hear me -propose to have a French teacher in the house, both for my sake and for -that of the other children. I studied in good earnest by myself; at -the same time, going through the usual discipline of German girls. I -learned plain sewing, dressmaking and the management of the household, -but was allowed to use my leisure time as I pleased. - -When my sisters went skating, I remained at home to study; when they -went to balls and theaters, I was thought the proper person to stay -to watch the house. Having become so much older, I was now of great -assistance to my mother in her business. No one complained any longer -of my ugliness or my rudeness. I was always busy, and, when at liberty, -always glad to do what I could for others; and though these years were -full of hardships, I consider them among the happiest of my life. I was -as free as it was possible for any German girl to be. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - - _Decides to qualify herself as midwife--Meets great difficulties - due to being unmarried and too young--Studies privately under Dr. - Schmidt--History and organization of the School for Midwives: first - school established through Justina Ditrichin (obstetric surgeon - and writer about 1735); after her death, owing to the opposition - of medical men, educated women withdrew from the profession which - then deteriorated; it became legally standardized in 1818 with - the present school, and women of the higher classes returned - to the profession--Marie being refused for the third time, Dr. - Schmidt obtains an order from the King for her admission to the - school--Becomes assistant teacher under Dr. Schmidt--Receives diploma - of highest degree, and the class which she taught makes the highest - known record. (Eighteen to twenty-two years of age: 1847-1851.)_ - - -My household duties, however, continued distasteful to me, much to -the annoyance of my father who still contended that this was the only -sphere for woman. From being so much with my mother, I had lost all -taste for domestic life--anything out of doors was preferable to the -monotonous routine of the household. - -I at length determined to follow my inclinations by studying, in order -to fit myself to become a practitioner of midwifery, as is usual in -Berlin. - -My father was satisfied and pleased with this idea, which opened the -way to an independent, respectable livelihood, for he never really -wished to have us seek this in marriage. - -My mother did not like my resolution at all. She practiced, not because -she liked the profession, but because in this way she obtained the -means of being independent and of aiding in the education of the -children. - -I persisted, however, in my resolution, and immediately took measures -to carry it into effect by going directly to Dr. Joseph Hermann -Schmidt, the Professor of Midwifery in the University and the School -for Midwives, and Director of the Royal Hospital Charité; while my -father, who for several years held the position of a civil officer, -made the application to the city magistrates for me to be admitted as a -pupil to the School for Midwives, in which my mother had been educated. - -In order to show the importance of this step, it is necessary to -explain more fully the history and organization of the school. - -About 1735, Justina Ditrichin (the wife of Siegemund, a distinguished -civil officer of Prussia) was afflicted with an internal disease which -baffled the skill of the midwives, who had pronounced her pregnant, and -none of whom could define her disorder. After many months of suffering, -she was visited by the wife of a poor soldier, who told her what ailed -her; in consequence of which, she was cured by her physicians. - -This circumstance awakened in the mind of the lady an intense desire -to study midwifery, which she did; and afterwards practiced it with -such success that, in consequence of her extensive practice, she was -obliged to confine herself solely to irregular cases. She performed all -kinds of operations with masterly skill and wrote the first book on the -subject ever published in Germany by a woman. She was sent for from all -parts of Germany, and was appointed body-physician to the Queen and -ladies of the court of Prussia and Mark Brandenburg. - -Through her influence, schools were established in which women were -instructed in the science and the art of obstetrics. She also taught -many herself, and a very successful and respectable practice soon grew -up among women. After her death, however, this was discountenanced by -the physicians, who brought it into such disrepute by their ridicule -that the educated class of women withdrew from the profession. This -left it in the hands of ignorant pretenders who continued to practice -it until 1818. At this time, public attention was called to the subject -and strict laws were enacted by which women were required to call in a -male practitioner in every irregular case of confinement, under penalty -of from one to twenty years of imprisonment and the forfeiture of the -right to practice. - -These laws still continue in force. A remarkable case is recorded by -Dr. Schmidt of a woman who, feeling her own competence to manage a case -committed to her care, _did not_ send for a male physician as the -law required. Although it was fully proved that she had done everything -that could have been done in the case, her penalty was imprisonment -for twenty years. Two other cases are quoted by Dr. Schmidt, in which -male practitioners were summoned before a legal tribunal. It was proved -that they _had not_ done that which was necessary, yet their -penalty was no heavier than that inflicted on the woman who had done -exactly what she ought. - -At this time (1818), it was also made illegal for any woman to practice -who had not been educated. This brought the profession again into -repute among women of the higher classes. A school for midwives, -supported by the government, was established in Berlin, in which women -have since continued to be educated for practice in this city and -in other parts of Prussia. Two midwives are elected each year, by a -committee, from the applicants, to be educated for practice in Berlin. -And as they have to study two years, there are always four of these -students in the school, two graduating every year. The remainder of the -students are from the provincial districts. - -To be admitted to this school is considered a stroke of good fortune, -as there are generally more than a hundred applicants, many of whom -have to wait eight or ten years before they are elected. There is, -besides, a great deal of favoritism, those women being generally chosen -who are the widows or wives of civil officers or physicians, to whom -this chance of earning a livelihood is given in order that they may -not become a burden on the government. Though educated apart from the -male students while studying the theory of midwifery, they attend -the accouchement ward together, and receive clinical or practical -instruction in the same class from the same professor. - -The male students of medicine are admitted to the university at the age -of eighteen, having first been required to go through a prescribed -course of collegiate study and to pass the requisite examination. -Here they attend the lectures of various professors, often of four -or five upon the same subject, in order to learn how it is treated -from different points of view. Then, after having thus studied for a -certain length of time, they present themselves for an examination by -the professors of the university, which confers upon them the title of -_M.D._, without the right to practice. They are then obliged to -prepare for what is called the State’s examination, before a Board of -the most distinguished men in the profession appointed to this place -by the government; these also constitute the medical court. Of this -number, Dr. Schmidt was one. - -Dr. Schmidt approved my resolution and expressed himself warmly in -favor of it. He also recommended to me a course of reading, to be -commenced at once as a kind of preliminary education. And although he -had no influence with the committee of the city government who examined -and elected the pupils, he promised to call upon some of them and urge -my election. But despite his recommendation and my father’s position as -civil officer, I received a refusal, on the grounds that I was much too -young (being only eighteen) and that I was unmarried. - -The latter fault I did not try to remove; the former I corrected daily; -and when I was nineteen, I repeated my application and received the -same reply. - -During this time, Dr. Schmidt became more and more interested in me -personally. He promised that he would do all in his power to have me -chosen the next year and urged me to read and study as much as possible -in order to become fully acquainted with the subject. - -As usual, I continued to assist my mother in visiting her patients, -and thus had a fine opportunity for explaining to myself many things -which the mere study of books left in darkness. In fact, these years -of preliminary practical study were more valuable to me than all -the lectures that I ever listened to afterwards. Full of zeal and -enthusiasm and stimulated by a friend whose position and personal -acquirements inspired me with reverence and devotion, I thought of -nothing else than how to prepare myself in such a way that I should not -disappoint him nor those to whom he had commended me. - -Dr. Schmidt was consumptive and almost an invalid, often having to -lecture in a reclining position. The author of many valuable medical -works and director of the largest hospital in Prussia (the Charité of -Berlin), he found a most valuable assistant in his wife--one of the -noblest women that ever lived. She was always with him except in the -lecture room, and almost all of his works are said to have been written -by her from his dictation. - -This had inspired him with the highest possible respect for women. -He had the utmost faith in their powers when rightly developed, and -always declared their intellectual capacity to be the same with that of -men. This belief inspired him with the desire to give me an education -superior to that of the common midwives; and at the same time, to -reform the school of midwives by giving to it a professor of its own -sex. - -To this position he had in his own mind already elected me. But before -I could take it, I had to procure a legitimate election from the city -to the school as pupil, and during my attendance, he had to convince -the government of the necessity of such a reform, as well as to bring -over the medical profession. This last was not so easily done, for many -men were already waiting for Dr. Schmidt’s death in order to obtain -this very post which was considered valuable. - -When I was twenty, I received my third refusal. Dr. Schmidt, whose -health was failing rapidly, had exerted himself greatly to secure my -admission. The medical part of the committee had promised him that -they would give me their vote, but some theological influence was set -to work to elect one of the deaconesses in my stead, so that she might -be educated for the post of superintendent of the lying-in ward of the -hospital which was under Dr. Schmidt’s care. She also was rejected in -order not to offend Dr. Schmidt, but for this he would not thank them. - -No sooner had I carried him the letter of refusal than he ordered his -carriage and, proceeding to the royal palace, obtained an audience with -the king, to whom he related the refusal of the committee to elect me -on the ground that I was too young and unmarried, and entreated of him -a cabinet order which should compel the city to admit me to the school, -adding that he saw no reason why Germany as well as France should not -have and be proud of a Lachapelle. - -The king, who held Dr. Schmidt in high esteem, gave him at once the -desired order, and I became legally the student of my friend. His -praise, however, procured me intense vexation, for my name was dropped -entirely and I was only spoken of as Lachapelle the Second, which -would by no means have been unpleasant had I earned the title, but to -receive it sneeringly in advance before having been allowed to make my -appearance publicly, was indeed unbearable. - -On the third day after his visit to the king, Dr. Schmidt received me -into the class and introduced me to it as his future assistant teacher. -This announcement was as surprising to me as to the class, but I took -it quietly, thinking that if Dr. Schmidt did not consider me fit for -the place, he would not risk being attacked for it by the profession -_en masse_, by whom he was watched closely. - -On the same day, a little incident occurred which I must mention. -In the evening, instead of going alone to the class for practical -instruction, I accompanied Dr. Schmidt at his request. We entered the -hall where his assistant, the chief physician, had already commenced -his instructions. Dr. Schmidt introduced me to him as his private pupil -to whom he wished him to give particular attention, ending by giving -my name. The physician hurriedly came up to me and grasped my hand, -exclaiming, “Why, this is my little blind doctor!” I looked at him and -recognized the very Dr. Müller with whom I used to make the rounds of -the hospital when I was twelve years old, and who had since risen to -the position of chief physician. This _rencontre_ and the interest -that he manifested afterwards greatly relieved Dr. Schmidt who had -feared that he would oppose me instead of giving me any special aid. - -During this winter’s study, I spent the most of the time in the -hospital, being almost constantly at the side of Dr. Schmidt. I -certainly made the most of every opportunity, and I scarcely believe -it possible for any student to learn more in so short a time than I -did during this winter. I was continually busy, acting even as nurse -whenever I could learn anything by it. During the following summer, I -was obliged to reside wholly in the hospital, this being a part of the -prescribed education. Here I became acquainted with all the different -wards and had a fine opportunity to watch the cases by myself. - -In the meantime, Dr. Schmidt’s illness increased so rapidly that he -feared he might die before his plans in respect to me had been carried -out, especially as the state of his health had compelled him to give up -his position as Chief Director of the Hospital Charité. His intention -was to make me chief accoucheuse in the hospital, and to surrender into -my hands his position as professor in the School for Midwives, so that -I might have the entire charge of the midwives’ education. - -The opposition to this plan was twofold. First, the theological -influence that sought to place the deaconess (Sister Catherine) in -the position of house-midwife; and, second, the younger part of the -profession, many of whom were anxious for the post of professor in the -School for Midwives, which never would have been suffered to fall into -the hands of Sister Catherine. Dr. Schmidt, however, was determined -to yield to neither. Personal pride demanded that he should succeed -in his plan, and several of the older and more influential members of -the profession took his part, among whom were Johannes Müller, Busch, -Müller, Kilian, etc. - -During the second winter, his lecturing in the class was only nominal, -often nothing more than naming the heads of the subjects while I had -to give the real instruction. His idea was to make me feel the full -responsibility of such a position, and at the same time to give me a -chance to do the work that he had declared me preëminently capable of -doing. This was an intrigue, but he would not have it otherwise. He -did not intend that I should perform his duty for his benefit, but for -my own. He wished to show to the government the fact that I had done -the work of a man like himself and had done it well; and that, if he -had not told them of his withdrawal, no one would have recognized his -absence from the result. - -At the close of this term, I was obliged to pass my examination at -the same time with the fifty-six students who composed the class. Dr. -Schmidt invited some of the most prominent medical men to be present, -besides those appointed as the examining committee. He informed me of -this on the day before the examination, saying, “I want to convince -them that you can do better than half of the young men at _their_ -examination.” - -The excitement of this day I can hardly describe. I had not only to -appear before a body of strangers of whose manner of questioning I had -no idea, but also before half a dozen authorities in the profession, -assembled especially for criticism. - -Picture to yourself my position: standing before the table at which -were seated the three physicians composing the examining committee, who -questioned in the most perplexing manner, while four other physicians -of the highest standing were seated on each side, making eleven in -all; Dr. Schmidt, a little way off, anxious that I should prove true -all that he had said in praise of me, and the rest of the class in the -background, filling up the large hall. It was terrible. The trifling -honor of being considered capable was rather dearly purchased. - -I went through the whole hour bravely, without missing a single -question, until finally the clock struck twelve, when everything -suddenly grew black before my eyes, and the last question sounded like -a humming noise in my ear. I answered it--how, I know not--and was -permitted to sit down and rest for fifteen minutes before I was called -to the practical examination on the manikin. I gave satisfaction to -all, and received the diploma of the first degree. - -This by no means ended the excitement. The students of the year were -next examined. This examination continued for a week, after which the -diplomas were announced, when it was found that never before had there -been so many of the first degree and so few of the third. Dr. Schmidt -then made it known that this was the result of my exertions, and I was -pronounced _a very capable woman_. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - - _Dr. Schmidt urges Marie’s appointment as Chief of the - School, including the surrender to her of his own position as - professor--Violent medical and diplomatic opposition, becoming a - controversy over “Woman’s Rights”--Marie’s father refuses his consent - and insists that she marry a man she has never even seen--Eventually, - Dr. Schmidt wins and Marie receives her appointment--Triumph - immediately turned to tragedy by sudden death of Dr. Schmidt on the - same day. (Twenty-two years of age: 1851-1852.)_ - - -The acknowledgment that I was a very capable woman having been made -by the medical men present at the examination, Dr. Schmidt thought -it would be an easy matter to get me installed into the position for -which I had proved myself capable. But such could not be the case -in a government ruled by hypocrisy and intrigue. To acknowledge the -capability of a woman did not by any means say that she was at liberty -to hold a position in which she could exercise this capability. - -German men are educated to be slaves to the government: positive -freedom is comprehended only by a few. They generally struggle for a -kind of negative freedom, namely, for themselves. For each man, however -much he may be inclined to show his subserviency to those superior -in rank, thinks himself the lord of creation and, of course, regards -woman only as his appendage. How can this lord of creation, being a -slave himself, look upon the _free development_ and _demand for -recognition_ of his appendage otherwise than as a nonsense or a -usurpation of his exclusive rights? - -And among these lords of creation, I heartily dislike that class which -not only yield to the influence brought to bear upon them by the -government but who also possess an infinite amount of narrowness and -vanity united to an infinite servility to money and position. There is -not ink and paper enough in all the world to write down the contempt I -feel for men in whose power it is to be free in thought and noble in -action, and who yet act to the contrary to feed their ambition or their -purses. I have learned, perhaps, too much of their spirit for my own -good. - -You can hardly believe what I experienced in respect to intrigue within -the few months following my examination. All the members of the medical -profession were unwilling that a woman should take her place on a level -with them. - -All the diplomatists became fearful that Dr. Schmidt intended to -advocate the question of “Woman’s Rights”; one of them exclaiming one -evening, in the heat of discussion, “For Heaven’s sake! the Berlin -women are already wiser than all the men of Prussia: what will become -of us if we allow them to manifest it?” - -I was almost forgotten in the five months during which the question was -debated: it became more than a matter of personal intrigue. The real -question at stake was, “How shall women be educated, and what is their -true sphere?” And this was discussed with more energy and spirit than -ever has been done here in America. - -Scores of letters were written by Dr. Schmidt to convince the -government that a woman could really be competent to hold the position -in question, and that I had been pronounced so by the whole faculty. - -The next objection raised was that my father was known as holding -revolutionary principles; and to conquer this cost a long discussion, -with many interviews of the officials with my father and Dr. Schmidt. - -The next thing urged was that I was much _too young_; that it -would be necessary, in the course of my duties, to instruct the young -men also, and that there was danger in our thus being thrown together. -In fact, this reason, read to me by Dr. Schmidt from one of the letters -written at this time (all of which are still carefully preserved), runs -thus, “To give this position to Miss M. E. Zakrzewska is dangerous. She -is a prepossessing young lady, and from coming in contact with so many -gentlemen must necessarily fall in love with some one of them, and thus -end her career.” To this, I have only to reply that I am sorry that -I could not have found _one_ among them that could have made me -follow the suggestion. - -This objection, however, seemed for a while the most difficult to be -met, for it was well known that, when a student myself, I had stood -on the most friendly terms with my fellow students. And that they had -often taken my part in little disturbances that naturally came up in an -establishment where no one was permitted to enter or to leave without -giving a reason. Even my private patients were sometimes sent away at -the door because I did not know of their coming and for this reason -could not announce to the doorkeeper the name and residence of those -who might possibly call. - -That this difficulty was finally conquered, I have to thank the -students themselves. My relation with these young men was of the -pleasantest kind. They never seemed to think that I was not of their -sex, but always treated me like one of themselves. I knew of their -studies and their amusements; yes, even of the mischievous pranks -that they were planning both for college and for social life. They -often made me their confidante in their private affairs, and were -more anxious for my approval or forgiveness than for that of their -relatives. I learned during this time how great is the friendly -influence of a woman even upon fast-living and licentious young men; -and this has done more to convince me of the necessity that the two -sexes should live together from infancy, than all the theories and -arguments that are brought to convince the mass of this fact. - -As soon as it became known among the students that my youth was the new -objection, they treated it in such a manner that the whole thing was -transformed into a ridiculous bugbear, growing out of the imagination -of the _virtuous_ opposers. - -Nothing now seemed left in the way of my attaining to the position, -when suddenly it dawned upon the mind of some that I was irreligious, -that neither my father nor my mother attended church, and that, under -such circumstances, I could not of course be a church-goer. - -Fortunately, I had complied with the requirements of the law, and -could therefore bring my certificate of confirmation from one of the -Protestant churches. By the advice of Dr. Schmidt, I commenced to -attend church regularly, and continued until a little incident happened -which I must relate here. - -One Sunday, just after the sermon was over, I remembered that I had -forgotten to give instructions to the nurse in respect to a patient and -I left the church without waiting for the end of the service. The next -morning, I was summoned to answer to the charge of leaving the church -at an improper time. The inquisitor (who was one of those who had -accused me of irreligion), being vexed that I contradicted him by going -to church regularly, was anxious to make me confess that I did not care -for the service. But I saw through his policy as well as his hypocrisy, -and simply told him the truth, namely, that I had forgotten important -business and therefore thought it excusable to leave as soon as the -sermon was over. - -Whether he sought to lure me on to further avowals, I know not; but -whatever was his motive, he asked me in reply whether I believed that -he cared for the humdrum custom of church-going, and whether I thought -him imbecile enough to consider this as anything more than the means by -which to keep the masses in check, adding that it was the duty of the -intelligent to make the affair respectable by setting the example of -going themselves, and that he only wished me to act on this principle, -when all accusations of irreligion would fall to the ground. - -I had always known that this man was not my friend, but when I heard -this, I felt disenchanted with the whole world. I had never thought -him more than a hypocrite, whereas I now found him the meanest of men -both in theory and in practice. I was thoroughly indignant, the more -so, since I felt guilty myself in going to church simply to please Dr. -Schmidt. - -I do not remember what answer I gave, but I know that my manners and -words made it evident that I considered him a villain. He never forgave -me for this, as all his future acts proved to me. For, in his position -of chief director of the hospital, he had it in his power, more than -any one else, to annoy me, and that he did so you will presently see. - -The constant opposition and attendant excitement, together with the -annoyances which my father, as civil officer, had to endure, made him -resolve to present a declaration to the government that I should never, -with his consent, enter the position. He had become so tired of my -efforts to become a public character in my profession that he suddenly -conceived the wish to have me married. - -Now, take for a moment into consideration the facts that I was but -twenty-two years of age, full of sanguine enthusiasm for my vocation, -and strong in the friendship of Dr. Schmidt. He had inspired me with -the idea of a career different from the common routine of domestic life. - -My mother, overcoming her repugnance to my entering my profession, had -been my best friend, encouraging me steadily; while my father, yielding -to the troubles that it involved, had become disgusted with it, and -wished me to abandon my career. He was stern, and would not take back -his word. I could do nothing without his consent; while Dr. Schmidt had -finally overcome all difficulties and had the prospect of victory if my -father would but yield. - -A few weeks of this life were sufficient to drive one mad, and I am -sure that I was near becoming so. I was resolved to run away from home -or to kill myself, while my father was equally resolved to marry me to -a man whom I had never seen. - -Matters finally came to a crisis through the illness of Dr. Schmidt, -whose health failed so rapidly that it was thought dangerous to let him -be longer excited by the fear of not realizing his favorite scheme. -Some of his medical advisers influenced the government to appeal to my -father to withdraw his declaration, which, satisfied with the honor -thus done him, he did on the 1st of May, 1852. - -On the 15th of May, I received my legal installment to the position -for which Dr. Schmidt had designed me. The joy that I felt was great -beyond expression. A youthful enthusiast of twenty-two, I stood at the -height of my wishes and expectations. I had obtained what others could -obtain only after the protracted labor of half a lifetime, and already -I saw myself in imagination occupying the place of Dr. Schmidt’s -aspirations--that of a German _Lachapelle_. - -No one who has not passed at the same age through the same excitement -can comprehend the fullness of my rejoicing, which was not wholly -selfish, for I knew that nothing in the world would please Dr. Schmidt -so much as this victory. The wildest joy of an accepted suitor is a -farce compared to my feelings on the morning of that 15th of May. I -was reconciled to my bitterest opponents, I could even have thanked -them for their opposition, since it had made the success so much the -sweeter. - -Not the slightest feeling of triumph was in my heart; all was happiness -and rejoicing. And it was in this condition of mind and heart that -I put on my bonnet and shawl to carry the good news to Dr. Schmidt. -Without waiting to be announced, I hastened to his parlor, where I -found him sitting with his wife upon the sofa. I did not walk, but -flew, towards them and threw the letter upon the table, exclaiming, -“There is the victory!” - -Like a conflagration, my joy spread to Dr. Schmidt as well as to his -wife, who thought that she saw in these tidings a cup of new life for -her husband. I stayed only long enough to accept their congratulations. -Dr. Schmidt told me to be sure to come the next morning to enter -legally upon my duties at his side. He saw that I needed the open air, -and felt that he too must have it to counteract his joy. I went to tell -my father and several friends, and spent the day in blissful ignorance -of the dreadful event that was transpiring. - -The next morning at seven o’clock, I left home to go to my residence in -the hospital. I had not slept during the night; the youthful fire of -enthusiasm burnt too violently to allow me any rest. - -The old doorkeeper opened the door for me, and gazed at me with an air -of surprise. “What is the matter?” I asked. “I am astonished to see you -so cheerful,” said he. “Why?” I asked with astonishment. “Don’t you -know that Dr. Schmidt is dead?” was the answer. Dr. Schmidt dead! I -trembled; I staggered; I fell upon a chair. - -The beautiful entrance hall, serving also as a greenhouse during the -winter, filled in every place with flowers and tropical fruit, faded -from my eyes; and in its stead I saw nothing but laughing faces, -distorted with scorn and mockery. - -A flood of tears cooled the heat of my brain, and a calmness like that -of death soon took possession of me. I had fallen from the topmost -height of joy and happiness to the profoundest depth of disappointment -and despair. If there was nothing else to prove the strength of my -mind, the endurance of this sudden change would be sufficient. - -I went at once to Dr. Schmidt’s residence in the Hospital Park, where I -met him again, not as I had expected an hour before ready to go with me -to the hospital department which I was henceforth to superintend, but -as a corpse. - -After I had left the day before, he had expressed a wish to go into the -open air, his excitement nearly equaling mine. Mrs. Schmidt ordered the -carriage, and they drove to the large park. He talked constantly and -excitedly about the satisfaction he felt in this success until they -arrived, when he wished to get out of the carriage and walk with his -wife. Mrs. Schmidt consented, but they had taken only a few steps when -he sank to the ground, and a gush of blood from his mouth terminated -his existence. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - - _Death of Dr. Schmidt opens doors for hosts of office-seekers and - for Marie’s opponents--Hostilities of latter nullified by her methods, - and by her continued professional success with patients and with both - men and women students--After six months’ struggle with unabated - animosities and intrigue, she resigns her position in the hospital. - (Twenty-three years of age: 1852.)_ - - -I left Dr. Schmidt’s house, and entered alone into the wards, where -I felt that I was without friendly encouragement and support. During -the three days that intervened before the burial of Dr. Schmidt, I was -hardly conscious of anything, but moved about mechanically like an -automaton. - -The next few days were days of confusion, for the death of Dr. Schmidt -had left so many places vacant that some fifty persons were struggling -to obtain some one of his offices. The eagerness, servility and -meanness which these educated men displayed in striving to conquer -their rivals was more than disgusting. The serpents that lie in wait -for their prey are endurable, for we know that it is their nature to -be cunning and relentless; but to see men of intellect and education -sly and snaky, ferocious yet servile to the utmost, makes one almost -believe in total depravity. The most of these men got what they -deserved, namely, nothing. The places were filled temporarily with -others, and everything went on apparently as before. - -My position soon became very disagreeable. I had received my -installment, not because I was wanted by the directors of the hospital, -but because they had been commanded by the government to accept me, in -the hope of thus prolonging the life of Dr. Schmidt. - -Young and inexperienced in petty intrigue, I had now to work without -friendly encouragement and appreciation, in an establishment where -three thousand people were constantly at war about each other’s -affairs; with no one about me in whom I had a special interest, while -every one was regretting that the installment had been given me before -Dr. Schmidt’s death which might have happened just as well from some -other excitement. I surveyed the whole arena, and saw very well that, -unless I practiced meanness and dishonesty as well as the rest, I could -not remain there for any length of time, for scores were ready to -calumniate me whenever there was the least thing to be gained by it. - -I was about to commence a new period of life. I had a solid structure -as a foundation, but the superstructure had been built up in so short a -time that a change of wind would suffice to cast it down. I resolved, -therefore, to tear it down myself and to begin to build another upon -the carefully laid basis. I waited only for an opportunity to manifest -my intention. This opportunity soon presented itself. - -Sister Catherine, the deaconess of whom I have spoken, who had been -allowed to attend the School for Midwives after my election, through -the influence of her theological friends upon Dr. Schmidt (the city -magistrates having refused her because I was already the third accepted -pupil), had as yet no position. These friends now sought to make her -the _second accoucheuse_, I having the first position, with the -additional title of Chief. - -This she would not accept. She, the experienced deaconess, who had been -a Florence Nightingale in the typhus epidemic of Silesia, was unwilling -to be under the supervision of a woman who had nothing to show but -a thorough education, and who was besides eight years younger than -herself. - -Her refusal made my enemies still more hostile. Why they were so -anxious for her services I can only explain by supposing that the -directors of the hospital wished to annoy Pastor Fliedner, the -originator of the Kaiserswerth Sisterhood. For, in placing Sister -Catherine in this position, they robbed him of one of the very best -nurses that he had ever had in his institution. - -My desire to reconcile the government of the hospital, in order that I -might have peace in my position to pursue my development and education -so as to realize and manifest to the people the truth of what Dr. -Schmidt had affirmed of me, induced me to go to one of the directors -and propose that Sister Catherine should be installed on equal terms -with me, offering to drop the title of Chief and to consent that the -department should be divided into two. - -My proposition was accepted nominally, and Sister Catherine was -installed but with a third less salary than I received, while I had -to give the daily reports, etc., and to take the chief responsibility -of the whole. Catherine was quite friendly to me, and I was happy -in the thought that there was now one at least who would stand by me -should any difficulties occur. How much I was mistaken in the human -heart! This pious, sedate woman, towards whom my heart yearned with -friendship, was my greatest enemy, though I did not know it until after -my arrival in America. - -A few weeks afterwards, the city petitioned to have a number of -women instructed in the practice of midwifery. These women were all -experienced nurses who had taken the liberty to practice this art to a -greater or less extent from what they had learned of it while nursing; -and to put an end to this unlawful practice, they had been summoned -before an examining committee, and the youngest and best educated -were chosen to be instructed as the law required. Dr. Müller, the -pathologist, was appointed to superintend the theoretical, and Dr. -Ebert, the practical, instruction. Dr. Müller, who never had given -this kind of instruction before, and who was a special friend of mine, -immediately surrendered the whole into my hands; while Dr. Ebert, whose -time was almost wholly absorbed in the department of the diseases -of children, appointed me as his assistant. Both gentlemen gave me -certificates of this when I determined to emigrate to America. - -The marked preference for my wards that had always been shown by -the male students was shared by these women when they came. Sister -Catherine was neither ambitious nor envious, yet she felt that she was -the second in place. Drs. Müller and Ebert never addressed themselves -to her; neither did they impress the nurses and the servants with the -idea that she was anything more than the head nurse. All these things -together made her a spy; and though nothing happened for which I could -be reproved, all that I said and did was watched and secretly reported. - -Under a despotic government, the spy is as necessary as the corporal. -The annoyance of this reporting is that the secrecy exists only for the -one whom it concerns, while the subaltern officers and servants receive -hints that such a person is kept under constant surveillance. - -When it was found that no occasion offered to find fault with me, our -administrative inspector was removed and a surly old corporal put in -his place, with the hint that the government of the hospital thought -that the former inspector did not perform his duty rightly, since he -never reported disturbance in a ward that had formerly been notorious -as being the most disorderly. - - * * * * * - -[Marie’s method in transforming this ward and consequently its -reputation is evidently described in the “Introduction” written by Mrs. -Dall for these earlier chapters. - -In the autumn of 1856, Marie was addressing a physiological institute -in Boston. Mrs. Dall says: - - She spoke to them of her experience in the hospital at Berlin, and - showed that the most sinning, suffering woman never passed beyond the - reach of a woman’s sympathy and help. - -Mrs. Dall then quotes from the address: - - Soon after I entered the hospital [said Marie], the nurses called - me to a ward where sixteen of the most forlorn objects had begun to - fight with each other. The inspector and the young physician had been - called to them, but dared not enter the _mêlée_. When I arrived, - pillows, chairs, footstools and vessels had deserted their usual - places; and one stout little woman, with rolling eyes and tangled - hair, had lifted a vessel of slops which she threatened to throw all - over me, as she exclaimed, “Don’t dare to come here, you green young - thing!” - - I went quietly towards her, saying gently, “Be ashamed, my dear woman, - of your fury.” - - Her hands dropped. Seizing me by the shoulder, she exclaimed, “You - don’t mean that you look on me as a woman?” - - “How else?” I answered. She retreated to her bed while all the rest - stood in the attitudes into which passion had thrown them. - - “Arrange your beds,” I said; “and in fifteen minutes, let me return - and find everything right.” When I returned, all was as I had desired, - every woman standing at her bedside. The short woman was missing, but - bending on each a friendly glance I passed through the ward, which - never gave me any more trouble. - - When, late at night, I entered my room, it was fragrant with violets. - A green wreath surrounded an old Bible and a little bouquet rested on - it. I did not pause to speculate over this sentimentality, but threw - myself weary upon the bed when a light tap at the door startled me. - The short woman entered and humbling herself on the floor, since she - would not sit in my presence, entreated to be heard. - - “You called me a woman,” she said, “and you pity us. Others call us by - the name the world gives us. You would help us, if help were possible. - All the girls love you and are ashamed before you; and therefore - _I_ hated you--no: I will not hate you any longer. There was a - time when I might have been saved--I, and Joanna, and Margaret, and - Louise. We were not bad. Listen to me. If _you_ say there is any - hope, I will yet be an honest woman.” - - She had had respectable parents; and, when twenty years old, was - deserted by her lover who left her three months pregnant. Otherwise - kind, her family perpetually reproached her with her disgrace and - threatened to send her away. At last, she fled to Berlin, keeping - herself from utter starvation by needlework. In the hospital to which - she went for confinement, she took the smallpox. When she came out, - with her baby in her arms, her face was covered with red blotches. - Not even the lowest refuge was open to her, her appearance was so - frightful. With her baby dragging at her empty breast, she wandered - through the streets. An old hag took pity on both, and carefully - nursed till health returned, her good humor and native wit made those - about her forget her ugly face. She was in a brothel, where she soon - took the lead. Her child died, and she once more attempted to earn - her living as a seamstress. She was saved from starvation only by her - employer, who received her as his mistress. Now her luck changed. She - suffered all that a woman could, handled poison and the firebrand. - “I thought of stealing,” she said, “only as an amusement; it was not - exciting enough for a trade.” She found herself in prison, and was - amused to be punished for a trifle, when nobody suspected her crime. - It was horrible to listen to these details; more horrible to witness - her first repentance. - - When I thanked her for her violets, she kissed my hands, and promised - to be good. - - While she remained in the hospital, I took her as my servant and - trusted everything to her, and when finally discharged she went out to - service. She wished to come with me to America. I could not bring her, - but she followed, and when I was in Cleveland, inquired for me in New - York.] - -The truth was that in my innocence of heart I had been striving to -gain the respect and friendship of my enemies by doing my work better -than any before me had done. To go to bed at night regularly was a -thing unknown to me. Once, I was not undressed for twenty-one days -and nights; superintending and giving instructions on six or eight -confinement cases in every twenty-four hours; lecturing three hours -every afternoon to the class of midwives; giving clinical lectures to -them twice a week for an hour in the morning; superintending the case -of some twenty infants who were epidemically attacked with purulent -ophthalmia; and having, besides, the general supervision of the whole -department. - -But all this could not overcome the hostility of my enemies, the chief -cause of which lay in the mortification at having been vanquished by my -appointment. - -On the other hand, I was happy in the thought that Mrs. Schmidt -continued to take the same interest in me as before, and was glad to -hear of my partial success. The students, both male and female, were -devoted to me, and manifested their gratitude openly and frankly. This -was the greatest compensation that I received for my work. - -The women wished to show their appreciation by paying me for the extra -labor that I performed in their instruction, not knowing the fact that -I did it simply in order that they might pass an examination which -should again convince the committee that I was in the right place. -I forbade all payment as I had refused it to the male students when -they wished to pay me for their extra instruction on the manikin. But -in a true womanly way, they managed to learn the date of my birthday, -when two or three, instead of attending the lecture, took possession -of my room which they decorated with flowers, while on the table they -displayed presents to the amount of some hundred and twenty dollars -which the fifty-six women of the class had collected among themselves. - -This was, of course, a great surprise to me and really made me feel -sad, for I did not wish for things of this sort. I wished to prove that -unselfishness was the real motive of my work, and thought that I should -finally earn the crown of appreciation from my enemies for which I was -striving. This gift crossed all my plans. I must accept it, if I would -not wound the kindest of hearts, yet I felt that I lost my game by so -doing. I quietly packed everything into a basket and put it out of -sight under the bed, in order that I might not be reminded of my loss. - -Of course, all these things were at once reported. I saw in the faces -of many that something was in agitation, and I waited a fortnight in -constant expectation of its coming. But these people wished to crush -me entirely. They knew well that a blow comes hardest when least -expected, and they therefore kept quiet week after week until I really -began to ask their pardon in my heart for having done them the wrong to -expect them to act meanly about a thing that was natural and allowable. - -In a word, I became quiet and happy again in the performance of my -duties; then suddenly, six weeks after my birthday, I was summoned to -the presence of Director Horn (the same who had reprimanded me for -leaving the church). He received me with a face as hard and stern as an -avenging judge, and asked me whether I knew that it was against the law -to receive any other payment than that given me by the hospital. Upon -my avowing that I did, he went on to ask how it was then that I had -accepted gifts on my birthday. - -This question fell upon me like a thunderbolt, for I had never thought -of looking upon these as a payment. If these women had paid me for the -instruction that I gave them beyond that which was prescribed, they -ought each one to have given me the value of the presents. I told him -this in reply and also how disagreeable the acceptance had been to me -and how ready I was to return the whole at his command, since it had -been my desire to prove not only my capability but my unselfishness in -the work. - -The man was ashamed--I saw it in his face as he turned it away from me; -yet he saw in me a proof that he had been vanquished in intrigue, and -he was resolved that the occasion should end in my overthrow. - -Much more was said about the presents and their significance, and I -soon ceased to be the humble woman and spoke boldly what I thought, in -defiance of his authority, as I had done at the time of the religious -conversation (by the way, I never attended church again after that -interview). - -The end was that I declared my readiness to leave the hospital. - -He wished to inflict direct punishment on me and forbade me to be -present at the examination of the class which was to take place the -next day. This was really a hard penalty to which he was forced for -his own sake. For if I had been present, I should have told the whole -affair to men of a nobler stamp who would have opposed, as they -afterwards did, my leaving a place which I filled to their entire -satisfaction. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - - _She begins private practice--Mrs. Schmidt and many physicians plan - to establish a Maternity Hospital for her--Her father renews his - insistence that she should marry--Recollections of a report of the - Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, located in Philadelphia, and - of Dr. Schmidt’s comment on it, turn her thoughts to America, and - she decides to emigrate--She receives official acknowledgment of her - work at the Hospital, together with a gift of money--Accompanied by a - younger sister, she arrives in New York. (Twenty-four years of age: - 1852-1853.)_ - - -I made my preparations to leave the hospital on the 15th of November, -1852. What was I to do? I was not made to practice quietly, as is -commonly done; my education and aspirations demanded more than this. -For the time, I could do nothing more than inform my patients that I -intended to practice independently. - -My father again wished that I should marry, and I began to ask -myself whether marriage is an institution to relieve parents from -embarrassment. When troubled about the future of a son, parents are -ready to give him to the army; when in fears of the destiny of a -daughter, they induce her to become the slave of the marriage bond. -I never doubted that it was more unendurable and unworthy to be a -wife without love than a soldier without a special calling for that -profession, and I never could think of marriage as the means to -procure a shelter and bread. I had so many schemes in my head that I -would not listen to his words. Among these was especially the wish to -emigrate to America. - -The Pennsylvania Female Medical College had sent its first report to -Dr. Schmidt, who had informed me as well as his colleagues of it and -had advocated the justice of such a reform. It was in March, 1852, that -he spoke of this, saying to those present, “In America, women will now -become physicians, like the men; this shows that only in a republic can -it be proved that science has no sex.” - -This fact recurred to my memory, and I decided to go to America to -join in a work open to womanhood on a larger scale; and for the next -two months, I did nothing but speculate how to carry out my design of -emigration. - -I had lived rather expensively and lavishly, without thinking of laying -up any money; and my whole fortune, when I left the Charité, consisted -of sixty dollars. - -One thing happened in connection with my leaving the hospital which I -must relate here. Director Horn was required to justify his conduct to -the minister to whom the change had to be reported, and a committee was -appointed to hear the accusation and to pass judgment upon the affair. -As this was done in secrecy and not before a jury, and as the accuser -was a man of high rank, I knew nothing of it until Christmas Eve when I -received a document stating that, “as a gratification for my services -for the benefit of the city of Berlin” in instructing the class of -midwives, a compensation was decreed me of fifty dollars. - -This was a large sum for Berlin, such as was given only on rare -occasions. I was also informed that Director Horn was instructed to -give me, should I ever demand it, a first-class certificate of what my -position had been in the hospital, with the title of Chief attached. - -For whatever I had suffered from the injustice of my enemies, I was -now fully recompensed. I inquired who had taken my part so earnestly -against Director Horn as to gain this action, and found that it was Dr. -Müller the pathologist, backed by several other physicians. Director -Horn, it was said, was greatly humiliated by the decision of Minister -von Raumer, who could not see the least justice in his conduct in this -matter, and had I not left the hospital so readily, I should never have -stood so firmly as after this secret trial. - -It was done, however, and I confidently told my mother of my design to -emigrate. Between my mother and myself there existed not merely the -strongest relation of maternal and filial love, but also a professional -sympathy and peculiar friendship, which was the result of two similar -minds and hearts, and which made me stand even nearer to her than as a -child I possibly could have done. She consented with heart and soul, -encouraged me in all my plans and expectations, and asked me at once at -what time I would leave. - -I next told my father and the rest of the family of my plan. My third -sister (Anna), a beautiful, joyous young girl, exclaimed, “And I will -go with you!” My father, who would not listen to my going alone, -at once consented to our going together. But I thought differently. -In going alone, I risked only my own happiness; in going with her, -I risked hers too, while I should be constantly restricted in my -adventurous undertakings by having her, who knew nothing of the world -save the happiness of a tranquil family life, with me. - -The next day I told them that I had changed my mind and should not go -away, but should establish myself in Berlin. Of course, I received -a torrent of gibes on my fickleness, for they did not understand my -feelings in respect to the responsibility that I feared to take for my -younger sister. - -I began to establish myself in practice. Mrs. Schmidt, who was anxious -to assist me in my new career, suggested to those physicians who were -my friends the establishment of a private hospital which should be -under my care. She found them strongly in favor of the plan, and had I -not been constantly speculating about leaving for America, this scheme -would have been realized. - -But Dr. Schmidt’s words after reading the first report of the -Philadelphia Female Medical College recurred to me again and again. I -had resolved to emigrate, and I took my measures accordingly. I went -secretly to Drs. Müller and Ebert and procured certificates attesting -my position in respect to them in the hospital. I then obtained the -certificate from Director Horn, and I carried them all to the American -Chargé d’Affaires (Theodore S. Fay) to have them legalized in English, -so that they would be of service to me in America.[2] - -When I told Drs. Ebert and Müller and Mrs. Schmidt of my intention to -emigrate, they pronounced me insane. They thought that I had the best -field of activity open in Berlin and could not comprehend why I should -seek greater freedom of person and of action. - -Little really is known in Berlin about America, and to go there is -considered as great an undertaking as to seek the river Styx in order -to go to Hades. The remark that I heard from almost every quarter was, -“What! you wish to go to the land of barbarism, where they have negro -slavery and where they do not know how to appreciate talent and genius?” - -But this could not prevent me from realizing my plans. I had idealized -the freedom of America and especially the reform of the position of -women, to such an extent that I would not listen to their arguments. -After having been several years in America, very probably I would think -twice before undertaking again to emigrate, for even the idealized -freedom has lost a great deal of its charm when I consider how much -better it could be. - -Having put everything in order, I told my father of my conclusion to -leave. He was surprised to hear of it the second time, but I showed him -my papers in readiness for the journey and declared that I should go -as soon as the ship was ready to sail, having a hundred dollars, just -money enough to pay my passage. - -He would not give his consent unless my sister Anna accompanied me, -thinking her, I suppose, a counterpoise to any rash undertakings in -which I might engage in a foreign land. If I wished to go, therefore, -I was forced to have her company, of which I should have been very glad -had I not feared the moral care and responsibility. - -We decided to go in a fortnight. My father paid her passage and gave -her a hundred dollars in cash, just enough to enable us to spend a -short time in New York, after which he expected either to send us more -money or that we would return; and, in case we did this, an agreement -was made with the shipping merchant that payment should be made on our -arrival in Hamburg. - -On the 13th of March, 1853, we left the paternal roof, to which we -should never return. My mother bade us adieu with tears in her eyes, -saying, “_Au revoir_ in America!” She was determined to follow us. - -Here ends my Berlin and European life, and I can assure you that this -was the hardest moment I ever knew. Upon my memory is forever imprinted -the street, the house, the window behind which my mother stood waving -her handkerchief. Not a tear did I suffer to mount to my eyes in order -to make her believe that the departure was an easy one, but a heart -beating convulsively within punished me for the restraint. - -My father and brothers accompanied us to the depot, where the cars -received us for Hamburg. On our arrival there, we found that the ice -had not left the Elbe and that the ship could not sail until the river -was entirely free. So we were forced to remain three weeks in Hamburg. - -We had taken staterooms in the clipper ship _Deutschland_. Besides -ourselves, there were sixteen passengers in the first cabin, people -good enough in their way, but not sufficiently attractive to induce us -to make their acquaintance. We observed a dead silence as to who we -were, where we were going, or what was the motive of our emigrating -to America. The only person that we ever spoke to was a Mr. R. from -Hamburg, a youth of nineteen, who like ourselves had left a happy home -in order to try his strength in a strange land. - -The voyage was of forty-seven days’ duration, excessively stormy but -otherwise very dull, like all voyages of this kind, and had it not -been for the expectations that filled our hearts, we should have died -of _ennui_. As it was, the days passed slowly, made worse by the -inevitable seasickness of our fellow-passengers, and we longed for the -hour that should bring us in sight of the shores of the New World. - -And now commences my life in America. - - - - -CHAPTER X - - _First impressions of New York--Marie takes walk alone the next - day--Experience with a white slave agent--Confronted with her - ignorance of the English language, she postpones proceeding to - Philadelphia--Begins housekeeping in a small apartment with her - sister Anna--Astounded by hearing that “female physicians” have no - professional standing in New York, she puts out a sign and seeks - private practice, as she did in Berlin--While waiting for patients, - she builds up a business in making fancy worsted goods, Anna works for - a dressmaker, and they soon become self-supporting. (Twenty-four years - of age: 1853.)_ - - -“Dear Marie, best Marie! make haste to come up on deck to see America! -Oh, how pleasant it is to see the green trees again! How brightly the -sun is gilding the land you are seeking--the land of freedom!” - -With such childlike exclamations of delight, my sister Anna burst -into my cabin to hasten my appearance on deck on the morning of the -22nd of May, 1853. The beautiful child of nineteen summers was only -conscious of a heart overflowing with pleasure at the sight of the -charming landscape that opened before her eyes after a tedious voyage -of forty-seven days upon the ocean. - -We had reached the quarantine at Staten Island. The captain, the old -pilot, every one, gazed at her as she danced joyously about the deck, -with a mingled feeling of sadness and curiosity, for our reserve while -on shipboard had surrounded us with a sort of mystery which none knew -how to unravel. - -As soon as I had dressed for going on shore and had packed up the -things that we had used on our voyage in order that they might not be -stolen during this time of excitement, I obeyed the last call of my -impatient sister to come at least to see the last rays of sunrise and -went on deck, where I was at once riveted by the beautiful scene that -was spread before my eyes. - -It was a warm, glorious day. And the green sloping lawns with which -the white cottages formed such a cheerful contrast; the trees clad in -their first foliage, and suggesting hope by their smiling blossoms; the -placid cows feeding quietly in the fields; the domestic chickens just -visible in the distance; and the friendly barking of a dog--all seemed -to greet me with a first welcome to the shores of this strange country; -while the sun shining brightly from an azure sky strewn with soft white -clouds mellowed the whole landscape, and so deeply impressed my soul -that tears sprang to my eyes and a feeling rose in my heart that I can -call nothing else than devotional, for it bowed my knees beneath me and -forced sounds from my lips that I could not translate into words for -they were mysterious to myself. - -A stranger in a strange wide land, not knowing its habits and customs, -not understanding its people, nor its workings and aims, yet my mind -was not clouded with loneliness. I was happy. Had it not been my own -wish that had made me leave the home of a kind father and of a mother -beloved beyond all earthly beings. I had succeeded in safely reaching -the shores of America. Life was again open before me. - -With these thoughts, I turned from the beautiful landscape and finding -the captain, a noble-hearted sailor, inquired of him how long it -would take us to reach the port of New York. “That is New York,” said -he, pointing to a dark mass of buildings with here and there a spire -towering in the air. “We shall reach there about eight o’clock, but it -is Sunday and you will have to stay on board till to-morrow.” With this -he turned away, calling his men to weigh anchor, as the physician whose -duty it was to inspect the cargo of men, like cattle, had just left in -his boat. - -On we went, my sister still dancing and singing for joy; and Mr. R. -and myself sitting somewhat apart, he looking despondently into the -water, and I with my head firmly raised in the air, happy in heart, but -thoughtful in mind and trusting in my inward strength for the future. - -I took my breakfast on deck. No one seemed to have any appetite, and I -felt somewhat reproved when I heard some one near me say, “She seems to -have neither head nor heart--see how tranquilly she can eat at such a -time as this!” These words were spoken by one of the cabin passengers, -a young man who was exceedingly curious to know why I was going to -America and had several times tried to make the rest of the passengers -believe that it must be in consequence of an unhappy love. The poor -simpleton! he thought that women could enter into life only through the -tragedy of a broken heart. - -A bell sounded. We were opposite Trinity Church whose bell had just -tolled eight. On our right were masses of brick houses and tall -chimneys surrounded by a forest of masts; on our left were the romantic -shores of New Jersey. Islands and projecting points of land, clad in -the brilliant green of the fresh spring foliage, greeted the eye; -ferryboats, like monstrous white swans, glided to and fro from the -shores; rowboats plied everywhere, the white or red shirts of the -oarsmen giving a bright touch of color to the ever-changing panorama. -Such was the scene which gave us our first impressions of this new -country, seeming to proclaim as its welcome freedom and hospitality to -all newcomers. - -This new civilization was utterly different from what we had been -taught about the United States. Indeed, I think many of the passengers -expected to see a _half-civilized_ community who, under a rather -anarchical state of government called a “republic,” did just as -each individual pleased, and who would greet every newcomer with an -enthusiastic joy, inviting him to come and partake of all the good the -country could offer. - -Such, or similar, were the vague ideas which many passengers of the -good ship _Deutschland_ entertained no matter whether in the cabin -or steerage. The captain had done his best to rectify these false -expectations but with very little success, I am sure. - -Therefore, the picture that unrolled itself as we approached slowly -from the quarantine to the dock, while arousing the old enthusiasm -that started the emigrants from their homes, brought also a kind of -disappointment--a surprise to see a well-built and well-regulated -“brick-house” city with all the accessories of a large commercial port; -a city, in fact, to all appearances not very much unlike European -cities. But the admiration with which I had gazed upon Staten Island -was gone as I stood before this beautiful scene; the appreciation of -nature was mastered by another feeling, a feeling of activity that had -become my ideal. - -I had come here for a purpose--to carry out the plan which a despotic -government and its servile agents had prevented me from doing in -my native city. I had to show to those men who had opposed me so -strongly because I was a woman that, in this land of liberty, equality -and fraternity, I could maintain that position which they would not -permit to me at home. My talents were in an unusual direction. I was a -physician, and, as such, had for years moved in the most select circles -of Berlin. Even my enemies had been forced to give me the highest -testimonials, and these were the only treasure that I brought to this -country, for I had given my last dollar to the sailor who brought me -the first news that land was in sight. - -I looked again upon New York, but with a feeling that a great mystery -was lying before my eyes--a feeling that was confirmed by the men who -came off to the ship in small boats speaking a language that seemed -like a chaos of sounds. - -Then, though standing before the promised land of freedom and in spite -of all youthful enthusiasm and vigor, a sadness overcame me, especially -one which bordered very closely on homesickness, even before my foot -had been once more planted on _terra firma_. - -As I turned, I saw my sister coming slowly up from the cabin with a -changed air; and I asked her with surprise what was the matter. “O -Marie!” said she, “most of the passengers are called for. Mr. R.’s -brother has just come to take him on shore. He was so glad to see him -(for he thought he was in New Orleans), that I think he will forget to -say good-by. I am afraid that we shall have to stay here all alone, -and----” “Are the Misses Zakrzewska on board?” called a voice from a -little boat by the side of the ship. We looked down in surprise but -did not recognize the man, who spoke as if he were an acquaintance. -The captain answered, “Yes.” Upon which the same voice said, “Mr. G. -requests them to wait; he will be here in a moment.” - -This announcement surprised us the more that it came from a totally -unexpected quarter. An acquaintance of ours, who had emigrated to New -York a few years before and had shortly after married a Mr. G. had -heard from her brother in Berlin of our departure for America in the -ship _Deutschland_, and these good people, thinking that they -could be of use to us in a new country, had been watching for its -arrival. - -No one on board dared ask a question as to who our friends were, so -reserved had we been in regard to our plans. Only the young man who -had accused me of having neither head nor heart said, half aside, “Ah -ha! Now we know the reason why Miss Marie ate her breakfast so calmly, -while her sister danced for joy. They had beaus who were expecting -them.” “Simpleton!” thought I, “must women always have beaus in order -to be calm about the future?” - -Mr. G. came on board in a few minutes, bringing us from his wife an -invitation of welcome to her house. I cannot express in words the -emotion awakened in my heart by the really unselfish kindness that -had impelled these people to greet us in this manner; and this was -increased when we reached their very modest dwelling, consisting of a -large shop in which Mr. G. carried on his business of manufacturing -fringes and tassels, one sitting room, a bedroom and a small kitchen. -My strength left me, and my composure dissolved in a flood of tears. -The good people did all that they could to make us feel at home, and -insisted that we should occupy the sitting room until we had decided -what to do further. Of course, I determined that this should be for as -short a time as possible, and that we would immediately look out for -other lodgings. But for the moment, nothing but pleasure was in our -hearts. Questions and answers concerning friends and relations at home -filled every minute, and joy and thankfulness to be safe and sound on -land quickened the heart beats. - -One-half of this first day was spent in talking about home; the other, -in making an excursion to Hoboken. This visit we would gladly have -dispensed with, so exhausted were we by the excitement that we had -passed through since sunrise, but our friends were bent on entertaining -us with stories and sights of the New World, and we followed them -rather reluctantly. I have since been glad that I did so, for my mind -was in a state that rendered it far more impressible than usual and -therefore better fitted to observe much that would have been lost to me -in a less-excited condition. - -Here I first saw the type of common German life on Sunday in America, -and I saw enough of it on that one Sunday afternoon to last a whole -lifetime. My friends called on several of their acquaintances. -Everywhere that we went, I noticed two peculiarities--comparative -poverty in the surroundings and apparent extravagance in the manner of -living. For in every house we found an abundance of wine, beer, cake, -meat, salad, etc., although it was between the hours of meals; and -every one was eating, although no one seemed hungry. At nine o’clock in -the evening, the visit was concluded by going to a hotel, where a rich -supper was served up to us; and at eleven at night we returned home. - -My work in America had already commenced. Was it not necessary for a -stranger in a new country to observe life in all its phases before -entering upon it? It seemed so to me, and I had already planned while -on shipboard to spend the first month in observations of this kind. -I had made a fair beginning, and when I saw many repetitions of this -kind of life among my countrymen, I feared that this was their main -purpose in this country and their consolation for the loss of the -entertainments and recreations which their fatherland offered to them. - -But as soon as I got opportunity to make my observations among the -educated classes, I found my fear ungrounded; and I also found that the -Americans had noticed the impulse for progress and higher development -which animated these Germans. The German mind, so much honored in -Europe for its scientific capacity, for its consistency regarding -principles and for its correct criticism, is not dead here. But it has -to struggle against difficulties too numerous to be detailed here, -and therefore it is that the Americans do not know of its existence, -and the chief obstacle is their different languages. A Humboldt must -remain unknown here unless he chooses to Americanize himself in every -respect--and could he do this without ceasing to be Humboldt, the -cosmopolitan genius? - -It would be a great benefit to the development of this country if -the German language were made a branch of education and not simply -an accomplishment. Only then would the Americans appreciate how much -has been done by the Germans to advance higher development and to -diffuse the true principles of freedom. It would serve both parties -to learn how much the Germans aid in developing the reason and in -supporting progress in every direction. The revolution of 1848 has been -more serviceable to America than to Germany, for it has caused the -emigration of thousands of men who would have been the pride of a free -Germany. America has received the German freemen, whilst Germany has -retained the _subjects_. - -The next morning, I determined to return to the ship to look after my -baggage. As Mr. and Mrs. G. were busy in their shop, there was no one -to accompany me. I therefore had either to wait until they were at -leisure or to go alone. I chose the latter, and took my first walk in -the city of New York on my way to the North River where the ship was -lying. The noise and bustle everywhere about me absorbed my attention -to such a degree that instead of turning to the right, I went to the -left and found myself at the East River, in the neighborhood of Peck -Slip. Here I inquired after the German ship _Deutschland_ and was -directed, in my native tongue, down to the Battery and thence up to -Pier 13, where I found the ship discharging the rest of her passengers -and their baggage. It was eleven o’clock when I reached the ship; I -had, therefore, taken a three hours’ walk. I had now to wait until the -custom-house officer had inspected my trunk, and afterwards for the -arrival of Mr. G., who came at one o’clock with a cart to convey the -baggage to his house. - -While standing amidst the crowd, a man in a light suit of clothes of no -positive color and with a complexion of the same sort, came up to me -and asked in German whether I had yet found a boarding-place. The man’s -smooth face instinctively repelled me, yet the feeling that I was not -independently established made me somewhat indefinite in my reply. On -seeing this, he at once grew talkative and friendly and speaking of the -necessity of finding a safe and comfortable home, said that he could -recommend me to a hotel where I would be treated honestly; or that, if -I chose to be in a private family, he knew of a very kind, motherly -lady who kept a boarding house for ladies alone, not to make money but -for the sake of her countrywomen. - -The familiarity that he mingled in his conversation while trying to -be friendly made me thoroughly indignant. I turned my back upon him, -saying that I did not need his services. - -It was not long before I saw him besieging my sister Anna, who had come -with Mr. G., being nervous lest I might not have found the ship. What -he said to her, I do not know. I only remember that she came to me, -saying, “I am afraid of that man; I wish that we could go home soon.” - -This meeting with a man who makes friendly offers of service may seem -a small matter to the mere looker-on, but it ceases to be so when -one knows his motives. And since that time, I have had but too many -opportunities to see for what end these offers are made. - -Many an educated girl comes from the Old World to find a position as -governess or teacher who is taken up in this manner and is never heard -from again or is found only in the most wretched condition. It is -shameful that the most effective arrangements should not be made for -the safety of these helpless beings who come to these shores with the -hope of finding a Canaan. - -To talk with our friends about the future and the cause of my arrival -in New York became now a necessity. So I related how the information -of 1852, concerning a medical school for women, in Philadelphia, had -inspired me to offer my assistance as a practical instructor and to -assist in organizing a hospital. - -My good friends not only showed dismay in face and manner as I -proceeded, but they expressed it in words, telling me that they -had never heard of any “female physicians” except those of a very -disreputable character who advertised in all newspapers and carried on -criminal practices. - -Confronted with my ignorance of the English language, as I now realized -myself, I postponed starting for the medical school in Philadelphia, -and, having letters of introduction to well-stationed people in New -York, I decided to settle in a two-room home of my own as soon as this -could be found, we having concluded to commence housekeeping on a small -scale in order to be more independent and to save money. - -The week was mostly spent in looking for apartments. On our arrival, -I had borrowed from my sister the hundred dollars which my father had -given her on our departure from Berlin and which was to be my capital -until I had established myself in business. I succeeded in finding -a suite of rooms with windows facing the street, in the house of a -grocer; and having put them in perfect order, we moved into them on -the sixth of June, paying eleven dollars as our rent for two months in -advance. - -My sister took charge of our first day’s housekeeping, while I went -to deliver my letters of introduction. I went first to Dr. Reisig, in -Fourteenth Street. My mother, who had employed him when he was a young -man and we were small children, had spoken of him kindly, and for this -reason I had confidence in him. I found him a very friendly man, but by -no means a cordial one. - -He informed me that female physicians in this country were of the -lowest rank and that they did not hold even the position of a good -nurse. He said that he wished to be of service to me if I were willing -to serve as nurse, and as he was just then in need of a good one, he -would recommend me for the position. I thanked him for his candor -and kindness, but refused his offer as I could not condescend to be -patronized in this way. - -Depressed in hope but strengthened in will, I did not deliver any -more of my letters, since they were all to physicians and I could not -hope to be more successful in other quarters. I went home, therefore, -determined to commence practice as a stranger. - -The result of my experiment discouraged my sister greatly. After -meditating for some time, she suddenly said, “Marie, I read in the -paper this morning of a dressmaker who wanted some one to sew for her. -I know how to sew well; I shall go there, and you can attend to our -little household. No one here knows me, and I do not think there is -anything wrong in my trying to earn some money.” - -She was determined, and went. I put up my sign, and spent my time in -attending to the household duties and in reading in order to gain -information of the country and of the people. Occasionally I took walks -through different parts of the city to learn from the houses and their -surroundings the character of life in New York. I am sure that, though -perhaps I appeared idle, I was not so in reality, for during this time -I learned the philosophy of American life. - -But our stock of money was becoming less and less. To furnish the rooms -had cost us comparatively little as we had brought a complete set of -household furniture with us, but paying the rent and completing the -arrangements had not left us more than enough to live upon, in the most -economical manner, until the first of August. - -My sister obtained the place at the dressmaker’s; and after working -a week from seven in the morning until twelve (when she came home to -dinner), then from one in the afternoon until seven in the evening, -she received two dollars and seventy-five cents as the best sewer of -six. She brought home the hard-earned money with tears in her eyes, for -she had expected at least three dollars for the week’s work. She had -made each day a whole muslin dress, with the trimmings. And this was -not all--the dressmaker often did not pay on Saturday nights, because, -as she said, people did not pay her punctually, and the poor girls -received their wages by six or eight shillings at a time. For the last -two weeks of my sister’s work, she received her payment seven weeks -after she had left. - -We lived in this manner until the middle of July, when I lost patience, -for practice did not come as readily as I wished nor was I in a -position for making money in any other way. My sister, usually so -cheerful and happy, grew grave from the unusual work and the close -confinement. One of these nights on lying down to sleep, she burst into -tears and told me of her doubts and fears for the future. I soothed her -as well as I could, and she fell asleep. For myself, I could not sleep -but lay awake all night meditating what I could possibly do. Should I -write home, requesting help from my father? He certainly would have -given it, for two weeks before we had received a letter offering us -all desirable aid. No! All my pride rebelled against it. “I must help -myself,” I thought, “and that to-morrow.” - -The next morning my sister left me as usual. I went out and walked -through the city to Broadway, turning into Canal Street, where I had -formed an acquaintance with a very friendly German woman by purchasing -little articles at various times at her store. I entered without any -particular design and exchanged a few commonplaces with her about the -weather. - -Her husband stood talking with a man about worsted goods, and their -conversation caught my ear. The merchant was complaining because -the manufacturer did not supply him fast enough, upon which the man -answered that it was very difficult to get good hands to work and that -besides he had more orders than it was possible to fill, naming several -merchants whose names I had seen in Broadway who were also complaining -because he did not supply them. - -After he had left, I asked carelessly what kind of articles were in -demand and was shown a great variety of worsted fancy goods. A thought -entered my brain. I left the store and, walking down Broadway, asked -at one of the stores that had been mentioned for a certain article of -worsted goods in order to learn the price. Finding this enormous, I -did not buy it, and I returned home, calculating on my way how much it -would cost to manufacture these articles and how much profit could be -made in making them on a large scale. I found that two hundred per cent -profit might be made by going to work in the right way. - -My sister came home as usual to dinner. I sat down with her, but could -not eat. She looked at me anxiously, and said, “I hope you are not sick -again. Oh, dear! What shall we do if you get sick?” I had been ill -for a week and she feared a relapse. I said nothing of my plan, but -consoled her in respect to my health. - -As soon as she had left, I counted my money. But five dollars remained. -If I had been dependent upon money for cheerfulness, I should certainly -have been discouraged. I went to John Street and entering a large -worsted store, inquired of a cheerful-looking girl the wholesale price -of the best Berlin wool, how many colors could be had in a pound, etc. -The pleasant and ready answers that I received in my native tongue -induced me to tell her frankly that I wanted but a small quantity at -that time, that I intended to make an experiment in manufacturing -worsted articles; and if successful, I would like to open a small -credit, which she said they generally would do when security was given. - -I purchased four and a half dollars’ worth of worsted, so that fifty -cents were left in my pocket when I quitted the store. I then went to -the office of a German newspaper, where I paid twenty-five cents for -advertising for girls who understood all kinds of knitting. - -When my sister came home at night, the worsted was all sorted on the -table in parcels for the girls who would come the next morning, while I -was busily engaged in the experiment of making little worsted tassels. -I had never been skillful in knitting, but in this I succeeded so well -that I could have made a hundred yards of tassels in one day. - -My sister turned pale on seeing all this, and hurriedly asked, “How -much money have you spent?” “All, my dear Anna,” answered I, “all, -except twenty-five cents, which will be sufficient to buy a pound of -beefsteak and potatoes for to-morrow’s dinner. Bread, tea and sugar, we -have still in the house; and to-morrow night you will bring home your -twenty-two shillings.” “May you succeed, Marie! That is all I have to -say,” was her reply. She learned of me that evening how to make the -tassels, and we worked till midnight, finishing a large number. - -The next day was Saturday, and some women really came to get work. I -gave them just enough for one day, keeping one day’s work in reserve. -The day was spent busily in arranging matters, so that on Monday -morning, I might be able to carry a sample of the manufactured articles -to those stores that I had heard mentioned as not being sufficiently -supplied. - -In the evening, my sister came home without her money--the dressmaker -had gone into the country in the afternoon without paying the girls. -She was more than sad, and I felt a little uncomfortable, for what was -I to do without money to provide for the next two days or to pay those -girls on Monday with whose work I might not be satisfied? What was to -be done? To go down to our landlord, the grocer, and ask him to advance -us a few dollars? No! He was a stranger and had no means of knowing -that we would return the money. Besides, I did not wish the people in -the house to know of our condition. - -My resolution was taken. I proposed to my sister to go to the market -with me to buy meat and fruit for the morrow. She looked at me with -blank astonishment, but without heeding it I said calmly, taking from -the bureau drawer the chain of my watch, “Anna, opposite the market -there is a pawnbroker. No one knows us, and by giving a fictitious name -we can get money without thanking any one for it.” She was satisfied, -and taking a little basket, we went on our errand. I asked six dollars -of the pawnbroker under the name of Müller, and received the money, -after which we made our purchases and went home in quite good spirits. - -On Monday morning, the knitters brought home their work. I paid them, -and gave them enough for another day, after which I set about finishing -each piece, completing the task about two in the afternoon. This done, -I carried the articles to Broadway, and leaving a sample in a number of -stores, received orders from them for several dozens. Here, I have to -remark that not being able to speak English, I conducted my business at -the different stores either in German or in French, as I easily found -some employees who could speak one of these languages. - -I then went to the worsted store in John Street, where I also obtained -orders for the manufactured articles together with ten dollars’ worth -of worsted on credit, having first given my name and residence to the -bookkeeper, with the names of the stores from which I had received -orders. - -In the evening when my sister came home, I was, therefore, safely -launched into a manufacturing business. The news cheered her greatly, -but she could not be induced to quit her sewing. The new business had -sprung up so rapidly and pleasantly that she could not trust in the -reality of its existence. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - - _Social relations largely limited to learning the lives of her - employees and helping them by work, by sympathy and by friendliness, - and sometimes by taking them into her house to tide over an emergency. - (Twenty-four years of age: 1853.)_ - - -I must tell you here something of the social life that we led. We had -brought a number of friendly letters with us from our acquaintances in -Berlin to their friends and relatives in America; all of which upon our -arrival we sent by post, with the exception of two--the one sent by a -neighbor to his son, Albert C., the other to a young artist, both of -whom called for their letters. - -About four weeks after we were settled in New York, we received a -call from some young men whose sisters had been schoolmates of my -sisters in Berlin, who came to inquire of us where to find Mr. C. We -could give them no information, as we had not seen him since he called -for his letter; neither did we now see anything of the G.’s. But the -acquaintance thus formed with these young men was continued, and our -solitude was now and then enlivened by an hour’s call from them. Soon -after I had commenced my new business, they came one day in company -with Mr. C., whom they had met accidentally in the street, and, on his -expressing a wish to see us, had taken the liberty to bring him to our -house. - -My business continued to prosper, and by constantly offering none but -the best quality of goods for sale, in a very short time I had so -much to do that my whole time in the day was occupied with out-door -business, and I was forced to sit up at night with my sister to prepare -work for the knitters. - -At one time, we had thirty girls constantly in our employ, and in this -way I became acquainted with many of those unfortunates who had been -misled and ruined on their arrival by persons pretending friendship. -Two of these in particular interested me greatly. - -One, the granddaughter of a famous German and bearing his name, was the -daughter of a physician. She had come to this country hoping to find a -place as governess. Poor girl! She was a mere wreck when I found her, -and all my efforts to raise her up were in vain. She was sick and in a -terrible mental condition. We took her into our house, nursed her and -cared for her. When she recovered, we supplied her with work for which -we paid her so well that she always had three dollars a week, which -paid for her board and washing. It was twice as much as she could earn, -yet not enough to make her feel reconciled with life. - -At one time, she did not come to us for a whole week. I went to see -her, and her landlady told me that she was melancholy. I persuaded -her to come and stay with us for a few days, but in spite of all -my friendly encouragement, I could not succeed in restoring her to -cheerfulness. She owned that she could not work merely to live; she -did not feel the pangs of hunger, but she felt the want of comforts -to which she had been accustomed and which in our days are regarded as -necessities. - -She attempted to find a situation as governess, but her proficiency -in music, French and drawing counted as nothing. She had no city -references, and though having been two years in New York, dared not -name the place to which she had been conducted on her arrival. She -left us at last in despair after having been a week with us. She never -called again and I could not learn from her landlady where she had gone. - -Three months afterwards, I heard from one of the girls in our employ -that she had married a poor shoemaker in order to have a home, but I -never learned whether this was true. About a year later, I met her in -the Bowery, poorly but cleanly dressed. She hastily turned away her -face on seeing me, and I only caught a glimpse of the crimson flush -that overspread her countenance. - -The other girl that I referred to was a Miss Mary ----, who came with -her mother to this country, expecting to live with a brother. They -found the brother married and unwilling to support his sister, while -his wife was by no means friendly in her reception of his mother. The -good girl determined to earn support for her mother, and a pretended -friend offered to take care of their things until she could find work -and rent lodgings. After four weeks’ search, she found a little room -and bedroom in a rear building in Elizabeth Street at five dollars a -month, and was preparing to move when her “friend” presented a bill of -forty dollars for his services. She could only satisfy his rapacity -by selling everything that she could possibly spare, after which she -commenced to work, and as she embroidered a great deal besides working -for me (for which I paid her six dollars a week), for a time she lived -tolerably well. - -After some time, her mother fell ill, and she had to nurse her and -attend to the household as well as to labor for their support. It was a -trying time for the poor girl. She sought her brother, but he had moved -to the West. I did all that I could for her, but this was not half -enough. And after I had quitted the manufacturing business and left -the city, my sister heard that she had drowned herself in the Hudson, -because her mother’s corpse was lying in the house while she had not -a cent to give it burial or to buy a piece of bread unless she sold -herself to vice. - -Are not these two terrible romances of New York life? And many besides -did I learn among these poor women, so many indeed that I forget the -details of them all. Stories of this kind are said to be without -foundation, but I say that there are more of them in our midst than it -is possible to imagine. - -Women of good education but without money are forced to earn their -living. They determine to leave their home, either because false pride -prevents their seeking work where they have been brought up as ladies, -or because this work is so scarce that they cannot earn by it even a -life of semi-starvation, while they are encouraged to believe that in -this country they will readily find proper employment. - -They are too well educated to become domestics, better educated indeed -than half the teachers here, but modesty, and the habit of thinking -that they must pass through the same legal ordeal as in Europe, prevent -them from seeking places in this capacity. They all know how to -embroider in the most beautiful manner, and knowing that this is well -paid for in Europe, they seek to find employment of this kind in the -stores. - -Not being able to speak English, they believe the stories of the clerks -and proprietors, are made to work at low wages, and are often swindled -out of their money. They feel homesick, forlorn and forsaken in the -world. Their health at length fails them, and they cannot earn bread -enough to keep themselves from starvation. They are too proud to beg, -and the consequence is that they walk the streets or throw themselves -into the river. - -I met scores of these friendless women. Some I took into my house; for -others I found work and made myself a sort of guardian; while to others -I gave friendship to keep them morally alive. It is a curious fact that -these women are chiefly Germans. The Irish resort at once to beggary or -are inveigled into brothels as soon as they arrive, while the French -are always intriguing enough either to put on a white cap and find a -place as _bonne_, or to secure a _private_ lover. - -I am often in despair about the helplessness of women, and the -readiness of men to let them earn money in abundance by shame while -they are ground down to the merest pittance for honorable work. - -Shame on society, that women are forced to surrender themselves to -an abandoned life and to death when so many are enjoying wealth and -luxury in extravagance! I do not wish the rich to divide their estates -with the poor--I am no friend to communism in any form. I only wish -institutions that shall give to women an education from childhood that -will enable them, like young men, to earn their livelihood. These weak -women are the last to come forth to aid in their emancipation from -inefficient education. We cannot calculate upon these; we must educate -the children for better positions, and leave the adults to their -destiny. - -How many women marry only for a shelter or a home! How often have I -been the confidante of girls who the day before, arrayed in satin, had -given their hands to rich men before the altar, while their hearts were -breaking with suppressed agony! And this, too, in America, this great -free nation, which, notwithstanding, lets its women starve. - -It is but lately that a young woman said to me, “I thank Heaven, my -dear doctor, that you are a woman, for now I can tell you the truth -about my health. It is not my body that is sick, but my heart. These -flounces and velvets cover a body that is sold--sold legally to a man -who could pay my father’s debts.” - -Oh! I scorn men, sometimes, from the bottom of my heart. Still, this is -wrong, for it is the fault of the woman--of the mother--in educating -her daughter to be merely a beautiful machine fit to ornament a fine -establishment; not gaining this, there is nothing left but wretchedness -of mind and body. - -Women, there is a connection between the Fifth Avenue and the Five -Points! Both the rich and the wretched are types of womanhood, both -are linked together forming one great body, and both have the same part -in good and evil. I can hardly leave this subject, though it may seem -to have little to do with my American experience, but a word spoken -from a full heart not only gives relief but may carry a message to at -least one listening ear with far-reaching results. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - - _Her former rival (and later her successor), Sister Catherine, comes - from Berlin to New York to ask her aid--Marie is joined also by a - second sister and a brother--She is robbed of all her savings--The - end of her first year in America finds her profoundly depressed - because, though successful in business, she has found no opening in - her profession--Her hopes are suddenly renewed by hearing of Dr. - Elizabeth Blackwell upon whom she calls. (Twenty-four years of age: - 1853-1854.)_ - - -I must now return to my new enterprise. The business paid well, and, -although I was often forced to work with my sister till the dawn of -morning, we were happy, for we had all that we needed, and I could -write home that the offered assistance was superfluous. - -Here I must say that I had resolved, on leaving Berlin, never to ask -for aid, in order that I might be able with perfect freedom to carry -out my plans independently of my family. How this was ever to be done, -I did not yet see, though I had a good opportunity to learn, from -life and from the papers, what I had to expect here. But this mode of -instruction, though useful to one seeking to become a philosopher, was -very unsatisfactory to me. - -The chief thing that I learned was that I must acquire English before -I could undertake anything. And this was the most difficult point to -overcome. I am not a linguist by nature; all that I learn of languages -must be obtained by the greatest perseverance and industry, and for -this my business would not allow me time. - -Shortly after I had fairly established myself in the manufacturing -business, I received news from Berlin that Sister Catherine had left -the Hospital Charité and was intending to join me in America, in order -to aid me in carrying out my plan for the establishment of a hospital -for women in the New World. The parties interested in her had finally -succeeded in placing her in the wished-for position, thus disconnecting -her from the sisterhood. But, after my departure, the position became -greatly modified in rank and inferior in character. Private reasons, -besides, made it disagreeable for her to remain there any longer, and -in this moment she remembered my friendship towards her. And in the -unfortunate belief which she shared with many others that all that I -designed to do I could do, she at once resolved to come to me and offer -her assistance. - -She joined us on the 22d of August, and was not a little disappointed -to find me in the tassel business instead of in the medical line. The -astonishment with which her acquaintances in Berlin heard her announce -her intention of going to seek help from a person to whom she had been -less than a friend could not be expressed in words. And she told me -that the annoyance they manifested was really the chief stimulus that -decided her to come at last. She arrived without a cent. Having always -found enough friends ready to supply her with money whenever she -wished to establish a temporary hospital, it had never occurred to her -that she should need any for private use beyond just enough to furnish -the simple blue merino dress of the sisterhood, which had often been -provided for her by the Kaiserswerth Institute. - -But here she was, and she very soon learned to understand the -difficulties which must be overcome before I could enter again into my -profession. She became satisfied, and lived with us, sharing equally in -whatever we had ourselves. There is a peculiar satisfaction in showing -kindness to a person who has injured us even though unconsciously, but -in her case, she was not entirely unconscious of the harm she had done -me. While in America she confessed to me that her acquaintance had -been courted by all those who had opposed my appointment and that they -sought every opportunity to annoy me. - -On the 18th of September, a sister, one year younger than myself, -joined us, having been tempted by our favorable accounts to try a life -of adventure. We were now four in family. - -But Catherine gradually grew discontented. Having been accustomed to -the comforts afforded in large institutions and to receiving attentions -from the most aristocratic families of Prussia, the monotonous life -that we led was endurable to her only so long as the novelty lasted. -This soon wore off, and she became anxious for a change. - -She had heard her fellow-passengers speak of a Pastor S., who had been -sent to America as a missionary, and she begged me to seek him out and -take her to him that she might consult him as to what she had best -do. I did so, and she soon became acquainted with his family. Mr. S. -exerted himself in her behalf and secured her a place as nurse in the -Home for the Friendless, where she had charge of some thirty children. - -This was a heavy task, for though none was under a year old, she -was constantly disturbed through the night and could get but a few -consecutive hours of sleep. Besides, she could not become reconciled to -washing under the hydrant in the morning and to being forced to mingle -with the commonest Irish girls. She was in every respect a lady and had -been accustomed to having a servant at her command, even in the midst -of the typhus fever epidemic in the desolate districts of Silesia, -while here she was not treated even with humanity. - -This soon grew unbearable, and she returned to us on the 16th of -October, after having been only ten days in the institution. So eager -was she to make her escape that she did not even ask for the two -dollars that were due her for wages. But we could not receive her, for -we had taken another woman in her place who was as friendless and as -penniless as she. - -Besides, a misfortune had just fallen upon us. During the night before, -our doors had been unlocked, our bureau drawers inspected, and all our -money, amounting to fifty-two dollars, carried off. And when Catherine -arrived, we were so poor that we had to borrow the bread and milk for -our breakfast. Fortunately, the day before, I had refused the payment -due me for a large bill of goods, and this came now in a very good -time. - -I did not feel justified, however, in increasing the family to five -after our loss, nor did she claim our assistance, but went again to -Pastor S. who had invited her to visit his family. With his assistance, -she obtained some private nursing, which maintained her until the -congregation had collected money enough to enable her to return to -Berlin, which she did on the 2d of December. Having many friends in the -best circles of that city, she immediately found a good practice again -and she is now, as she says, enjoying life in a civilized manner. - -We moved at once from the scene of the robbery and took a part of a -house in Monroe Street, for which we paid two hundred dollars a year. -Our business continued good, and I had some prospect of getting into -practice. But with the spring (1854), the demand for worsted goods -ceased, and as my practice brought me work but no money, I was forced -to look for something else to do. - -By accident, I saw in a store a coiffure made of silk in imitation -of hair, which I bought. But I found on examination that I could not -manufacture it as it was machine work. I went, therefore, to Mr. G. -and proposed to him the establishment of a business in which he should -manufacture these coiffures, while I would sell them by wholesale to -the merchants with whom I was acquainted. - -Mr. G. had completely ruined himself during the winter by neglecting -his business and meddling with Tammany Hall politics, which had wasted -his money and his time. He had not a single workman in his shop when I -called, and he was too much discouraged to think of any new enterprise; -but on my telling him that I would be responsible for the first -outlay, he engaged hands and in less than a month had forty-eight -persons busily employed. In this way, I earned money during the spring -and freed myself from the obligations which his kindness in receiving -us the spring before had laid upon us. - -My chief business now was to sell the goods manufactured by Mr. G. Our -worsted business was very small, and the prospect was that it would -cease entirely, and also that the coiffure that we made would not long -continue in fashion. Some other business, therefore, had to be found, -especially as it was impossible for us to lay up money. - -Our family now consisted of myself and two sisters, the friend that was -staying with us, and a brother, nineteen years of age, who had just -joined us during the winter and who, though an engineer and in good -business, was, like most young men, thoughtless and more likely to -increase than to lighten our burdens. Our friend Mr. C., who had become -our constant visitor, planned at this time a journey to Europe, so that -our social life seemed also about to come to an end. - -On the 13th of May, 1854, as I was riding down to the stores on my -usual business, reveries of the past took possession of my mind. -Almost a year in America, and not one step advanced towards my -purpose in coming hither! It was true that I had a comfortable home, -with enough to live on, and had repaid to my sister the money that I -had borrowed from her on our arrival; yet what kind of life was it -that I was leading, in a business foreign both to my nature and to -my inclinations, and without even the prospect of enlarging this? -These reflections made me so sad that when I reached the store, the -bookkeeper, noticing my dejection, told me by way of cheering me that -he had another order for a hundred dollars’ worth of goods, etc., but -this did not relieve me. - -I entered the omnibus again, speculating constantly on what I should -do next. Everywhere, my inquiries about women physicians were -received with a pitiful shrug of the shoulders, and I could obtain no -information concerning the Philadelphia Female Medical College whose -report I had read in Berlin. I had finally consulted the newspapers in -spite of all the warnings against so doing, and I was almost at the -point of calling upon a Mr. and Mrs. B. who advertised their private -lying-in hospital (Mrs. B., after becoming a widow, resumed the name of -her first husband and became the originator of the homeopathic medical -college for women), when a thought suddenly dawned upon me. - -Might not the people in the Home for the Friendless be able to give -me advice? I had hardly conceived the idea, when I determined to ride -directly up there instead of stopping at the street in which I lived. -I thought, besides, that some employment might be found for my sister -Anna where she could learn the English language for which she had -evinced some talent, although I had decided that I could never become -master of it. - -I had once seen the matron, Miss Goodrich, when I had called there on -Catherine S. She had a humane face, and I was persuaded that I should -find a friend in her. I was not mistaken. I told her of my plans in -coming here and of our present mode of life and prospects, and confided -to her my disappointment and dejection as well as my determination to -persevere courageously. She seemed to understand and to enter into my -feelings and promised to see Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, whom she advised -me to call upon at once. - -I went home full of the hope and inspiration of a new life--the -happiness of that morning can hardly be comprehended. I was not -suffering, it is true, for the necessaries of life, but what was far -worse, I suffered from the feeling that I lived for no purpose but to -eat and to drink. I had no friends who were interested in the pursuits -towards which my nature inclined, and I saw crowds of arrogant people -about me to whom I could not prove that I was their equal in spite -of their money. My sisters had not seen me so cheerful since our -arrival in America and they thought that I had surely discovered the -philosophers’ stone. I told them of what I had done and received their -approbation. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - - _Learns that Dr. Blackwell is working for the same purpose that - brought her (Marie) to America, that is, to establish a Hospital for - Women; and that she (Dr. Blackwell) has already progressed as far - as opening a dispensary (the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women - and Children)--Dr. Blackwell invites Marie to assist her in the - dispensary, gives her lessons in English, and urges her to acquire - the degree of M.D.--Elizabeth Blackwell first English-speaking woman - to receive such degree--Italian, German and French women her only - predecessors in this respect--Since beginning of the race, women have - instinctively practiced obstetrics and general medicine but their - education has been opposed--Marie’s business goes out of fashion--She - substitutes a new one which pays very poorly and is complicated by - frequent suggestions for irregular sex life with employers--Refusal - leads to loss of work--She is compelled to draw on her savings--In the - autumn with a balance of fifty dollars, she sets out for Cleveland - to enter the Medical Department of the Western Reserve College. - (Twenty-five years of age: 1854.)_ - - -On the morning of the 15th of May, 1854--the anniversary of the death -of Dr. Schmidt, the day of my greatest joy and my greatest misery--we -received a call from Miss Goodrich who told us that she had seen -Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, and that she thought she had also procured -a suitable place for my sister. She gave us the addresses of Dr. -Blackwell and of Miss Catherine Sedgwick. - -We called first upon the latter, who was extremely kind, and although -she had quite misunderstood our wishes--having exerted herself to -procure a place for my sister in a way that manifested the belief that -we had neither a home nor the means to live--yet her friendliness and -readiness to assist us made us forever grateful to her. At that time we -did not know her standing in society and looked upon her merely as a -benevolent and wealthy woman. We soon learned more of her, however, for -though unsuccessful in her first efforts, she shortly after sent for -my sister, having secured for her a place in Mr. Theodore Sedgwick’s -family, which was acceptable inasmuch as it placed her above the level -of the servants. She remained there for seven weeks and then returned -home. - -On the same morning, I saw Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell--and from this call -of the 15th of May, 1854, I date my new life in America. She spoke a -little German and understood me perfectly when I talked. I gave her all -my certificates for inspection, but said nothing to her of my plans -in coming to America. It would have seemed too ludicrous for me in my -position to tell her that I entertained the idea of interesting the -people in the establishment of a hospital for women. I hardly know what -I told her, indeed, for I had no other plan of which to speak, and -therefore talked confusedly like an adventurer. I only know that I said -that I would even take the position of nurse if I could enter one of -the large hospitals, in order to learn the manner in which they were -managed in this country. - -I cannot comprehend how Dr. Blackwell could ever have taken so deep an -interest in me as she manifested that morning, for I never in my life -was so little myself. Yet she did take this interest, for she gave me -a sketch of her own experience in acquiring a medical education and -explained the requirements for such in this country and the obstacles -that are thrown in the way of women who seek to become physicians. - -She told me of her plan of founding a hospital--the long-cherished idea -of my life--and said that she had opened a little dispensary on the 1st -of May, two weeks before (the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and -Children), which was designed to be the nucleus for this hospital, and -she invited me to come and assist her. - -She insisted that first of all I should learn English, and she offered -to give me lessons twice a week and also to make efforts to enable -me to enter a college to acquire the title of “M.D.,” which I had -not the right to attach to my name. I left her after several hours’ -conversation, and we parted friends. - -[Dr. Blackwell, in her autobiography, tells of writing to her sister, -Dr. Emily, giving her impression of this interview: “I have at last -found a student in whom I can take a great deal of interest, Marie -Zakrzewska, a German about twenty-six.... There is true stuff in her, -and I shall do my best to bring it out.... She must obtain a medical -degree.”] - -I found Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell a rather short but stately lady, blonde -with wavy hair, very dignified, kindly in speech, and very deliberate -and wise in her remarks. - -The cordiality with which she welcomed me as a co-worker, I can never -describe nor forget. It aroused all my sunken hopes and energies and -directed them again to the field of work which I had cultivated and -which I had almost given up in despair. Now, I was finding the welcome -and the beginning of which I had dreamed, and all the many days of -disappointment were instantly forgotten. - -I met in Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell no eccentric person who wanted to -bring about the millennium for women, for I soon learned from her of -the great obstacles which were to be overcome in the social stratum. -Soon, indeed, I learned that social prejudices, habits and customs can -be as strong barriers to intellectual development as those placed in -the way of reform by a despotic German government. - -However, behind this social barrier, a number of high-minded and -intellectually advanced women were ready to enter upon a struggle -for greater freedom of action. They were especially inspired by the -Anti-Slavery movement, which was then fully established and which -appealed so strongly to the emotional nature of women. The paths these -women trod were full of thorns and thistles yet they bore everything -patiently, for, knowing their country and its people, they foresaw all -the possibilities for good which could be achieved. - -Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, while not the first woman practitioner of -medicine even in America, was yet the pioneer in the movement which -insisted that medical women should be educated so as to stand equal -with men physicians in medical knowledge and in legalized position. -Hence, she began her medical life not by practicing her art but by -working for the degree of “M.D.” from one of the regularly constituted -medical colleges, this meaning at that time a medical college -established exclusively for men. - -In this course, she followed the example of at least three Italian -women who had, near the end of the eighteenth century and in the -beginning of the nineteenth, taken the medical degree at the -Universities of Florence and Bologna. But her autobiography is well -entitled, _Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to -Women_, because nothing of this kind had been undertaken by an -English-speaking woman. Exceptionally, women have, here and there, -received the same training as men, as evidenced by ancient histories. -And early in this nineteenth century, two German women had received -the medical degree at the University of Giessen. And the French -obstetrician, Madame Boivin, had the medical degree conferred on her by -the University of Marburg before she died in 1841. - -From the earliest history of the human race, women have been the -practitioners of obstetrics, and thence, naturally, the practitioners -in the diseases of women and children. - -But even such women suffered from the subjection which was inflicted -upon all their sex. Hence, as the science of medicine became organized, -and as systematized instruction in both the science and the art became -established, opportunities for study and advanced practice were more -and more monopolized by men; and women were more and more hindered -from exercising and developing their instinctive tendencies in these -directions. - -But the monopoly has never been secure. Always, large numbers of -people, especially of women, have persisted in the desire to be -advised medically by women; and always, a certain number of women have -responded to their instincts and have prepared themselves as best they -could to give medical advice and help, especially to women and children. - -Thus even at this date all over the world large numbers of women -continued to practice obstetrics, largely as “midwives.” But a -considerable number of women also practiced general medicine, -especially where they did not come in conflict with medical or civil -laws, which were designed to exclude all except the practitioners of -the dominant medical group. The passage of laws regulating the practice -of medicine is undoubtedly actuated by a sincere desire to raise the -standard of medical practice throughout the community, but only too -frequently these laws give power to a group of medical oligarchs, a -fact which I was many times to observe later. - -The best known of the last class of women just described is Dr. -Harriot K. Hunt, who was at this date preparing for publication -her autobiography which appeared under the title of _Glances and -Glimpses_. - -Dr. Blackwell was graduated from the Geneva (New York) Medical College, -in 1849, and she then went to Europe to obtain the clinical experience -which was denied to women in America, returning to see her sister Emily -also become a regular M.D. (1854). - -The two sisters procured a charter from the New York Legislature to -establish the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children, both -feeling the absolute necessity for continued clinical experience before -offering their services to suffering humanity at large. Dr. Emily then -went to Europe for special clinical study and she was still there. Dr. -Blackwell said to me, “My sister has just gone to Europe to finish what -she began here, and you have come here to finish what you began in -Europe.” - -And here I am obliged to give a short statement of the mode of study in -the medical profession at that time. - -The young student had to find a “preceptor,” a physician of good -standing, with whom he studied the preliminaries necessary for -entering a medical college or school. He also visited patients with -this preceptor and assisted the latter in every way possible. The -student thus became familiar with the details of practice even before -matriculating regularly in a medical college. I have met young men who -had been for years such assistants to physicians, and who later entered -college merely to become legally qualified. - -Any student who could bring certificates from an acceptable preceptor -could easily procure a diploma by attending the medical school of any -college for two short successive winter sessions, often of only sixteen -weeks’ duration. - -This method of clinical experience in private practice made hospital -attendance by the student seem almost unnecessary. Even opportunities -for attendance at dispensaries, when such existed in the larger cities, -were not much sought after by the young men, they feeling that they -could gain all the required knowledge by attaching themselves to -preceptors. - -Society, and indeed civilization in general, was in a primitive stage -of development, in spite of material elegance, yes, even of luxury and -refined manners. It would take a long time to describe the great change -which has taken place in the educational and intellectual development -of the people in the United States and the increased facilities which -they have for the higher and deeper studies. - -The time which it would take with a monarchically limited people to -advance any social improvement or reform would require generations, -while under free, unlimited social laws, months instead of years will -serve to bring about the desired evolution. - -Under these conditions, I became the student of Dr. Elizabeth -Blackwell, she assuming the rôle of medical preceptor, as well as most -patient instructor in the English language. - -In consequence of her having obtained a charter for a hospital, a few -high-minded and progressive friends had contributed sufficient money -to open one room for dispensary purposes in a very poor quarter of -the East Side of New York. Here poor women and children came three -afternoons a week, from three to five o’clock, for medical advice -and such simple medicines as Dr. Blackwell could dispense without -assistance, until I became her pupil. - -The beneficiaries were by no means always grateful; on the contrary, -they often considered themselves as important patrons of the women -doctors. An incident will illustrate this. - -One day, in the hall of the Dispensary, the few settees were filled -with patients waiting for our arrival, and two old and decrepit women -had taken seats on the curbstone of the sidewalk, also waiting for us. -It unavoidably happened that we were fifteen minutes behind the regular -time for opening the Dispensary. - -As these two old women saw us turning around the corner of Second -Avenue, one of them called to those within hearing in the hall, “There -come the Dispensary women now!” - -And to us, she said, reproachfully, “Those ladies in the hall have been -waiting a whole hour already.” - -I continued my work at home, going regularly to Dr. Blackwell to -receive lessons in English and to assist her in the Dispensary. As we -grew better acquainted, I disclosed more to her of the fact that I had -a fixed plan in coming to this country, which increased her interest in -me. - -She wrote in my behalf to the different colleges, and at length -succeeded in obtaining admission for me to the Cleveland Medical -College (Western Reserve) on the most favorable terms, credit being -given me on the lecture fees for an indefinite time. - -Here I must stop to tell you why this credit was necessary. The -articles that I had manufactured had gone out of fashion in May, and I -could not invent anything new, partly because I no longer felt the same -interest as before, knowing that I should soon go to a medical college, -and partly because the articles then in fashion were cheaper when -imported. - -We had to live for a little while on the money that we had laid up, -until I procured a commission for embroidering caps. It is perfectly -wonderful into what kinds of business I was forced, all foreign to my -taste. - -And here let me tell you some secrets of this kind of business, in -which hundreds of women starve and hundreds more go down to a life of -infamy. - -Cap-making (the great business of Water Street of New York) gives -employment to thousands of unfortunates. For embroidering caps, the -wholesale dealer pays seven cents each; and for making up, three cents. -To make a dozen a day, one must work for sixteen hours. - -The embroidering is done in this wise: I received the cut cloth from -the wholesale dealer; drew the pattern upon each cap; gave them with -three cents’ worth of silk to the embroiderer, who received three cents -for her work; then pressed and returned them; thus making one cent on -each for myself. - -By working steadily for sixteen hours, a girl could embroider fifteen -in a day. I gave out about six dozen daily, earning like the rest fifty -cents a day; unless I chose to do the stamping and pressing at night -and to embroider a dozen during the day, in which case I earned a -dollar. One can live in this way for a little while until health fails -or the merchant says that the work has come to an end. - -You will think this terrible again. Oh, no! This is not terrible. The -good men provide another way. - -They tell every woman of a prepossessing appearance that it is wrong -in her to work so hard, that many a man would be glad to care for her, -and that many women live quite comfortably with the help of a “friend.” -They say, further, that it is lonely to live without ever going to -church, to the concert and theater, and that if these women would only -permit the speakers to visit them and to attend them to any of these -places, they would soon find that they would no longer be obliged to -work so hard. - -This is the polished talk of gentlemen who enjoy the reputation of -piety and respectability and who think it a bad speculation to pay -women liberally for their work. So it would be, in truth, for these -poor creatures would not be so willing to abandon themselves to a -disreputable life if they could procure bread in any other way. - -During the summer of 1854, I took work on commission from men of this -sort. While in Berlin, I had learned from the prostitutes in the -hospital in what manner educated women often became what they then were. - -The average story was always the same. Love, even the purest, made -them weak; their lover deceived and deserted them; their family cast -them off by way of punishment. In their disgrace, they went to bury -themselves in large cities, where the work that they could find -scarcely gave them their daily bread. Their employers, attracted by -their personal appearance and the refinements of their speech and -manners, offered them assistance in another way, in which they could -earn money without work. In despair, they accepted the proposals and -sank gradually step by step to the depths of degradation, as depicted -by Hogarth in the _Harlot’s Progress_. - -In New York, I was thrown continually among men who were of the stamp -that I described before, and I can say, even from my own experience, -that no man is ever more polite, more friendly or more kind than one -who has impure wishes in his heart. It is really so dangerous for a -woman of refined nature to go to such stores that I never suffered my -sister to visit them; not because I feared that she would listen to -these men, but because I could not endure the thought that so innocent -and beautiful a girl should come in contact with them or even breathe -the same atmosphere. - -When fathers are unwilling that their daughters shall enter life as -physicians, lawyers, merchants, or in any other public capacity, it is -simply because they belong to the class that so contaminates the air -that none can breathe it but themselves; or because, from being thrown -constantly in contact with such men, they arrive at the same point at -which I then stood, and say to themselves, “_I_ can afford to meet -such men. I am steeled by my knowledge of mankind and supported by the -philosophy that I have learned during years of trial. It cannot hurt -_me_; but by all means, spare the young and beautiful the same -experience!” - -I dealt somewhat haughtily with the merchants whom I have described, -in a manner that at once convinced them of my position. But the -consequence was that the embroidery commission which had commenced so -favorably, suddenly ceased, “because the Southern trade had failed”; in -truth, because I would not allow any of these men to say any more to me -than was absolutely necessary in our business. - -My income became less and less, and we were forced to live upon the -money that we had laid up during the year. I did not look for any -new sources of employment for I was intending to go to Cleveland in -October. My next sister had business of her own, and Anna was engaged -to be married to our friend Mr. C. My brother was also with them, and -my mother’s brother, whom she had adopted as a child, was on his way to -America. - -After having settled our affairs, fifty dollars remained as my share, -and with this sum I set out for Cleveland, on the 16th of October, -1854. Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell had supplied me with the necessary -medical textbooks, so that I had no other expenses than those of my -journey and the matriculation fees which together amounted to twenty -dollars, leaving thirty dollars in my possession. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - - _Attends the medical course at Cleveland, learning English at - the same time--Is befriended by the Dean, Dr. John J. Delamater, - and by Mrs. Caroline M. Severance--Some professors and students - object to women as students--Students petition faculty to exclude - women--Petition by Harvard medical students against admission - of Dr. Harriot K. Hunt to lectures in 1851--No minister would - offer prayer at early Commencements of Female Medical College of - Pennsylvania--Philadelphia County Medical Society not only refused - to admit women as members but issued an edict of excommunication - against any of its members who should teach in the woman’s medical - college, or who should consult with women physicians or even with the - male teachers of the medical women--Edict approved by Pennsylvania - State Medical Society--Mrs. Mary A. Livermore witnesses on Chestnut - St., Philadelphia, male students mobbing women students and pelting - them with mud--Similar mobbing and pelting with mud of women medical - students at the gates of the University of Edinburgh--Dr. Blackwell - writes she is obliged to close her dispensary for lack of funds and - assistance--Marie and her roommate ostracized at the table and in the - parlor by the other boarders. (Twenty-five years of age: 1854.)_ - - -I do not believe that many begin the study of medicine with so light a -purse and so heavy a heart as did I. My heart was heavy for the reason -that I did not know a single sentence of English. All of my study -with Dr. Blackwell had been like raindrops falling upon stone; I had -profited nothing. - -The lectures I did not care for, since there was more need of my -studying English than medicine, but the subjects were well known to me, -and I therefore reasoned that by hearing familiar things treated of in -English, I must learn the language--and the logic held good. - -I have already told you that the faculty had agreed to give me credit -for my lecture fees. Dr. Blackwell had written also to a lady in -Cleveland, who had called upon her some time before in the capacity of -president of a Physiological Society which, among other good things, -had established a small fund for the assistance of women desirous of -studying medicine. This lady (Mrs. Caroline M. Severance) replied in -the most friendly manner, saying that I might come directly to her -house, and that she would see that my board for the winter was secured -by the Physiological Society over which she presided. - -The journey to Cleveland was a silent but a pleasant one. Through a -mishap, I arrived on Saturday night instead of in the morning, and -being unwilling to disturb Mrs. Severance at so late an hour, I went -first to a hotel. But what trials I had there! No one could understand -me, until at last I wrote on a slate my own name and that of Mrs. -Severance, with the words, “A carriage” and “to-morrow.” From this, -the people inferred that I wished to stay at the hotel all night and -to have a carriage to take me to Mrs. Severance’s the next day, as was -the case. A waiter took my carpet-bag and conducted me to a room. I -could not understand his directions to the supper-room, neither could -I make him understand that I wanted some supper in my own room; and the -consequence was that I went to bed hungry, having eaten nothing all day -but a little bread and an apple for luncheon. - -As soon as I was dressed the next morning, I rang the bell furiously, -and on the appearance of the waiter, exclaimed, “Beefsteak!” This -time he comprehended me, and went laughingly away to bring me a good -breakfast. I often saw the same waiter afterwards at the hotel, and he -never saw me without laughing and exclaiming, “Beefsteak!” - -In the course of the forenoon, I was taken in a carriage to the house -of Mrs. Severance, but the family was not at home. I returned to the -hotel somewhat disheartened and disappointed. Although I should have -supposed that death was not far off if some disappointment had not -happened to me when I least expected it, yet this persistent going -wrong of everything in Cleveland was really rather dispiriting. But -a bright star soon broke through the clouds in the shape of Mr. -Severance, who came into the parlor directly after dinner, calling for -me in so easy and so cordial a manner that I forgot everything and was -perfectly happy. - -This feeling, however, lasted only until I reached the house. I found -four fine children, all full of childish curiosity to hear me talk, -but who, as soon as they found that I could not make myself understood -by them, looked on me with that sort of contempt peculiar to children -when they discover that a person cannot do as much as they themselves -can. Mr. Severance, too, was expecting to find me accomplished in -music “like all Germans,” and had to learn that I had neither voice nor -ear for the art. Mrs. Severance understood a little German, yet not -half enough to gain any idea of how much or how little I was capable -of doing, and therefore looked upon me with a sort of uncertainty -as to what was my real capacity. This position was more provoking -than painful--there was even something ludicrous in it, and when not -annoyed, I often went into my room to indulge in a hearty laugh by -myself. - - [Mrs. Severance tells of this first meeting: - - I had gone to take her to our home in response to a letter from Dr. - Blackwell commending her to our care. The letter had come late the - night before, and I had not realized the forlornness to her of being - in a hotel over night in a strange city. - - How condemned I felt for this thoughtlessness as I looked into the - tearful eyes of the lonely foreigner who did not feel at home in - English, and who had found no one to greet her in her own language - until I ventured my crude German! Her eyes kindled into smiles at that - and our years of close friendship were begun.] - -I met with a most cordial reception in the college. The dean (Dr. -John J. Delamater) received me like a father, and from the first day -I felt perfectly at home. All was going on well. I had a home at Mrs. -Severance’s, and despite my mutilated English I found many friends in -the college, when suddenly circumstances changed everything. - -Some changes occurred in Mr. Severance’s business and he was forced -in consequence to give up housekeeping. At that time I did not know -that the Physiological Society was ready to lend me money, and I was -therefore in great distress. - -I never experienced so bitter a day as that on which Mrs. Severance -told me that I could stay with her no longer. It was but five weeks -after my arrival, and I was not able to make myself understood in the -English language, which was like chaos to me. On the same day I well -remember that for the first time in my life I made an unsuccessful -attempt to borrow money; and because it was the first and the last -time, it was the more painful to me to be refused. I envied the dog -that lived and was happy without troubling his brain; I envied the -kitchen-maid who did her work mechanically and seemed to enjoy life far -more than those fitted by nature for something higher. - -Mrs. Severance secured a boarding place for me for the rest of the -winter and paid my board, amounting to thirty-three dollars, from the -funds of the society. I lived quietly by myself; studied six hours -daily at home, with four dictionaries by me; attended six lectures a -day, and went in the evening for three hours to the dissecting rooms. - - [Dr. Blackwell, again writing to her sister Emily on November 13th, - says: A pleasant circumstance occurred to my German, Dr. Zakrzewska. - I arranged a Cleveland course for her, and she entered two weeks ago. - She met a very friendly reception, and found that Dr. Kirtland is in - correspondence with Professor Müller of Berlin, and he had mentioned - her in some of his letters in such high terms that the faculty told - her that if she would qualify herself for examination in surgery and - chemistry and write an English thesis, they would graduate her at the - end of this term. Of course, she is studying with might and main, and - will, I have no doubt, succeed; so we may reckon on a little group of - three next year. That will be quite encouraging.] - -I never conversed with any one at the boarding house, nor even asked -for anything at the table, but was supplied like a mute. This silence -was fruitful to me. About New Year, I ventured to make my English -audible; when, lo! every one understood me perfectly. From this time -forward, I sought to make acquaintances, to the especial delight of -good old Dr. Delamater who had firmly believed that I was committing -gradual suicide. - -My stay in that congenial family, the Severances, was meant to be -only temporary, until a suitable boarding house could be obtained. -Alas, nobody wanted to take a “female medical student!” For several -weeks, Mrs. Severance hunted for such a place until she found a New -England woman, Mrs. Shepard, who was willing to brave the criticism -of neighborhood and church connections and take me and another female -medical student who was in the same dilemma to board for the winter, -the Association mentioned making themselves responsible for the -expense.[3] - -Being now well-housed, we trotted unconcernedly by neighbors staring -from behind half-shut blinds, twice a day, to and from our college. -And there being four women among a couple of hundred young men, we -had our box seat to ourselves, unmolested by the tobacco-chewing and -spitting Æsculapians in embryo. My three companions were Mrs. Chadwick -who was my roommate, Miss Cordelia A. Greene, now practicing in her -own institution in Castile, N. Y., and Miss Elizabeth Grissell, now a -practicing physician in Salem, Ohio.[4] - -In the college, we had nothing of which we could complain; the young -men did not like our presence; some of the professors acted as if we -did not exist, while others favored us in many ways; and one, the most -eminent, Dr. Delamater, offered to be my preceptor and gave me good -practical advantages. - -On the whole, life was made quite pleasant in the college, although we -were told that a strong petition was circulated by the male students to -exclude women after that winter’s term. The faculty refused to consent -to this request because they had given the four women the promise of an -opportunity to graduate. However, the assurance was given to the men -that the college would not again admit women, especially as the faculty -considered that the little Pennsylvania Medical College for Women was -prospering and giving fully as good an education as the Western Reserve -Medical College. - -We did not see a copy of the petition of the men students, but as there -was never any variety in the objections made to the study of medicine -by women, it was undoubtedly similar to the one which the medical -students at Harvard College presented against the admission of Dr. -Harriot K. Hunt, in 1850, and which she published in _Glances and -Glimpses_. - -As it is interesting because showing the weakness of the forces which -everywhere opposed us, I will cite it here. - -After quoting a communication which approved of her conduct and -disapproved of that of the men students, and which appeared in the -_Boston Evening Transcript_, July 5, 1851, Dr. Hunt adds: “This -article brought out the resolutions of the students which I had -endeavored to obtain in vain.” - - THE FEMALE MEDICAL PUPIL.--Mr. Editor: As an article, in some - respects imaginative, appeared in the _Transcript_ on Wednesday - evening over the signature of _E. D. L._, who professes to be - “well informed” respecting the application of a female to the Medical - Lectures, and the “insubordination” with which the intelligence - was received by the students, allow me to correct any erroneous - impression by claiming space for an insertion of the following series - of resolutions passed at a meeting of the medical class with but - _one_ dissenting vote, and afterwards respectfully presented to - the Faculty of the Medical College. - - WHEREAS, it has been ascertained that permission has been - granted to a female to attend the Medical Lectures of the present - winter, therefore, - - _Resolved_, That we deem it proper both to testify our - disapprobation of said measure, and to take such action thereon as - may be necessary to preserve the dignity of the school, and our own - self-respect. - - _Resolved_, That no woman of true delicacy would be willing in - the presence of men to listen to the discussion of the subjects that - necessarily come under the consideration of the student of medicine. - - _Resolved_, That we object to having the company of any female - forced upon us, who is disposed to unsex herself, and to sacrifice her - modesty, by appearing with men in the medical lecture room. - - _Resolved_, That we are not opposed to allowing woman her rights, - but do protest against her appearing in places where her presence is - calculated to destroy our respect for the modesty and delicacy of her - sex. - - _Resolved_, That the medical professors be, and hereby are, - respectfully entreated to do away forthwith with an innovation - expressly at variance with the spirit of the introductory lecture, - with our own feelings, and detrimental to the prosperity, if not to - the very existence of the school. - - _Resolved_, That a copy of these resolutions be presented to the - Medical Faculty. - - SCALPEL. - - -We women in Cleveland were fortunate that we had to contend only with -ostracism and petitions, for in Philadelphia and in Edinburgh, women -medical students suffered grievously at the hands of the male medical -students, as well as from other groups in the community. - -For instance, at the commencement exercises of the Pennsylvania Female -Medical College, prayer was offered by a layman because no minister in -Philadelphia could be found who would take part in the services.[5] - -And the Philadelphia County Medical Society not only refused to admit -women physicians as members, but, in 1859, it pronounced an edict of -excommunication against any of its members who should teach in the -Pennsylvania Female Medical College, or who should consult with women -physicians or with the male teachers of the women. And this edict -of excommunication was approved, in 1860, by the Pennsylvania State -Medical Society. As a leading member of both societies, Dr. Atlee, -expressed it, “By the rules of our medical association, I dare not -consult with the most highly educated female physician, and yet I may -consult with the most ignorant masculine ass in the medical profession.” - -Again, in _The Business Folio_, Boston, March, 1895, Mrs. Mary A. -Livermore tells of a personal observation which she made during the -earlier days of this college. Speaking to a relative, she says: - - Before you were born, and you are now nearly twenty-eight years old, - my husband and myself went to Philadelphia to make your father and - mother a visit. - - One day, we were walking up Chestnut Street when suddenly we became - aware that something unusual was the matter. Before us was a group of - women hurrying along in great confusion; they were well dressed, but - their clothing was then in a very dilapidated condition. - - We wondered what had happened, and as we looked this way and that a - chunk of mud flew by, perilously near my face, and hit one of the - women who was then not far from us. - - With a startled cry, the woman with the others ran into the wide-open - doors of a large store. They were followed by a company of young men - seemingly intent only upon reaching them. The proprietor and clerks - sprang to the rescue of the young women, and, with the help of my - husband and his brother, grabbed the unmannerly cubs by the napes of - their necks and threw them into the street. - - We then learned that the company of young women had entered one of the - medical colleges in Philadelphia, and these young men from another - college in another part of the city had determined that if they could - prevent it no women should study medicine. - -This Philadelphia episode suggests the mobbing and pelting with mud -which Sophia Jex-Blake and her fellow women students received from the -male medical students at the gates of the University of Edinburgh as -late as 1870, but it lacks the compensating feature of the Edinburgh -occurrence when “the decent male medical students” came to the rescue -of the women and formed a protecting and chivalrous escort for them, -continuing this gentlemanly course till the “rowdies” accepted -the presence of women students. Though this “presence” was only -short-lived.”[14] - -Meanwhile, I exchanged letters pretty regularly With Dr. Elizabeth -Blackwell, telling her the details of my college life, and she telling -me that she was obliged to close the little dispensary. One reason for -this was the lack of funds to meet the expense, while another was the -lack of such assistance as I had rendered, Dr. Emily Blackwell being -in Europe, studying, and there being no other medical woman to avail -herself of the opportunity for such practice. She also wrote me that -the practice she sought increased but slowly while expenses were high, -so she had decided to enter upon the new speculation of buying a house -on Fifteenth Street and reducing her own expenses by sharing its rooms -with friends. - -The first three months of college life were rather dull for me, as my -imperfect knowledge of the English language excluded me from taking -part in the comradeship of the few male students who rather enjoyed the -presence of the women, and who had taken no part in the petition of -objection to us. - -After college hours, my roommate and I spent our time chiefly in our -room as the other boarders would retire as soon as we entered the -parlor; and at table would politely but decidedly manifest their -intention to ignore us. On Sundays, we went to “Meeting,” as it was -called, sometimes under the auspices of our good hostess, Mrs. Shepard, -who was a strict orthodox Presbyterian. More often, however, I went to -a hall where a small society known as that of the Liberal Christians -was addressed by Rev. A. D. Mayo. He was a humanitarian and belonged in -the ranks of the Abolitionists. He was also interested in various other -social reforms, among which was the Woman’s Rights movement. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - - _Marie’s contact with “transcendentalism” and the Know-Nothing - movement--Meets Dr. Harriot K. Hunt, of Boston--Why Harriot and her - sister began to study medicine in 1830--In 1847, Harriot applies to - Harvard for permission to attend medical lectures and is refused--In - 1850, she renews her application and receives permission--Harvard - medical students send two petitions of protest to the faculty: one - against admission of negro men students; one against admission - of women students--The faculty requests Harriot to withdraw her - application--Marie’s father opposes her study of medicine, denounces - her leaving “woman’s sphere” and demands her return to New York or to - Germany. (Twenty-five years of age: 1854-1855.)_ - - -Retracing these later steps for a moment, I wish to add that the -years 1840 to 1860 form the period of what is now called the -“transcendentalism of New England.” What has given rise to this mode of -thinking and acting of the people has been explained by many an able -writer. I, arriving in America in 1853, experienced the effect of this -phase of spiritual life when it was on the wane; when phalansteries had -been tried and had failed; when social reforms were discussed in all -parts of the country by those who led the van from Boston, New York, -Philadelphia, and Cleveland. - -Groups of reformers existed in the churches and schools as well as -in political and social circles. Women, still timid and under the -pressure of social propriety, hailed every one who dared to give -expression to their wishes and longings for a sphere beyond that of -domesticity. - -The broader religious preaching of William Ellery Channing and of -Theodore Parker encouraged many to join these men in their efforts, -while transcendental thinking and reading had prepared their minds to -accept any new theory of life and its aims, for the individual woman as -well as for the whole sex. - -The first impressions received from the few acquaintances I had, after -arriving, were depressing in the highest degree; for I found that the -life of the New World had not only confirmed my countrymen in their Old -World prejudices but it had even a reactionary result upon their mode -of thinking, leading them to ridicule the American ways and modes in -social, religious and political forms of life. - -The Know-Nothing party had just been established; and those immigrants -who were exiled after the revolutionary efforts of the years following -1848, created a prejudice among themselves against the English-speaking -people of New York, especially against all reformers, which included -the Know-Nothings. - -And, yet, it was through the accidental acquaintance of these -Know-Nothings that I was introduced to the so-called reformers; and, -strange to say, the family giving firm adherence to the Know-Nothing -principles was of German birth, their parents having emigrated after -the year 1830, when exiled following the student revolt. - -This family opened the path to the first acquaintance to whom I could -show my credentials, verified by letters from the American Secretary of -Legation at Berlin, Theodore S. Fay.[2] - -A new world seemed to appear before my eyes when I was first introduced -to the different circles of reformers. It seemed to me then as if the -whole social and religious life was undermined, and that a labyrinth -of ways ran confusedly in all sorts of directions. All that education, -habit and custom had nurtured in my perception of life seemed to -crumble into pieces. - -That negro slavery was still in full force I soon learned, and that -women declared their incapability to speak freely and openly against it -shocked me beyond comprehension. On the other hand, I was shocked that -a Mrs. Wright and others had demanded the emancipation of women. That -a Woman’s Rights Convention was held in New York State seemed to me so -ridiculous that I found the expression in one of the New York papers, -“The hens which want to crow,” quite appropriate. - -However, I had tried to crow as hard as any of these women without -realizing it, for I had been quite enthusiastic when I received the -news that ways and means had been found through the efforts of Dr. -Elizabeth Blackwell for me to enter the medical school of the Western -Reserve College, at Cleveland. It was not a week after my arrival when -through a visit from Dr. Harriot Kezia Hunt to the house of my hostess -and protector, Mrs. Caroline M. Severance, I learned to my great -astonishment that the “crowing hens” of Cleveland had taken me under -their wings to shelter me and to promote my efforts.[6] - -[As Marie became better acquainted with the “woman’s rights” question -her logical mind was impressed by the arguments in favor of the -movement, and she eventually accepted it and became associated with -its ardent advocates, though never herself taking the position of a -militant suffragist.] - -A few details regarding Dr. Hunt will be of interest here. Harriot -Kezia Hunt and her sister, Sarah Augusta, had their minds withdrawn -from their profession of teaching and turned towards medicine, in 1830, -by the prolonged illness of Sarah and her ineffective treatment by the -regular medical profession. “After forty-one weeks of sickness and -one hundred and six professional calls, my sister was roused to more -thought on this subject. We talked it over together; she obtained some -medical works; and finally, she came to the conclusion that her case -was not understood.” - -The sisters continued the study of medicine by themselves, and Harriot -first thought of _woman_ as a _physician_ when, in 1833, -Mrs. Mott and her husband, two irregular practitioners who had come to -Boston from England, were called to see if they could in any way help -Sarah. As Harriot writes: “... it did not occur to us that to die under -regular practice, and with medical etiquette, was better than any other -way.” - -Sarah soon began to improve and Harriot then decided to become a -physician, giving up her teaching so that she might have more time -to study. Sarah’s new treatment eliminated the rather drastic use -of drugs then prevalent in medical practice, and confined itself -principally to attention to the somewhat neglected laws of hygiene, -combined with cheering assurances of a cure. As her health became -established, Sarah joined in the study, and in October, 1835, the two -sisters formally began practice by advertising the fact in the daily -papers. Sarah later married and became the mother of six children, -gradually withdrawing from the practice which Harriot continued alone. - -Harriot persevered in her studies while building up a very successful -practice in Boston, and, in 1847, she applied to Harvard College -for permission to attend medical lectures but was refused. In 1850, -she renewed her application and this time she received the desired -permission, five of the seven members of the Faculty voting in the -affirmative. - -Of the two men who voted in the negative (Drs. James Jackson and -Jacob Bigelow), it was Dr. Jackson who had introduced into Boston the -midwife, Mrs. Janet Alexander. “Thus,” comments Dr. Putnam-Jacobi, “it -would seem that his objection was not to women but to _educated_ -women who might aspire to rank among regularly educated men physicians.” - -But again Dr. Hunt’s hopes met disappointment for, as noted in a -previous chapter, the men students sent to the Faculty two petitions of -remonstrance--one against the admission of negro men students, and one -against the admission of women students. - -The Faculty referred these petitions to a committee of which Dr. Jacob -Bigelow (one of the two members originally voting against Dr. Hunt’s -admission) was chairman. This committee reported the following votes -regarding the petition against women students (and this report was -accepted): - - _Voted_, that the Faculty are at all times anxious to promote the - gratification and welfare of the members of the medical class so far - as their duty and the great interests of medical education permit. - - _Voted_, that the female student who had applied for liberty to - attend the lectures having by advice of the Faculty withdrawn her - petition, no further action on this subject is necessary. - -In 1853, Dr. Hunt received the honorary degree of M.D. from the Female -Medical College of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia. - -I found among those whom Mrs. Severance had interested in my behalf, -kind and intelligent as well as sympathizing friends who were willing -to assist me even financially in my studies. These good people, I saw -well, pitied my benightedness concerning the emancipation of women, -without trying to proselyte, but leaving me in good faith that I would -work out my own salvation and see the righteousness of their demands -for a larger sphere for women. - -Another tie of sympathy soon became apparent, namely, the religious -tendency which was prevailing in the Severance circle of acquaintances. -Mr. and Mrs. Severance were the leading spirits of a small Universalist -congregation who held their meetings in the only public hall which -Cleveland then possessed. This assembly was inspired by Rev. A. D. Mayo -who had recently been called by them. They were adverse to Calvinism as -well as to Episcopalianism, yet they felt the want and need of some -form of church union. - -This congregation was the most heterogeneous imaginable. Most of -the people were in a transition stage from the darkest orthodoxy to -atheism, neither of these extremes satisfying their ideals. There were -also reformers in other directions dissatisfied with all existing -codes of religion and law who sought refuge in the companionship of -malcontents. Thus, we had not only Unitarians and Universalists to -meet, but also Spiritualists, Magnetists, Fourierists, Freelovers, -Women’s Rights advocates, Abolitionists--in fact, followers of all -kinds of _isms_ then existing. - -Every theory had its representatives and advocates when a couple of -dozen men and women gathered in alternate houses, socially or for -discussing problems in general. A woman medical student was a new -element and was welcomed by all the factions. Fortunately, I could -not speak the English language, so I belonged to the class of patient -listeners. I thus received attention from all groups, learning a great -deal of what was agitating the intelligent and thinking ones, and being -befriended by many in the expectation of swelling their numbers by one -more in support of their specific beliefs or theories. - -However, as these people seemed to be the only group of human beings -who were not afraid of female medical students, I decided to avail -myself of the customary opportunity of calling on New Year’s Day, 1855, -at the house of Mr. Mayo, Mrs. Severance having inspired me with the -courage to do so. To my great surprise, after arriving there I found -that I could speak English well enough to be understood. - - [At a later date Mr. Mayo writes of this call: - - Among my visitors at my home in Cleveland, at the New Year’s reception - of 1855, was a young woman whose face I recognized as a bright - presence in the Sunday congregations that waited on my ministry. - - Despite her impossible Polish name and her picturesque pronunciation - of the English language, she became at once the notable guest of the - evening. Her cheerful voice, reinforced by her magnetic womanhood, - sent every sentence to the right place and won our hearts.] - -My roommate and fellow student, Mrs. Chadwick, refused to accompany -me on this New Year’s call. Mr. Mayo was too liberal for her. Such is -the inconsistency of human nature; she herself did not hesitate to don -the robe of a reformer as medical student, yet she did not dare to -speculate on new theories in the realm of thought. - -Thus the new year began very promisingly, as it opened to me the chance -of entering somewhat into social relations which to my nature were -absolutely necessary in order to keep up my hopes and aspirations. -Besides, this connection gave me the opportunity to observe the habits -and customs of this new life, both in the intellectual and the domestic -spheres, during the little time that I could spare from my studies. - -In the autumn of 1854, after deciding to go to Cleveland to resume my -medical studies, I wrote to my parents to tell them of my hopes and -aims. These letters were not received with the same pleasure with which -they had been written. - -My father, who had encouraged me before my entrance upon a public -career, was not only grieved by my return to my old mode of life but -greatly opposed to it, and manifested this in the strongest words in -the next letter that I received from him. My mother, on the contrary, -who had not been at all enthusiastic in the beginning, was rather glad -to receive the news. - -As I had left many good friends among the physicians of Berlin, my -letters were always circulated, after their arrival, by one of their -number who stood high in the profession; and, though I did not receive -my father’s approbation, he sent me several letters from strangers who -approved my conduct, and who, after hearing my letters, had sent him -congratulations upon my doings in America. - -How he received the respect thus manifested to him, you can judge from -a passage in one of his letters, which I will quote to you: - - I am proud of you, my daughter; yet you give me more grief than any - other of my children. If you were a young man, I could not find words - in which to express my satisfaction and pride in respect to your acts; - for I know that all you accomplish you owe to yourself: but you are a - woman, a weak woman; and all that I can do for you now is to grieve - and to weep. O my daughter! return from this unhappy path. Believe me, - the temptation of living for humanity _en masse_, magnificent - as it may appear in its aim, will lead you only to learn that all is - vanity; while the ingratitude of the mass for whom you choose to work - will be your compensation. - -Letters of this sort poured upon me; and when my father learned that -neither his reasoning nor his prayers could turn me from a work which -I had begun with such enthusiasm, he began to threaten; telling me -that I must not expect any pecuniary assistance from him; that I would -contract debts in Cleveland which I should never be able to pay, and -which would certainly undermine my prospects; with more of this sort. - -My good father did not know that I had vowed to myself, on my arrival -in America, that I would never ask his aid; and besides, he never -imagined that I could go for five months with a single cent in my -pocket. Oh, how small all these difficulties appeared to me, especially -at a time when I began to speak English! I felt so rich that I never -thought money could not be had whenever I wanted it in good earnest. - -But with the closing of the term, which occurred early in March, -the financial assistance in paying for my board ceased, and further -provision had to be made for my support. - -Shortly before this period, a letter was received from my father -denouncing my leaving my sisters, my despising the sphere of woman, and -my entering upon a field which so entirely belonged to men; he demanded -my return to New York or to Germany and he utterly refused me any -financial aid. After reading this letter to Mrs. Severance and asking -her counsel, I retired to my room almost in despair. - -That same evening, I attended a meeting which had been announced from -all the pulpits and which was being held for the purpose of discussing -how to aid the Cherokee Indians. Representatives of this tribe were -sojourning in Cleveland on the way to Washington in order to see the -Great White Father and to implore his help in their troubles. - -During this meeting, I resolved to follow my father’s advice and give -up man’s sphere, and offer myself as one of the missionaries to the -Indians for which the leader pleaded as so necessary to civilize the -squaws. Thus would I carry the working out of woman’s sphere to the -wilderness of the Indian Territory. The next morning I told my decision -to Mrs. Shepard, to my fellow students and to Mr. Mayo; and in the -evening I began a letter to my sisters who were now well established, -my sister Anna having married a very estimable young man whose parents -were friends and neighbors of ours in Berlin. - -If I had not been visited in the morning of the next day by Dr. Seelye, -a friend of my fellow student, Miss Greene, and an hour later by Mrs. -Severance, my fate as an Indian missionary would have been decided by -the arrival of the afternoon hour appointed for the meeting of all -those interested in the Indian troubles. However, these two friends not -only dissuaded me from any such change, but promised to provide in some -way or other, means for my continuing my studies. - -Dr. Seelye insisted on my first writing to Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, -showing me that I was under special obligation to her. The Indians -had to leave before I received her reply. She was indignant at my -proposition and requested me to return to New York immediately after my -graduation the middle of the next March. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - - _During vacation months, Marie teaches German--Becomes working guest - in family of Rev. A. D. Mayo--Meets many noted men and women--Her - mother dies on the voyage to New York and is buried at sea--Marie - returns to New York, visits Dr. Blackwell, and finds the Infirmary is - still closed--She goes to Boston to visit Dr. Hunt--Meets the Grimké - sisters--Learns of the New England Female Medical College--Meets - William Lloyd Garrison, Theodore Parker, Wendell Phillips, and other - noted people--Returns to Cleveland and becomes the guest of Mrs. - C. Vaughan for her closing term at college--Meets Lyceum speakers, - professors, political and social leaders, and literary men and women - from various parts of the country. (Twenty-six years of age: 1855.)_ - - -Within a few days, there were found some pupils to whom I might teach -German. There also came a proposition from Mrs. Mayo who was expecting -her first baby within a very short time. The proposition was that I -should become a general member of the family, attending to her needs -as well as aiding in the housekeeping, etc., till the arrival of her -mother later in the spring. - -In April, I removed my possessions into that hospitable house which -offered its little to me who had less. Both Mr. and Mrs. Mayo were -really nervous invalids, and the troubles and trials of their position -as anti-slavery advocates and religious reformers bore heavily upon -them and kept their purse lean. However, I had no personal needs -further than my board, as my clothing was still good in spite of my two -years in America. - -I found many dear and valued friends during my residence in Cleveland, -but none to whom I am bound in lasting gratitude as to Mr. Mayo, who -offered me his assistance when he learned that I was in need, my extra -expenses having swallowed up the little money that I had brought with -me, so that I had not even enough to return to my sisters in New York. -As the minister of a small congregation advocating Liberal ideas, he -had a hard position in Cleveland, both socially and pecuniarily, yet he -offered to share his little with me. I was forced to accept it, and I -am now, and have always been, glad that I did so. - -No one that has not had the experience can appreciate the happiness -that comes with the feeling that a rich man has not cast a fragment of -his superfluity towards you (and here let me remark that it is next to -impossible to find wealth and generosity go together in friendship), -but that the help comes from one who must work for it as well as the -recipient. It proves the existence of the mutual appreciation that is -known by the name of “friendship.” The apple given by a friend is worth -ten times more than a whole orchard bestowed in such a way as to make -you feel that the gift is but the superfluity of the donor. - -Now I was in my element: superintending a very inferior servant girl; -providing wholesome simple meals for the invalids; going three mornings -a week to an apothecary shop where a friendly man permitted me to -assist him in his work, thus acquiring a knowledge of drugs and their -preparation; going two mornings a week to my preceptor’s office to -recite in the usual manner; giving German lessons two afternoons a -week; spending one evening a week at meetings in houses of different -parishioners for discussions on theological subjects, especially -Unitarian and Universalist themes; assisting Mr. Mayo on Sundays at the -Sunday school, especially in organizing the same and in substituting -for absent teachers; and, after the arrival of the baby girl, taking -exclusive charge of the delicate little being, trying to bring it up by -hand. - -During this summer, I had the pleasure of getting acquainted with Mr. -and Mrs. Leander Lippincott (_Grace Greenwood_, a sister of Mrs. -Mayo). And later I met a great many renowned ministers and lecturers -from the East who either called when passing through Cleveland or -exchanged pulpits with Mr. Mayo, being our guests in either case. All -these gentlemen were highly interesting, especially when talking on -politics, the Free Soil movement and anti-slavery. My knowledge of -American civilization was in this way greatly increased and my powers -of observation and meditation received full satisfaction. - -This quiet yet useful existence was broken by a letter from my father, -bringing the news of his having sent my mother and the youngest two -sisters to New York for a visit to us, with the intention of following -them himself as soon as he could obtain a year’s furlough with full -salary. All this was meant to see for himself whether I could not be -brought back to my senses and persuaded to return to the proper sphere -of woman. - -Perhaps it may be of interest here to state that my only brother had -arrived in New York just before I left for Cleveland and had found a -good position as mechanical engineer. And a half-brother of my mother, -whom my father had adopted, had arrived after my departure. My father -wanted to rescue these two from the fate of being soldiers in Germany, -so he expatriated them, sending them to America. But in their new -country, the former became a captain in the militia, while later, -during the war of the rebellion, the latter became a captain in the -regular United States Army. - -Shall I attempt to describe the feeling that overpowered me on the -receipt of these tidings? If I did, you never could feel it with me, -for I could not picture in words the joy I felt at the prospect of -beholding again the mother whom I loved beyond all expression, and who -was my friend besides; for we really never thought of each other in our -relation of mother and child, but as two who were bound together as -friends in thought and in feeling. - -No, I cannot give you a description of this, especially as it was -mingled with the fear that I might not have the means to go to greet -her in New York before another ten months were over. Day and night, -night and day, she was in my mind; and from the time that I had a right -to expect her arrival, I counted the hours from morning until noon, and -from noon until night, when the telegraph office would be closed. - -At length, on the eighteenth of September, the despatch came--not to -me but to my friend Mr. Mayo--bearing the words, - - Tell Marie that she must calmly and quietly receive the news that our - good mother sleeps at the bottom of the ocean, which serves as her - monument and her grave. - -This is the most trying passage that I have to write in this sketch -of my life, and you must not think me weak that tears blot the words -as I write. My mother fell a victim to seasickness which brought on a -violent hemorrhage that exhausted the sources of life. She died three -weeks before the vessel reached the port, and my two sisters (the one -seventeen, and the other nine years of age) chose rather to have her -lowered on the Banks of Newfoundland than bring to us a corpse instead -of the living. They were right, and the great ocean seems to me her -fitting monument. - -This news almost paralyzed me. It was impossible for me to remain in -Cleveland, I longed so to be with my sisters in New York. Availing -myself of the cheapness of an excursion to the eastern cities, I -hastened to them, they being nicely established all in one house headed -by my brother-in-law, Mr. A. C. ----. - -After the first shock of our mother’s loss had passed, I called upon my -friend, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, who, though well established in her -newly acquired house, in East Fifteenth Street, could not speak very -encouragingly as to practice. For entirely social reasons, people were -afraid to employ a woman physician openly, although desirous and ready -to consult her privately. Yet even this unsatisfactory practice had -prevented her from continuing the little dispensary regularly and it -was still closed. - -But, during my absence, she had been trying to interest some wealthy -friends in the collection of money to enable us after my return in the -spring to commence again upon a little larger scale. To effect this, -she proposed to hold a Fair during the winter after my return, and we -concluded that the first meeting for this purpose should be held during -my visit in New York. She succeeded in calling together a few friends -at her house, who determined to form a nucleus for a Fair Association -for the purpose of raising money for the New York Infirmary. - -Dr. Blackwell’s experience was so contradictory to Dr. Harriot K. -Hunt’s statements of the Boston public (in which city a regularly -graduated medical woman from Cleveland, Dr. Nancy E. Clark, had also -settled) that I decided to avail myself of the fact that my excursion -ticket included Boston and to accept Dr. Hunt’s invitation for a visit -of a few days in order to learn more of the opportunities of that city. - -Arriving early one morning, I was conducted through winding streets -from Exeter Place to Green Street to Dr. Hunt’s house, where I stayed, -and where Mrs. Theodore Weld and Miss Sarah Grimké were engaged in -editing Dr. Hunt’s autobiography, _Glances and Glimpses_, then in -the press. - -I was shown into a room in the third story, and as I was descending -the stairway soon afterward, my foot caught in the carpet in such a -way that I fell head foremost down the stairs, striking against the -door at the foot of the flight. The noise caused by this fall brought -the inmates of the room to the door where I lay unconscious. My period -of unconsciousness was short, and on opening my eyes I saw a queerly -shaped scarlet leg on each side of my head, and above these a short -drapery of the same bright color but with large flowers printed upon -it, while from a beautiful, gentle and kind face encircled by soft -white curls, came the words, “Are you hurt, my dear?” It was Mrs. -Angelina Weld, in a bloomer dress of calico, and beside her was Miss -Sarah Grimké, in a Quakerlike costume, trying to disentangle me from -the position which I had assumed. - -The picture made by the ladies was so amusing that a burst of mirthful -laughter brought me at once to my senses and to my feet, to the delight -of these two charming ladies who became from that moment dear and -intimate friends of mine. - -Dr. Hunt introduced me to many fine people who consulted her -professionally, and also to Dr. Nancy Clark, then established as a -physician in Boston. I observed that prejudice against women physicians -was by no means as strong as in New York or Cleveland. - -A school established in 1850, for the education and training of -“midwives,” had been supported by Boston’s liberal-minded men and -women. Some of the graduates of this school practiced very successfully -as midwives. This school developed later into a medical school for -women (New England Female Medical College), and was now giving legal -diplomas of “Doctor of Medicine.” The medical school was a small -but very respectably lodged concern, with correct and kind men for -teachers, and with substantial prospects for getting a larger building -and greater advantages for study within a year or two. - -However, the greatest event of my three days’ sojourn in Boston was -my introduction (through Mr. Mayo) to Mr. Theodore Parker, on Sunday -evening, I having attended the morning’s service in Music Hall. Through -Mr. Parker, I met Mr. William Lloyd Garrison and Mr. Wendell Phillips, -as well as a number of other prominent men and women. These three men -who were pictured so often in Cleveland as three ferocious lions, I -found gentle in manners, humanitarian in thought and word and earnest -in purpose, possessors of great souls, feeling hearts and sincere -patriotism. I was cordially welcomed by them and kept up this relation -until the close of their lives, holding even a very honoring relation -as professional adviser in their families. - -It was a genial circle of friends, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Parker, -who in their easy, informal manner of enjoying each other, impressed me -as so utterly different from what I had heard of them, they having been -represented by word of mouth as well as in print as the most dangerous -and violent revolutionists. - -I remember the delicate and graceful figure of Miss Matilda Goddard, -the cordial Miss Hannah Stevens, Dr. William F. Channing and Mr. W. L. -Garrison, as the center of groups in the spacious parlors, when the -talk was of religious and anti-slavery themes, with a frequent easy -and cordial laugh at the expense of nobody. - -Before returning to Cleveland, I received letters from Mrs. C. Vaughan, -a member of Mr. Mayo’s congregation, who was shocked to learn of our -great bereavement in the death of our mother. She offered me a home for -the winter, with the kindest assurance that financial help might be -gained by forming German conversational classes for the evenings. - -Thus, on my return, I removed from Mrs. Mayo’s home, where my -assistance had become unnecessary, owing to the death of the little -baby, to the hospitable mansion occupied by the Vaughan family and the -daughter, Mrs. G. Willey, and her husband. - -A few words as to the social and educational standing of this family -will be pardonable, especially as they were of so rare an occurrence -at the time. Southerners by birth, they were yet opposed to slavery, -having set their slaves free by bringing them to Cincinnati. Highly -cultivated and talented as well as financially well-to-do, they -unconcernedly became true reformers in many ways. The daughter, Mrs. -Willey, wrote good Free Soil poetry, then needed by that movement; -other members of the family developed their special talents as writers -or musicians, while Mrs. Vaughan used her advantages for making -propaganda by encouraging Lyceum lectures, which system was then in its -infancy. And she invited nearly all prominent speakers to stay at her -house while in Cleveland. - -I thus saw and heard Dr. Harriet Kezia Hunt; Mr. and Mrs. George -Hildreth; Mrs. George Bradburn; Grace Greenwood; Rev. Henry Bond; Rev. -Mr. Mumford; Rev. Mr. Chapin; Ralph Waldo Emerson; Dr. W. Elder; Bayard -Taylor; James Murdock, the actor; Frederick Douglass; Mr. John Giles, -of the Lyceum lecture system; Rev. Starr King; prominent professors of -the Western Reserve College; and a number of leading _literati_ of -those times as well as men distinguished in politics, such as Speaker -Colfax, leader of the Free Soil party, and Secretary Salmon Chase, -who were holding political meetings. All these acquaintances were of -incalculable use to me in this educational period. Although not able to -converse with them, I could observe and learn much that was of greatest -importance to my future. - -Discussions pro and con on all kinds of subjects agitated the people, -and more than once did I hear the “Boston Trio”--William Lloyd -Garrison, Wendell Phillips and Theodore Parker--denounced as disturbers -of Law and Order. - -To Mrs. Vaughan’s untiring patience do I owe my acquiring the English -language as well as I was then capable of doing. I had to write -two essays that winter, one being for an association formed by the -medical students, and one being my thesis. After having assisted me in -correcting the grammar, Mrs. Vaughan made me read over each one four -times, from ten to half-past eleven o’clock, for fifty evenings, until -I got a good English pronunciation of which I was very proud. - -My German conservatism was not a little startled when I found that -here also the so-called Woman’s Rights movement (the political -enfranchisement of women) was heartily indorsed. Yet, in all the -families whose acquaintance I made from this social center, and who -were so different from those in the circles of Mrs. Severance and -Mr. Mayo, I soon recognized the same prejudice existing against all -women who attempted to step out of the domestic sphere. In spite of -their cultivation in literature and music and the fine arts generally, -after the completion of school life the women preferred a mere social -activity in their own surroundings and a Lady Bountiful attitude among -the poor belonging to their respective churches. - -I perceived so many contradictions in meeting with these evidently -superiorly educated women. For instance, they abhorred the female -medical student and would not dare be seen with one of them in the -streets, and they considered themselves heroic for including me when -inviting any of the Vaughan family to tea or to an evening gathering; -yet, in discussing matters of politics, as Free Soilers or sympathizers -with anti-slavery, they manifested an independence of speech which -showed that they were well acquainted with the subject they discussed. -It was so, also, in spiritual and religious matters, in school affairs -and in regard to pauperism. The women, young and old, held firmly to -their intellectual convictions, and these might be for or against their -fathers, brothers or husbands. - -It astonished me to see how absolutely quietly and calmly discussions -were carried on, without bitterness or excitement, between opponents, -and how respectfully men would listen to each other and to the women -in particular, even when directly contradicted in their own views of -the case. - -It was a great educational opportunity for me, broadening my whole -nature which had been narrowed by the German school training of being -_a subject_, first to the Government and next to Man. - -I was often taken by surprise when, on the brink of forgetting that -these manifestations of independence could exist side by side with the -most ludicrous prejudice against me and my medical companions, I would -be seriously questioned, “Do you want to turn women into men?” - -And when appearing in a church or meeting, we always noticed a -significant withdrawal of all present so that we medical students could -walk or sit conspicuously by ourselves. This isolation which bordered -on ostracism when exposed to a limited multitude was very painful to -bear, especially as we were young and at the time of life when the -_amour propre_ of the individual would seek obscurity rather than -notoriety. - -Elizabeth Blackwell only wished to open “legally” to women a field of -labor which was successfully cultivated by them “illegally,” because we -find that women were numerously employed to relieve pain and to combat -disease. - -They appear, it is true, in the capacity of nurses only, but in this -vocation their usefulness increased to such an extent that the name -“Doctresses” was given to them, and their advice and help were sought -by the educated and the ignorant, the rich and the poor, from far and -near. - -Legally, their position was not recognized. They maintained it either -through their evident integrity of purpose or through shrewdness, -making themselves as useful and as honored as the men physicians, who -in reality were often superior to them only because the position of the -men was made secure by political laws made by the men and for the men. - -Thus when, in the later forties, a woman claimed the right of gaining -intellectual power, it appeared as if she stepped out of her sphere. -And this claim, so simple and natural, was perverted by a hostile -spirit into the claim that she wished “to become a man.” - -Under the influence of this perverting and contaminating spirit, the -sensitive were shocked by her demands; the indolent were vexed; and the -wildest apprehensions were excited among both men and women. - -I can recall by name even, persons who went to see Miss Blackwell at -the college where she studied, really expecting to behold a woman on -whom a beard had developed, but who were surprised to find a most -womanly woman, delicate in size and figure, timid and reserved in -manners, and modest in speech. - -Agreeably disappointed in her, proud of her ability, and anxiously -wishing her success in all her desires and enterprises, they yet did -not dare to invite her to their houses or to request an introduction to -her, from fear that they might meet her on the streets and be forced to -recognize her in the presence of others. - -To associate with or to employ a “doctress” famous merely for common -sense, was perfectly respectable and honorable, but to seek the -acquaintance of a woman who wished to enter “legally” upon the same -work which these doctresses performed was considered of very doubtful -respectability. - -The consequence was that my three fellow students withdrew entirely -into their own abodes and devoted themselves to their professional -work. This I could not possibly do. I had to persevere and get -acquainted with all phases of American life in order to become what I -had always hoped to be, an assistant organizer in the development of -the medical education of women. - -“The Emancipated Woman!” That was the horror of the day, in social -life as well as in the press. And woe to those women who perhaps -through lack of physical beauty, or through want of taste in dress, or -through a too profound seriousness, did not observe all social graces -in detail. They became objects of criticism in private and in public. -Exaggerated descriptions and accounts of their every word and act, as -well as impertinent and ridiculous delineations, came forth in speech -and in print for the amusement of all those who wished to stagnate -progress. - -Nobody could or would believe that in so few years the admission of -the right of women, as “human beings,” to do that for which they felt -best fitted would lead to the acceptance of the presence of women in -all branches of human activity; and not only this, but that these -women would be respected and honored, and appointed to positions of -responsibility hitherto filled only by men. And, again, that the -number of positions calling for them would be greater than the number -of women available, thus proving that there is no danger that all women -will desert their natural sphere as wives and mothers. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - - _Interesting adventure leading to acquaintance with Ralph Waldo - Emerson--Marie receives the degree of M.D.--The faculty presents - her, as a gift, with the note which she had given in payment for her - lecture fees--Reflections: direct benefit which the men students - derived from co-education; tribute to her college teachers, especially - Drs. Delamater and Kirtland. (Twenty-six years of age: 1856.)_ - - -This second year of my stay in Cleveland was therefore a most valuable -episode of my life, turning all my views topsy-turvy, uprooting me, so -to say, from all German conservatism and throwing me into this chaotic -medley of contradictions. - -However, the one straight aim of preparing myself for the examinations -leading to a medical diploma kept me from any alarming detour in my -progress of evolution, and the year closed without any other than -the usual events in the course of life, as, for instance, the birth -of a nephew which arrived in December and which I superintended, my -brother-in-law defraying my expenses to and from New York. - -But I did have one very interesting adventure. And one daughter, -Virginia Vaughan, who had been really the means of my being asked to -become the guest of the house, was the leader in this. Mr. Ralph Waldo -Emerson had lectured in Cleveland and he was as usual a guest of Mrs. -Vaughan; she had been his pupil when a young lady and at school in -Boston and quite an intimacy existed between them. From Cleveland, Mr. -Emerson went to Hudson, ten miles away, the real seat of the Western -Reserve College, and he was advertised to lecture there at six in the -evening. - -Virginia, anxious to hear Mr. Emerson again, came to the medical -college which closed at four in the afternoon, and proposed our going -to Hudson on the half-past four o’clock train to return on the one -leaving there at nine. On arriving at the Hudson lecture hall, we found -a notice posted on the door informing the public that the lecture would -be at seven o’clock. - -We went back to the station intending to return to Cleveland and there -we found there was no train until the one at nine o’clock. The station -was a crude, cold room, having only an insignificant little stove, so -Virginia proposed that we find Mr. Emerson who, she knew, was at the -house of his cousin, Professor Emerson, a member of the college faculty. - -It was a cold, bitter day with plenty of snow everywhere, so we could -do nothing better than seek the house of the Professor. There we were -made so cordially welcome by Mrs. Emerson that we forgot even our very -improper appearance in our common everyday working attire. These kind -hosts would not allow us to return in that last train but telegraphed -to the family in Cleveland of our whereabouts, insisting that we remain -with them over Sunday, there being no trains till Monday morning at -eight o’clock. - -That evening, after returning from the lecture and while partaking of a -cup of hot tea, we noticed a bright rosy light upon the parlor windows. -Thinking it was an exhibition of “northern lights,” we all started for -the door. Alas! it was a great conflagration of magnificent hues of -dark red flame. - -We went to see the spectacle from a little hill between the house and -the fire where hundreds of people were already assembled, all of whom -were warmed and pleased by the wonderful flames, without any one making -any effort to extinguish them or to try to prevent their spreading from -the burning cheese storehouse to the adjacent factory. Mr. Ralph Waldo -Emerson asked in astonishment of the men standing nearest, “Why don’t -you try to extinguish the fire?” One replied in a very phlegmatic way, -“Because we have no firemen or machines.” While another added, “Even if -we had, there would be no use for them as we have no water.” The little -town of Hudson, with its pretty streets and with a college aspiring to -become soon a university, was without water. This seemed impossible to -believe, yet it was true, as Professor Emerson assured us. - -This night will always remain a memorable one, for independently of -that glorious illumination of the snow-covered city and landscape -which was so fearful and yet so wondrously beautiful, it gave me an -opportunity to get acquainted with one of the greatest philosophers -of our times. This opportunity was well used during the Sunday -morning when all but Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson and myself went to -church, I having no suitable clothes for such attendance. This short -acquaintance gave rise to the many kind and pleasant words to people -with which Mr. Emerson favored me in later years, and to a very -interesting friendship with members of Professor Emerson’s family -residing in New York and Boston. - -During the winter of 1855-1856, my life in Cleveland became doubly -interesting because I began to speak English and thus was able to -manifest my appreciation of the delightful impressions which I -received, directly and indirectly, through the channels outside of my -medical studies. - -How often was I surprised by the doubts of these more or less radical -reformers concerning the success of women as medical practitioners. -Only Ralph Waldo Emerson spoke rationally about the innovation of -women physicians; yet he doubted that women would enter upon any other -profession except that of teaching. - -Having spent Christmas in New York with my sisters and the family, who -enjoyed the newly arrived baby as only the first one can be enjoyed, I -returned to my college life with new zest, and I now had the extra task -to perform of writing my thesis for examination. - -New Year’s Day, 1856, was cold and windy and brought a snowstorm. The -lake opposite the house presented a sad and terrible aspect in the -presence of an icebound schooner with several dead sailors covered -with ice and hanging in its rigging. Attempts to reach the vessel in -small boats had failed, and a number of sturdy, sympathizing men were -standing on the shore discussing plans for relief that still might be -given to some unseen fellow beings on board. - -As the day was no holiday, I, of course, had to go to college. But it -was a bitter day. I thought my first winter in Cleveland was a severe -one, but this was cruelly so and it continued till late in March. - -The first ten weeks of the year were spent very industriously by me in -preparing to pass my examinations, after my thesis was accepted. The -latter was considered exceptionally good, and was the cause of my not -failing as a candidate for a diploma, because I received only mediocre -marks in all the branches of study, even falling below the passing mark -in one branch. - -I wish to make a statement of this fact here for many good reasons. -One is, that it shows the utter absurdity of giving marks or numbers -at all, for independently of my being still very awkward in English -expressions, I was, and still am, very slow in thinking out any subject -and I have a very poor mechanical memory. - -Among my three companions I was very much liked when discussing or -reasoning out problems of our studies, often systematizing what seemed -to us chaotic on a first reading. They often made me the “quizzer,” and -I was not a little ashamed to hear with what readiness they gave names -and relations of organs, knowing how impossible it would be for me to -do the same. - -But when it came to practical deductions or applications they always -relied upon me. I enjoyed the confidence of those professors with whom -I had practical instruction, and I had always out-patients on hand -to look after. For this latter, my companions felt they had no time, -sitting and committing to memory their lessons, and only one of them -had had any practical work in that she had lived in a “water-cure” -establishment. - -I envied my three friends not a little when I found they graduated with -full marks and high honors. However, the desired diploma of “M.D.” was -also awarded to me. I felt grateful for it, intending to make the most -conscientious use of the power thus given to me and which I felt I -fully deserved, as I could not help judging my medical knowledge to be -as complete as that of any one of the forty-two graduates. - -And it is for this reason, also, that I condemn the method of judging -of the ability or competence of any student simply from questions and -answers. So much knowledge can be acquired by storing the memory with -all sorts of details, without making one’s self fit to digest what -is learned and to assimilate even a part of it. But how necessary is -this latter when one is called upon to help all sorts of conditions -in people who seek advice for physical, mental or moral ailments. -And a physician, in the full sense of the word, must be qualified to -help human nature from these three points of view. The mere studying -and learning by heart of the symptoms of diseases, and of the origin, -preparation and doses of drugs, ought to be the last chapter to be -examined upon. - -My private studies in which examinations would have given much -more satisfactory results, were “biology,” “cellular anatomy” and -“comparative anatomy,” in none of which subjects had we any instruction -in the college. And it is my opinion that the medical profession will -not, and cannot, make medicine a science as long as these branches -(in both their physiological and pathological forms) are not studied -profoundly and made a foundation upon which to build methods for -averting or controlling disease. So long as physicians are taught to -talk of “curing disease,” so long will the whole profession wander in -the realm of empiricism, if not outright quackery. - -It may be excusable that I thus use myself in illustrating what I -think is so pernicious, namely, cramming the memory with learning -isolated facts and filling the brain to its fullest capacity with the -names of authors and their opinions, leaving no room for individual -reasoning or research or for the power of making original deductions -and applications. - -After this apparent digression, I must return to my theme, namely, -the last few weeks of my student life in Cleveland. As I have already -stated how distrustful the so-called “good society” was concerning -female medical students and how ready the so-called “reformers” were to -seek them, I must here mention a peculiar aberration which had taken -hold of the whole community. I refer to what was then called Mesmerism. -The individual thinking and theorizing on this subject assumed with -many persons a perfectly preposterous form. The views held were based -on no scientific research or study but simply on memorizing what was -published (often after the most superficial observation) regarding -hysterical or somnambulistic manifestations. - -The faith with which statements of so-called “cures” in all sorts of -illnesses were received was just as widespread as that which later -accepted Clairvoyance, Hypnotism and Christian Science. These, one -after the other, followed the Mesmerism and Magnetism waves; but they -are all precisely the same thing, under other names, and they are -all more or less influenced by what is called Spiritualism. And the -countless “miracle” workers, under a host of names, are all of the same -class. - -The desire for the assistance of superrational influences is one of -the greatest obstacles which the human mind has to overcome. It will -take centuries of education before the majority of thinking beings will -learn that a cell will produce only its like, that modifications of the -cell are produced only after a time of slow and, as yet, imperceptible -changes, and not suddenly by prayer or personal magnetism. - -One of the most perplexing phenomena which I observed was that educated -men themselves became victims of these delusions. For instance, I knew -a professor of botany who was so completely absorbed in the phenomena -of _Spiritualism_ and _Magnetism_ that he submitted himself -to treatment by these uneducated pretenders for an ailment produced by -malaria. It is sometimes almost discouraging to see that even education -will not prevent faith in the superrational or supernatural. - -But the Earth has billions and billions of years to live, and at the -rate of mental development as we have observed it, I have no doubt -that the human intellect will grow out of its present infantile -condition into a maturity of which even the present generations have -no conception, although, unconsciously, we all assist in nursing the -embryo of intelligence which we call “knowledge” and “science.” - -One may dream of the greatness of the human mind when all the -inhabitants of the earth will be as well-developed mentally as the few -out of the billions are to-day. One may imagine that the lowest of the -Pygmies in mid-Africa or the stupidest Esquimaux near the North Pole -will be able to think, to reason and to enjoy, as much as I do now; and -that the then great minds will work and struggle to bring up in the -scale such poor ignorant mortals as those of my present level, these -then existing by the billions as we have the billions of illiterate -existing to-day. - -[Walt Whitman had a similar thought, and it is interesting to compare -her and his expression of it, remembering the difference between prose -and poetry, and the obstruction to expression caused by a foreign -tongue which never became easy to her. In “Leaves of Grass,” he says: - - This day before dawn I ascended a hill and looked at the crowded - heaven, - And I said to my Spirit, _When we become the enfolders of those - orbs, and the pleasure and knowledge of everything in them, shall - we be filled and satisfied then?_ - And my Spirit said, _No, we but level that lift to pass and continue - beyond._] - -In March, 1856, the great event took place. On Commencement Day, -forty-two students, four of whom were women, received the degree of -“M.D.” The hall in which the exercises took place was crowded, not only -with friends of the graduates but with a goodly number of the curious -of the city who had come to get a look at the women doctors. A deep -silence prevailed after the president had alluded to the female portion -of the students, and the dropping of a pin might have been heard when -one after the other, according to alphabetical arrangement, they -stepped up to the platform, each to receive her roll of parchment. No -sign for or against them was made and all went home in a dull, somber -mood. - -The doors of the college had closed behind us, and the words of advice -to “go out and do honor to your chosen profession” with which the whole -event had concluded, rang in my ears, though I had not the slightest -idea how to realize them. - -Shortly after Commencement, the dean of the college (Dr. Delamater) -called upon me. A call from this venerable gentleman was a thing so -unusual that numberless conjectures as to what this visit might mean -flitted through my brain on my way to the parlor. He received me, as -usual, paternally, wished me a thousand blessings, and handed back to -me the note for one hundred and twenty dollars, payable in two years, -which I had given for the lecture fees. He told me that in the meeting -of the faculty after graduation day, it was proposed by one of the -professors to return the note to me as a gift. To this, those present -cheerfully gave a unanimous vote, adding their wishes for my success -and appointing Dr. Delamater as their delegate to inform me of the -proceedings. - -This was a glorious beginning, for which I am more than thankful, and -for which I was especially so at that time when I had barely money -enough to return to New York, with very small prospects of getting -means wherewith to commence practice. The mention of this fact might -be thought indiscreet by the faculty in Cleveland were they still so -organized as to admit women, which I am sorry to say is no longer the -case, though they give as their reason that women at present have their -own medical colleges and, consequently, no longer have need of theirs. - -Before I quit the subject of the Cleveland College, I must mention a -fact which may serve as an argument against the belief that the sexes -cannot study together without exerting an injurious effect upon each -other. During the last winter of my study, there was such emulation in -respect to the graduating honors among the candidates for graduation, -comprising thirty-eight male and four female students, that all studied -more closely than they had ever done before--the men not wishing -to be excelled by the women, nor the women by the men. One of the -professors afterwards told me that whereas it was usually a difficult -thing to decide upon the best three theses to be read publicly at the -Commencement, since all were more or less indifferently written, this -year the theses were all so good that it was necessary, to avoid doing -absolute injustice, to select thirteen from which parts should be read. - -Does not this prove that the stimulus of the one sex upon the other -would act favorably rather than otherwise upon the profession? And -would not the very best tonic that could be given to the individual be -to pique his _amour propre_ by the danger of being excelled by one -of the opposite sex? Is not this natural, and would not this be the -best and the surest reformation of humanity and its social condition, -if left free to work out its own development? - -On the day following the visit of Dr. Delamater, I received a letter -from my brother-in-law in which he told me that his business compelled -him to go to Europe for half a year, and that he had, therefore, made -arrangements for me to procure money, in case that I should need it to -commence my practice. He said that he intended to assist me afterwards, -but that as he thought it best for my sister (his wife) to live out of -New York during his absence, he was willing to lend me as much money -as I required until his return. I accepted his offer with infinite -pleasure, for it was another instance of real friendship. He was by -no means a rich man but was simply in the employ of a large importing -house. - -By giving lessons in German, I had earned a little money that served -to cover my most necessary expenses. For the last months that I spent -in Cleveland, I carried in my purse one solitary cent as a sort of -talisman, firmly believing that some day it would turn into gold; but -this did not happen, and on the day that I was expecting the receipt of -the last eighteen dollars for my lessons, which were designed to bear -my expenses to New York, I gave it to a poor woman in the street who -begged me for a cent, and it doubtless ere long found its way into a -ginshop. - -The twenty months that I spent in Cleveland were chiefly devoted to the -study of medicine in the English language, and in this I was assisted -by most noble-hearted men. Dr. Delamater’s office became a pleasant -spot and its occupants a necessity to me. On the days that I did not -meet them, my spirits fell below zero. - -In spite of the pecuniary distress from which I constantly suffered, -I was happier in Cleveland than ever before or since. I lived in my -element, having a fixed purpose in view and enjoying the warmest tokens -of real friendship. I was liked in college, and though the students -often found it impossible to repress a hearty laugh at my ridiculous -blunders in English, they always showed me respect and fellowship in -the highest sense of the terms. - -After receiving the degree of “M.D.” and leaving the college behind me, -it seems quite right to stop for a few moments and cast a retrospective -glance at my own situation, objectively. I wonder whether any one can -justly claim that one has always followed a well-laid plan in life, or -whether conditions and environment do not mold our actions, sustain our -firmness and fortify our persistence in following or working towards a -positive aim. - -I do not think that in youth the individual shapes the _modus -operandi_ of any undertaking. In spite of having a vague idea, or -even a strong desire to carry into effect such an idea, environment -as well as outside influences must come to the aid, in order to keep -alive and to nourish the hope that his preconceived idea or desire -can ever be realized. Without such assistance, the young aspirant can -easily be diverted and led into spheres of action not intended or -desired in the first instance. - -After we become older, we may honestly imagine that we followed a -regularly planned course in life, when we really lived simply according -to whatever chances from time to time molded or influenced our activity. - -During the years from 1850 to March, 1856, it now seems to me that no -definite plan determined my action, and that all that guided me was the -strong desire to make for myself “an independent livelihood” and to -assist all persons who felt that same strong desire. - -Several times I was tempted to change my field of work so as to -obtain this independence. For instance, in Berlin, after leaving the -Charité Hospital, offers were made to me by eminent physicians to take -charge of private hospitals which were then beginning to be started, -especially for surgery. I did not accept these offers, partly because -they again placed me in dependence and partly because surgery had been -distasteful to me as it was then practiced, without anesthetics, the -use of neither ether nor chloroform having become general. - -So, as we reason from the concrete to the abstract, I doubt that any -one, man or woman, can stand up and declare that one has achieved -exactly what one hoped to achieve when entering upon the battlefield of -active life. There is no doubt that an intrinsic fitness for a certain -kind of activity guides us towards such influences as we need to -develop this fitness, but that is all. - -It is for this reason, perhaps, that I never married, although educated -and trained with the idea that the true sphere of woman is to be a -wife and mother. Also, I was very sentimentally inclined towards men, -to moonlight walks and to the exchange of friendly letters; but I -always grew tired of it all in a very short time and decided that none -of these attachments was the right one, proving that my desire for -independence was innate. So, happy the man who got released from me and -happy was I to remain free. - -Again, after arriving in New York, I might just as well have become a -manufacturer, as I had begun to be, if I had become familiar with the -English language. I was quite happy in that branch of work and was -able to assist many a woman in various ways. But the impossibility of -acquiring the language in that limited sphere prevented the enlargement -of my knowledge and connections necessary in that branch of activity. - -Then later came, last but not least, the temptation to go as missionary -to the Cherokee Indians. I have not a doubt that in that direction I -could have developed my independence and have been extremely useful, -had I not been influenced by people in whose judgment I had full -confidence--a rare thing in young, impulsive, enthusiastic natures, to -accept the advice of others. I was bridled and held in check, not by a -clear vision but by influences which overpowered me as the magnet does -the iron which it attracts. - -Also, do I consider it fair and right and not out of place to speak of -the lecturers and teachers connected with the medical department of the -Western Reserve College. At the time as well as in the following years, -I often heard depreciatory remarks about our professors and their -methods of instruction. - -There was no doubt that a very few of the students in attendance had -a collegiate education superior to that which some of the professors -might have had in their younger days, for instance, Dr. John J. -Delamater, then over seventy years old, and Dr. J. B. Kirtland, not far -from seventy, both of them the kindest of men, true philanthropists and -men of a natural genius who had attained a high position among their -fellow men. - -They had had, perhaps, less advantages in booklearning when young, yet -they had the power of inspiring youth to a higher and more thorough -study, and their influence in developing the thinking powers of the -students was something remarkable. Originality of thought, reasoning -and deduction was the example given to us by them. And the form of -their teachings was not so much memorizing prescribed methods as the -teaching of the students how to observe closely all the phenomena of -the case of illness in question and how to study the smallest details, -physical, mental and moral, in order to find the primary cause. Such -instruction can never be gained from books, although medical literature -has now begun to attempt it. Many of the students ridiculed the hints -and directions given, while to others they were the inspiration for -deeper study even after the degree was obtained. - -I know it was so in my case, and works like Kölliker’s _Comparative -Anatomy_, later Virchow’s _Cellular Pathology_, and works on -biology, embryology and histology became really the foundation upon -which I built my practice, taking little heed of recommendations of how -to treat cases or how to administer doses of this or that old or new -remedy or system of remedies. I did my own reasoning, I made my own -deductions, in as logical a method as possible as the cases revealed -themselves to my understanding through physical or psychical symptoms. -Originality and spontaneity of mental action are injured by unthinking -cramming of mind and memory with booklearning. - -It is for these reasons that I love to think, with gratitude and a deep -feeling of honor, of the men who then constituted the medical faculty, -although two of them were greatly annoyed by the presence of the four -women students and did not hesitate to manifest their feelings in word -and deed, without being offensive. - -Indeed, even this feeling that our presence was objectionable was of -use in our training, as it gave us a strong foretaste of the prejudice -which we were to meet in our professional lives. And it helped us in -many ways to develop the courage which we were to need in meeting the -offensive behavior of many physicians and students with whom we were -obliged to come in contact when trying to seek fellowship in private -practice, or to increase our knowledge, or to gain admittance to public -institutions. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - - _Returns to New York to begin practice as an M.D.--Insuperable - difficulties encountered by a woman physician in finding an office - to rent in New York--Dr. Zakrzewska opens her office in one of Dr. - Blackwell’s parlors--No admission for women to dispensaries or - hospitals--Infirmary remains closed for lack of money--Dr. Zakrzewska - meets Mary L. Booth who informs the newspapers and social circles of - the medical women--In desperation, she goes to Boston to visit Mrs. - Severance and to seek contributions for the Infirmary--Meets Mr. - Samuel E. Sewall and his daughter Lucy--Her campaign in Boston is - successful--Its extension to Portland, Maine, is unsuccessful--She - goes to Philadelphia for the same purpose but succeeds only in - convincing the Female Medical College there that it must build a - hospital for itself--A second visit to Boston to ask help for the - long-delayed Infirmary Fair--Meets Mrs. Ednah D. Cheney--Extends - campaign to smaller towns around Boston with no success. (Twenty-six - years of age: 1856.)_ - - -With regret, I made ready to depart from Cleveland. I dreaded the -obstacles which I saw and felt were before me and which I must conquer. -I fully felt the isolated social position which we four women medical -students had occupied in Cleveland. My three companions, belonging -to the orthodox church and disapproving of each and every subject -discussed in Mr. Mayo’s congregation, had absolutely no outside -recreation, “even of the body,” and were shunned even in the boarding -house by the inmates there, where we had found an otherwise comfortable -home during the first winter, in 1854. - -I realized the opposition to women physicians still more after I -had learned to speak English. Strange to say, this was far stronger -among women than among men in and outside of the profession. My -discouragement grew the stronger the nearer the end of my stay in -Cleveland approached. - -Following Commencement Day, a tremendous snowstorm was the first event -which blockaded my next movements; for days no trains could pass the -roads; the last quarter of my lessons in German had ended on March 1; -my packing made little demand on my time and it was finished. I had -no special interests to keep me longer in Cleveland, and I began to -consider this calamity of snow a bad omen when Mr. Willey brought home -the news that, in a roundabout way and by changing trains four times, I -might be able to reach New York in thirty-six hours. - -So I started off and I had really a most tedious journey, suffering -greatly from the cold before I reached my family, after forty hours in -trains, and finding New York just getting free from the snow blockades -of the streets. - -The welcome at my sisters’ was cordial. The one next in age to me -had taken a position in a large wholesale millinery establishment, -receiving a good salary, while the next younger one superintended the -household, and the youngest attended school. We were all hoping that -our father would get his furlough for a visit and counsel as to what -to do next with the family. Both brothers had gone to the Far West, -seeking their own fortunes as brothers usually do. - -Although our father sent financial aid to the two younger sisters, -eighteen and eleven years old, I had no hope of such assistance from -him, and I could not settle down with the family because they resided -in Hoboken, New Jersey. - -This was too far distant from Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell as well as from -the center of the poor among whom it was necessary to seek patients. -I felt the necessity of familiarizing myself with general practice in -which I had had but very slight training. No clinical instruction was -attempted in college, all students depending upon the private practice -of their preceptors for this kind of teaching. We women students had -received scarcely any such opportunities, as even our kind and beloved -Dr. Delamater could not often venture upon such an innovation as to -take a female student with him, even when visiting the poorest patients. - -My good brother-in-law, who did not have my father’s prejudices and his -distrust in my eventual success as a practitioner, offered me financial -aid, promising to give guaranties to the people from whom I would hire -rooms where I might begin practice. - -Immediately after my arrival in New York, I began to look out for a -suitable office, consulting Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, with whom I had -maintained a constant correspondence, in regard to location. - -My fears concerning the opposition to women physicians were fully -realized. I found no well-regulated household would rent rooms to -me. I investigated everywhere, in all respectable parts of New York -wherever signs announced “Parlor to let for a physician” or where I -was sent by agents. But as soon as it was learned that it was a woman -physician who desired the office, I was denied the opportunity of even -looking at the advertised rooms. Thus days and weeks were spent. I even -began to explain and to remonstrate with those who sought tenants, but -it was all in vain. - -Some were afraid to let an office to a female physician lest she might -turn out a spiritual medium, clairvoyant, hydropathist, etc. Others, -who believed me when I told them that I had a diploma from a regular -school and should never practice contrary to its requirements, inquired -to what religious denomination I belonged, and whether I had a private -fortune or intended to support myself by my practice. While the third -class, who asked no questions at all, demanded three dollars a day for -a back parlor alone, without the privilege of putting a sign on the -house or the door. - -Now all this may be very exasperating when it is absolutely necessary -that one should have a place upon which to put a sign to let the world -know that she is ready to try her skill upon suffering humanity; but -it has such a strongly ludicrous side that I could not be provoked in -spite of all the fatigue and disappointment of wandering over the city -when, with aching limbs, I commenced the search afresh each morning, -with the same prospect of success. - -Finally, in a moderate-sized house, I was admitted by an introductory -letter from an agent. The lady was kind and pleasant, entered into -conversation with me and informed me that a cousin of hers had drawn -her attention to the fact that women studied medicine in Cleveland. On -further talk, she spoke of one who was especially liked by her cousin -through the interest which Ralph Waldo Emerson took in her. And thus I -found that this lady was a cousin of Mrs. Emerson, of Hudson, Ohio. - -Of course, my heart was delighted to find a cultured woman not only -interested in me and my profession but who was also willing to have me -become a member of her household, if--her husband agreed to such an -arrangement. Alas! in a few days came a letter in which she regretted -that her husband could not reconcile himself to a woman doctor. He -feared all sorts of annoyances should he take such a step as to have a -woman doctor go in and out of his house. At any rate, he could not bear -the thought of having the sign of a woman physician on his house. - -Such was the horror that beset every one, that woman would disgrace -decency and undertake abhorred practice. The name of “Madame Restelle” -was on every one’s tongue as typifying the “female physician.” She was -then the leading abortionist, of whom a prominent lawyer said, when Dr. -Blackwell and I called upon him to see if something could not be done -to stop her in her vile career, “She is a social necessity, and she -will be protected by rich and influential personages.” However, I may -here remark that after many years of agitation, her infamous business -succeeded in placing her and some of her disciples in prison, and, -eventually, she killed herself by drowning in the spacious bathtub of -the extravagantly luxurious house on Fifth Avenue, where she resided -under her real name. - -Thus time passed, and I could find no abode. My lack of success was -similar to that of Dr. Blackwell who had finally been obliged to rent -a house, and she now proposed that I should join her at her home, she -letting me have the back parlor for office purposes. Thus I was able to -arrange for office work as well as for general practice. Arrangements -were concluded and, on April 17, I established myself with her, yet -independent of her, in business. - -Still, small as was Dr. Blackwell’s practice, this association was of -great benefit to me. Her household consisted of her relatives and was -headed by an older sister and her mother, a fine, cultivated lady. -Antoinette Brown Blackwell and her husband joined us just before their -oldest daughter was expected, and there also came Lucy Stone and -her husband, Henry Blackwell. In fact we were a delightful family, -suffering more or less from social ostracism but happy in spirit, and -feeling far above the ordinary run of mankind in the belief of our -superiority in thought and aim. - -I love to remember the friendship which developed between Dr. Elizabeth -Blackwell and myself when, wearied and disappointed in waiting for -patients who seldom appeared, we renewed our courage by getting -temporarily away from the field of struggle. On Sundays, we took long, -long walks in Staten Island, in Jersey Heights, yes, even as far as -Hackensack, watching the budding trees, the inspiring scenery and the -glorious sunsets, and renewing our faith in our calling as physicians. -And we discussed all kinds of plans as to how to become of use to our -fellow men and to ourselves. - -[These must have been memorable walks, for Dr. Blackwell refers to -them again and again in later life in her letters from England to Dr. -Zakrzewska, recalling “the picture which is hung up in memory, the -dark-haired young physician with whom I used to walk on Weehawken -Heights.”] - -Alas! money was wanting. To resume even the little dispensary work of -two years previous was impossible, for the reëstablishment of that -called for a sum of five hundred dollars and this we could not raise. -Meanwhile, we tried to get opportunities to improve our practical -knowledge by endeavoring to get admission into dispensaries or -hospitals. Everywhere we met objections, and everywhere we found denial. - -Many high-stationed professors and physicians to whom Dr. Blackwell -had applied were willing, but the general practitioners objected, just -as remains the situation at present in most instances. The fear that -women doctors would diminish their practice was the real cause of -their objection; although the denials were usually expressed as the -moral conviction that women could not take any serious responsibility, -or, if they did, that they would unsex themselves. However, a -German physician, Dr. Aigner, and a Scotch physician, Dr. McCready, -occasionally allowed me to accompany them to their respective hospital -and dispensary. - -Meanwhile, I had regularly attended the Fair meetings which were held -every Thursday, wondering how persons could afford to meet to so -little purpose. There was scarcely any life in these gatherings, and -when I saw ladies come week after week to resume the knitting of a -baby’s stocking (which was always laid aside again in an hour or two, -without any marked progress), I began to doubt whether the sale of -these articles would ever bring ten thousand cents instead of the ten -thousand dollars which it was proposed at the first meeting to raise in -order to buy a house. I used to say on Wednesday, “To-morrow we have -our Fair meeting. I wonder whether there will be, as usual, two and a -half persons present or three and three-quarters.” - -After weeks of this idle waiting, for the few patients who came -through acquaintances did not fill much of my time, I began to feel -desperate, especially as social life also was so utterly closed against -us, and this latter was such a necessity to my temperament. I then -proposed to go canvassing with circulars giving information of our -previous experiment, to try to collect money for the establishment of a -dispensary. - -The idea occurred to me to go from house to house and ask for a dime -at each, which, if given, would amount to ten dollars a day; and, with -the money thus collected daily for half a year, to establish a nucleus -hospital which, as a fixed fact, should stimulate its friends to -further assistance. - -I took my notebook and wrote out the whole plan, and also calculated -the expenses of such a miniature hospital as I proposed, including -furniture, beds, household utensils, everything, in short, that was -necessary in such an institution. With this book which I still have -in my possession, I went one evening into Dr. Blackwell’s parlor and, -seating myself, told her that I could not work any longer for the Fair -in the way that the ladies were doing; and then read my plan to her, -which I advocated long and earnestly. - -She finally agreed with me that it would be better speedily to -establish a small hospital than to wait for the large sum that had -been proposed, though she did not approve of the scheme of the dime -collection, fearing that I would not only meet with great annoyances -but would also injure my health in the effort. At that time, after some -discussion, I agreed with her. Now I think that this plan would have -been better than that which I afterwards followed. On the same evening -I proposed, and we agreed, that on a year from that day (the 1st of -May, 1857), the New York Infirmary should be opened. - -I went to rest with a light heart, but rose sorrowfully in the morning. -“In one year from to-day, the Infirmary must be opened,” said I to -myself, “and the funds towards it are two pairs of half-knit babies’ -stockings.” The days passed in thinking what was the next best scheme -to raise money for its foundation, when an accidental visit from Mary -L. Booth to Dr. Blackwell turned the tide in another direction. Miss -Booth was serving her apprenticeship as a journalist through the -kindness of the editor of the New York _Times_.[7] Her sister who -was a patient of Dr. Blackwell had interested both Mary and him in the -idea of women doctors, so Mary came to interview us concerning our -practical progress. - -This interview led to the disclosure of our wishes and plans regarding -the dispensary, and Miss Booth, taking up the idea, made our wishes -known in the _Times_, very guardedly, of course, but decidedly. -The effect of this little notice was remarkable, and it gave both Dr. -Blackwell and myself new hope and also the courage to ask for similar -remarks in other papers. - -At the same time, my social circle became a little widened through this -acquaintance with Miss Booth which I developed when I found that she -also was a beginner in her career and had obstacles to overcome; as, -for instance, hiding her sex by signing only her initials to whatever -she wrote, or not signing at all. - -Thus a few new friends were obtained for our cause, and a few of Dr. -Blackwell’s patients who belonged to the sect of Quakers, and who -had sustained the former dispensary, came forward promising small -subscriptions towards a new effort. Yet no sum was large enough to -warrant the expenditure of five hundred dollars, the amount absolutely -needed to open this charity for the poor and the chance for us to gain -practical experience. - -About this time, Dr. Harriot K. Hunt, of Boston, sent a patient of -hers to Dr. Blackwell. This patient was accompanied by Dr. W. H. -Channing, who was not in practice but who attended this patient with -Dr. Blackwell. Becoming acquainted with Dr. Channing, I disclosed to -him our financial, professional and social position, enlarging upon the -difficulty of obtaining that practical experience in clinics which is -so absolutely necessary to the young physician. - -Then as I told him of the plan of establishing a dispensary which -could have a small number of indoor patients, in fact, the nucleus of -a hospital for which Dr. Blackwell had already obtained a charter from -the Legislature, his enthusiasm created not only hope but courage. - -He spoke so ardently of Boston as being liberal and “the hothouse -of all reforms” that I proposed visiting that noble city in the -interest of our plans and asked him for introductions, as I knew -only Dr. Harriot K. Hunt and Mrs. Severance, the latter recently -removed to Boston from Cleveland. He gave me a list of names of Boston -ladies--Miss Lucy Goddard, Miss Mary Jane Parkman, Miss Abby May and -Mrs. E. D. Cheney. - -When I look over my diary and see that the time of my receiving my -degree and leaving Cleveland was in March and that this proposition to -go to Boston was only three months later, it seems a fact impossible -to believe. For the restlessness caused by the want of opportunity -to further our desires seemed to turn days into weeks and weeks into -months. I find in one of my notes the words, “It seems an impossibility -to find friends for our cause; nobody seems to feel the need of -hospital or dispensary for the practical training of women physicians. -Even our gentlemen friends in the profession say women must find this -training for themselves among the poor.” - -I may here remark, perhaps, a fact which amused me greatly. So far, -I had had but very little opportunity to write prescriptions, but -whenever I gave any I added my initials, M. E. Z., as signature, thus -proving my responsibility. Every time such a prescription was received -by an American apothecary, a messenger called to inquire the meaning -of those mystical signs. And when I explained that it was my name -which was too long to write in full, I was told that signatures to -prescriptions were not customary or needed. However, I continued to -sign mine, for I felt from the very outset that I must establish the -position of being responsible for all I did, so that in case of trouble -from either patient or apothecary I could protect myself. So I never -followed the then prevailing custom of giving prescriptions without -indicating for whom they were intended and by whom they were issued. -Perhaps I may add that my practice by the end of the year had brought -me one hundred and twenty dollars. - -The earnestness with which Dr. Blackwell advocated not only the -necessity of having women as physicians but also their thorough -education and training for practice was convincing to a few friends, -who promised to assist with subscriptions as soon as the idea had taken -shape and had materialized itself in a building in which the experiment -could be tried. - -Nobody has fathomed the depth of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell’s soul as I -have had the opportunity to do. On our delightful long walks she was -the speaker, and her reasoning was so sound, her determination so firm, -her love for humanity so true, that she seemed to me a prophet of no -ordinary insight and foresight. Even now, when doubts arise in me -whether women will develop fully all the chances provided for their -higher scientific education, I recall her words and quiet my doubts, -remembering that what one woman has done, thousands can do and will -do. To me she was, and is, not preëminently the physician but the -philanthropic philosopher, the standard bearer of a higher womanhood. - -To such a nature, it is given to inspire others with an idea or an -ideal but not the faculty of execution or organization. I was able to -supply these latter qualities, and, encouraged by the description of -Boston’s liberal element, I proposed to Dr. Blackwell to search for a -house which would suit our purposes and to get an estimate of the rent -and the expense of furnishing it, so as to have a definite sum for -which to beg, since simple statements were not sufficient. - -[Dr. Blackwell refers to such complementary relations in a letter to -Dr. Zakrzewska, written in later years, in which she alludes to the -days here described and says: - - “I work chiefly in Principles, and you in putting them into practical - use; and one is essential to the other in this complex life of ours.” - -Again she refers to these days, “as we sat in Fifteenth Street planning -those everlasting bazaars,” and she writes: - - “You are a natural doctor, and your best work will always be in the - full exercise of direct medical work.... You know I am different from - you in not being a natural doctor; so, naturally, I do not confine - myself to practice. - - “I am never without some patients but my thought, and active interest, - is chiefly given to some of those moral ends--for which ends I took up - the study of medicine.”] - -The house was found in Bleecker Street close by the poor quarters, -at an annual rental of one thousand, three hundred dollars, and an -estimate was made of another five hundred dollars for furnishing, as -well as an outlay of one hundred dollars for fuel. My proposition was -now to go to Boston and try to get half of the rent pledged for a three -years’ lease, Dr. Blackwell to raise the other half of the three years’ -rent from friends in New York, and then to hold a Sale or Fair to raise -the remaining six hundred dollars. - -On the next day, the regular Fair meeting was held at Dr. Blackwell’s. -The new plan was brought forward, and, although it was as yet nothing -but a plan, it acted like a warm, soft rain upon a field after a long -drought. The knitting and sewing (for which I have a private horror -under all conditions) were laid aside, to my great relief. And the -project was talked of with so much enthusiasm that I already saw myself -in imagination making my evening visits to the patients in the New York -Infirmary; while all the members present (and there were unusually -many--I think, six or seven) discussed the question the next day among -their circles of friends whether Henry Ward Beecher or a physician of -high standing should make the opening speech in the institution. - -This excitement increased the interest exceedingly, and the succeeding -meetings were quite enthusiastic. The babies’ stockings were never -again resumed (don’t think that because I detested those stockings so -much I am cruel enough to wish the little creatures to go barefoot), -but plans were made for raising money in New York and for getting -articles for sale on a larger scale. - -Thus it happened that I went to Boston for the second time in the -beginning of July, visiting Mrs. C. M. Severance and using my -introductions to begin a regular, systematized campaign “to beg for an -institution for American women.” For myself I could never have begged; -I would sooner have drowned myself. Now I determined to beg money -from Americans to establish an institution for their own benefit. Dr. -Blackwell agreed to this plan, as there was nothing risked in it, I -taking the whole responsibility. - -In spite of finding the women of Boston quite ready to listen to me, -it was not an easy task to get a three years’ promise of six hundred -and fifty dollars. The first question put to me was always, “Can you -not raise this small sum in rich New York?” The explanation had to -be repeated over and over that only a very few women in social life -dared to connect themselves openly with “such radical reformers” as -we appeared to them. To turn upon “the sphere of woman” and declare -openly that she can take the whole responsibility of managing a public -institution, as well as the care as a physician of sick women and -children, seemed so monstrous to most men and women that in New York -money was intrusted to us only with incredulity. - -The second and more important question was as to “why we needed and -wanted a dispensary and a hospital for women physicians.” Nobody at -this present time would or could believe that this need then had to -most people a preposterous sound. - -And here I may tell you an episode which occurred to me in -Philadelphia, to which city I went after returning from Boston with -my six hundred and fifty dollars pledged. In Philadelphia, the first -medical college for women (the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania), -had been established in 1850, and it was housed in extremely modest -quarters in a rear building on Arch Street. I was introduced through -Dr. Ann Preston, one of the first graduates of this college and now -one of its professors. And I spoke to the friends of this enterprise -at a gathering of both men and women, explaining the need of a -practical professional training after a merely theoretical course of -instruction. I tried to make plain the greater difficulties which beset -the introduction of the young women students to the private patients -of their preceptors even though these patients were ever so poor, and -I illustrated the situation by quoting Dr. Ann Preston’s conscientious -refusal to practice under such circumstances, she simply teaching -physiology in the college. I also spoke of others going to Europe to -seek this clinical instruction from foreign physicians and maternity -hospitals. - -After having exhausted the subject, as well as myself, one of the -ladies present said--it was in the parlors of Lucretia Mott--“Then -thee thinks that a hospital must be connected with the college?” I -replied, “Yes.” “Then thee thinks that practical training cannot be got -by the young physician among the poor?” I said, “No.” “We thank thee -for thy coming to tell us so, and we promise thee that we shall exert -ourselves at once to get a hospital of our own.” - -Thus ended my efforts in that noble city. But the Philadelphia Woman’s -Hospital was established there within the five years following my visit. - -In Portland, Maine, where I went by the advice of Mr. Samuel E. Sewall -and his aunt, Miss ----, I also met with no success for the Infirmary. -Here, in spite of my being the guest of some of their relatives, none -dared to expose themselves to the ridicule of asking acquaintances -to see or hear a woman doctor. To illustrate again something of the -feeling regarding a woman doctor, I must tell an incident which in -after years caused us great amusement. - -Dr. Harriot K. Hunt had introduced me, in Boston, to Mr. Joseph Sewall, -and we had been invited to meet Mr. Samuel E. Sewall, Miss Lucy E. -Sewall and Miss ----, their aunt. While sitting in the parlor waiting -for the dinner hour, Lucy Sewall went upstairs and, as she told me in -later years, examined my cloak, bonnet and gloves in order to find out -whether they were neat and respectable, she feeling a great uncertainty -as to whether a regularly graduated and practicing woman physician -could attend to the minor details of proper habiliments. Dr. Hunt was -accepted by them as a curiosity but she had never been a regular -student in a college. However, all this company became our truest -friends, as the history of the New England Hospital for Women and -Children testifies. - -The season being July, it was not favorable for doing any more than -securing signatures, guaranteeing for the New York Infirmary for -Indigent Women and Children six hundred and fifty dollars, for half -the rent annually for three years. But friendly invitations to revisit -Boston caused me to return in early October. - -The encouragement which I brought back to New York from the Boston -friends rendered it easy for Dr. Blackwell to secure among her friends -the other half of the rent. However, we also needed money to furnish -and to prepare the house as a hospital and dispensary. But we hoped to -obtain this additional money from the Fair which had been so long in -preparation, and it was in connection with this that I again appeared -in Boston. - -It was then that I made the most valuable acquaintance of Mrs. E. D. -Cheney who has ever since been a true and devoted friend of the medical -education of women. - -This visit was rich in experience as I was introduced by my -acquaintances made in July to a great number of the leading women in -the anti-slavery cause. From these I learned how the anti-slavery -bazaars were managed, and I obtained a promise to provide a table at -our New York fair in December, as well as the names of several ladies -who would superintend it, so that accommodations for their sojourn in -New York might be made. Another table was promised by Dr. Blackwell’s -English friends to whom she had appealed by letters. - -I also visited a number of the smaller towns around Boston for the -same purpose but without success. A list of the Boston people in whose -houses I spoke, creating enthusiasm, and who subscribed towards the -half of the Infirmary rent as well as towards the table for the Fair, -is still in my possession and I will here copy the names: - - Miss Lucy Goddard - Miss Abby May - Miss Mary Jane Parkman - Mrs. George Hildreth - Mrs. George Hilliard - Miss Anna Lowell - Mrs. Mary G. Shaw - Mrs. Sarah S. Russell - Mrs. W. L. Garrison - Mrs. E. D. Cheney - Miss Sarah Clarke - Mrs. James Freeman Clarke - Mr. George W. Bond - Mr. Samuel E. Sewall - -besides a goodly number of others not so prominent in benevolent and -advanced work for women. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - - _Boston’s help for the Infirmary stimulates New York, sometimes to - unconscious humor--Meeting with Fanny Kemble--Dr. Zakrzewska obtains - entrée into the variety of social “circles” then existing--The Cary - sisters--Women of the Press--The educational circle--The esthetic - group--The so-called Free Lovers--The artistic circle--Mrs. Z.’s - social circle--The philanthropic circle--The Fourierites--The - demonstrating Spiritualists--Woman’s Rights meetings--Dr. Zakrzewska - and Horace Greeley opposing speakers in discussion on “Divorce”--Dr. - Emily urges Dr. Blackwell to give up New York for London, opposition - there being lessened by Florence Nightingale’s work--The Fair finally - materializes and is successful--Dr. Emily Blackwell returns from - Europe, making the third physician working upon the Infirmary plans. - (Twenty-seven years of age: 1856.)_ - - -Meanwhile, the letters from Dr. Emily Blackwell, who was completing her -medical studies in England, urged Dr. Blackwell to give up her life in -America and come to England as a more promising field for developing -the introduction of medical women into practice. - -But Dr. Blackwell held fast to the fact that in America the first -Woman’s Medical College (Philadelphia) had been in existence for -several years, and she felt that it would be unwise to desert this -beginning. - -The struggles of this little college were so great because all aids -to foster its growth were so hard to acquire; and also because many a -student withdrew from the school after a few months of attendance upon -learning what great obstacles were to be overcome in acquiring medical -knowledge and how great was the social prejudice against female medical -students. Hence, only the brave, the courageous, the determined, and -the financially equipped women could remain and weather the stormy days -of their student life. - -Thus it was felt best that the realization of the New York Infirmary -should be carried on; and Dr. Emily promised to interest her English -friends to contribute to the English table. Dr. Blackwell’s friends and -well-wishers began with great zeal to arrange sewing circles, while new -friends were acquired who were willing to assist in the charity even if -not inclined to the “reformers,” as we were called. - -An old lady, Mrs. T----, residing on Fifth Avenue, was one of the newly -acquired friends. She also wished to assist us by introducing us into -her circle and she invited me to her reception days which were held -from eleven to one--the fashionable hours at that time. - -The difficulty was not in my name, for it was very fashionable at -that time to introduce exiles and their friends into society, but -what should be my title? She said that I was too young to be called -“Madame”; and “Miss” would not sound well with my unpronounceable name -while “Doctor”--oh! no! she could not call me that; and “Doctress” was -not reputable. So, what? - -Then, what would I talk about? “Hospitals,” of course. Yes, of -course--and then she added, tolerantly, “Well, if you must talk on -hospitals, do not mention women doctors but say for the purpose of -‘training nurses,’ which is now so fashionable in England through Miss -Nightingale’s training at Kaiserswerth, Germany.” - -Another lady invited me to dine with her. And she remarked, “I shall be -all alone and we can talk your plans over without being disturbed or -ridiculed by my husband and sons. You see,” she added, “my daughters -are married and we hold by our fortune a position which would equal -that of a duchess in your country, so we must be very careful not to -offend good taste by inviting reformers without a thorough knowledge -of their plans.” When I replied that my ancestry was about as good as -her money as we dated our name back to 911, she was quite relieved and -asked permission to tell this fact to her friends in order to explain -her interest in me. - -Then there was the little incident which I never can forget, so -ludicrous did it appear to me, when Dr. Blackwell and I called upon -Fanny Kemble, and she most tragically exclaimed, “_Women_ -DOCTORS! NEVER!” - -During the summer months, Dr. Blackwell gained a number of new -acquaintances who, being inclined towards the elevation of woman’s -education, were sent to us by Dr. Harriot K. Hunt, of Boston. Among -these were Miss Elizabeth Peabody and Miss Anne Whitney (the latter -then known simply as a poet, now also as a sculptor) who interested -themselves deeply in our projects. And through them we became -acquainted with Mrs. Angelina Grimké Weld and her sister, Miss Sarah -Grimké, and Mrs. Spring, all these being our neighbors across the -Hudson, residing at Eagleswood. Other valuable aid came through Mrs. -Lucy Stone and Mrs. Antoinette Brown Blackwell who, sharing the home -with us, formed strong links with all the liberally inclined members of -the anti-slavery movement. My friend, Mary L. Booth, became of great -assistance to me, and I joined an association of women, called the -_Alpha_, of which she was secretary. - -There was a quiet revolution going on in all strata of social life. The -present generation can form only an approximate idea of the spirit of -the time in those years. New England transcendentalism had influenced -all intelligent people throughout the country. It was a real _Sturm -und Drang_ period which pervaded men and women alike. Abolitionism -was at its height. Everywhere, the _pros_ and _cons_ of the means to -abolish slavery was the topic of conversations and discussions. And -transcendentalism was interpreted into all kinds of _isms_ because -nobody could define its meaning. Thus it happened that there arose -a great many circles and cliques in which one or more theories were -nurtured. - -One of the pleasantest of these circles was that formed by the sisters, -Alice and Phœbe Cary, who kept open house every Sunday evening from -eight to eleven o’clock. These were not the fashionable, senseless -receptions of the present day, but real social gatherings where -everybody came regularly and often took up the conversation where -it was left unfinished the week before, or brought the new events -of the week for discussion. All was informal; no sitting down, the -little parlor often holding fifty or sixty guests, many representing -the press or politics; no refreshments except a pitcher of cold water -and glasses in the hall. Eminent men were always the center at these -gatherings--the names of Greeley, Colfax, Ripley, Garrison, and a host -of similar leaders were never wanting. - -This description answers very well for all the other circles. The -charm of all these gatherings consisted in the fact that they were not -receptions but places where everybody came regularly when disengaged -otherwise, or while in New York if not resident. No refreshments were -served but a liberal supply of ice water, with plenty of glasses, stood -in a little room or in the hall, while conversation or discussion or -music or even dancing formed the attraction. - -One circle was the promoter of women in the press, and this was -headed by Mrs. Elizabeth Oakes Smith. She held open house on Thursday -evenings, and here all the then-known press women, musicians and -artists met in the most liberal spirit. - -In the educational field were Mrs. Kirtland and Miss Haynes, who each -had the best school for young ladies but to whose houses invitations -were needed. - -The esthetic group, representing those who aspired to the cultivation -of the fine arts, and including exiles of renown, gathered at evening -receptions under the leadership of Mrs. X. In her elegant parlors every -one who was introduced by those already accepted was welcomed and -entertained with music, conversation and card playing. Mr. and Mrs. -George Hildreth could be found there week after week, as well as the -then most-renowned musicians and actors. - -Another very prominent circle was that of the Free Lovers, then so -called. Mrs. Grosvenor was called by Mr. Alcott, whom I first met at -her evenings, the “high priestess of free love.” This circle was most -frequented by all persons who represented any _ism_. Mr. Alcott -held his conversations often in this house. Messrs. Ripley, Greeley, -Albert Brisbane; the pianist, Gottschalk; the advocate of Spiritualism, -Andrew Jackson Davis; the communist, Stephen Pearl Andrews; -representatives of legislatures and of Congress; as well as literary -women and artists--all could here find people who were intellectually -congenial to them in this field of speculation. - -A purely artistic circle gathered at Miss Freeman’s studio apartments. -She being then the most prominent illustrator of books, drew around -her delightful aspirants in art and music. In her parlor, I met Miss -Charlotte Cushman, who kindly patronized me and my internes and -students after the New York Infirmary was established, by sending us -tickets to her performances. - -An important social circle gathered around Mrs. Z., the leader of taste -and fashion, who entertained in her elegant and spacious parlors. Here -also whist playing was cultivated under the leadership of Mr. George -Hildreth, who patiently taught me whenever I could join his table. - -The philanthropic circle was the smallest. Its leaders were Mr. -Charles Brace of “Five Points” fame, Mr. Peter Cooper, Miss Elizabeth -P. Peabody, and the Sedgwick family, of which Miss Catherine Sedgwick -was the most prominent member. I attended meetings of this circle -through Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell. - -Another important and active influence was exerted by the admirers of -the socialist Fourier. A movement was initiated similar to the Brook -Farm movement, in Boston. Mr. Marcus Spring had erected a phalanstery, -in Eagleswood, New Jersey, where ideal housekeeping, education, the -cultivation of literature and high-grade amusement were the objects -pursued. To this phase of social life, I was introduced through Mrs. -Theodore Weld, Miss Sarah Grimké, Miss Elizabeth P. Peabody and Mrs. -Horace Mann. Menial labor was abhorred, in contradistinction to Brook -Farm ideas; the culture of mind and of body was preëminent, and Mr. -Theodore Weld was the High Priest. - -A strange center was that of the demonstrating Spiritualists, who -were held together by Mrs. Cleveland and her sister, Mrs. Horace -Greeley. Here, as it happened, abolitionists appeared most prominently, -and general invitations to the house were extended only during the -“Convention Week” in May. The Fox Sisters have been said to perform -wonderful feats on such occasions. I never witnessed any, as each time -that I happened to be present disturbing elements were said to prevent -the materialization of the spirits. Soon after this, the Fox Sisters -joined the Roman Catholic Church and were said to have confessed that -all their performances were well-arranged deceptions. - -Thus I became acquainted with the leading minds who agitated the -public, and who helped to advance our plans for the establishment of a -hospital where women physicians could prove their capacity and skill by -attending sick women and children. - -Unfortunately, Dr. Blackwell was not in general harmony with these -different phases of social development; on the contrary, she often -felt repelled by the theories advanced by them. And I was not only -interested and instructed in the various ways of freedom of thought -and speech, but also greatly amused by the frequent extravaganzas and -oddities of persons and occurrences, especially at the Anti-Slavery -meetings and, later, at the so-called Woman’s Rights conventions. - -For instance, on one occasion Mrs. Ernestine L. Rose was speaking, when -a mob of men was determined to quiet her by making unseemly noises. -A handsome, delicate little woman, she stood silent on the platform -listening to the roaring of these men. All at once they became quiet, -impressed by her statuelike dignity, and one of the disturbers called -out, “Go on, old steamboat!” to which she calmly replied, “As soon -as you have done.” She then spoke for a whole hour without further -interruption. - -Similar interruptions can be related by Lucy Stone and Antoinette -Brown Blackwell. Both of these ladies at that time formed part of Dr. -Elizabeth Blackwell’s family, in New York, which was presided over -by the most genial, kind and efficient old lady, Mrs. Blackwell, the -mother. - -A great misfortune for us was that the components of these circles, -while not exactly poor, were certainly not rich. All the assistance -which they could give us was in good will and good wishes. Yet these -were of great help after all, for they opened channels which led us to -the well-to-do. These latter were influenced by motives of philanthropy -and also by the general awakening of the spirit which began to demand -nobler fields of action than the providing of mere physical comforts. -They also opened the way for us to friends such as Mr. George W. -Curtis, Rev. O. B. Frothingham (then in Newark), Rev. Henry Ward -Beecher, Drs. McCready, Kissam and Porter, Rev. Mr. Bellows, Rev. Mr. -Chapin, Dr. Tuthill (one of the editors of the New York _Times_) -and his wife and sister; Mrs. R. G. Shaw (mother of Col. Robert Shaw), -Mrs. Marcus Spring, the Misses Sedgwick, Mrs. Howland and many others, -who came to our assistance and turned the social scale somewhat in our -favor. - -I might here record an experience which I had as a member of what we -would now call a “Woman’s Club,” and which was named the “Alpha.” This -association was composed of women who were striving for the advancement -of women. Its leader and president was Mrs. Lyons, Miss Mary L. Booth -was secretary, and Miss Sarah Tuthill was treasurer. Its meetings were -held alternately at the houses of Mrs. Lyons and Miss Booth. It also -held social gatherings several times during the year, and to these -gentlemen were invited and asked to take part in the discussions. -Among these latter were Horace Greeley and George Ripley, but there -were also all persons well known in literary or professional life. - -At one of these latter meetings the divorce question was made the -subject for discussion, and Mr. Horace Greeley was appointed to take -the negative side and I the affirmative. As I was with and in the -spirit of the times in discussing the subject, it was decided by the -judges that I had the better of the argument. - -Mr. Greeley was so excited and provoked that he said, “Then, Madam, -I understand that a man has the right to say to his wife on Sunday -morning when he finds that a button is missing on his shirt, ‘Wife, I -demand that we get divorced!’” - -All were rather confounded by his argument and looked dubiously at me. -Fortunately, my wits were previously rather excited, and so I replied: - -“Mr. Greeley, the sooner such a man seeks a divorce from his wife, the -better for her, because if he considers such a trifle as he mentions a -cause for divorce, he is not married in the sense he ought to be.” - -This incident he related soon afterward in the _Tribune_, with -the addition of pointing out the danger to which the “thinking” of -women will lead. And he markedly ignored me whenever by chance we met -afterward. - -All these experiences were of great interest and advantage to me -personally, and I developed all these opportunities for forwarding my -plans and gaining friends, little by little, for the idea of employing -women physicians. But the main object at that time was to gain friends -for the proposed Fair in December. - -As I now look back on that time when a little pin-cushion or mat was -presented for this enterprise and think how joyful we were, as we saw -in every little gift the desired dollar, or even fifty cents, and then -compare that state of affairs with the present, when we calmly announce -that ten thousand dollars must be raised by a Fair, I cannot hope to -describe the happy emotion which I then felt over the gift of fifty -cents. - -It is not the size of the gift or the amount of money which it -represents which swells our breast with thankfulness and happiness. -It is, after all, the sympathy which the gift conveys which makes its -value, and this value is greatest when such sympathy is most needed. - -Oh! the golden time of Youth and Hope! How little we improve the -chances in our later years to assist the young in their aspirations! -And thus do we deprive both them and ourselves of that which means true -happiness, namely, sympathetic relations between on the one hand, those -who keep the world and its interests moving by their aspirations; and, -on the other hand, those who have retired, often with disappointment, -because of the little they could effect individually. - -It is youth and the superior wisdom of the young, no matter whether -they have it in reality or only in their imagination, which leads -humanity onward toward the millennium. Humanity is, and must remain, -young; and no olden times are worthy of being held up as an example. - -Meanwhile, letters from Dr. Emily Blackwell, who was continuing her -studies in England, came cheeringly with promises of help towards the -Fair. But she also continued to urge the abandonment of the work in the -United States and its transference to London, where a desire to promote -the education of medical women had begun to manifest itself after -Miss Florence Nightingale had so successfully shown the necessity of -educating nurses in their profession. - -One of the great advantages in such transference to England urged upon -Dr. Blackwell was that we would not there have to live down or fight -the nefarious and criminal practice which was being carried on chiefly -in New York City, but also more or less in smaller places, and which by -its advertising in the newspapers had created such a strong prejudice -against “Doctresses,” as its practitioners were styled. - -We were obliged to place the intention of training nurses in the -foreground when appealing for sympathy or assistance in our work, in -order to get any kind of hearing among the philanthropists, or in -sending articles to the newspapers. - -Finally, in November, we saw the result of our efforts becoming -substantiated in boxes, in baskets, in trunks and in the closets, so -that we now were ready to decide upon a locality where we might offer -our treasures to the benevolent of New York City. - -Dr. Blackwell called a meeting in her parlors of all the ladies who -had interested themselves during the summer, and we discussed halls, -as well as vestries, which might prove attractive to the public, and -a committee was appointed to visit the different places and to seek -interviews with those in control of them. - -I was, of course, one of the members of the committee, and we decided -to go to the places in groups of two or three and to report the result -at the end of a week. In less than three days, however, the chairman -called a meeting of the committee because of the experiences of the -three groups who had spent two days from morning till evening visiting -the agents of the different desirable, and even undesirable, locations. -Everywhere they had received the same answer, namely, “We don’t want to -have anything to do with women doctors or irresponsible ladies wishing -to hold a Fair in our place.” - -Not the proposition to pay in advance nor the promise that we should -not advertise the fact that it was intended to furnish a hospital for -female physicians, as they were then called, could soften the hearts of -these men, who simply closed all discussion by saying, “It is not our -custom to deal with ladies.” Even the kind words of Dr. Bellows could -not induce the men of his church to allow us the use of their vestry. -What was to be done? - -A general meeting was again called, and the husband of one of the -committee, Mrs. Haydock, suggested that we hire a large loft in a -building, in the business quarters, of which he had control. This was -an unfinished room with a bare floor of unplaned boards with numerous -knot holes and protruding nails. It had no fixtures for lighting and -no ornaments overhead but rough beams and rafters. Another lady of the -committee proposed to send her parlor chandeliers to be connected with -the gas pipes; while a friend of Dr. Blackwell made a drawing showing -how to cover bare, rough walls with evergreens and wreaths. Others -loaned rugs for the floor and draperies for the walls, and we used -evergreens to conceal the bareness above. - -The necessity to have a place at all caused us to accept these -propositions and, in spite of three long rough flights of stairs, -we advertised our Fair largely and also the motive for holding it, -praising its arrangements and enlarging upon its novelty as well as -upon its choice goods. We charged ten cents admission and we drew -a good attendance for four days, realizing six hundred dollars net -profit. And what an immense sum this seemed to us all! - - - - -CHAPTER XX - - _Opening of the New York Infirmary, both dispensary and - hospital--Details of its arrangement and furnishing--Dr. Zakrzewska - is resident physician and instructor to the students, and also - superintendent and housekeeper, while carrying on her private - practice and consulting in the Out-Practice--Sample record of one - day’s work--Four resident students from the Philadelphia medical - college--Incidents in practice--Mobbing of the Infirmary following - death of a patient. (Twenty-eight years of age: 1856-1857.)_ - - -We at once entered into negotiation for the house we had in view and -obtained the refusal of it for the 1st of March, 1857. We also ordered -the twenty-four iron bedsteads needed, for the sum of one hundred -dollars, and all the ladies went to work begging and preparing house -linen, so that when the year closed we held a most joyful New Year’s -Day, and received so many congratulations that we actually thought -ourselves in the command of thousands of dollars. - -The house was an old-fashioned mansion of the Dutch style, at the -corner of Bleecker and Crosby Streets, just at the outer end of what -was called the “Five Points,” fully respectable on the Bleecker Street -side, and full of patients and misery on the other side and at the -rear. And we spent the few weeks which elapsed before we could begin to -arrange it in getting the good will of editors, ministers and business -men, in order that we might procure the means for carrying on a charity -for which we had nothing but an empty purse. - -Dr. Blackwell’s influence among the Quakers, many of them rich, and -Miss Mary L. Booth’s indefatigable notices in the newspapers, opened to -us the ways of procuring the necessary materials for the dispensary, -which occupied the lower front room. It contained a consulting desk, -an examination table behind a large screen, shelves for medicines and -a table for preparing the ingredients of prescriptions. The front -entrance hall was comfortably arranged with settees for the patients -to wait their turn. Donations from several wholesale druggists were -received, and second-hand furniture suitable for our purposes was -cheaply acquired. - -A door was put in to separate the back hall from the front hall, and -in this back hall was placed a large stove which heated the stairways, -there being no furnace in the house. This back hall also served as a -dining room for the officers, while the large kitchen opening into it -was ample for all culinary purposes and also allowed space for the -servants’ dining table. - -The second floor was arranged for two wards, each containing six beds; -while the third floor was made into a maternity department, the little -hall room serving as a sitting room for the physicians. Open grate coal -fires provided the only heat throughout the house. - -The fourth, or attic, floor contained four rooms--two large ones and -two small ones, with a square hall in the center. The two large rooms -served as sleeping rooms, one for four students and the other for -three servants. One of the small rooms served a similar purpose for the -resident physician and one student, while the other was the much needed -store and trunk room. As the attic was rather low studded, the doors -were all kept open, and the skylight of the center hall was kept lifted -except during a storm. - -These apartments were furnished with such material as benevolence -provided. It was the most curious mixture of elegant old furniture and -cheap stands and chairs, without any comfort or system, each of us -doing the best we could with our belongings as the house was almost -entirely devoid of closet room. - -Into this primitive, first true “Woman’s Hospital” in the world, I -moved in March, superintending all its arrangements, with the kind -assistance of a few ladies appointed by the now organized board of -directors. We ventured to hire one servant to clean, wash and do -general work, as I was the only inmate until the house was regularly -and formally opened on May 1, 1857. - -Dr. Blackwell was aided in procuring speakers by Dr. Emily who had -returned from Europe a few weeks before this memorable event. Henry -Ward Beecher, Dr. William Elder from Philadelphia and Dr. Kissam, -a prominent New York physician who was in favor of our experiment, -carried out the program and solemnized the undertaking, while the -audience, seated among the snowy white little beds, felt proud of -having accomplished so much. - -But even here my proposition to have one of the Drs. Blackwell also -speak and explain our intentions was refused by our patrons, because it -was feared that she might speak “like a Woman’s Rights woman.” So we -remained in the background, in the most elated spirits yet modest in -appearance. - -A sign on the front door told the purpose of the house, and very soon -our old patrons of the Tompkins Square Dispensary found their way to -the now comparatively speaking, quite stylish place. And before a month -had passed, we had our beds filled with patients and a daily attendance -of thirty and more dispensary patients. Drs. Elizabeth and Emily -Blackwell and myself each attended the dispensary two mornings in the -week, from nine to twelve, while four students from the Philadelphia -college came to live in the hospital in the capacity of internes, -apothecaries and pupils of nursing. - -The students spent thus their summer months between their lecture -terms in Philadelphia, grateful to have at last an opportunity to see -actual practice. Of course, they had to pay for this opportunity, three -dollars a week for board, as the establishment could not afford to feed -them. - -We also had two nurses, one for the general wards and one for the -maternity department. They were both unskilled and considered the -training as more than sufficient equivalent for their services, -receiving simply an allowance of two dollars per week for their -necessary clothing. Thus we kept true to our promise to begin at once -a system for training nurses, although the time specified for that -purpose was only six months. However, one woman remained with us for -several years, and in the course of time she became invaluable as head -nurse. - -As for myself, I occupied a peculiar position. I was resident -physician, superintendent, housekeeper and instructor to the students -of whom none was graduated, so that I had the full responsibility of -all their activities, both inside and outside the little hospital. In -order to give an idea of the situation, I want to relate from my notes -the record of one day of my work. - -At 5:30 A. M., I started in an omnibus for the wholesale market, -purchasing provisions for a week, and at 8:00, I was back to breakfast. -This consisted, for all inmates except patients, of tea, bread and -butter, Indian meal mush and syrup, every morning except Sundays when -coffee and breakfast bacon were added. - -After breakfast, I made my visit to the patients in the house with -two of the students, while the other two students attended upon Dr. -Blackwell in the dispensary. Then a confinement case arrived and I -attended to her, giving orders to students and nurses. After this, I -descended into the kitchen department, as the provisions had arrived, -and with the assistance of the cook I arranged all these so as to -preserve the materials, and I settled the diet for all as far as -possible. - -I then took another omnibus ride to the wholesale druggist, begging and -buying needed articles for the dispensary and the hospital, arriving -home at 1:00 P. M. for dinner. This consisted every day of a good soup, -the soup meat, potatoes, one kind of well-prepared vegetable, with -fruit for dessert. On Sundays, we had a roast or a steak, while in the -winter we occasionally had poultry when this was sent in as a donation -and when the amount was more than was needed for the patients. - -After dinner, I usually went out to see my private patients, because -receiving no compensation I depended upon my earnings for personal -needs. On this day, however, I was detained by the confinement case -mentioned and could not go out till 5:00 P. M., returning at 7:00 P. -M. for tea. This always consisted of bread and butter, tea and sauce -or cheese or fresh gingerbread. After again making the rounds of the -patients in the house, it was 9:00 o’clock. - -Then the students assembled with me in the little hall room, I cutting -out towels or pillow cases or other needed articles for the house or -the patients, while the students folded or even basted the articles for -the sewing machine as they recited their various lessons for the day. -After their recital, I gave them verbal instruction in midwifery. We -finished the work of the day by 11:30, as I never allowed any one to be -out of bed after midnight unless detained by a patient. - -This day is a fair illustration of our life. If I had not food to -provide, it was something else; if not drugs, it was drygoods; and -if neither, I attended the dispensary at least two forenoons, and if -either of the Drs. Blackwell was prevented by private business from -attending her regular forenoon, I attended in her place. - -The strain upon us all, added to the very meager diet, was immense, -and it became a necessity to provide relaxations. So I arranged that -during the summer, once a month, we all went on a picnic during an -afternoon in the hills across the Hudson; and in the winter, once a -month, we went to a good theater which was near by, and where we often -saw Joseph Jefferson, Laura Keene, Karl Formes or Brignoli. These -entertainments were highly refreshing, and, what was very important, -they were cheap; theater prices were then very moderate and simple -picnics were furnished at low rates. - -Oh! how delightful were those days, in their youthful enthusiasm and -filled with hopes. They were full of hard work, both day and night, for -our out-door poor practice increased almost faster than the dispensary -morning clinics, but a few leisure hours once in a while were enjoyed -as we had never before in our lives enjoyed the most desirable events -or festivities. - -Also, we were patronized by those families who, in favor of our medical -work as reformers, often invited us to their receptions where we -enjoyed intellectual diversion. Among others already mentioned were -the Sunday evenings at the house of the sisters, Alice and Phœbe Cary, -where distinguished men and women filled the homelike parlors and -partook of plenty of ice water as refreshment. - -Another house open to us was that of Mrs. Oakes Smith, where art and -literature were represented. Another was that of the leading lady of -fashion, Mrs. Cole, where whist and music formed the entertaining -pleasures. Here I felt especially at home with Mr. George Hildreth as -whist partner, his being almost deaf giving me a fine opportunity to be -diverted without exertion when too tired even to talk. - -To be seen and noticed in these circles was an advantage to medical -women and to our little hospital, for, in spite of our very simple -diet and the plain living of the patients, we were always in debt; and -we had to make great efforts to raise money, holding even a little -Sale again before Christmas. This Sale was held in our own wards, -the patients being removed for a whole week, but we raised the two -thousand, six hundred dollars which was the cost of our first year’s -experiment, not including the rent which was pledged, as already told. - -It was a great oversight and much to be regretted, that we considered -this hospital experiment and ourselves of so little importance in -themselves that no printed report had been preserved until the year -1868, that is, eleven years from the time we opened the Infirmary. - -I have also only very imperfect private notes, but I find that the -expense, all in all, including the board of the students, was a little -over two thousand, six hundred dollars, from May 1, 1857, to May 1, -1858; and that the average morning dispensary attendance was thirty; -while the in-door patients were about one hundred during the year. But -we had a very large out-door practice, one of the four students alone, -Dr. Mary E. Breed, attending fourteen cases of childbed in one month; -while I was often sent for in the night to assist them with advice when -their knowledge was not sufficient. - -The practical gain to these young women was so great that they were -not only devoted, hardworking and conscientious in their professional -duties, but they were more than willing to bear great physical -discomfort, as well as the ridicule which they encountered when they -attempted to demand the recognition and the respect due to their -calling. Everywhere among the better situated people, they met with -discouraging remarks and questions, giving evidence that the opinion -was that the practice of medicine by women would, in the course -of time, be impossible, even if the present few were received as -exceptions, or as the novelties of a fad. And the greatest tact was -called for in accommodating ourselves and our work to the need of even -the poorest people. - -I may here describe one picture which memory recalls. Dr. Breed had -been attending a difficult case of childbirth, in a negro quarter, and -she called on me for consultation and assistance. - -I entered a room which seemed filled with people of all sizes, and with -faces shading from pitch black through all colors to what seemed pure -Caucasian. This latter was the woman in the corner, near the table on -which stood the lamp, and she was just being delivered of a mulatto -baby by the doctor. - -The rest of the swarm were both male and female, of whom the woman in -the corner claimed eight or more. We did not concern ourselves with the -relationship of the remainder, as they all seemed perfectly healthy and -did not require our attention. It seems to me that there must have been -about twenty-four persons in that room, to judge from the number of -beds and the air. - -We medical women all went home together at about one o’clock in the -morning. It is strange to say but we had no fear about going to these -squalid places, and there really was no need of fear either. - -The greatest politeness and attention was given to our students when -they were once accepted and, as in this case, the young doctor had to -be nurse and comforter during the whole day, as well as doctor at the -moment of crisis. - -She felt quite safe during her stay and was provided with fresh -milk--which she drank from the tin can of the store in which it was -bought; and she ate the pie from the paper in which it was wrapped. She -felt strong and at ease, and happy to have the opportunity to exercise -her best influence during the twenty hours of her stay--which may or -may not have sowed some seed for the better. - -At any rate, gratefulness was gained in more than one way, for this -kind of people being more or less under the control of the police and -of missionaries at large, did much to spread a good reputation for us -and for our work. In this way, women physicians became known and sought -by just the class in whom they were interested and among whom they -desired to work. - -The need for the friendliness of the police towards us I can illustrate -here also. A woman died in the hospital after childbirth. We had -informed the many relations whom the poor and forsaken usually possess -of the seriousness of the case. There was always one woman of the -kinship at the bedside of the patient for about sixty hours before the -death, which took place in the forenoon. - -It was not an hour after this sad occurrence before all the cousins -who had relieved each other at the bedside appeared, with their male -cousins or husbands in working attire and with pickaxes and shovels, -before our street door, demanding admission and shouting that the -female physicians who resided within were killing women in childbirth -with cold water. - -Of course, an immense crowd collected, filling the block between us and -Broadway, hooting and yelling and trying to push in the doors, both on -the street and in the yard; so that we were beleaguered in such a way -that no communication with the outside was possible. We could not call -to the people who were looking out of the windows in the neighboring -houses, our voices being drowned by the noise of the mob. - -At this juncture the policeman who had charge of Bleecker Street and -the one from Broadway came running up to the scene. On learning the -complaint of the men, they commanded silence and ordered the crowd to -disperse, telling them that they knew the doctors in that hospital -treated the patients in the best possible way, and that no doctor could -keep everybody from dying some time. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - - _Social success--Growth of private practice--Professional - recognition--Consulting staff of leading medical men for - Infirmary--Occasional opening of some dispensary clinics to women - students who there introduce a needed reform--Incident of Dr. J. - Marion Sims, and why a woman was not appointed assistant surgeon - in the New York Woman’s Hospital of which he was chief--Second - mobbing of the Infirmary following death of a patient--Definite - beginning of training of nurses--Trying experience of two fires in - neighborhood--Dr. Zakrzewska’s health begins to show effects of - overstrain--Inquiring visitors from all parts of the United States and - even from England. (Twenty-nine years of age: 1857-1859.)_ - - -During the winter of 1857-1858, our entrance into the social circles -already mentioned was an immense help to the spreading of the idea of -women physicians through our meeting what was then called the “higher -kind of Bohemians,” among whom were preëminently women artists, -aspiring journalists and dramatic students. Although we medical women -were not cordially accepted, as only a few of them dared to make our -acquaintance, our repeated weekly appearances (as one or more of us -made it a point to attend these receptions, no matter how tired we -were) familiarized these small publics with the thought that women -doctors are as good as anybody. - -The fashion then was to attend these “socials” regularly; and -_social_ they became. They were not stiff and meaningless as is -the present fashion, where one goes once or twice during the whole -season, shakes hands with the hosts, says some nothings, meets friends -and foes and says more nothings, shakes many hands without knowing why, -and takes some refreshment in thimble cups, which is no refreshment -so scanty is it in quantity and so poor in quality, mere elegant -nothings only pretty to look upon. No; in those years, receptions meant -intellectual recognition, social grace, conversation, and enjoyment in -whatever suited the different tastes, whether a song, or some music, or -a quiet game of whist in a retired corner; and no “refreshment” to make -a show of pretense, but simply plenty of good ice water. - -Among these good people, of whom many have since become of eminence in -literature and in art, we gradually developed professionally a small -clientele who, if not paying in lucre, paid with grateful remembrance -in speaking of us, spreading the idea of us and occasionally writing -little articles concerning the New York Infirmary for the leading -papers and journals. - -I much regret not to be in possession of any of these writings for, as -I remember them now, they seem to me so juvenile, so absolutely simple -in their tenor, that it might appeal to our sense of humor to read them -in the present altered position of women physicians. - -For instance, the public was assured that none of us wore short -hair like men, but dressed gracefully within the fashion; that we -appeared neat in costume, nothing extraordinary indicating our calling, -etc., etc. The only disagreeable thing which they found in us was -that we objected to being called “Doctress,” but insisted upon the -neutral appellation of “Doctor of Medicine.” This led even to lengthy -discussions as to “whether the English language would conform to such a -title for a woman.” - -However, this publicity helped “the Cause” and, strange to say, -men were the first who took to the innovation of employing a woman -physician by advising their daughters and wives to avail themselves of -our services. - -Thus, at the end of the year 1857, I had quite a comfortable private -practice established. And I took great pains to assure those to whose -families I ministered that, year by year, an increase of better women -doctors would be the consequence of widening their practical experience -and giving them equality of opportunity with the men physicians. - -Here my notes read very sanguine, as some of the men highest in -professional standing were exceedingly friendly, both professionally -and privately; and it is with deep gratitude that I mention the names -of Drs. Kissam, Willard Parker, McCready, Aigner and Buck, who gave us -their most cordial assistance. - -Dr. Kissam, a prominent obstetrician, was on our consulting staff and -he became quite friendly to our students, though still believing that -Dr. Blackwell and I were exceptions to all womankind. Dr. McCready, -attending physician at Bellevue Hospital, was another one who had put -aside prejudice. The influence of these men procured for our students -attendance at some of the larger dispensaries. In one, the Eastern -Dispensary, Dr. Aigner, one of the Austrian exiles and a man of high -education, took a sincere interest in the whole movement. - -When our students expressed their surprise that no books of patients -were kept in these large and rich institutions, no records of cases -or prescriptions retained, in fact, that no methodical system was -followed, these men inquired into our doings and came and looked -through our system, by means of which every patient could be -traced--the name, residence, diagnosis, treatment and subsequent -course. This was a revelation to them; as it was further when I told -them that I never allowed in out-door practice any student to give -a prescription without signing her name to it. Thus, in case of any -question being raised as to mistake in the prescription or mistake by -the druggist (who was by no means in those years always a professional -person in that line, but often a mere business man who opened an -apothecary store), this signature would always tell where to place the -responsibility for the writing of the prescription. - -At that time I did not realize, as I do now, that these men, like all -those whose position is fully established both professionally and -financially, could afford to step outside the pale of professional -custom and take up what was not recognized in the strict sense of -common daily life. - -It is the insecure, struggling physician who is hostile to the woman -innovator, actually fearing for his bread and butter much more than -for any alleged inferiority of intellect or of professional skill in -the woman, although these latter have always been used as the war cry -against women doctors. - -The Boston _Medical and Surgical Journal_, Feb. 16, 1853, -expresses this point of view in an editorial on female physicians, -apropos of Dr. Hunt’s receiving an honorary degree of M.D. from the -Female Medical College of Pennsylvania. It says: - - It is not a matter to be laughed down as readily as was at first - anticipated. The serious inroads made by female physicians in - obstetrical business, one of the essential branches of income to a - majority of well-established practitioners, makes it natural enough to - inquire what course it is best to pursue. - -Among the young men at that time, Dr. J. Marion Sims played such a -peculiar rôle and one which is so characteristic that I must relate it -here. Dr. Sims had come from the South to New York in 1853, poor and -unknown. He had perfected an important operation which was based on a -German theory, but for which no material to practice on could be found -either in Europe or America, until he was able to utilize the negro -slave women. Dr. Sims quotes “the great Würtzer, of Germany”; and he -told me by word of mouth that he had operated one hundred and eleven -times before he had the first success. This first success followed the -performance of the thirtieth operation upon one of the six or seven -slave women upon whom he had unlimited freedom for experimentation. - -As it happened, Dr. Sims was introduced into the same social circle in -which we were acquainted, and learning from certain members that they -were enthusiastically interested in women physicians, he advanced in -a year’s time in such a friendly manner that he had hard work to live -down his friendly advances when he later learned from his professional -brethren, as well as from a wider public, that women physicians were -by no means popular and could in no way forward his plans. However, he -remained outwardly polite to the Drs. Blackwell and myself, inviting -us to his operations in the then small beginning of the Woman’s -Hospital, but excusing himself from further assistance to medical -women as a hindrance to the philanthropic enterprise of enlarging the -above-mentioned institution. - -Dr. Sims stood on common ground with the women physicians in that he -also found the medical profession unfriendly, and realized that his -only hope of establishing himself was to open a hospital for himself. -He says in his autobiography, which was published under the title of -_The Story of My Life_, “I said to myself, ‘I am a lost man unless -I can get somebody to create a place in which I can show the world what -I am capable of doing.’ This was the inception of the idea of a woman’s -hospital.... If the profession had received me kindly in New York and -had acted honorably and gentlemanly and generously towards me, I would -not have thought of building a woman’s hospital.... When I left Alabama -for New York, I had no idea of the sort in the world. I came simply for -a purpose the most unselfish in the world--that of prolonging my life.” - -While no more fortunate than the women physicians in enlisting the -coöperation of the medical profession, Dr. Sims had greater success -with some prominent and wealthy women, who eventually established the -hospital for him. The work of Dr. Blackwell and the movement in favor -of women physicians had evidently made an impression upon these women -also, because they adopted a by-law providing that “the assistant -surgeon should be a woman”; and Dr. Blackwell and her sister, Dr. -Emily, both well-qualified by their added clinical training in Europe, -were the logical candidates for this position. - -Dr. Sims cynically refers to this by-law as follows: “One clause of -the by-laws provided that the assistant surgeon should be a woman. I -appointed Mrs. Browne, a widowed sister of my friend, Henri L. Stuart, -who had been so efficient in organizing the hospital. She was matron -and general superintendent.” - -Six months later, he told the board of lady managers that he must have -an assistant. He then offered this position, successively, to two young -men who had just been graduated and who declined it. His third choice -was made because the man had married a young Southern friend of his -youth! - -Returning to the friendly physicians mentioned above, they dared -to introduce our students into their dispensary clinics, and they -gave clinical instruction to us at the Infirmary, thus helping on -gratuitously the few women who were struggling faithfully to fit -themselves for their responsible calling. It was the more estimable -in these men that their audience was a small one whenever they came -to our hospital during the winter evenings, the largest number never -exceeding six. And they were always ready to come in consultation, even -if they were requested to attend the same case repeatedly. - -My heart is still full of joy when I think how kind and helpful these -men were in protecting us in this way; and even, also, against brutal -assault, as, for instance, in a case of appendicitis to which Dr. -Kissam had been every other day in consultation and which ended in -death. His advice had been the application of cold water compresses, -which were in vogue at that time. - -On the morning following the day on which the patient died, a number -of men appeared before the Infirmary, demanding entrance and creating -within ten minutes a large mob to whom they were talking loudly, -declaring that this was an institution of some cranky women who killed -people with cold water. I had found means for sending a messenger from -the back door to Dr. Kissam, and it was through his presence that no -harm was done to the institution. He addressed the mob and advised the -disturbed people to have a coroner sent for to make an examination -in the presence of twelve of themselves as a jury. It was a sight -to behold--these poor distraught men in overalls, with dirty hands, -disheveled hair and grim faces, standing by during the autopsy, and -at its close, declaring their satisfaction that death had been an -unavoidable consequence of the disease. - -New Year’s Day, 1858, was one of the brightest and pleasantest winter -days we ever enjoyed. A friend to women physicians had placed money in -my hands for gifts to our faithful servants; and another friend sold to -me at half price a whole piece of thibet, so that I was able to present -each one of my hardworking women with a dress, as well as with some -sweetmeats, all of which were duly appreciated. - -Perhaps nobody, nowadays, can understand the willingness and devotion -of the women who assisted me in carrying on this primitive little -hospital: who were willing to work hard, in and out of hours; who fared -extremely plainly and lodged almost to uncomfortableness; yet who felt -that a good work was being accomplished for all womankind. And this was -true of all--students, nurses and domestic help. - -The eight months of experiment had stimulated us all with great hope -for the future, and we now began to make more positive plans for -the education and training of nurses. The first two who presented -themselves for this training were superior women, one a German, the -other an American, but neither was willing to give a longer time than -four months, during which they received no compensation except their -keeping and one weekly lesson from me on the different branches of -nursing. - -After these left, it was again a German woman who presented herself, -and who, after four months’ training, remained as head nurse for -several years. The second pupil nurse was sometimes of American, -sometimes of Irish, descent and nothing remarkable. - -This whole year had nothing special to note except that the press -began to take a little more favorable notice of our doings and was -ready to speak in favor of a Fair which again was arranged for at -the end of the year; and this publicity spread the idea of women’s -competency to take care of sick people. - -We had constant applications from students to share in the experience -of practice which we offered, and who were willing to live outside in -order to attend the dispensary; while the number of patients in daily -attendance at this latter increased so rapidly that we had to establish -the rule of locking the door against admission after a certain hour. - -Among the applicants were all sorts of extremists--such as women -in very short Bloomer costume, with hair cut also very short, to -whom the patients objected most strenuously; others were training -as practitioners in a water-cure establishment, and wished to avail -themselves of our out-door practice in order to introduce their -theories and methods of healing. In fact, we were overrun with advisers -and helpers whom we had to refuse. Popular prejudices could be overcome -only in the most careful and conservative manner; and even our most -ardent friends and supporters shared to a certain degree in the feeling -of uncertainty as to the success of our experiment. - -Personally, I received during this year great comfort in the -acquaintances and lifelong friendships gained. And the recollection -of these friends calls forth such a deep feeling of gratitude for -their devotion in our work of love, and for their trust in me, and of -admiration for their high purpose to serve humanity, that I consider -it worth while to have lived if for no other reason than to realize -through them the goodness of womankind. - -So the year closed upon us as one which had brought great satisfaction -in all we expected to gain, professionally and as bearers of a new -idea. Youth was with us all, and our hopes of success knew no limit. We -were the happiest, even if materially the poorest, of a group of women -which included friends engaged in different lines of work, such as -journalism, art and music. Of these, none identified herself so closely -with us as Mary L. Booth, later editor of _Harper’s Bazar_, who -spent every Sunday with us, and who often shared my room and bed when -she was out at night as reporter of the New York _Times_ too late -to return to her home in Williamsburg. - -Oh! happy days! Springtime of life! It was the “May” which never -returns to the human being, and the beauty of which we realize only -long after it has passed. Memories of these glorious days keep with -us and reconcile us to the many sad, dark, anxious and trying hours -through which we all have to pass in one form or another. These latter -make us wiser, perhaps, but certainly not happier, even though we have -struggled successfully through the years and feel that we should be -contented with what we have accomplished. - -Still, there was a dark side to my experience during that year. The -sick headaches, to which I had been subject off and on since childhood, -came upon me quite often and very unexpectedly, evidently due to the -overstraining of all my forces, physical and mental, and I was quite -often obliged to relinquish some very important duties. - -Before leaving this year’s record, I must add a few remarks concerning -our work, that is, mine and that of the ten or twelve students who had -been connected with the Infirmary now for twenty months. - -The prejudice against women physicians was by no means confined to that -stratum of society where education and wealth nurtured the young. We -found it just as strong, through habit and custom, among the working -people and among the very poorest of the poor. Their coming to our -dispensary was not _a priori_ appreciation of the woman physician, -but was the result of faith in the _extraordinary_, just as now -faith-curers with other claims are sought and consulted in illness. - -Our work was that of real missionaries. Even among the well-to-do and -intelligent, little or nothing was known of hygiene. If “a goneness in -the stomach” was felt, whisky, brandy or a strong tonic was resorted -to for relief. Diet, rest and the sensible use of water were never -considered. - -So among the poor we found everywhere bad air, filth and utter -disregard of food. And sponges, as well as soap, were carried in the -satchels of our young medical women along with the necessary implements -of the physician. And the former were given to the patients’ friends, -after showing them the use of water and soap in fever cases as well as -in ordinary illness. It was an innovation in the minds of the people, -the teaching that sick people must be bathed and kept clean, and that -fresh air was not killing. - -The good results obtained by the addition of these sanitary auxiliaries -whose use was permitted only through our persuasion, created almost a -superstitious faith in us and resulted in sending to us patients from -a distance of ten and twelve miles from Bleecker Street. This made -increased demands on our physical and nervous powers, for we made it a -point not to refuse any person if it were at all possible to see her. - -Thus we placed foundation stones here and there all over Manhattan -Island upon which to build our superstructure of medical practice by -women. In this respect, as in all solid production in nature and in -civilization, a sound foundation must be created first. No reform, -no culture can be successful if we limit ourselves to the higher -intellects. We must under all conditions be careful not to speak over -the heads of the mentally mediocre crowd. - -The soil in which the seed is sown must be examined, then prepared, and -then cultivated in the most prudent and careful manner--only then can -we expect to have the seed take root and grow. - -The gaining of confidence is not obtained by showing your own -superiority; nay, it is by hiding this latter and allowing the persons -whom you want to benefit to think well of themselves, yet continuing -to lead them, indirectly, to the idea that there is a possibility of -their bettering themselves. Only by such a proceeding is it possible -to bring about confidence; then an attachment follows and, finally, a -dependence upon your higher wisdom which will always end in admiration -and gratitude. Whenever this is not the case, it shows failure in our -having been wise, or kind, or comprehending of the situation; in -short, it is the fault of the would-be benefactor. - -We had two strange accidents in the neighborhood during that year. Our -backyard and outbuildings faced the rear of a livery stable containing -more than forty horses. This stable took fire one afternoon about five -o’clock. I was just coming home, and I felt so sure of the solidity of -our own buildings that I was able to control the excitement of all our -inmates who, in bed and out of bed, were perfectly quiet and remained -in their rooms in spite of the smoke and noise and all the confusion -which a large fire causes. - -A few months later at four o’clock in the morning, I was just retiring -to my room after having attended a patient below when I heard the cry -of “Fire!” And looking out of my window, I saw that a man had upset a -fluid lamp, filling the whole room with flames, while he with his night -shirt on fire was seeking to escape through the door which he could -not find, thus burning to death before my eyes. It was an appalling -spectacle, and before I could really comprehend the situation, firemen -appeared and worked hard, for the conflagration soon included several -buildings. - -Again, I could control my patients and the other inmates, although our -students and servants dressed hastily and were ready to obey commands -in case of need. Fortunately for us, the wind blew the flames in the -opposite direction from our house, and I trusted in this fact. Had I -had the experience of the Chicago and Boston conflagrations, I would -not have trusted to the wind nor perhaps have been able to control -a family of nearly forty heads. Such is the blessing of youthful -inexperience! But the strain of anxiety on these two occasions was -tremendous, and I was laid up each time for a couple of days with a -severe sick headache. - -Visitors interested in women physicians came from all parts of the -United States as well as from England, but especially from Boston. I -was often at the same time amused and pained when disappointment was -expressed over the smallness of our hospital, and we had to take great -pains to explain our out-door department work. - -From the very beginning, I had instituted record books in which the -name, age, residence, occupation, diagnosis and treatment of every -individual case were written--of those who were in the hospital, those -who came to the dispensary clinics, and those who were attended at -their homes. - -These books revealed to the visitors our activity, and they were -admired also by our professional brethren. No such records then existed -in their dispensaries but were introduced after our example, primitive -as it was in those years. However, having such records saved us a great -deal of annoyance in many ways, as we offered them for inspection to -all whom they concerned; and they protected us against any accusation -of carelessness, ignorance or malpractice of any kind. - -It was the same with the prescriptions given when the medicines were -not provided by us. I insisted that every one who wrote a prescription -should sign her name, if not also the name of the patient. As my name -was so long, I have always signed _M. E. Z._ - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - - _Dr. Blackwell goes to England for vacation--Dr. Zakrzewska’s health - suffers under increased strain--Goes to Boston for vacation--Is there - urged to become professor of obstetrics in the New England Female - Medical College, and to establish a hospital for this college--Accepts - offer and removes to Boston. (Twenty-nine years of age: 1859.)_ - - -New Year’s Day, 1859, was a very cold one, bleak winds prevailing -after a snowstorm. A number of invitations were extended to us by -friends, who did not simply array their houses for callers bringing -their congratulations in Dutch fashion and receiving the customary -refreshments. I decided to accept the hospitality of Mrs. and Mr. Booth -in Williamsburg, the home of our friend and companion, Mary L. Booth, -while the rest of the household was treated to a dinner of roast goose -which kind patrons had provided. We never could have thought of such -luxuries ourselves, nor on Thanksgiving Day nor Christmas, either. -However, we never suffered for the want of them--they always appeared -in due time on these holidays. - -This furnishes proof that it is a pleasure to be kind and that there -are more good people in the world than we may realize. If only one half -of humanity could be brought into absolute contact individually with -the other half which is neglected, degraded and discouraged, there -is no doubt that we would witness the same equalization in the large -cities as that which prevails in the country towns and villages. Not -that there is no difference of subsistence in these latter, but the -absolute poverty is not to be found in them as we find it in the former. - -Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell now went to England for a vacation and to visit -old friends. Her absence caused an increase in work and responsibility, -as Dr. Emily and myself had to divide the work which she had done in -the dispensary. This increase was just the little more which I could -not bear, and the sick headaches returned so often and with such -violence that I had to relinquish a good deal of supervision to my head -nurse, and finally I was obliged to keep to my bed for a whole week. - -When they were visiting the Infirmary, the Boston friends of woman’s -medical education, of whom I have spoken, had kindly asked me to visit -them. So I concluded to take a short vacation in February, placing my -senior students in charge of the medical work, under the supervision of -Dr. Emily Blackwell. - -My visit to Boston, towards the last of February, was exceedingly -interesting. I found that Mr. Samuel E. Sewall, as well as his -associate directors of the _New England Female Medical College_, -had been anxious to add a clinical department to their purely -theoretical school. - -And outside friends, who had become interested in me personally as well -as in my plans to aid the education of medical women by training them -in practical work, also were anxious that I should change my place of -residence from New York to Boston and accept the position of organizer -of this clinical department. - -The impression which I received when first visiting Boston in 1856 -was deepened. And it was exceedingly favorable as to the earnestness -of all the women with whom I came in contact, and as to their desire -to elevate the education of womankind in general and in medicine -especially. I felt that a larger field for my efforts might be opened -there in connection with a medical school rather than in New York where -the two Drs. Blackwell controlled the direction of efforts towards what -seemed to them wisest and best. - -Besides, the financial condition of the Infirmary was improving so -steadily that the services which I had been rendering gratuitously -could now be hired; while the medical applicants were of an unusual -talent and more and more willing to make arrangements for a longer -period of service with increased responsibilities, although they still -had to pay their expenses. - -Also, my private practice had increased to such an extent that I was -free from debt, having repaid all loans advanced to me during my -studies save the two hundred dollars which the Cleveland society had -expended towards my first year. This, I could not now repay as the -society had dissolved. But I kept this amount to loan to poor students, -without note or interest. Some repaid the loan of fifty dollars or one -hundred dollars from time to time; others, not able perhaps to do so, -are still holding it, and I am unable to say positively who they are -as I did not record the names. I am only sure that these amounts, and -some more, are in their hands. The first one to whom I loaned the whole -two hundred dollars was Dr. Susan Dimock, when she was going to Europe -to study, she repaying it before she made that fatal trip abroad in -1875. - -All these considerations influenced me when Boston’s liberal friends -of women, or of “the Cause,” as it was styled, offered me the position -of organizer and head of the clinical department which they were ready -to establish. And the directors of the medical college offered me the -chair of obstetrics in that school, which being my specialty had great -attraction for me. - -After hesitating for a long time as to what course to pursue, I went -to Boston in the spring to define in a public address my views and -position in respect to the study of medicine. I found so great a desire -prevailing for the elevation of the medical college for women to the -standard of the male medical colleges and such enthusiasm in respect -to the proposed hospital, that I felt a great desire to make the new -hospital department as useful to the public and to the students as the -New York Infirmary had become. - -The chance of being able to carry out my own plans of work instead of -being simply assistant to the Drs. Blackwell was a final temptation, -and after inquiries and consultations with Dr. Emily I decided in -May to accept the offered position and to remove at once to Boston. -My decision was aided by two facts: the first, that Dr. Blackwell’s -absence had proved that the Infirmary could be sustained by two -doctors, not only without loss but with a continuance of its steady -increase, this latter being the consequence of the good already done -to the community through its ministrations. And the second was that my -health was becoming uncertain under the strain of the work which, by -virtue of necessity as well as of habit, would remain my share in New -York. - -Having fulfilled my promise of contribution to the Infirmary of two -years’ gratuitous services and having put everything in order and -divided the duties which I had been discharging, I left the Infirmary -on June 1, 1859, taking a short vacation in New York but arriving in -Boston on the sixth, as I found to my great disappointment that no -short vacation would bring back the strength which I had wasted in my -zeal to advance “the Cause” more rapidly than the law of evolution -permits. - -Thus ended my New York career. I left feeling that I could be spared, -although the breaking up of several true friendships saddened the -departure. Of all the friends, Mary L. Booth was the dearest to me. It -is not through blood kinship that we feel the strongest; nay, we may -even feel no affinity at all towards the sisters and brothers we so -love, while the few kindred spirits we meet fill our souls with life -and inspiration. - -The few friends to whom I was thus sincerely attached remained such for -life, and the professional affinities stand to-day in the same relation -to me as when we were young, while a few non-professional New York -friends find time and opportunity to meet me occasionally to exchange -reminiscences of the golden days of our youth. - -About this date, there were already a goodly number of women upon whom -the degree of M.D. had been legally conferred, but the minds of those -who understood the conditions which prevailed were far from being -satisfied with results. - -Recognition in the profession and opportunities for a good education -for others who wished to cultivate this field of labor were our aims. -And so we labored on, the Drs. Blackwell and myself in New York and Dr. -Ann Preston in Philadelphia--the latter for the “college,” and all the -former for the “hospital” education of female students. - -Meanwhile, a number of spurious institutions proclaiming the same aim -had sprung up like weeds which threatened to choke the wheat in the -field. After the interest of a few high-minded male physicians had -been secured, the battle with and against these institutions had to be -fought--and it is still to be fought. - -The best of these secondary institutions existed in Boston, and it -was thither that I was going with the hopefulness which befits the -missionary spirit. - -[As has been elsewhere stated, most of the preceding chapters were -written by Dr. Zakrzewska in a letter to her friend, Miss Mary L. -Booth, in New York. And she closes this letter with the paragraphs -which follow.] - - ... I could not refrain from writing fully of this part of my life - which has been the object of all my undertakings, and for which I have - borne trials and overcome difficulties which would have crushed nine - out of ten in my position. I do not expect that this will be the end - of my usefulness; but I do expect that I shall not have to write to - you any more of my doings. It was simply in order that you, my friend, - should understand me fully, and because you have so often expressed - a wish to know my life before we met, that I finished this letter. - Now you have me externally and internally, past and present. And, - although there have been many influences besides which have made their - impressions on my peculiar development, yet they are not of a nature - to be spoken of as facts, as, for instance, your friendship for me. - - On looking back upon my past life, I may say that I am like a fine - ship that, launched upon high seas, is tossed about by the winds and - waves and steered against contrary currents until finally stranded - upon the shore. There, from the materials a small boat is built, just - strong enough to reach the port into which the ship had expected to - enter with proudly swelling sails. But this ambition is entirely gone - and I care now very little whether or not people recognize what is in - me, so long as the object for which I have lived becomes a reality. - - And now, my good friend, I must add one wish before I send these last - few pages to you, namely, that I may be enabled some day to go with - you to Berlin to show you the scenes in which my childhood and youth - were passed, and to teach you on the spot the difference between - Europe and America. All other inducements to return have vanished. - Nearly all the men who aided in promoting my wishes have passed away, - and the only stimulus that now remains to make me want to revisit the - home of my youth, is the wish to wander about there with you and - perhaps with two or three other of my American friends. Until this can - be accomplished, I hope to continue my present work in the New England - Female Medical College which, though by no means yet what we wish it - to be, is deserving of every effort to raise it to the position that - it ought to take among the medical institutions of America. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - - _Details of the College building--Dr. Zakrzewska meets many - men and women leaders in advanced thought in Boston--Differences - between Boston and New York with regard to the question of “woman’s - sphere”--History of the New England Female Medical College--She finds - the educational standards of the College low, and she meets opposition - in her attempts to elevate them--She establishes the hospital - (Clinical Department) along lines similar to those she had developed - in the New York Infirmary--Several leading men in the profession - acknowledge her qualifications but refuse to act as consultants - for the hospital, or to countenance the College--Letters from Dr. - John Ware--Hardships of the Out-Practice. (Thirty years of age: - 1859-1860.)_ - - -The New England Female Medical College had its home in Springfield -Street, in the building erected for the Boston Lying-In Hospital and -later occupied by the Home for Aged Men. Here the lectures were held, -the officers had their rooms and the directors, their meetings; and -yet, not half of the building was occupied. So I had there my office -and bedroom, furnished by the lady managers of the college. - -I assigned the basement rooms to the dispensary, while the rest of the -lower rooms served for domestic purposes inclusive of servants’ rooms. -The middle story was taken for the indoor clinical department, or -hospital; while the upper floor, or attic, was arranged for students’ -chambers, and for these we received rent and pay for board from those -actively serving in the hospital department. - -This whole affair, however, had to be organized and superintended, and -as I felt unequal to added medical responsibilities I devoted myself -during the whole summer (1859) to arranging this department and getting -it in working order, taking every now and then a whole week’s vacation -at the seashore or in the country. - -New friends in the form of a board of lady managers were added to -the college because increased funds were needed to carry on the new -department, the most noted name on this board being that of Harriet -Beecher Stowe. And the ladies and gentlemen who favored my plans when -I came, three years earlier, pleading for the New York Infirmary, now -bravely advanced and provided the means for this new enterprise. - -Through all of my former acquaintances I at once found warm friends and -protectors here in our beloved city of Boston. I may mention the names -of Theodore Parker, Wendell Phillips, William Lloyd Garrison, Samuel E. -Sewall, F. W. G. May, Francis Jackson, Rev. William E. Channing, Dr. W. -F. Channing, Dr. Samuel Cabot, Dr. E. H. Clark, Mrs. Sarah S. Russell, -Miss Abby G. May, Miss Lucy Goddard, Rev. and Mrs. James F. Clarke, Mr. -and Mrs. Bond, Miss Mary J. Parkman, Mrs. R. G. Shaw, Mrs. Ednah D. -Cheney, Mrs. F. Fenno Tudor, Miss Susan Carey--and there were a host of -others, both men and women. - -I wish I could mention all of the noble minds, pioneers of a new era -in the broadening of thought. No specialism was represented, except -perhaps that of Abolitionism and the Advancement of Women. Free scope -of the intellect was admitted, and every one who promoted culture of -mind and body was welcomed. Scores of able women sought instruction, -demanding to know what was objectionable in woman’s aspirations. - -These and other activities were evidences of the smoldering volcano -which burst forth into active conflagration in the outbreak of the -Civil War, in 1861, and which gave birth to a new type of Woman--as -Minerva was said to have issued forth from the head of Zeus fully armed -with weapons of force and intellect. - -The names of Lucy Goddard, Abby May, Ednah D. Cheney, Sarah Shaw -Russell and Anna Lowell should be engraved on plates of gold for -remembrance by those who will come after, for they took a stand which -made history in life, and especially in the life of women. - -For, let it be understood, the impression of the great liberality of -Boston society, which I had cherished and fostered as a belief, was -not as well-founded as I thought, and upon closer acquaintance I was -soon convinced that here also it required a great deal of courage to -advocate a new era in woman’s sphere. - -Although I found much less tendency to ridicule, to treat with -contempt, or to prophesy failure than we had met in New York, yet -the fear of losing social caste was strong here also. Declarations -that the study of medicine would unsex girls or break down health and -beauty prevailed throughout the community, and newspaper remarks were -discouraging rather than otherwise. - -In short, I had to go over the same ground as in New York, explaining -the possibility of a woman physician’s being able to do precisely the -same work as the average man physician. The only difference I found in -the two cities was that in spite of doubt and prejudice against woman -“leaving her sphere,” as it was called, intelligent men and women in -Boston were ready to listen to and to discuss all possible chances. - -The fact that this small medical college for women had now lived for -nearly ten years induced the liberal-minded to go a step farther and to -begin to employ women, especially in midwifery cases. - -One of the graduates of this school was still practicing in Boston as -midwife on July 1, 1889, she having by that time attended five thousand -confinement cases. Although she was never sought by the well-paying -portion of the Boston community, she held a very reputable position -among her patients and among such of the profession as had business -relations with her. Her name, Mrs. Hassenfuss, has been mentioned to me -quite often by the best of men physicians. Therefore, honor to whom it -belongs. This good, sensible woman, the mother of eleven children, has -done her share in overcoming prejudice against women physicians. - -Several other ladies who had graduated from this school tried to -practice in Boston although as they told me with very little financial -result. They were obliged during the first years after establishing -themselves to seek practical experience among the poor, either as -assistant to a friendly man physician or on their own responsibility. -In either case, they appeared to the people’s minds more like -well-trained nurses than physicians who assume an authority which -creates confidence. Their position was by no means an enviable one, and -only the self-assurance produced by the American education could hold -them up socially. - -Here it should be said that the graduates of this school labored -under disadvantages produced by obscurities in the minds of those who -controlled it. - -Ever since the men physicians began to organize themselves into a -compact body or guild, their endeavor has been not to educate the women -whom they everywhere found called to be the natural obstetricians, but -to drive them entirely out of such practice and to monopolize it for -themselves. This struggle continues everywhere, all over the world. -And it is a struggle which will continue until both men and women are -educated equally well, so that the individual patient may exercise her -choice of the “trained doctor” of either sex. - -A public agitation begun in Boston in the summer of 1847 culminated in -1848 in a revulsion of feeling among the laity against this attempt of -the male physicians to monopolize the practice of obstetrics, and in -favor of the restoration of at least a part of such practice to the -hands of women. And this revolt was countenanced by a large number of -the leading citizens of Boston as well as of the rest of New England. - -As a result of this agitation, the _Boston Female Medical School_ -was opened on November 1, 1848, with twelve pupils. And to aid this -School, the _Female Medical Education Society_ was organized on -November 23, 1848, with six members. This membership increased to a -thousand or more during the following year, its larger part consisting -of men of prominence in all walks of life. And in the following year, -1850, this society was incorporated “for the purpose of providing for -the education of Midwives, Nurses, and Female Physicians.” - -In the earliest printed report of the Boston Female Medical -School (1851), most stress is laid upon the course of study for -_Midwives_, which is as follows: - - Candidates for Diplomas as Practitioners in Midwifery, must be at - least twenty years of age, and must present testimonials of good moral - character; they must have studied at least one year, including the - Lecture terms; must have attended two full courses of Lectures, one of - which must have been in this institution: and must pass a satisfactory - examination before the Board of Examiners, in Anatomy and Physiology, - in Obstetrics and the diseases peculiar to Women. - -_Nurses_ are referred to in the statement that: - - Courses of Lectures and Instruction will be given to Nurses in - reference to their important and responsible vocation of attending the - sick. - -And _Female Physicians_ are considered in the paragraph: - - The candidates for full Medical Diplomas must have pursued a - course of Education equivalent to that required in other medical - institutions; and at least two terms of their instruction must have - been in this School. - -While all groups are urged to seek to prepare themselves, “Persons -intending to become members of the School will do well to study, in -advance, some elementary work on Anatomy and Physiology--Cutter, -Jarvis, etc.,” closing with the naïve statement whose wisdom cannot be -gainsaid, “And any other preparatory knowledge will be useful.” - -Thus we see that the Boston Female Medical School aimed as high as any -of the male medical schools of the day. Really, its aim was higher, -in that from the beginning it planned to have a Hospital and to make -“practical” instruction in obstetrics and the diseases of women an -integral part of its course. In advocating this latter procedure, it -claims superiority for itself, making the statement that “the Harvard -Medical School furnishes no facilities in the way of ‘practice’ in a -Maternity Hospital--the most important part of an obstetric education.” - -But, presumably, this school found itself practically confined to the -education of midwives and nurses--groups whose qualifications were -apparently not regulated by strict legal enactment. Because, in 1856, -an act of legislature was passed changing the name of the Female -Medical Education Society to that of the _New England Female Medical -College_, and giving this latter body power to “appoint Professors, -who shall constitute a Medical Faculty; and to confer the usual degree -of Doctor of Medicine,” provision for these latter legal necessities -having evidently been overlooked in the earlier incorporation of 1850. - -The New England Female Medical College says nothing in its reports -about midwives, but speaks only of medical students, of nurses, of -female physicians, and of its purpose to have “a part of the Faculty -consist of female Professors.” But it lists its medical alumnæ from -1854. - -Thus becoming acquainted during the summer with the new field for my -activity, I found still an added difficulty among the few women who -possessed a medical diploma, namely, that not being accustomed to work -with one another on a common plane, they rather feared any one whose -standpoint differed from their own and who brought new views of the -subject in question. - -“What is, or was, sufficient for me ought to be sufficient for all who -come after me,” was the common human principle on which they based -their indifference towards improving or enlarging their stock of -knowledge. Medicine was then taught, even in the best of colleges, not -as a scientific vocation but as a practical business. - -For instance, after having been connected with the New England Female -Medical College for a year, I ventured to express my surprise that no -microscope was in the college, and to say that I wished for one because -much that it was necessary to explain could only be done with such an -instrument. - -My petition for one was refused. And Mr. Sewall informed me that one of -the gentlemen who was a leader in the college, after having listened -to my written petition, said, “That is another one of those new-fangled -European notions which she tries to introduce. It is my opinion that -we need a doctor in our medical department who knows when a patient -has fever, or what ails her, without a microscope. We need practical -persons in our American life.” This man is long dead, yet I feel sorry -that he could not have lived longer in order to see that we teach -the new-fangled notion of the use of a microscope even in our public -schools. - -It can easily be understood that my position, both as professor -of midwifery and as head of the clinical department, was not very -agreeable, with such opponents among the directors of the school and -having to meet the indifference of the established women doctors of -Boston; and also, I am deeply sorry to say, receiving only limited -support from the men physicians with whom I was associated in the -college. - -Although in favor of the school, the students were regarded by these -physicians more in the light of trained nurses who were to become their -handmaids in practice. This fact revealed itself to me when, feeling -the need of consultants, I tried to reorganize the hospital staff. I -found that none of the prominent Boston physicians was willing to give -me his name, and the excuse was that the standard of the school was -below par. On the other hand, the physicians connected with the school -thought they were teaching all that a woman doctor ought to know. - -Here I want to anticipate a little by telling of my first examination -of students for the degree of M.D. This was to be carried on by the -professors of the school, in the presence of a committee of three -from the directors, but only one of the latter appeared. Several -of the candidates who presented themselves for their examination -were possessed of such elementary education that they had no other -recommendation to the examiners than that they had attended two courses -of medical lectures of twenty weeks each, and had studied with a -preceptor to make up three years of reading medicine, but whom I had -never seen in our clinical department. - -I objected, of course, to these students as unfit for a position of the -gravest responsibility. While all the rest reluctantly took my side, -they added, “Nobody in Boston would employ a woman doctor in serious -cases, anyhow!” However, I prevailed, and I did not have to place my -name on the diploma of women who, excellent as nurses, were unfit to -take the position of physicians. - -By October 1, 1859, I considered myself strong enough to begin regular -daily work. The housekeeping cares which I had hitherto assumed were -divided with a competent woman. Financial difficulties, however, were -not so easily overcome, and we had to charge a board payment of three -dollars a week to such students as wished to avail themselves of -residence within the building. - -This arrangement added a good deal of care to me as superintendent, -for, in spite of exercising the greatest impartiality between the -resident students and those from outside, a feeling naturally grew up -among the students that favoritism was practiced. What really happened -was that, as a consequence of constant presence, the internes appeared -better equipped to render assistance than the externes. A few of these -latter, however, gave me credit by word and deed that, if anything, I -favored the externes rather than the internes and these few became real -and true friends in later years, often calling upon me or writing for -advice, as well as giving me their sincere friendship. - -To be appreciated as just, conscientious and unselfish has always been -my ambition--other honors, or wealth, I have never sought nor received. -Even at this moment, when age has come to me and health has failed, my -small income from my savings gives me greater satisfaction than if I -had accumulated a large competency. Though I should still like to have -this latter in order that I might help many a struggling woman to whom -I have to refuse aid because I am poor myself. - -Among the resident students, were Lucy E. Sewall, my private pupil -and devoted friend and co-worker during her life; Anita E. Tyng, a -woman of talent, at present living in California; Mary H. Thompson, -who became famous by establishing the _Woman’s Hospital_ in -Chicago, reëstablishing the same after it was burned during the great -conflagration; Helen Morton, my associate in practice after her return -from Paris in 1867, and still residing in Boston; Lucy Abbott, who -became resident physician at the New York Infirmary; and others who -became of more or less importance in after years. - -Again our household assumed more of the condition of a family circle -like that of the New York Infirmary, having a similar intimacy. This -was due to the fact that, although women physicians were more tolerated -in Boston society, they had not yet conquered all doubt or prejudice -among the women of Boston, while the profession at large would not -recognize any of them at all. - -However, I made the attempt to call upon a few prominent men. For -instance, I saw Dr. Henry E. Clark, who had visited the Hospital -Charité in Berlin when I held the position of _Accoucheuse en -chef_ in the Maternity Department of that institution. And I had the -opportunity of being very helpful to him in all he wished to gain as a -young doctor seeking experience in a foreign land. He received me with -kind politeness, but told me frankly that he could not sanction the -study of medicine by women. He yielded so far as to pronounce me “an -exception” to my sex, and he promised to assist me in private practice -should I require consultation. Also, in the course of the winter, he -sent me several patients, and he spoke with recommendation to those who -inquired of him about me and my former position in Berlin. - -Another one, Dr. John Ware, accepted me as an exceptional woman, and -fatherly and kind as he was, he laughed heartily when I told him that -the exceptions would multiply by the hundred. - -[Dr. Ware writes, under date of February 11, 1860: - - My DEAR MADAM: - - I ought before now to have acknowledged your kindness in sending me a - copy of your Lecture. I have read it with much satisfaction, and wish - most heartily that every one of my professional brethren entertained - views as just and elevated of the nature of their calling, and were as - conscientious in regard to its responsibilities as you would have all - be who assume them. - - I take the liberty of sending in return a few publications of my - own, relating in part to the same topic. You will find on the - 24th page of one of the Lectures--that on “Success in the Medical - Profession”--a brief expression of my opinions on the subject of - Female practitioners, which, altho’ you may not agree with them, I - hope you will find no reason otherwise to disapprove. - - I am, with sincere respect and regards, - - Yrs. - JOHN WARE - To Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D. - - -Again, referring to the earlier chapters of this autobiography, he -writes, on December 13, 1860: - - My dear Miss Zakrzewska: - - I received yesterday a volume which I supposed, certainly I hoped, - came from you. I read it at once, and with the deepest interest. I - have a right, therefore, whether it came from you or not, to thank - you for it. Neither can I let the opportunity escape of expressing - the admiration and sympathy with which I followed you in the long - struggle you endured, and which you maintained with so much of that - energy, courage, perseverance and fortitude, which we are apt to - call manly--as if they were our peculiar possession--and yet without - any infringement of that womanly delicacy, which we certainly cannot - claim. - - You know perhaps my doubts about the medical education of women. It is - not because I do not think well enough of women that I entertain these - doubts, but rather, I suspect because I think too well of them, to be - willing they should go through with a medical education, or endure a - medical practice. I have put it to myself whether I could be willing - that one of my daughters should go through the discipline and lead the - life that I have done myself. The idea is intolerable. That you have - accomplished what you have with success and honor does not satisfy my - doubts--how few of either sex could do the same. - - I may be mistaken, for it is very hard to be sure that we are not - influenced by early impressions and the prejudices of society, and - I am quite willing to find myself in the wrong, for I have the most - earnest desire that every possible avenue should be opened for the - admission of women, not only to places for labour, but of honor and - profit. I sympathize not only with every attempt to enforce “Woman’s - Right to Labour”--but to think, speak, act and enjoy. - - With sincere regard, I am your friend, - - JOHN WARE - To Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D. - - -Drs. Henry I. Bowditch and Samuel Cabot regretted to refuse all aid so -long as I was connected with such an inferior school as they considered -the New England Female Medical College to be. - -Dr. Cotting, of Roxbury, was the most cordial; he expressed himself as -favorable to having women physicians as auxiliaries to the professional -men. He sent me more patients than any one, and they were rich as -well as poor. The latter were the most desirable, as our dispensary -practice was small, lacking material for the benefit of the students. - -This was the great difference between New York and Boston. Within three -months after opening the New York Infirmary dispensary, we were obliged -to close the doors for admission after a certain hour, so full became -our reception hall; while in Boston we kept open all the forenoon -without getting all the patients we wanted, and we even attended to -them the whole day. - -This may have been due to the fact that the college and hospital were -located in what was then a demi-fashionable quarter of the city, -the South End, where not many poor lived; and distance was not then -annihilated by street cars, of which none existed. But it was also -due to a greater prosperity among the poor of Boston, this creating a -prejudice against free dispensaries in general, and women physicians in -special. - -To all these reasons was due the very hard work which we had to do, -because if a family in the distant poor quarters inclined to favor -us with their patronage, we had to rejoice. And the disadvantage of -such events because of walks of two or three miles in the midst of -winter nights was overcome by the enthusiasm of having gained another -foot-hold among the poorest of the poor. Thus we had our clientele not -only, though chiefly, at the North End of the city but also in the -suburbs, where not even omnibus travel was possible, there being none -to South Boston, Dorchester, Roxbury, Jamaica Plain and other outlying -districts. - -What would life be without the enthusiasm of the young! And how much -or how little would be accomplished in the evolution of reforms and -progress, if the young were not ready and happy to live up to the -fullest inspiration of this enthusiasm! Reasonable or unreasonable, -let us not stint or discourage any enthusiastic young person in the -ways and means of living up to its fullest extent! Youth will always -meet with more or less success in realizing its ambition, and even if -premature death should be the consequence of such efforts, it does pay -to have favored and encouraged the activity of such aspirations. - -The happiness which is enjoyed by enthusiastic workers is impossible -to describe in words, for, though ever so little be gained from the -opposition, or by perseverance, this gain gives moments of joy which -cannot be outweighed by many a disappointment or by any amount of -fatigue. Oh! the single hour of happiness which victory brings! Even -in humble aspirations, it is worth living for. It is not the quantity -of anything which satisfies a noble heart--it is the quality, and the -feeling of conscious satisfaction that the best of which the person was -capable has been done. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - - _Formal opening of the College term--Professor Zakrzewska delivers - the Introductory Lecture--Father disapproves of her removal to - Boston--This increases the shock of news of his death. (Thirty years - of age: 1859.)_ - - -The term of 1859-1860 of the college opened well. A goodly number of -students had registered, among them the fine women already mentioned -who assisted much in giving a high tone to our work, and I felt -greatly supported by their earnestness and zeal. [According to the -college announcement, this term opened on November 21, 1859, with the -“Introductory Lecture by Professor Zakrzewska.” A few extracts from -this formal address will help still further in developing the portrait -of the speaker.] - - The study of medicine is so great and comprehensive a field that - within its horizon we find included the whole moral world. It - comprises mankind in all its conditions, in all its changes of - opinions and in all its modes of society. It has been subject to the - highest wisdom in existence, to the greatest folly and mysticism which - superstition could produce and, in our days, to the most profound - learning and scientific speculation. And though I am now addressing a - miscellaneous audience of which only a few are physicians or students - of medicine, every one is in some way connected with the profession, - be it only as a patient. Every one receives this liability as an - inheritance from nature and, therefore, ought to be interested in a - science which occupies itself with mankind. - - The only motives that this profession permits to its votaries are - the clear and decided conviction of an inborn taste and talent - for the practice of medicine and an earnest desire for, and love - of, scientific investigations concerning the human being--its - construction, its condition of health and disease, and all its - relations with the surrounding world. - - It is a positive fact, acknowledged among all nations and at all - times, that there is in the mass a growth of the human mind from - generation to generation similar to that in the different periods of - individual existence. And to these varying stages of mental growth - we must ascribe the different forms through which the practice of - medicine has passed. - - Disease is as old as mankind. The first sore finger made the first - patient, and the first physician was the one who bound it up or who - inquired how it was doing. Pain awakens the instinct to relieve, one - following the other, and this must have existed from the creation of - mankind. - - The practice of medicine dates back, therefore, to the morning of - life; the shadows of a hoary antiquity gather around its cradle. The - annals of history do not reach back of it, but only open the portals - of fable in whose shadowy domain it is supposed to dwell. Æsculapius - was the grandson of Zeus, whose father was Time himself. - - Gradually we see it emerging from this hazy atmosphere in the form - of a mysterious science, assisted and appropriated by the mysticism - of the oracles and astrologers, until it found its devotees in the - priesthood who pursued the practice upon the body in connection with - their duties as priests for the soul. - - It is only since medicine has ceased to stand isolated from the other - sciences that the erroneous belief that disease was produced by - supernatural agency has waned. Nothing has more retarded the progress - of medicine in becoming really scientific than its separation from - general learning; and nothing could favor empiricism and superstition - more than the promotion of this separation. - - That this separation produced an apparently inextricable confusion - was very natural, just as it was natural that medical sects should - have been formed of which the one renounced this, the other that, and - the third something else--each individual sect being distinguished - by its one-sidedness. The only sect--if we may thus term the regular - physicians--which at no time could be accused of one-sidedness in - its proclamations was that based upon the principles of Hippocrates - and the Alexandrian School--these advising practical, experimenting - science, a course of reasoning which Lord Bacon in his works has - approved with such justice. And how necessary it was to follow this - recommendation continually and in every particular is best illustrated - by showing how one branch of medical practice could fall almost into - oblivion by neglect to pursue it as an _experimental_ science. - - For instance, in the history of Obstetrics, we find that very little - was done to promote its elevation from the times of Hippocrates and - Celsus until within the last one hundred and twenty years, when - Pareus, Mauriceau, De la Motte, Deventer, and Justina Siegesmundin and - others began to investigate it and to raise it to its proper place as - a science. - - Until this time, the obstetric art was so entirely neglected that - it was considered beneath the dignity of an honorable man. Low and - uneducated persons appropriated this practice to themselves, even in - cases of the greatest emergency. The degradation of this branch alone - proves the need of the introduction of new ideas formed by constant - observation in science at large; it also proves that we cannot abandon - speculations and experiments on the natural laws which pervade all - organizations; and that it is a matter of great necessity that every - student of medicine should be provided with ample opportunities for - so doing. And how successful and beneficent, although difficult, such - reforms are, I shall illustrate by speaking again of the resurrection - of obstetrical science. - - New life had to be introduced into it before new light could be thrown - upon this field; and this new life was finally introduced when the - persons just named entered upon the study. They found that midwifery - as it was then practiced must be reorganized. Observations on nature - needed to be made and these were to be followed by scientific - analysis, and the results introduced into practice. - - A new era for the studious was opened, and many young and brilliant - minds now found their attention directed towards this branch of - learning which before they had considered as a subject beneath their - dignity. Very soon after the first attempt for improvement, an ardent - enthusiasm was created in the subject, since in it a field for new - investigations, and consequently for new honors, became apparent - to the eyes of the ambitious or the learned. In a very short time, - the practice of obstetrics was regulated in such a manner that not - only had the horror towards the persons engaged in it entirely - disappeared, but the terrible operations often practiced had also - become lessened to an insignificant number, these latter belonging to - the class of unavoidables. - - Every country produced authorities. England boasted her John Burns and - Hunter, while France raised up her Baudeloque, her Madame Lachapelle, - Madame Boivin and many others. But no country gave to the profession - such thoroughly scientific investigators as did Germany, and of these - a _woman_ took the lead. Justina Siegesmundin was the pioneer of - this great reform, and her work, written upon the subject in 1741, - came upon Europe like a thunderbolt. In every country, minds which had - been preoccupied with a thousand other things, forgetting the most - important, were awakened to an activity which would but a short time - before have been deemed impossible. In Germany, therefore, the subject - of obstetrics is still considered as of momentous importance, the - foundation almost of all other practice ... and the statistics prove - that in this branch of practice less loss of life occurs there than - in any other country, though its proportion of difficult cases is the - greatest of any. - - Reformations similar to this will be constantly demanded in all the - different branches of medical science.... Every day brings results of - new researches which are throwing fresh light upon subjects not yet - understood. - - And this is the position which a physician must assume to-day, and - for which those who are entering upon this field of study should - fit themselves. To be an honorable acquisition to the profession, a - consoler to those who require assistance in overcoming disease, a - public instructor in the art of preserving health, a reformer from - the artificial to the natural--these are the aspirations which must - animate every one who dares attempt to step forward to the platform of - the benefactors of mankind. - - This is the aim which the beginner must have in her mind, and if she - falls short of attaining it, she must be able to say that it was - neither through indolence nor indifference, but through absolute - powerlessness. If you doubt this to be the position which the student - should take, then look around and ask yourself what you want of your - physician. - - If you are educated, you want your physician to be still more so; if - you possess perception of conditions and circumstances, you demand - this of your physician still more. You want of him that he shall not - only perceive and penetrate into the secret relations and conditions - of the body physically and psychically, but that he shall also explain - to you those phenomena which are incomprehensible to you in spite of - your great perceptive faculties. - - You further demand of your physician that he shall know everything - belonging to medical science. If you understand physiology well, - you demand that your physician shall explain in a moment every fact - that is dark to you, while a lifetime may not be sufficient to prove - a hypothesis. If you are at home in chemistry, you will certainly - be greatly surprised if your physician makes a mistake in some - combinations, and you will be ready to say that he is stupid. If you - have great skill in nursing, you will expect your physician to teach - you how to improve; if you are kind and agreeable and amiable, you - demand the same qualities in him; if you are irritable, fretful and - capricious so that you have been designated by your neighborhood as - a fury, you want at least that your physician should comprehend your - subtle nature. And in addition to all this, your physician must be - sociable, entertaining, wise in every word, overflowing with great - thoughts, and uttering new truths whenever you invite him to your - table. - - All this is really demanded of the physician, but how far it may be - justifiable, I leave it to the thinking ones to decide. But of this - we may be sure--the physician of the present day occupies a higher - station than ever before and greater qualifications for the study of - medicine are increasingly demanded. - - I mentioned in the beginning that the motives for the study of - medicine must be the right ones; now I have to add that these alone - will not suffice to make a good physician such as we want to-day. - These motives must be accompanied by certain qualifications. The - latter are twofold, and may be divided into those belonging to the - intellect, and those belonging to our personal and affectional nature. - - It is of infinite importance that the intellect should have been - previously developed by a course of study which shall train the - student in logic and reasoning and familiarize him with natural as - well as with moral and mental philosophy. Observation and experiment - are the two great auxiliaries to medical study. Those who possess - the first as a natural gift and who have judgment enough to apply it - whenever they have an opportunity will take the lead, but those in - whom both must be developed will always limp behind unless they study - most industriously and perseveringly. - - Foremost among the second group of qualifications stands the matter of - age. The student ought to be mature enough to think and to reason, but - not advanced beyond the time when the mind is naturally predisposed - to acquiring knowledge. Physical health and prepossessing appearance - are of the next importance; while cultivated manners and agreeable - behavior, as well as talent in adapting himself or herself to all - conditions, all circumstances and all persons, are by no means the - last to be considered. - - In addition there are some qualifications yet to be mentioned - which form a part of our affectional nature and without which - no practitioner can succeed. Of these, the most essential is - sympathy--not sentimentalizing sympathy, but the sympathy which never - betrays weakness or timidity and which is firm and persevering, - controlling every action that it may not become rashness. Modesty - and reticence, sobriety and unselfishness are other virtues much - desired in the practitioner. And I add here a word of warning against - temptations into which physicians are constantly led because I know - how often pecuniary gain or social position can be obtained by being - untrue to one’s best self. I have also had occasion to see the - consequences in those who have yielded to the temptation to abandon - their principles. - - No greater misery can perhaps be imagined than contempt for one’s - self; no greater punishment can be endured than the consciousness - of having acted meanly and despicably. A man who when alone in - his chamber is forced to blush for himself carries hell within - him--the loss of a clear conscience is the source of much despair. - Conscientiousness, so important for every man of whatever station - in life, is still more important in a physician. To be scrupulously - honest, to satisfy his own conscience even at the cost of material - profit, is absolutely essential for him. - - It is human life--that most divine element in creation and - irreplaceable when once lost, for which the practitioner is - responsible; and no regrets, no penitence, no despair will be - accepted by those who mourn or will reconcile them to their - bereavement. The loss of a beloved wife and mother perhaps brings - another life to the grave, or it may fix the unhappy fate of a dozen - human beings of whom she was the guardian angel, and who now are left - alone. - - Pause and think for a moment, and try to appreciate the weight of - misery which in lonely hours such a picture reveals to the mind of one - who in a critical moment was made responsible for life and death, and - who must confess that such victims fell a sacrifice to the ambition - which prevented him from owning his inability for the work intrusted - to his hands. - - I must leave the subject here and allow you to decide if I have - pictured clearly enough what we want in a physician of to-day. If I - have succeeded, you will certainly join with me in giving voice to - your convictions that not only the very best method for instruction - should be provided, but that every facility should be offered to - the student to make him or her acquainted with the past history of - medicine. Only those who are familiar with all that occurred before - they stepped on the platform as public instructors or practitioners - will thoroughly comprehend their duty. Great deeds stimulate to - greater ones, and so much has already been done in the profession that - in order to understand his or her own position the newcomer needs to - have knowledge not only of to-day and yesterday but of all times. - -[The foregoing definition of the medical profession paints a picture -far removed from that of Dr. Johnson, as quoted in one place by the -speaker--“The profession of physic is a melancholy attendance on -misery, a mean submission to peevishness and a continued interruption -of pleasure.”] - -The men professors, of whom there were four, and the other woman -professor (teaching physiology) were in apparent harmony with my -plans. These were to devote my teaching--which was threefold, namely, -obstetrics, diseases of women and diseases of children--to only one of -these subjects at a time instead of giving two lessons a week on each. - -This seemed to work very well; but as it left only four weeks for -treating the diseases of children, while obstetrical teaching ran -through the winter, the students of less intelligence began to be -dissatisfied and my college troubles had already begun before the -winter session had ended. - -Meanwhile, I was not happy in my relations with my father, whose -letters disapproved of my having left New York, where he felt that -I was under the supervision of the Drs. Blackwell with whom all -responsibilities for the hospital enterprise rested. He now became -really distressing to me because his conviction was that whether I -succeeded or not I was disgracing the family, and German womanhood -in general, by accepting a position which caused my name to come -prominently before the public. - -I finally felt that I must write a strong and decided letter to him, -requesting him either to stop writing to me altogether or else to -preserve silence as to his judgment of me and my actions. This letter -arrived in Berlin at a time when he was ill in bed and he died a few -days later. - -I received the news of his death in November from his wife, he having -married again. But I never knew whether he read my letter or not. The -shock was very great and it upset my nerves, not only as the loss of -so near a relative naturally would but also from the fact that I had -written a letter which I had for several years hesitated to write, not -wishing to place myself in a hostile position to a father who, after -all, had been kind and had done the best he knew how to do for his -children. - -This news also added another care and responsibility, as my father left -two younger sisters unprovided for. Being a salaried civil officer in -the government, he had no opportunity to accumulate money, and both -these sisters were above the age when government pensions are allowed -to children. Although my sisters who were married and lived in New -York and Washington gladly joined in this financial care yet their own -family interests could not be sacrificed. - -Thus ended the year 1859, and Christmas time was a rather _triste_ -one, especially as that cheerful festival was not then celebrated in -New England, and schools and colleges continued in session as usual. - -In looking back upon it, it seems to me that that year was one of -the most delightful as well as the most tragic, and one of the most -peaceful yet most conflicting, in emotion, in judgment and in making -decisions. - -Often have I meditated how differently would we act if we clearly saw -events a little before they occurred. And how utterly tales of fiction -fail when they describe how rightly instinctive wisdom decides at -a moment when emotions and intelligence oppose each other, always -leading the hero to do the right thing. The calm reasoning of the -author knows what aim he has in view and what will be the end. In real -life it is quite a different affair, and no one can judge the result -when in a condition of conflict between heart and head. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - - _As part of her struggle to elevate the College standards, - she insists the students must be trained practically as well as - theoretically--Confirmation of her views by experience of Dr. J. - Marion Sims--Persistence in her convictions and refusal to pass - students whose work is below her standards make many enemies - for her--Private practice increases--She applies for admission - to the Massachusetts Medical Society--Is refused because she - is a woman--Militant ostracism of women by the Philadelphia - County Medical Society--Sketch of the Female Medical College of - Pennsylvania--Appalled by the death rate among babies, Dr. Zakrzewska - establishes a temporary asylum for infants--Continuing unable to - elevate the standards of the College, she decides to resign--Her - resignation is accepted, with the request that she relinquish her - last year’s salary--The occurrence causes a split in the College, - many of the men professors and trustees also resigning--The hospital - is discontinued, and its furniture is bought by friends of Dr. - Zakrzewska. (Thirty-two years of age: 1860-1862.)_ - - -If the Christmastide were prosaic, the New Year’s Day (1860) was not -the less so. Business went on everywhere just the same, only that every -one shouted to each other without any kind of feeling, “Happy New Year!” - -As the year progressed, lectures and dispensary work, as well as the -hospital department, went on; private practice increased, adding to -my income, which was small. As professor, I received three hundred -dollars, and as superintendent of the clinical department, an -additional three hundred dollars. Each of the gentlemen professors also -received three hundred dollars while the lady professor of physiology -had the benefit of an endowment of that chair and received five hundred -dollars. From this it must be admitted that it was not money that -induced these people to work hard every day, five times weekly, to -instruct the students, but a real interest in the cause of educating -professional women. - -Had the originator of the school (Samuel Gregory), an ambitious man, -originally a missionary, been a man of higher education and broader -views, the school might have been taken up by the men standing highest -in the profession. The prevailing sentiment among these men seemed to -be that if women wanted to become physicians, the trial should be made -by giving them the same advantages as were offered to men students. - -But in a monograph which had been published by this originator to -promote his plans, under the title of _Man-Midwifery_, he not -only challenged the prevailing method of practice but abused even the -best of physicians by intimating the grossest indelicacy, yes, even -criminality, in their relations with their patients. This was the -reason why no physician in Boston would openly acknowledge me as long -as I remained in connection with the New England Female Medical College. - -Besides this handicap, the non-professional portion of the trustees -exercised a very fatal policy in trying to increase the number of -students regardless of their preparatory education, so that there -existed a great contrast among the students. Some had the best of -education, while others fell far below a proper standard in their -preparatory studies, to say nothing of the age of some of them. Thus, -we had a number of students over forty--one was fifty-six years old. - -I admired the courage and persistency of these middle-aged women in -studying their lessons, often mechanically without understanding -their depth, yet I could not conscientiously consider them fit -subjects to enter upon the practice of a profession which requires so -much knowledge in various scientific directions as well as a broad -education, so as to enable one to comprehend the effects of all kinds -of environment upon the individual patient. - -How absolutely necessary it is to cultivate in the student not only the -scientist but also the philanthropist, the humanitarian, yes, even the -philosopher, in order that one shall be fair and just in all situations -when consulted by persons morally, mentally or physically afflicted. - -I constantly taught that the treatment of patients cannot be learned -from books but must be studied practically. This was a principle which -only a few of the students would admit. The idea which I emphasized, -that any other view of treating patients belongs in the realm of -quackery, was considered by these ignorant students as an insult when I -tried to explain it to them. - -But it must be remembered that at this date such was the prevailing -custom in even the best medical schools for, as I have already -explained, students were expected to procure their practical training -at the hands of their private preceptors. - -That this training was liable to be a will-o’-the-wisp even with male -students who had no difficulty in finding preceptors has been well -shown by the personal experiences related by Dr. J. Marion Sims in -his autobiography called _The Story of My Life_. Nowhere have I -seen the consistent results of such a method of medical education as -everywhere prevailed even at this time, so clearly described as in this -book which was published in 1884. - -Dr. Sims had a preceptor and he was graduated from the Jefferson -Medical College, in Philadelphia, in March, 1835. He states that his -preceptor was a very great surgeon who was often unfitted for his -professional work by the habit of drinking. He also states that he was -very glad when he was able to leave the office of this preceptor and -attend medical lectures. - -About two or three weeks after Dr. Sims opened his own office he was -called to his first patient, “a baby about eighteen months old who -had what we would call the summer complaint or chronic diarrhea.” He -continues his story, saying, “I examined the child minutely from head -to foot. I looked at its gums and, as I always carried a lancet with me -and had surgical propensities, as soon as I saw some swelling of the -gums I at once took out my lancet and cut the gums down to the teeth -... but when it came to making up a prescription I had no more idea -what ailed the child or what to do for it than if I had never studied -medicine.” - -Telling the mother to send to his office for medicine, he continues, -“I hurried back to my office and took out one of my seven volumes -of Eberle, which comprised my library ... and turned quickly to -the subject of Cholera Infantum and read it through, over and over -again.... I knew no more what to prescribe for the sick babe than if -I had not read it all. But it was my only resource. I had nobody to -consult but Eberle.... He had a peculiar way of filling his book with -prescriptions, which was a very good thing for a young doctor.... At -the beginning of his article of twenty or thirty pages there was a -prescription.... So I compounded it as quickly as I knew how and had -everything in readiness for the arrival of Jennie.” - -Speaking of his next visit, he continues: “As the medicine had done -no good, it was necessary to change it.” He once more returned to his -office and “turned to Eberle again and to a new leaf. I gave the baby -a prescription from the next chapter. Suffice it to say that I changed -leaves and prescriptions as often as once or twice a day. The baby -continued to grow weaker and weaker.” And in a short time it died, -although Dr. Sims says, “I never dreamed that it could die!” - -About two weeks later, he was called to his second patient, another -baby which was ailing similarly to the first one. He writes, “I was -nonplussed. I had no authority to consult but Eberle; so I took up -Eberle again, and this time I read him backward. I thought I would -reverse the treatment I had instituted with the Mayer baby. So, instead -of beginning at the first of the chapter, I began at the last of the -chapter, and turned backward, and turned the leaves the same way, and -reversed the prescriptions. The baby got no better from the very first. -And soon this baby died.” - -Dr. Sims was so disheartened, he decided to leave that town, and he did -so. But it is just to him to add that he further wrote, “Being obliged -to continue in the profession that I had started in, I was determined -to make up my deficiency by hard work; and this was not to come from -reading books, but from observation and from diligent attention to the -sick.” - -Thus it happened at the New England Female Medical College that, -feeling as strongly as I did as to the necessity for clinical training, -I made but few friends among my listeners, and I felt out of place -except with those few who had had superior educational training. This -difference in education naturally divided the students, and the feeling -of favoritism grew stronger with the majority, while my interest in -this majority naturally grew weaker. The clinical department was -frequented only by the few, as no rule of compulsion demanded of the -students a regular attendance. - -My position became tedious in its teaching duties and unendurable in -its relation to the students, yet I had nothing to complain of which -could be corrected without changing the whole policy of the school and -eliminating the most active directors, in fact, starting a college on -college foundations. - -My male co-workers, men of education and experience, fully agreed with -me and told me that indorsing my election, they had hoped I would -prevail upon the founders to elevate the standard of the school. - -I, a foreigner who, as such, was not greeted with a cordial welcome by -two thirds of the directors! And the Know-Nothing spirit prevailing -strongly during those years in all strata of the community! - -Besides, I did not feel called upon to condemn and to reform the part -of their enterprise which had been justly praised in speech and in -print, and which had been sustained for years by the efforts of regular -physicians in the capacity of professors and private preceptors. - -So, when my first college year closed, in March, 1860, and I flatly -refused to agree to the bestowal of the degree of M.D. upon several -women who presented themselves, I had laid the foundation of a hatred -which rendered my work extremely trying and hard, and which to a -certain extent prevented the growth of our out-door dispensary practice. - -However, my private practice steadily increased, and in it I had -the good will, as well as the assistance when in need, of the most -prominent physicians in Boston. Among these were Drs. S. Cotting, -Walter Channing, H. I. Bowditch, E. H. Clark and S. Cabot. - -These men advised me to attempt to gain admission into the -Massachusetts Medical Society, of which they were prominent members. -After preparing for the necessary examination, I presented my claim but -was refused because I was a woman, their charter allowing only male -candidates for the examination. - -This refusal on the ground of sex decided these men not to break the -rules of the Massachusetts Medical Society by consulting with me or by -assisting me when advising patients to seek my attendance. - -To be sure, their friendliness had not been withal an admission of -the principle that women ought to be, or could be, physicians. On the -contrary, I was informed in private conversation by some of these men -that I was considered an “exception” to my sex; that such exceptions -had existed in ancient times and were honored, and that during all the -centuries such exceptions had continued to occur. Only one famous old -physician, Dr. James Jackson, told me frankly and politely and in the -kindest manner that it would be impossible for him to recognize as a -lady any woman who was outside “her sphere.” - -A similar ostracism was practiced by the Philadelphia County Medical -Society against the other medical college for women, the Female Medical -College of Pennsylvania, which had been opened in 1850, two years after -the New England Female Medical College began under the name of the -Boston Female Medical School. But the Philadelphia college had taken -the precaution from the beginning to obtain the same legal authority as -the male medical colleges for conferring the medical degree. - -Nevertheless, it led a precarious existence and had to be closed -for the session of 1861-1862, and Dr. Ann Preston feared that the -institution to which she had given so much time and strength was doomed -to succumb to the weight of opposition and the absolute refusal of the -male physicians to meet the women physicians in consultation. However, -a few of the ablest men disregarded the rules of their society and -stood by the women who had just then succeeded in opening their little -hospital for women and children. - -It was not until 1867 that the Philadelphia College could be considered -as on a firm basis, but within ten years from that time it produced the -first woman ovariotomist in America, Dr. Emeline H. Cleveland, who was -resident physician of the Woman’s Hospital after her return from study -in Europe, principally in the Maternité in Paris. - -Thus for me the year of 1860 ended. The college course which began in -October had not varied in kind from that of the previous year, though I -could note increased personal success in practice as well as in social -connections. - -The year of 1861 began for me in no way differently from the first in -Boston. The dispensary practice increased in numbers of patients and -also in greater variety and interest. - -There was an especially large increase in the practice among children -and infants, which gave me an insight into the neglect which the latter -had to endure when boarded out among ignorant, and often indifferent, -families, where the small sum received for the maintenance of these -little unfortunate beings was of more consequence than their health and -existence. - -The frequency with which we were required to sign death certificates of -infants whom we had seen but a day or two before, and who were then in -an almost dying condition, was out of all relation with the number who -applied in the early stages of what was then called “cholera infantum.” - -This led me to inquire how far the law protected such little beings, -and how far institutions gave relief either to poor mothers by boarding -their offspring, or to foundlings. This brought me in contact with one -of the greatest philanthropists to these little creatures, namely, Miss -Matilda Goddard, who had at that time provided good homes for about -eight hundred infants, keeping a record as well as an oversight of them -all. No public provision existed save a few places in connection with a -Roman Catholic institution. - -I therefore proposed to a few friends of mine the establishment of a -temporary asylum for infants, and an apartment for this purpose was -secured at the corner of Washington and Oak streets. Small as was this -beginning, we having about eight babies, it drew the attention of a -large number of philanthropists to the need of looking after these poor -beings. And then the Massachusetts Infant Asylum, as well as other -provisions for these dependents upon the Commonwealth, were called -into existence. The result was the saving of many a valuable life and -the directing of the attention of the benevolent to the absolute need -of watchfulness over those helpless beings who are at the mercy of -strangers during the first days or years of their lives. - -The work at the college continued to be unsatisfactory to me, and the -year 1862, which was to become of such great importance to womankind in -general and to me in special, opened in the usual prosaic custom then -prevailing, namely, with every day filled with routine work. - -However, I felt very excited, as well as very uncertain how to shape -my plans and prospects, for I had decided to leave the college and its -little hospital at the close of the term in March. I had communicated -my intention to the directors of the college at the close of the year -of my engagement, in June, 1861. - -One of the most interested of the directors was Mr. Samuel E. Sewall. -He asked me what my reasons were for giving up the position, and I -replied in a letter to him of which I here make a copy: - - About two years have passed since I became connected with the New - England Female Medical College. Twice I have signed the diplomas of - the graduating class, both times with reluctance and under protest. - - My work as teacher in the college and as physician in the medical - department has not been performed with that ease which is the result - of a mutual understanding of all engaged in the same purpose, nor has - it given me satisfaction. - - Not one of my expectations for a thorough medical education for women - has been realized; indeed, I could not even do what has been in my - power heretofore, namely, discountenance as physicians those women who - do not deserve that name. On the contrary, I am obliged by the resolve - of the majority to put my name to diplomas which justify the holders - in presenting themselves to the community as fitted to practice. - - If it were the intention of the trustees to supply the country with - underbred, ill-educated women under the name of physicians in order - to force the regular schools of medicine to open their doors for the - few fitted to study, so as to bring an end to an institution from - which are poured forth indiscriminately “Doctors of Medicine,” I think - the New England Female Medical College is on the right track. - - Allow me to say a few words about the school in justification of this. - To a critical observer, it will soon become apparent that the majority - of the class of students could be made to be only good nurses; whilst - some might become respectable midwives; and a very few, physicians. - Yet we have to give the diploma of “Doctor of Medicine” to all, after - they have passed the legal time in study. - - After the first year of my work here had expired, I hoped to effect a - change by remonstrating in the faculty meeting against the admission - of all sorts of women, old and young, with and without common sense, - and the distribution of diplomas to them all. - - But I found very little support, and I was told that it would be hard - to disappoint some women who had perseveringly labored for a diploma. - According to my ideas, which agree, I know, with the ideas of the - profession generally, perseverance alone does not entitle persons - to receive a diploma. Even should a disappointment prove to be a - deathblow to the student, it is better that one should die rather than - receive permission to kill many. - - It will be perceived by you that these circumstances are not such - as to make success possible, and consequently they cannot make me - contented in my position. I therefore ask you to accept my resignation - as soon as the time expires for which I agreed to remain. - - Knowing well how difficult it is to find a suitable professor for a - college for women, I thought it well to inform you of my intention - a full year in advance. Yet should you find a desirable person to - fill my place before that time, I wish you to remember that I shall - be thankful to be released from duties which are burdensome and - unsatisfactory in result. - - I hope that you will not consider this an impulsive or rash step, and - in order to convince you of the deliberation with which I have made - this decision, and my firm determination not to alter it, I hope that - you will allow me an opportunity to state to you personally, more - fully, my views of the condition of the school under your patronage. - - Respectfully, - MARIE E. ZAKRZEWSKA - - -Mr. Sewall gave me this opportunity, especially because as a lawyer -he wished to explain to me that this letter could not be presented to -the directors and trustees of the college, as it suggested many points -which would necessarily lead to legal investigations and which would -involve us all in a notoriety absolutely fatal to the whole cause. - -Yet I felt that no malicious intent was in me to injure the school or -any one. I simply expressed my opinion and the opinion of professional -men outside the college, who would not countenance the school nor -assist me personally so long as my connection with it lasted. - -But in consequence of Mr. Sewall’s opinion, I resigned at the end of -the college term without giving any other reason than that I felt not -contented in my position. - -This led to many meetings of the trustees as a number of them were -anxious to retain my services, especially as the hospital department -depended so largely upon my superintendence. On the other hand, a -number, under the leadership of the secretary, Samuel Gregory (who had -already pronounced against such innovations as microscope, thermometer, -test tubes, etc., as proof of incapacity to recognize the ailments of -patients), tried to convince the others that “foreigners” are not fit -for American institutions, as they invariably are pedants and too rude -to treat the free American woman with that courtesy to which she is -accustomed. - -Mr. Gregory brought proof of this declaration by calling before the -meetings several of the women students who were opposed to me because I -had frankly told them that they might in time become good nurses. - -He also tried to convince the directors, who were in great financial -straits, that the school had existed for ten years without such an -expensive experiment as a hospital department, and that, by my leaving, -this would be discontinued as a matter of course. - -Thus my resignation was finally accepted, with the request that I -relinquish my last year’s salary of three hundred dollars, as the -treasury was empty. I therefore became a benefactor to the college for -that sum, though the treasurer did not acknowledge it in his report. - -Besides this, an agreement was entered into between the college -directors and my friends (who now more than ever wished to establish a -hospital for women, managed by women physicians, and for the training -of women as physicians and nurses) that all the furniture and fittings -of the hospital department of the New England Female Medical College -should become the property of these friends of mine for the sum of one -hundred and fifty dollars. - -[The Annual Reports of the New England Female Medical College during -Dr. Zakrzewska’s connection with it, from September, 1860, to -September, 1862, show total expenses for the Clinical Department of -$5,362.97, and total receipts for the same department of $5,024.13, -making a total deficit of $338.84. But it must be remembered that Dr. -Zakrzewska’s connection with the department ended six months before the -date of the last report. - -Dr. Zakrzewska’s forced “donation” of her salary for her third and last -year, of three hundred dollars, brought the deficit down to $38.84; -and the receipt of one hundred and fifty dollars from her friends as -purchase price of the furniture left a net profit in the hands of the -college of $111.16. - -The last Annual Report contains not only the interesting omission -of acknowledgment of Dr. Zakrzewska’s donation of her three hundred -dollars salary, but also the interesting acknowledgment of “donations” -of one hundred dollars each from the two men professors who retired -from the faculty at the same time.] - -The whole occurrence brought about a split in the college and the most -intelligent men, among whom was the Hon. S. E. Sewall and some of the -men professors, also resigned. This was the beginning of the end of the -college which, in 1874, was merged into the Boston University Medical -College by an act of legislation which preserved to women as full -rights as students as if they were in a college by themselves. - -Thus it came about that Boston had a medical school for both sexes, -though this then became a homeopathic school. - -Dr. James R. Chadwick, in an article (“The Study and Practice of -Medicine by Women”), in the _International Review_, October, 1879, -states that - - “in 1874, while the proposition to transfer the New England Female - Medical College to Harvard University was under consideration by that - corporation, the trustees suddenly merged the college in the School of - Medicine of Boston University, which is under the exclusive control of - homeopaths.” - -And he adds the following comment: - - While this act may have involved no betrayal of trust in a legal - sense on the part of the trustees, it certainly was an indefensible - breach of trust toward those who had contributed funds to enable women - to obtain a medical education in accordance with the tenets of the - regular school. - -During the three years of my life in Boston, from June, 1859, to 1862, -it was necessary to educate the laity to consider a woman doctor -a necessity in family life; to teach it that a woman can have the -endurance and fortitude of body and mind to meet the demands of the -profession, night or day, winter or summer, rain or shine. Also, to get -the profession accustomed to the thought that women will study and -practice medicine honorably and systematically. The attainment of these -ends was the real satisfaction of these first years. - -Fortunately, the eyes of the laity were fully upon us and criticism was -not wanting. With watchful eagerness to grasp at the least mistake or -failure, this kind public kept us at the work. - - - - -PART II - -(1862-1902) - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - - _A third American beginning--Founding of the New England Hospital - for Women and Children--Incorporation for threefold object, to - aid women as physicians, nurses and patients--Dr. Zakrzewska is - resident, attending and dispensary physician, and in charge of the - out-practice--Later, with the aid of paying guests, she is able to - establish her home separate from the Hospital--The charitable policy - of the Hospital. (1862-1863.)_ - - -The quest approaches its goal. But the seeker knew it not, for she -writes: - - In 1862, after disconnecting myself from the New England Female - Medical College in Boston, I stood alone once more, now for the third - time, and still at the beginning of my life’s work, as it appeared to - me. I was no longer needed in New York, yet nothing could I show as - the result of my eight years’ labor. - -Standing there alone as she felt herself, her soul filled only with -the vision and her movements directed only towards following the -gleam, she was all unknowingly already bound to Boston by constraining -bands, the weaving of which she had shared with Clotho who spins, and -with Lachesis who allots. And around her was gathering the atmosphere -towards which her spirit had been yearning, an atmosphere made by -kindred souls who needed her for their life’s satisfaction as she -needed them for hers. - -Many men and women had upheld the New England Female Medical College -because they felt called to assist in the evolution of medicine as a -field for _human_ endeavor rather than one forbidden to all but -male workers. When Marie E. Zakrzewska appeared, some of these men and -women realized that they had mistaken the light of the torchbearers -for the chariot radiance, and when she concluded to leave the college -they decided to go with her and to uphold the determination which she -expressed when she said: - -“I decided to work again on the old plan, namely, to establish the -education of female students on sound principles, that is, to educate -them in hospitals.” - -She continues: - - Whoever is acquainted with the miraculous progress of medical science - made in Europe, and especially in Germany, will know how far behind - medical education in America had remained. This was chiefly owing - to the want of well-organized hospitals. Clinical training and - practical study can be had only at the bedside and in the deadhouse. - No pathological or physiological discovery can be made in a college, - behind the _cathedra_--it can only be proclaimed from this place. - - Therefore the lecture room for the study of medicine had become - secondary to the hospital all over the continent of Europe, and our - best-educated young men and women were all longing to go to that - Eldorado of medical research and knowledge. - - It was the lack of this method in all medical schools here which - we felt when starting the New York Infirmary, especially as the - few existing hospitals remained--and still remain for the most - part--closed to women students. It was our perception of this true - method for educating a physician that determined us to establish a - hospital prior to a college. We women decided to start from a sound - and correct foundation, and to this principle we owe the great success - so far attained, although it may appear small to those who now enter - upon the work. - - Here let me remark that we willingly allow the newcomers to make their - criticisms of the present conditions; we admit the truth when it is - spoken, but we expect the newcomers to work as hard and to strive as - untiringly and perseveringly as we pioneers have done, to improve and - to complete what has been undertaken. - - A few friends--Mr. George William Bond, Mrs. Ednah D. Cheney, and Miss - Lucy Goddard--true, firm friends of the education of women, stood - beside me, with no other ready means than some remnants of hospital - furniture, valued at one hundred and fifty dollars, which remained - from our experiment in connection with the New England Female Medical - College. On June 22, 1862, we hired, on our own responsibility, a - sunny, airy house with a large yard, located at No. 60, Pleasant - Street, corner of Porter Street, at a rent of six hundred dollars, and - here we commenced operations. - - And thus was born the _New England Hospital for Women and - Children_, which began its work on July 1, 1862, a few men - physicians being willing to aid us by giving us their names as - consultants. - - Other friends of women’s education soon joined us and became - directors. Among these Samuel E. Sewall, the old friend of the - college, and F. W. G. May, the ever-hopeful treasurer of a then empty - purse, gave us their indefatigable aid and unremitting interest.[8] - - Thus in the midst of the Civil War we started our work. And many a - soldier’s family thanked us for so doing, for just then the darkest - days of the struggle gave us special opportunity to advise and comfort. - -A Provisional Committee managed the new institution. Four of the -committee became responsible for the rent, and each of the ladies -pledged herself to obtain her proportion of the expenses from month to -month. As an example of the faith and courage of these supporters of -Dr. Zakrzewska, it is related that Mr. Bond met Mr. Abraham A. Call and -told him that a house on Pleasant Street had been rented for a hospital -but there was not a penny to pay the rent, whereupon Mr. Call handed -him a contribution of five dollars for that purpose and later became a -director of the Hospital, his daughter, Dr. Emma L. Call,[21] becoming -in time one of its leading physicians. - -Meantime, Dr. Zakrzewska repeated the superhuman work which she had -already done at the New York Infirmary and again at the Clinical -Department of the New England Female Medical College--organizing -the details of the Hospital and Dispensary, serving as resident and -attending physician and responding to all calls in both out-patient and -private practice.[9] - -The new institution began at once to grow and on March of the following -year (1863), it was incorporated, Miss Lucy Goddard and Mrs. Ednah D. -Cheney joining her as legal sponsors for the undertaking. - -The name, the New England Hospital for Women and Children, was chosen -because Boston was considered as the center of this cluster of States -which seemed to have so generally the sentiments and relations of a -family group within the larger Union. But common usage has always been -to shorten the longer, detailed title and to call the institution -simply the New England Hospital, and by this latter title it has become -known all over the world. - -The objects of the Hospital, as stated in the first by-laws, were -declared to be three: - - 1. To provide for women medical aid by competent physicians of their - own sex. - - 2. To assist educated women in the practical study of medicine. - - 3. To train nurses for the care of the sick. - -During the first transitional year from 1862-1863, Dr. Zakrzewska’s -duties were again increased by the resignation of Dr. Breed as resident -physician, and this added care continued till September, 1863, when -Dr. Lucy E. Sewall returned from study in Europe and became the new -resident physician. As this year progressed the need for an attending -surgeon was felt and, as there appeared to be no sufficiently qualified -woman available, Dr. Horatio R. Storer was appointed. - -This latter is the only instance in which a male physician has been -appointed on the attending staff of the New England Hospital. And this -cutting of the Gordian knot, which was made necessary by the lack of -opportunity for surgical training for women, is characteristic of Dr. -Zakrzewska’s attitude of mind. While her greatest interest was directed -toward developing women she was profoundly interested in all forms of -human activity, and she believed a balanced life required everywhere -the presence of both men and women. The New England Hospital was forced -to be limited to women physicians because all other hospitals denied -them entrance. Even when they were, later, grudgingly admitted to some -of these latter, it was only to the lower positions, and opportunities -for advancement were never, and are not to this day, equalized. - -When the appointment of a resident physician no longer made it -necessary for her to live in the Hospital, though retaining her office -there, she rented a house in Roxbury and once more had the joy of -possessing a home of her own, sharing this with two of her sisters. -These were the youngest, who had been sent to her after her father’s -death, and another whom she was educating for self-support as a teacher. - -However, as her financial condition was very precarious, she was -obliged to admit to her household as paying guests some friends and -patients. She thus found herself the head of quite an establishment, -and over this she presided with that executive ability and that -atmosphere of elder-sisterliness which we have already seen her -manifest in her first New York home. - -The most notable members of this family circle were undoubtedly Miss -Julia A. Sprague, who became her faithful friend and home companion -for life, and Mr. and Mrs. Karl Heinzen. It is easy to understand how -such a personality as that of Karl Heinzen[10] would appeal to her, -especially as his name had been a household word in her home in Berlin. -She writes: - - From early childhood I had heard of Karl Heinzen as the pioneer of - republicanism in Germany, whose writings my father read in secret. - He was very poor and he published a paper which was unpopular, as it - advocated not only the abolition of slavery but also “woman’s rights.” - Our friendship was, therefore, based not simply on affinity by nature - but also on principle; and we pledged ourselves to devote our strength - and our means to furthering the realization of our convictions. - -This friendship lasted as long as Karl Heinzen lived (he died in -November, 1880) and its influence on both of these independent thinkers -was profound and far-reaching. - -In addition to her other work she increased the Hospital funds by -lecturing to the public; some of her private patients furnished greatly -needed assistance by holding a Fair in Roxbury; and an especial service -was rendered by Miss Sprague who gave three months of her time to serve -as matron of the Hospital. - -An item of interest is the contribution given by the trustees of the -Boston Lying-In Hospital who had at that time no hospital of their own. -During the years of 1861 and 1862 this body gave to the New England -Female Medical College donations of twenty dollars and fifty-one -dollars, respectively, these donations being contributions for the care -of obstetric patients in the Clinical Department under Dr. Zakrzewska’s -management. During this first year of the existence of the New England -Hospital (now become the only lying-in hospital in the city) the -donation was made to this hospital, and it reached the sum of two -hundred dollars. - -Striking evidence of the growth of her work and of the faith of her -supporters is shown in the formation, already in this first year of -the life of the New England Hospital, of a Building Committee and the -beginning of a Permanent Fund, the birth of this latter being marked by -a donation of three thousand dollars from Mrs. George G. Lee and by one -of one thousand dollars from a friend of Samuel E. Sewall. - -The charitable policy of the Hospital was one which presented -great practical difficulties of administration, difficulties which -have always fallen to the lot of every one who has attempted any -philanthropic work. The point of view adopted by Dr. Zakrzewska and -her director associates is admirably shown in the first annual report -(1863) and its appendices. It is especially to be noted here because of -attacks which were later made upon it, as we shall presently see. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - - _Extracts from letters to her first Boston student, Dr. Lucy E. - Sewall, now studying in Europe--Lectures to public on “Hospitals: - their history, designs and needs.” (1863.)_ - - -The daughter of Samuel E. Sewall became an enthusiastic admirer of Dr. -Zakrzewska during one of the visits which the latter made to Boston in -the interest of the New York Infirmary, and a close friendship between -them resulted. An amusing incident of their first meeting has been -related in an earlier chapter. - -This friendship led to Lucy E. Sewall’s decision to study medicine -and she entered the New England Female Medical College as soon as Dr. -Zakrzewska became connected with it, in 1859. She remained a student -there during the entire three years that Dr. Zakrzewska continued on -the faculty, being assistant student in the Clinical Department, and -being graduated in March, 1862. Following the advice of Dr. Zakrzewska, -she then went to Europe for clinical study and for the practical -training which was denied her in her own country. - -From the correspondence which ensued many interesting sidelights are -thrown on Dr. Zakrzewska’s personality and activities during these -days. Thus, she writes: - - _October 16, 1862._ - - DEAR LUCY: - - I suppose you want long letters and in order to meet this want I will - write as often as I find time, so as to fill the sheet as I go along. - After that forlorn day yesterday, I am established again as usual this - morning at the table writing. - - Now let me tell you that I consider you one of the greatest - intriguants possible. You thought, I suppose, that you could catch - two flies in one beating by providing me with inkstand and pens. Of - course, I have to write if I have the materials; while the things will - not get used up in so doing, and will even be ornamental next year - after you have returned and we have an office together! But wait till - you do come home, and then see whether your speculation turns out as - you calculated. - - I gave the match box and tumbler to Mr. and Mrs. Heinzen who were - greatly pleased with the little memento. Now this is all for one - morning, only let me assure you that you sha’n’t leave me again behind - you; or if you desire to do so, you shall not see me when you start. - - * * * * * - - _October 21._ - - I have had two letters now from Dr. Morton, the one I told you about - and one other, dated September 24, in which she spoke of her safe - arrival and of her terrible homesickness. She calls Paris a cold city. - She likes England very much and wants to hear from you, all about - yourself and your experiences. - - ... Minna writes pleasantly about her life and wants to hear from you, - too. I suppose I will have to send her your letter when you send me - one that I can send about. - - ... Dr. Cabot called here the other day. He was very pleasant and - accepted all as very good--arrangements as well as physicians and - students. I asked him about consultation in forceps cases. He said - it was not necessary to call him for such cases, as forceps when - skillfully applied were without danger to either mother or child. You - see, he rightly supposes we use the forceps “skillfully.” - - The student, Miss Cook, has left for the Philadelphia college. I - really don’t know what else to write to you unless I tell you some of - my domestic affairs, namely, that I got, all in all, eight barrels of - pears and seven of apples; and I have any quantity of tomatoes pickled - and barberry jelly made.... On the 12th of November, we shall have - the Dress Party, which will be given by Miss Nichols in honor of Miss - Sprague’s birthday. - - * * * * * - - _Boston, Pleasant Street, - Saturday, November 29, at 9 P. M._ - - I am in Miss G.’s (the matron of the hospital) room, which is my - present abode during the nights. I have just arrived from the depot - where I left Mrs. ---- (one of her home patients) and Mrs. Heinzen, - who are going to New York. The first goes to see her son who is going - to the war, and the latter accompanies her for safety’s sake. They - both return day after to-morrow. - - Before starting for Roxbury, I read your letter to the whole company - there. They all send love to you and say that it is Holiday when - your letters arrive.... We read all your letters, even those to your - father, and I assure you they are all much too short. - - ... Why don’t you tell me more about Miss B.’s nephew, or have you - decided on a compromise? You remember that I don’t want you to marry a - German, and your uncle forbids an Englishman; so you must try to find - one who combines all the good points of German, English and American. - - ... I was very much amused at your descriptions of the English - doctors. I hope they will be of use to you. What you say about - Dr. ---- and Dr. ---- is, I am afraid, correct, for they have at - times a special faculty for being haughty and making themselves as - disagreeable as anybody can do. I should like to hear more about it - because, from Mrs. ----’s expressions, I inferred the same. I am very - sorry that she has left London. I know her; she spent an evening with - me at the Infirmary and my acquaintance with her was interrupted by - another matter which took my attention. - - ... What kind of a bonnet did you buy? And why did you not complete - the last page of your letter by giving a description of it? - - ... There is no need to tell me not to forget to miss you. I am sure - I never missed any person more than I do you. I almost had it in my - heart to wish that you may not succeed in London and that you then - make a visit to Paris during the rest of the winter, and then go along - the River Seine and come home in June. I feel almost wicked to make - you homesick yet certainly I do feel provoked when you say that you - are not so; for I am homesick for you. - - It is very strange how you have grown yourself into my heart. I never - before have felt such strong attachment for a woman, that is, so - “tenderly” strong. I have always appreciated and loved women more - intellectually. But you are my child. And I am going to have the - first grandbaby all to myself as my well-deserved property. - - You see, I am not so very selfish. I want you to enjoy all happiness - that exists for us poor mortals--which is by no means in the single - life. - - * * * * * - - _Roxbury, Attic Room, Southeast Corner, - Sunday Night, 10:30._ - - I hope this is dated explanatorily enough to need no comments. But - where under this wet heavens are you? We have plenty of water from - above, have you still the same below you? I would almost envy you were - I not so cosily covered. - - Henceforth, I fear we will have to pity you on Sundays in that pious - England. I can appreciate your loneliness, for I often have a taste of - it here on Sabbath evenings. For in spite of all the liberality of our - inmates, we have to be stupid Sunday nights to please them, and I am - always thankful when the day is over. - - Mr. Heinzen said to-day that I am a great talker, and he is not so - very wrong, for it distresses me to see a whole company sitting - together doing nothing, saying nothing, and thinking nothing, - because it is Sunday and they can’t go to church, in order to hear - nothing--but words and phrases. - - I often think I will make these latter myself, using innocent subjects - for the sake of conversation. The presence of people disturbs me and - prevents my thinking deeply, so I talk out what comes along. Have you - ever found me so very talkative--unless I am with people who don’t - interest me very much above a certain degree, say one above zero? - - I hope this letter and the one I wrote to Miss Morton will not be - called belonging to this class. Still, I am writing to-night chiefly - to let out some steam. Some people will not do this and therefore - often burst when least desirable. - - ... My finger which became infected during the treatment of that - little Mrs. ---- is now progressing so that I do not fear future - trouble. It has been the most curious development of pathological - changes that you can imagine. I am sorry that you could not watch - nature in a small trouble and see her action in repairing damages. - - Be careful of yourself for you know that at the time when my finger - became infected, it was apparently perfectly sound, yet there must - have been some point of entrance for the infection which followed. I - am glad that it proved to be so slight. - - I have not been to see your father as I was so very busy, but I shall - go there to-morrow unless the storm continues too severely. - - * * * * * - - _Roxbury, December 28, 1862._ - - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I shall not tell you any more that - I miss you at any time, for I don’t, not a bit. On the contrary, I am - glad that you are gone. - - I just read this paragraph to our parlor assembly and they wanted to - tear it up. Now, don’t you think that is quite a despotical sign of - our regiment here? I am sure I don’t want to write anything else, for - you shall not get too vain about yourself. - - We, that is, myself and Mrs. ---- and Miss Sprague, as well as Mr. and - Mrs. Heinzen, feel quite proud of our little doctor in England, only - we feel as if that little M.D. should write a little oftener. - - ... Mrs. W---- has a splendid little girl of nine and one-half pounds. - She had a very hard time, thirty-six hours’ labor, and I finally - delivered her with forceps, Miss Tyng officiating as assistant. Mother - and child are doing well and send love to you. - - Christmas was a very pleasant day and evening with us. We had the - parlors trimmed beautifully with laurel and holly, and when I came - home in the evening, I covered the chandeliers with wreaths. - - Then we placed white cloths on the front parlor center table and on - another small one, and set plates on them with German gingerbread and - apples and nuts. - - Returning from supper, we found large baskets and bundles which Santa - Claus had brought to the room and left for me to distribute. - - So after each one had appropriated a plate, I called out the names, - and lots of handsome little things came out of the brown and white - papers, by and by covering the tables completely, so that the room - looked like a charming little fair, and we had ever so much fun, and - many funny things, and I only wish that you had been here, too. - - Now, tell me how you are getting on in London, how your health is, how - much you are learning and how you spent Christmas. - - I have been nonsensically busy, so much so that I am completely worn - out, and to-day I proposed that I go to London to bring you back for - the purpose of getting rested. Everything goes the same old, old way. - Miss ---- is with me but she stays in the same old place and, although - I like her very much, yet there is no mutual sympathy between us. - - Lucy, never marry a man with whom you do not agree on all points! I - feel it more and more, the older I grow, that love grows stronger only - towards those with whom we sympathize; and that we become more and - more a burden to each other if we do not agree well. And although we - may avoid quarreling yet coldness is sometimes harder to bear than an - absolute quarrel. I feel all this with Miss ----, and yet she is far - more agreeable to me than a good many other of my acquaintances. I - really feel an attachment for her, perhaps for the very reason that I - feel we will not be obliged to be always together. - - Miss ---- charged me with a great deal of love for you, and you may - help yourself to as much as you want.... On the 20th, I am giving - a lecture for our Hospital, at Chickering Hall, on the subject of - “Hospitals.” I shall let you know how it comes off.... Write soon and - put yourself into the letter, and I will send you back by the next - mail. - - * * * * * - - _Roxbury, January 25, 1863._ - - It is Sunday morning, and I am tired and worn out. I felt miserable - all last week, so miserable that I had to give up my work and my - lessons for the last three days and rest. Yesterday afternoon we all - went to the minstrels, and I am the only one who got used up by it. - - I have had a great deal of practice this winter, more than is good for - me, yet I did not make so much money. People are all poor, everything - being now so dear. - - Nevertheless, I am satisfied with my affairs if I can only keep strong - under the strain. My sister Anna is again quite sick, and Rosalie will - therefore come to live with me in April. Minna had everything arranged - to go to Paris in April or May, but now that gold gets higher every - day, she thinks she must give it up for another year. Would it not be - nice if she could arrive in Paris when you do? I wish gold would come - down again so that could come about. - - Now, a few words as to the talk in England about a medical college for - women. Elizabeth Blackwell wrote to me about this as follows: “She - may get a great deal of valuable knowledge there, but I can judge far - better than she can of the value of their speeches. What they mean by - a ‘college’ is a school for a better class of midwives. To the broad, - true ground of admitting women to an equality in the profession, they - are stubbornly opposed; and they hold the power of exclusion entirely - in their own hands. The law in England makes medicine and surgery a - close corporation, very different from the freedom here.” - - Miss Garrett seems to verify all this, and more. I know, myself, - that the same talk and the same help would be extended to you should - you go to Berlin. But all that means a different thing from native - women taking the same work, as a general thing. There are _some_ - liberal men, to be sure, but they are so much in the minority that - their voices cannot even be heard. - - The work for us is in America, and nowhere else. I therefore feel - extremely glad to find that some of the most prominent men in New York - have taken up the matter; they have published a circular asking the - public to give fifty thousand dollars which is to be invested, and the - interest of which is to go for scholarships in one of the great New - York medical schools, for the use of such women as are able to meet - all the demands for a preparatory education. - - This is the best plan after all, both here and abroad, and the best - you can do is to learn all you can so as to come home well prepared to - enter the ranks as a practitioner. Every well-educated woman works - more for the cause of her fellow beings by doing well herself rather - than by meddling and trying constantly to help others. For the next - few years, I shall make this my working principle and after that, I - shall see what is best to be done next. - - ... You are very much mistaken if you think Vienna or Berlin better - than the Paris Maternité for real knowledge. For instance, in Berlin, - no student, not even a male, is permitted to perform “version” or do - anything in the way of an operation. In Paris, every midwife gets her - case of “version.” - - In Vienna, only the male students get “versions.” And both there and - in Berlin the men take the places close to the beds and the women have - to stand on the outskirts; While in Paris no man stands in the woman’s - way. - - ... I felt very sorry that you were so homesick during the holidays. I - really missed you more than I ever missed anybody before. I hope you - will be at home next Christmas. - - ... I sent Miss ---- on Christmas Eve a little ivory bookmark, - beautifully cut, Swiss work; it can be used also as a paper cutter - though it is very weak. - - ... I am not seeing Miss ---- since she came home. I think my - friendship, or rather hers, is over, since she cannot convert me. - - * * * * * - - _Roxbury, February 20, 1863._ - - It seems to me an eternity since I wrote to you last, and the cause - of it is that I was very sick and unnaturally busy. I delivered my - lecture on January 20th. and the Hospital got some fifty dollars - profit. - - I had been extraordinarily busy and had the house full of patients in - Roxbury. Besides, I was short of help at the Hospital which worried - me very much. The consequence was that I got really sick, gave up - practice entirely for a week, and when I did not get better, I packed - my bundle and went to New York on a “spree.” Now, is it not curious - that what we wanted to do for so long, namely, to take a journey - together, was realized with Miss ----. She volunteered to take care - of me, and consequently went with me and we had a real good time, at - least as far as I could have it, being really sick and blue. - - Since then I am a little better, but not very well, and so busy that - I have had to disappoint Aunt Hannah three evenings, after I had - appointed the day to take tea with her and to spend a lively hour. Yet - I could not help it. - - So much for myself! Next thing is the Hospital. Dr. Breed has resigned - her position, and I am therefore without a resident physician. Miss - Tyng takes charge in my absence, while Miss Abbott stands second. - She is resident student and also aids in the nursing. Miss Tyng is - splendid in all mechanical work, and together they are very helpful to - me. - - As to a resident physician, I am authorized, and appointed a - committee, to ask “you” whether you will be willing to fill this post - after your return. In case you accept, we shall go on as at present, - and wait for you. Write me, therefore, at once what you think about it. - - My great desire is that we shall have an office together. Now, I - do not like Pleasant Street at all, although it would not make any - difference to you where you begin practice. Perhaps we can find a more - suitable house for next fall. Ours is too small anyhow. However, this - must be left to the future. - - So far, we are doing very well at the Hospital. And yesterday, Dr. H. - R. Storer called upon me and invited me to call upon him, as he is - anxious to extend colleague-ship to me. He was a student of Simpson, - in Edinburgh, and a classmate of Priestley, and he studied with Dr. B. - Brown. By the way, you must get certificates from all these men that - you studied with them, or that you visited their respective hospitals. - If it is nothing more than a simple recommendation, it will help you - amazingly over here, and also do good to the general cause of women - studying abroad. Therefore, try to get something written. - - I shall go to see Dr. Storer next week and show him some of your - letters. I am sure you will find a good reception here, as I am - preparing the way for you somewhat among the physicians. I also read - some extracts from your letters in my lectures, reading especially - loudly the one where Dr. Brown introduced you as “Dr. Sewall from - America.” - - ... I will send you a Philadelphia catalogue next week, but I would - advise you not to encourage any students coming here at present. Dr. - Blackwell is trying very hard to make arrangements for women to enter - the New York University of Medicine. If she succeeds, it would be much - better for any woman to go there rather than to Philadelphia. - -[The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania was still struggling for -existence against the bitter opposition of the men, and especially of -the Philadelphia Medical Society. It had at this time just reopened -after being obliged to close for the session of 1861-1862.] - - Rather, let the English women fight their way in England. Don’t get - too much interested in the establishment of a woman’s college in - London. Dr. Blackwell is correct in her statement as to the position - women would occupy there in case they study separately from the men. - - ... I have not yet seen either your father or the books as I can - hardly find time for anything except my practice. - - * * * * * - - _Roxbury, May 7, 1863._ - - ... I received your first letter from Paris on Saturday, May 2d. I am - very glad to hear of your success and hope you will profit by it. We - are going on beautifully here with our Hospital if only we had more - money. - - ... We had five days of incessant storm, and now it pours down like a - deluge. Spring has been very forward this season. Our cherries were in - bloom and we sat on the hill on April 13th. What did you do on your - birthday? We celebrated it by being out of doors all the morning and - wishing for you.... I went to New York again for about four days.... - My health is tolerably good again, I think better than last spring.... - Miss Sprague is now in Minna’s place, and she heads the Roxbury house - beautifully. I like her very much in this position, she takes such an - interest in the whole affair. Rosalie is with me now and acts quite - nicely as nurse. - - I don’t mean to have many patients this summer; everything is so dear, - and besides it is a great burden. I would rather live by myself and - pay more for the comfort of having a free home than to make a little - profit. - - ... In the Hospital we are so busy that the back parlor is turned into - a ward for four beds. - - ... We have a fine Dispensary now--about one thousand patients this - year and an interesting Hospital. Next week we shall have one great - operation, and probably a second one. - - Don’t be alarmed about my health. I am as well as usual, and I think - a little better than last spring. There are a good many things that - worry and trouble me besides my work, things which I cannot control, - and which have a good deal to do with my running down in health. At - present I feel quiet and happy.... I got a fresh supply of young - chickens this morning.... What buttons did you buy? I want to send you - the money very much. - -Elsewhere Dr. Zakrzewska, in speaking of her lecture mentioned in one -of the preceding letters, says that the founding of the New England -Hospital had given rise to so many inquiries as to the need for -hospitals that she was requested to give a lecture on the “History, -designs and needs of hospitals” in general and of special hospitals in -particular. She also corrects the figures for receipts, later returns -showing a net profit of one hundred dollars, although the admission fee -was only twenty-five cents. She continues: - - It is surprising how at that time hospitals were considered as places - for merely the poor and the wretched, or for the victims of accidents - in public streets or roads. - - We had to cultivate the feeling that such enterprises were something - necessary and desirable, especially since the use of anesthetics and - the great improvement in surgical antisepsis have tended to make the - hospital the regular place for surgical treatment of the rich as well - as of the poor. - - We had also to show the wisdom of isolation by the removal, even from - the houses of the rich, of the patient afflicted with a contagious - disease, in order to save the rest of the family as well as to offer a - greater chance of recovery to the patient. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - - _By resignation of the resident physician, Dr. Zakrzewska is - obliged to resume entire charge of Hospital and Dispensary and she - again shows symptoms of overfatigue and strain while awaiting Dr. - Sewall’s return from Europe to fill the vacant position--Illustrations - of the application of Dr. Zakrzewska’s humanitarian instincts and - intellectual convictions to the treatment of her patients, in - addition to technical medical care--“A Lesson”--“Another True Story.” - (1863.)_ - - -As Dr. Sewall accepted the offer of the position of resident physician -at the Hospital, to take effect on her return from Europe in September, -Dr. Zakrzewska continued to fill the duties of this position both at -the Hospital and on the two added days in the Dispensary. - -The most robust health and endurance have their limits, and she has -already been noted as giving many symptoms which showed that she -had been presuming on hers ever since the over-strenuous days of -establishing the New York Infirmary. Repeated notes of overfatigue and -strain creep into these letters to Dr. Sewall. - -Specializing largely, as she did, in that branch of medicine -(obstetrics) which is most regardless of convenience and most -inconsiderate as to sleeping hours, she worked literally day and night. -And feeling the whole burden of responding to the demand for the -trained woman physician which she had so largely helped in awakening, -she refused no patients. - -Her humanitarian instincts and her admirable ability to enter into the -feelings of her patients, and to recognize their limitations and their -struggles, prompted her to send no bills until they were asked for. She -writes: - - If you could see my office day after day full of school-teachers, - dressmakers, mill operatives and domestics, all too proud to go to the - dispensary and yet not rich enough to pay a large fee, you would agree - with me that the prescription for good meat, wine or beer would be a - farce if I took the money with which they ought to buy these instead - of taking the small fee which allows them to keep their self-respect. - -Not content with reducing her fees to a minimum or to zero, she always -added the constructive work which from her point of view belonged -within the province of her profession. This was not done by giving -charity regarding which she had definite and very modern views. She -writes: - - It is not _Charity_ which we must cultivate and practice: it - is _Justice_ to one another. Charity is what an opiate is to a - patient: it soothes for the time but the same bad consequences result - as follow the drug. We must teach ourselves that the Golden Rule must - be actually practiced in order to reach and raise those who need to be - helped. - -And again she emphasizes: - - The Golden Rule must be practiced every day and not merely formulated - as a pious recital on Sunday. - -Investigating the routine of the patient’s life, she would help her -to reorganize it along the lines of hygiene, of economics, and of a -balanced perspective; and then would follow a reëducation not only of -the patient but of the patient’s family and even friends. In this way, -her influence extended to the men of the family and of the community. -And these vied with the women in acknowledging their indebtedness to -what they called her “common sense.” - -She depicts this aspect of her work so clearly in a couple of sketches -written in later years that they are inserted here to add to the -definiteness of the outlines of this phase of her history. The first of -these (_Souvenir of the New England Hospital Fair_, 1896) is: - - - A LESSON - - _I will a round unvarnish’d tale deliver._--SHAKESPEARE. - - Mary was the third child of five in a family in humble circumstances. - The father, an industrious journeyman carpenter, aided by the thrifty - mother, managed to keep all the children in attendance at the free - public schools of Boston until they graduated at the age of about - fifteen years. Soon after leaving school, Mary obtained a situation as - child’s nurse in the house of a rich family, with whom she remained - nine years in the varying capacity of nursemaid, chambermaid and - seamstress. She then married a journeyman plumber twenty-six years - of age, he being thus two years her senior. He had laid by from his - earnings a sum of money about equal to what Mary had saved from her - nine years’ wages, and these combined were amply sufficient to set - them up in respectable housekeeping in a neatly furnished tenement - having a kitchen, dining-room, living room and chamber, also a - storeroom and bathroom. - - In due time, the baby made its appearance and found awaiting it a - handsome cradle, and a wardrobe not only comfortable but pretty and - plentiful. The young father with no small pride carried his son and - heir, arrayed in a white cashmere cloak and suitable belongings, - while by his side walked his prettily dressed wife, when on Sunday - afternoons they went to visit friends and relatives. Thus far, all was - well. - - After the lapse of five years and a half, four little ones formed the - pride and the care of these young folks; and it was just seven years - from the time of their marriage that I first entered their home as - visiting doctor from the dispensary, the indigent being attended at - their homes when illness prevented their coming to the free dispensary - at the clinic hours. - - I found the family of six living in two rooms heated by the kitchen - stove. The children were ill with scarlatina. All around was - the evidence of poverty, although not destitution nor degrading - squalor. By observation and subsequent inquiry, I soon learned the - cause of this changed condition. It was simply this--Mary, who - had gradually adapted herself with grace and intelligence to the - comforts of the rich house in which she had lived from her fifteenth - to her twenty-fourth year, could not now conform herself to the - smaller means and ways of living of a wife and mother in moderate - circumstances. - - She had learned to cook delicate, expensive viands, had a sure belief - that tenderloin is the only steak fit for eating, and had great - skill in the pretty and dainty ornamentation of the babies. These - tastes which she acquired in the rich merchant’s family could not be - gratified with the workman’s means; she had unlearned the thrifty - habits among which she had lived as a schoolgirl in her parents’ home - and she became confused in her methods of work, while the steady - increase in her family reduced her in strength and added to her cares - and labors, a condition not inclined to promote the good temper of the - naturally amiable woman. - - Ofter now, the husband, returning home from his work, found no table - laid for dinner, and still oftener must he start out early in the - morning to find a breakfast in a neighboring eating house, which is - always the first step towards finding rest and companionship in the - saloon. - - This was the condition as it unfolded itself to me during my brief - attendance. The children recovered, and with the aid of cod-liver oil - and tonics provided by the charity of the dispensary, soon regained - full health. - - A little more than a year passed when one day in October, 1876, Mary - presented herself in my private consulting room. She looked haggard - and pale, was poorly clad and in a desperate frame of mind. Her - husband had gone from bad to worse. He paid the rent for two shabby - small rooms in an old house and provided weekly the coal for the - kitchen stove. All the rest of his earnings he spent for his own - meals. Often, if he came home at all at night, it was in a state of - partial intoxication. Naturally, no firm dared give him regular - employment and he supported himself by odd jobs. - - The poor woman had resorted to needlework for support, this being the - only means for her to earn money and look after her children, whom she - could not send to school for lack of shoes and decent clothing. - - It was Friday afternoon. She had just carried her work to her employer - and received her pay of one dollar and sixty cents. She laid it on the - table before me and said, “This is all I with my four children shall - have to buy food with until next Friday--it is not enough to buy even - bread and tea and that is all we have lived upon for the last three - weeks.” She looked wan and hungry and cried bitterly. I sent for a - little luncheon, and while she ate it, I devised the following plan: - - “Mrs. S----,” said I, “take this money and spend it as follows: - - Buy 7 lbs. corned beef $0.35 - 21 ” potatoes .25 - 14 ” cabbage .28 - 7 ” Indian meal .21 - 1 qt. molasses .15 - 7 loaves bread .35 - Salt .01 - ----- - $1.60 - - “Boil the meat in twelve quarts of water until very tender. Divide the - meat and broth in seven parts, also the potatoes and cabbage. Cook - one portion of cabbage and potatoes each day in the portion of broth. - Divide this stew into five equal parts for you and your four children. - Do the same with the Indian meal, cooking one part every morning. - Salt it well, and pour on it one-seventh part of the molasses--that is - for your breakfasts. Use one loaf of bread each day for supper. Come - again next Friday and let me know the result.” - - She promised to follow this written prescription, and did so. The - ensuing Friday she again presented herself before me, looking less - distressed having earned $1.70. She said she “was glad to have done - so, as the children could eat more than the seventh part of the - purchase, and it was hard for her to eat it herself and deny the - children.” However, she had obeyed and was able to do more work - having earned ten cents more that week, although she and the children - “felt sorely the lack of tea.” I advised her to make a change in her - purchases, spending the same amount of money for a fresh shin of beef - and turnips or a salted shoulder of pork, and to use the ten cents for - extra molasses. - - After two weeks, she came again to report to me. The change in her - appearance was remarkable, and her account of her children’s condition - was good. Also, she had been able to earn two dollars per week, which, - however, was the utmost she could do in the time she could spare from - the family work. At the end of another two weeks she came to me and - asked permission to give to her husband a share of the dinner on the - coming Sunday. He had smelled the stew when occasionally coming home - and desired to partake of it. It was therefore agreed that he should - add fifteen cents as his share for the cost of the dinner, which he - did, and when Christmas came, she told me had done so regularly every - day for the previous three weeks. - - I made them a Christmas present of a piece of roasting beef, fifty - pounds weight of apples, and the same amount of potatoes, while - former friends to whom I had spoken of their destitution, sent tea, - sugar and milk, also shoes and stockings for the children. - - After this sumptuous holiday feast, severely cold weather followed. - Careless housekeepers in all ranks of life allowed their water pipes - to burst, and great was the demand for plumbers’ work, especially in - the suburbs of Boston. Mary’s former friends were willing to employ - her husband again, under his promise of strict sobriety, as they would - not risk the danger of house-burning by the carelessness of a tipsy - plumber. Mary cooked him substantial dinners of the description given - above, and he felt like a man again in his home. - - Being skillful as a workman and very obliging in disposition, he - gained friends while jobbing in the different houses. Those who had - known him before encouraged him to persevere and finally persuaded him - to remove to one of those suburban towns where his business would be - in good demand and where he would escape from the temptation of eating - house and drinking saloon. Meantime, Mary had learned good lessons - during these sixteen weeks. She now knew how to provide and cook good, - cheap and wholesome meals, and soon adapted herself entirely to such - ways and means as his earnings would provide. - - It is now 1896, and the twenty years are completed since the beginning - of that time of misery in that family, who now own three houses, in - one of which Mary’s husband carries on a fine, thriving business, over - the entrance door of which may be read the sign “John Smith & Son.” - Another house is occupied by them as a dwelling, and the third, an - investment of their earnings, is rented to their daughter’s husband - who is foreman in their business. - - Their life is simple and plain but comfortable, and when I met Mary - recently, she told me that she had taught all the children, two boys - and two girls, how to cook and how to mend clothes, and with great - pride she assured me that corned beef and cabbage is their favorite - dish, “although the children will often make ice cream for Sunday - dessert.” - -The second sketch alluded to (_The Woman’s Journal_, May 13, 1893) -is: - - - ANOTHER TRUE STORY - - Some years ago, the wife of a farmer living not many miles from Boston - came to my office to consult me, because she feared she was suffering - from a disease such as can only befall a woman and which she fully - believed was “killing her by inches.” With sunken cheeks, dull eyes, - sallow complexion, pale lips and no more flesh on her limbs than was - necessary to make locomotion possible, the woman sat there and told - of her ailments--sleeplessness, utter lack of appetite, backache, - depression of spirits, etc. - - After listening and taking notes of her story of misery, I made a - careful examination and then told her that she was entirely free from - all disease, but that she was simply worn out and needed six months of - rest and good living. - - She sighed deeply and said it was impossible to follow such a - prescription as their pecuniary means would not permit it. She said - further that their two children had outgrown the district school - of the town, and she had, with true Yankee ambition, persuaded her - husband to send them to a relative in the city that they might have - the advantage of came, she told me he had done so regularly every - extra dollar of their earnings, although from motives of economy, the - children spent Saturday and Sunday at home. - - She said she felt sure a tonic would restore her appetite, and that - the relief to her mind in knowing that she was free from disease would - aid in curing her. So, carrying in her hand the valuable recipe for a - tonic which might or might not be of use, she left me, promising to - report herself in ten days. - - At the end of that time she appeared, looking more dejected and - forlorn than at her first visit, so much so that I was startled, and - thought that I had made a mistake in my diagnosis as well as in my - prognosis. With sobs, she informed me that a great misfortune had - befallen them. This statement at once explained to me her appearance. - - It was at the time when the first Jersey cows were imported into this - country from England, and they were held at a great price. She told - me that her husband, about six months before, had invested all the - money they had in the savings bank in the purchase of one of those - valuable creatures. On the day following the woman’s visit to me, - this precious cow had begun to be ailing. The trouble increasing, a - veterinary surgeon had been consulted, and he told them if they would - save the health and life of the cow, they must procure a faithful, - intelligent man to take charge of her from morning to night. This sad - event made it necessary for them to take for attendance on the cow the - services of their best hired man, while the hiring of another man in - his place would prevent their expending money for the charwoman who - gave the good farmer’s wife an occasional lift with the housework. She - sobbingly ended her story by saying, “I must work even harder than a - week ago--you must give me a stronger tonic.” - - The case looked so sad and hopeless that I sat silently thinking for - a moment, when suddenly a bright thought sprang into my mind, and I - said, “Why don’t _you_ nurse that cow and let the charwoman do - your work in house, kitchen and dairy?” - - As when a sunbeam bursts through heavy black clouds, so did a light - flash over her face and into her eyes as I said these words; but in - a moment it darkened down again as she began to think of all the - objections to such a plan. But the idea was born; it grew; and with my - vivid power of imagination, I overthrew all her objections one after - another, until her conversation became really animated, and the plan - appeared so plausible to both of us that the good woman went out of - the office with no stronger tonic than hope and courage can bestow. - - The whole affair was forgotten by me in the pressure of business - and in listening to more stories of moral and physical misery. The - summer with all its joy and beauty slipped away, and brilliant October - brought a new flood of professional business and cares. - - On one of these autumn days, a plump, sunburnt, cheerful-faced woman - entered my sanctum, holding in one hand a huge bouquet of gorgeous - dahlias, in the other a little jar of cream, and on her arm hung a - small basket with a dozen fresh eggs. - - “Don’t you remember me?” she said. Of course I did not, although the - voice was familiar. - - “Well, I am Mrs. F----, whom you advised to nurse her cow.” - - I could hardly believe my eyes, even after her repeated assurances - of her identity with that miserable wreck of the May before. She gave - me an animated description of what followed her leaving my office; - of all her doubts and misgivings during her journey home as to what - her husband would say to such a proposition for both a sick wife and - a sick cow; and of how she had timidly introduced the subject to him - by telling him that I was a queer doctor who did not believe much in - medicine. - - All this prepared him for the account of my plan to which contrary to - his usual habit when women proposed anything, he listened gravely, and - then said thoughtfully, “Well, my dear, we might try it.” She at once - called in the charwoman who had supplied her place that day and made - arrangements with her to come daily. - - The next morning she went to the field, with her rubber waterproof, - her husband and the cow. The latter was tied to a stake, and my - patient seated herself near on the waterproof (as I had suggested - to her) while she watched the cow and petted and talked to her. The - two took kindly to each other. One day’s experiment proved that she - could keep the cow in such subjection and quietness as the surgeon had - ordered, plucking the fresh grass for her and feeding her as needed. - All went well. Let me give a part of her story in her own words: - - “My husband was satisfied with the first day’s result, and made the - few arrangements necessary. And you, Doctor, ought to have seen me as - at sunrise, day after day, rain or shine, I walked to the pasture, - with a big basket on my right arm full of my mending work; in my right - hand a large white umbrella which my husband had bought for me; and in - my left hand the rope to which my bossy was tied, and which, by the - way, I did not need after a fortnight, she following me at my call - and lying close beside me when not walking a few steps for a bite of - the rich grass. - - “My charwoman brought me all my meals and a pail of water for bossy. - I soon had a keen appetite, almost impossible to satisfy; even the - abundant provisions brought me and eagerly eaten with such good relish - still seemed to leave a hollow unfilled; and after my walk home at - sundown, I slept sweetly as I had not done for months. - - “The cow got well; she is now followed by a strong, beautiful heifer - six weeks old for which my husband has already had an offer of just - half the money that he paid for the cow. And I--I feel strong, well - and happy, can do all my work, and have taken none of the tonic. - Besides all this, both my children are equally well, because when they - came home for their weekly sojourn, they felt that they must spend - Saturday and Sunday out in the field with poor mother who had no other - diversion than the company of a cow. I really believe that their being - with me out of doors has done them more good than they would have got - from the change we had planned for vacation, a visit to relatives up - in the mountains. - - “So I thought I had better come and tell you of all the good you have - done to our whole family by your excellent advice, although it seemed - so queer to us all and, you may well believe, to our neighbors too.” - - “How many months did you do this?” I asked. “Was it not tedious to be - all day in such dull company?” - - “I did this same thing,” she replied, “every day, from the time that - I left you until the calf was three days old. And as for tediousness - or loneliness, I never felt it, for I have done a heap of sewing, - old and new, which had been accumulating during the past year when I - could not sew because I was so miserable. Besides, I always took some - reading matter with me, especially on rainy days when I could not - use my needle. And as my bossy liked to have me talk to her, I read - aloud the Boston _Journal_ and our town paper. These she seemed - to enjoy as much as my chatting with her, even when it came to the - obituaries, death notices and quack medicine advertisements.” - - She assured me that she had not had a single cold, although she had - several times been drenched by thunder showers that had overtaken her - when she was unprotected. She said also that she had learned the great - lesson of the folly of carrying self-neglect and self-sacrifice to - such an extent as to bring trouble not only on one’s self but also on - all the family. - - If this little tale should be read by the family described, I wish one - of them would send name and address (which I have no right to betray) - to the _Woman’s Journal_. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - - _Question of escort in night practice--Expansion of Hospital - by purchase of four houses on Warren (Warrenton) and Pleasant - streets--Professional recognition slowly growing--She buys a horse - and buggy--For first time in America the name of a woman is listed - officially as specializing in surgery, Dr. Anita E. Tyng being - appointed assistant surgeon--Resignation of the consulting surgeon - (Dr. Samuel Cabot) and the attending surgeon (Dr. Horatio R. Storer), - the latter the only man ever appointed on the attending staff--Dr. - Cabot continues to act unofficially. (1863-1866.)_ - - -Boston had already extended itself in all directions into suburbs -which still kept their dependence upon the center, but the means -of communication remained primitive, as already described in the -out-patient work which Dr. Zakrzewska established at the New England -Female Medical College. And the isolation was most complete at night, -the hour when the cry of suffering humanity rings most insistent. - -So the Doctor was obliged to walk long distances to answer the calls -of those patients who could not afford to send a carriage for her. Her -familiar itinerary was from Roxbury to South Boston, to Dorchester, to -West Roxbury, to Brookline, to Cambridge, and so around the circle. -Temperatures of all degrees from below zero to up in the nineties were -never allowed to discourage her. - -As in New York, she was unmolested in her travels. But she never took -unnecessary risks. She always went with the messenger who called her, -and who was generally a man. She writes: - - If he could not accompany me on my return home in the night, and no - accommodation for me was possible in the little apartment, I walked - with the policeman, and waited at the end of the different beats for - the next one to take me to his limits. I was well known among them, - and was not at all surprised when a Franklin Park policeman recently - accosted me as a friend well remembered in the night walks of former - years. - -The second year (1863-1864) of the existence of the New England -Hospital, and of this phase of Dr. Zakrzewska’s life, was marked -by such increased growth of the institution that it was decided to -purchase the former residence of Rev. Charles F. Barnard, No. 14 Warren -Street (later Warrenton Street), to add to it three small dwelling -houses in its rear (Nos. 13, 15, 17 Pleasant Street), and to connect -them by a covered passage. The large house was described as “well built -and convenient, airy and sunny, with a pleasant outlook on the Chapel -yard and greenhouse” (p. 331). It seemed prudent to continue to lease -two of the Pleasant Street houses to tenants but even so the increase -in accommodations was marked. - - The result of this expansion [says Dr. Zakrzewska] was enabling us not - only to enlarge our work, but also to divide it into three distinct - departments--Hospital for medical and surgical cases; Lying-in - Department and Dispensary. - - Had our work not been wanted [she continues], had our help not been - needed, here and throughout the country, we should not have found so - many patients asking for help and advice; nor have had so long a list - of names of students waiting for a vacancy; nor have met with that - response from the community which provided the means for carrying on - our institution and enabling us to enlarge it. - -Professional recognition was slowly growing, but even slight advances -helped to lighten the almost overpowering mental strain of isolation. -In such conditions, every slight word or act of indorsement, even -though with reservations, was like a ray of hope that at last the dawn -was breaking. - -Referring to this period of professional loneliness, Dr. Zakrzewska -writes in a letter to the editor in 1900: - - In looking over these reports, there come back to me the many hours of - fear and anxiety when I really was the only person who stood before - the world responsible for our work in the Hospital. - - The few brave men who supported my efforts were advanced in years and - had a large practice; they were often not available for consultation - when requested to come, or they came too late, when the danger was - over or had ended in death. - - My co-workers were young and inexperienced, looking up to me for - wisdom and instruction, while the public in general watched with - scrupulous zeal in order to stand ready for condemnation; this zeal - being stimulated by the profession at large who wanted to find - fault but did not dare to do so openly so long as the two or three - professional men stood as a moral force behind me. - - I remember how twice--once in New York and once in Boston--a man - colleague told me I was foolish to take to heart the death of a - patient which I saw coming as a natural event. Such consolations - helped to uphold me. - -[Illustration: THE NEW ENGLAND HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN - - This hospital was first housed in a dwelling house on Pleasant Street - further along than the rear houses here seen (1862-1864). This was - soon outgrown in favor of the one front and three rear houses here - shown or indicated (1864-1872).] - -This professional loneliness must have been peculiarly poignant to her, -since it contrasted so painfully with her recollections of the cordial -fellowship which she had enjoyed with Dr. Schmidt and other leading -medical men in Berlin. - -An appeal issued by the directors in June, 1864, asking for funds for -the purchase of the new buildings, contains a letter by Dr. Horatio R. -Storer giving cogent reasons for the desirability of a special hospital -for women and noting the particular conditions which made the New -England Hospital peculiarly suitable for such purpose. This appeal was -signed also by Drs. Walter Channing, C. G. Putnam, Henry I. Bowditch, -and S. Cabot. - -And about this time, Dr. Walter Channing writes to Dr. Zakrzewska: - - I regret I had not made my visit later as I was too early to have the - pleasure of seeing you. I was desirous to do so to express to you - my entire satisfaction in regard to the operation you performed the - evening before. It was a very difficult operation and was done under - circumstances most unpromising of success. I do not think it could - have been done better. - - I write also to say that if at any time I can do anything to aid you - in the performance of your important duties, I shall be always ready - and happy to do so. - - Very respectfully & truly yrs., - WALTER CHANNING. - - _Boston, 39 Mt. Vernon Street, - June 2, 1864._ - - -Remembering the financial difficulties of both Dr. Zakrzewska herself -and this young, struggling enterprise of hers, one may well wonder at -the second annual report (1863-1864) stating: - - Half of our beds are always filled by patients who pay nothing, and - the resident physician has the right to receive at half price those - whose circumstances require this indulgence. - -And realizing how the prices of the necessities of life must have -advanced with the continuance of the Civil War, one is not surprised to -read elsewhere: - - We have been reluctantly forced to double our price of board, placing - it at eight dollars per week. - -The third year (1864-1865) of Dr. Zakrzewska’s new life of freedom, -of the longed-for opportunity for expressing her ideals, and of the -attaining of sympathy and support for the forms of such expression, -found the Hospital continuing its growth, like a manifestation -incarnate of her soaring spirit. - -This growth compelled the addition, with alterations, of the remaining -two houses on Pleasant Street; and the housewarming which dedicated -this further enlargement of its opportunities netted a precious six -hundred dollars. - -The Legislature of Massachusetts now voted the Hospital five thousand -dollars for the purchase of the new site, on condition that a similar -amount should be raised by subscription. And the Boston Lying-in -Hospital Corporation increased its donation to one thousand dollars. - -For the first time Dr. Zakrzewska, as attending physician, presented -to the board of directors a formal report which she thus introduces: - - Before this year I had never considered that a lengthy report given - by me was a necessity. Hitherto our Hospital had been so small and - so simple in its management that it was easily understood by the - directors and friends. - - This is now changed: for after four years of exertion the Hospital - has assumed from a simple ward the form of a complicated institution, - with its resident and assistant physicians, its consulting, attending - and assistant surgeons, and its attending and consulting physicians. - Such an institution must necessarily attract the attention of the - community; therefore inquiries are constantly being made as to how - this institution is carried on. Nothing can answer all these different - inquiries better than a minute report. - - The most striking feature in its character is that it is designed to - give to educated medical women an equal chance with their professional - brethren to prove their capacity as hospital physicians, and to admit - only female students to its wards--all other hospitals closing their - doors to women as physicians and students. - - The increase in the number of patients seeking daily advice soon gave - a reputation to the institution, and the liberally inclined part of - the community as well as of the profession began to look upon it as a - test of female capability in professional life. - -In this report Dr. Zakrzewska notes that the increase in the number -of patients had become so great that Dr. Storer offered to share the -dispensary work with her and Dr. Sewall, taking two mornings a week -and making an even division of the time. - -Referring to the raising of the question as to whether it is not an -inconsistency to have a gentleman in attendance, as it has always -been stated that the advantage of our Dispensary is that women can be -attended by physicians of their own sex, she continues: - - In reply to this, I can only say that there is a distinct notice given - on the Dispensary cards as well as in the waiting room, when Dr. - Sewall or I, or when Dr. Storer is in attendance, so that patients can - have their choice. - -Interesting features of the annual meeting of the Hospital for this -year and of a levee which followed it, were an address by Dr. Elizabeth -Blackwell on “The Culture Necessary for a Physician,” and a reading of -some charming poems by Mrs. Julia Ward Howe. - -Hand in hand with the growth of Dr. Zakrzewska’s Hospital work -progressed the growth of her private practice. And the year 1865 was -notable in that for the first time she felt able to set up a carriage -in proper medical style. She thus describes this felicitous occurrence: - - In 1865, I bought a second-hand buggy and a horse for two reasons: one - was that I could not accomplish and do justice to my professional work - by using public conveyances; the other, that it became a matter of - necessity to uphold the professional etiquette and dignity of a woman - physician on equality with men. The effect was marvelous. Even the - newspapers took notice of the change. - -At the Hospital further advance was made by the creation of the staff -position of assistant surgeon, Dr. Anita E. Tyng[11] receiving the -appointment. Thus for the first time in America the name of a woman -is listed officially as specializing in surgery. This year was also -notable for the addition of a second consulting physician, Dr. Henry I. -Bowditch accepting election. - -Dr. Henry I. Bowditch was always an earnest supporter of the education -of women as physicians. He befriended Dr. Harriot K. Hunt and Dr. -Nancy Clark, and then Dr. Zakrzewska herself when the latter came to -Boston in 1856 soliciting money for opening the New York Infirmary. -He remained the steadfast champion of medical women and continued as -consulting physician to the New England Hospital until his death in -1892. - -Dr. Zakrzewska realized the necessity of having on the consulting -staff of the Hospital men physicians of the highest standing in the -profession, such men serving as vouchers to the community for the -medical women and their hospital. - -But aside from this vital consideration she also believed that the best -results follow when men and women work together. In this conviction she -was ably supported by Dr. Henry I. Bowditch, who wrote to her at one -time: - - In regard to having a full corps of well-known experts, male and - female, connected with the hospital, I still have no doubt. As I think - there should be women physicians and surgeons in the other hospitals, - so I think it important for the fullest success to have a joint - corps at the women’s hospital. Also, I cannot but think it would be - beneficial pecuniarily to all the hospitals if such arrangements were - made. - -Indeed, Dr. Bowditch was prepared to go even further, for in another -letter he expresses the opinion that all three hospitals--the New -England, the Massachusetts General and the City, should throw open -their clinical instruction to both men and women. Though he was still -conservative enough to advise that the clinics should be held at -different hours for the two sexes. - -In spite of the increasing support given the Hospital, its financial -situation continued to cause anxiety. This was due to the need for -paying for the four buildings purchased, to the increased expenses of -the expanded institution, and to the disproportionately large amount of -service given free or at only nominal rates. - -The acuteness of the problem continued to increase and in the following -year (1865-1866), although the mortgages had been paid off and the -general debt reduced, the institution was unable to pay its current -expenses. - -To meet this situation a more conservative course was felt to be -imperative, and it was decided, except in Maternity cases, temporarily -to discontinue receiving any patients at a reduced rate except in the -free beds, those which were endowed or definitely subscribed for. - -Dr. Tyng continued as assistant surgeon, and her progress was so -satisfactory that Dr. Storer writes: - - During July and August, I shall be able to visit the Hospital only - on Saturdays. During my absence, I wish Dr. Tyng, in accordance with - her duties as assistant surgeon, to take my place as concerns both - the Dispensary and the Surgical Wards. Of course, operations of any - magnitude will be reserved until the days of my attendance. - -In the midst of this peaceful development and orderly progress, clouds -suddenly gathered and a tempest broke forth, with much lightning -though with little thunder. This was followed by the clearing of the -air characteristic of the passing of tempests in this latitude but, -as sometimes happens, a marked change in the local landscape was the -result. - -The storm center seems to have been Dr. Storer. It is often difficult -to explain misunderstandings and disagreements. Frequently, no one -person seems to be definitely responsible. Electric conditions develop -from many causes; minor frictions occur; an accident produces a spark; -and an explosion follows. - -Dr. Storer was connected with the Boston Lying-in Hospital before that -institution suspended operation. He later became connected with the New -England Hospital as already related, beginning then to specialize in -the diseases of women. He worked assiduously in his department, and he -accepted the letter of his obligations to the Hospital. - -Subsequent history shows that this acceptance did not include the -convictions of the spirit. Perhaps a psychoanalyst of to-day would -trace the ultimate explosion to the “complex” resulting from conflict -between this letter and spirit. - -Or, perhaps (as suggested by the primary resignation of Dr. Cabot) it -was a technical disagreement as to the limits of the respective domains -of attending and consulting staffs--always a subject filled with -delicate potentialities. - -Or, perhaps, as claimed by Dr. Mary Putnam-Jacobi (_Woman’s Work -in America_, published in 1891), a most careful and conscientious -observer with the true scientific spirit, it was because the successful -outcome of Dr. Storer’s operations fell too often below the boldness -of his conceptions of them. (Dr. Sewall in this year says in her -report as resident physician, “Only three deaths have occurred among -our patients, and all these took place in the surgical wards after -hazardous operations.”) - -Be the explanations--one or all--as they may, the first outward -manifestation of the storm was the receipt by the board of directors of -the following letter from Dr. Samuel Cabot, the early and long-tried -friend of the Hospital who had from the beginning served as consulting -surgeon: - - _Boston, June 2, 1866._ - - _To the Board of Directors of the New England Hospital For Women and - Children._ - - LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: - - Feeling as I do the very warmest interest in the cause of female - education and advancement, and believing as I do that the path of - medicine and surgery, as well as every other path to honor and profit, - should be open to women as well as to men--still, I feel constrained - to send you my resignation of the office of Consulting Surgeon to - the New England Hospital for Women and Children with which you have - honored me, and to request you at your earliest convenience to accept - it and to appoint my successor. - - I cannot enter into any explanation of my reasons for this step, and - can only ask you to believe that it is from no loss of interest in - the cause you represent nor from any dissatisfaction with the ladies - connected with the Hospital. - - Very respectfully - Your obedient servant, - S. CABOT. - - -This resignation was accepted with great regret when after consultation -it was found to be irrevocable. - -This letter having brought the subject of consulting physicians to -the attention of the directors, after much thought and inquiry the -following preamble and resolutions were unanimously passed at their -regular meeting on August 13: - - WHEREAS, the confidence of the public in the management of - the Hospital rests not only on the character of the medical attendants - having its immediate charge but also on the high reputation of its - Consulting Physicians and Surgeons, and - - WHEREAS, we cannot allow them to be responsible for cases - over which they have no control, therefore, - - _Resolved_, that in all unusual or difficult cases in medicine, - or where a capital operation in surgery is proposed, the Attending - and Resident Physicians and Surgeons shall hold mutual consultation, - and if any one of them shall have doubt as to the propriety of the - proposed treatment or operation, one or more of the Consulting - Physicians or Surgeons shall be invited to examine and decide upon - the case. - - _Voted_, that a copy of this resolve be sent to all medical - officers connected with this Hospital - -On September 10, the board of directors received from Dr. Storer a -letter containing his resignation as attending surgeon, and on this -letter the report comments, “Its tenor left the Board no alternative -but its acceptance, which was unanimously voted.” - -The report then continues, - - The Directors would, however, take this first public occasion to - express their sense of the value of Dr. Storer’s professional services - and of the aid which he has rendered to the Treasury of the Hospital. - Cheerfully bearing witness to his talent and active zeal in his - profession, they offer him their best wishes for his future success. - -Dr. Storer’s letter containing his resignation was remarkable for its -expressions of misunderstanding of the resolutions quoted above and for -its misrepresentation of the general charitable policy of the Hospital. -But it was chiefly remarkable for the needlessly offensive manner in -which the writer revealed his personal disapproval of the study of -medicine by women. Yet he condescended on second thought to qualify the -latter statement, by adding: - - For certain of the professional ladies whom I have met, I have - personally the highest respect and esteem. Miss Zakrzewska, the - beauty and purity of whose life as already published to the world I - have long seen verified, may well challenge comparison in practice - with a certain percentage of my own sex. Miss Tyng, now for two - years my assistant in private practice, has such natural tastes and - inclinations as fit her, more than I should have supposed any woman - could have become fitted, for the anxieties, the nervous strain and - the shocks of the practice of surgery. And there are others not now - officially connected with the Hospital whose names I would mention in - terms of similar commendation. - - Such are, however, at the best, but very exceptional cases, and I am - driven back to my old belief, the same that is entertained by the mass - of mankind, that in claiming this especial work of medicine women have - mistaken their calling. - -An interesting by-action of the writer was his concurrent sending of -this extraordinary letter of resignation to the _Boston Medical and -Surgical Journal_ for publication. This journal has already been -quoted as being opposed to the entrance of women into the medical -profession, and at this time and for many subsequent years, it still -continued its attitude of opposition. - -It is of a certain interest to note here that Dr. Storer once more -emerged in public to express his sex-peculiar views regarding women -physicians. This was in San Francisco in 1871, when, at the annual -meeting of the American Medical Association, the question of women -as delegates and members was brought into the debate upon a related -subject. In the discussion, Dr. Storer spoke in opposition, saying: - - ... We will grant that some exceptional women are as interested in - our science as ourselves; that some of them have those peculiar - qualities, that especial temperament, that gives them not merely a - taste for anatomy and surgery but courage to face the greatest dangers - and anxiety in surgery; and that there are some women who are able - to go out in inclement weather and brave the storm. We may grant - that women, some of them, may have had peculiar means or favorable - opportunities which allow them to get this same education that men - have. We may grant, and grant it freely, that in some matters, women - intellectually, are as completely mistresses of their subject as we - are masters of ours. - - But, beyond this there is a point that is fundamental to the whole - matter ... and that is, this inherent quality in their sex, that - uncertain equilibrium, that varying from month to month according to - the time of the month in each woman that unfits her for taking these - responsibilities of judgment which are to control the question often - of life and death ... women from month to month and week to week vary - up and down; they are not the same one time that they are another. - -To this, Dr. Gibbons of San Francisco replied: - - If we are to judge of this proposition by the arguments of my friend - from Boston, I think it would prove conclusively the weakness of his - side of the question.... Is it not a fact that a large majority of - male practitioners fluctuate in their judgment, not once a month with - the moon, but every day with the movement of the sun.... - -Thus are some of the humorous pages of history made. - -However, this seems to have been the last time that the subject of -women as members was discussed in that Association. In 1876, the -first woman delegate (Dr. Sarah Hackett Stevenson, from the Illinois -State Medical Society) was seated amid cheers. And in 1877, Dr. Henry -I. Bowditch of Boston, in his presidential address, congratulated the -Association that women physicians had been invited to assist in the -deliberations. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - - _New England Hospital students granted the privilege of visiting - Massachusetts General Hospital--Letter from University of Zurich - stating women are admitted on equal terms with men--Extracts from - letter by Dr. Zakrzewska to Dr. Sewall on vacation in Europe--Sophia - Jex-Blake collects endowment for four free beds--Dr. Samuel Cabot - resumes his position of consulting surgeon--Dr. Zakrzewska resigns - from service at the Dispensary, being succeeded by Dr. Helen - Morton--Dr. Zakrzewska shares her service at the Hospital with Dr. - Sewall who is appointed second attending physician--Land bought in - Roxbury for new Hospital buildings. (1866-1871.)_ - - -Returning to our chronicle of 1866, the immediate consequence of the -foregoing tempest was that the Hospital remained for the rest of the -year without either attending or consulting surgeon, the surgical -cases being treated by the assistant surgeon, with the aid of Dr. -Samuel Cabot (acting unofficially), and by the attending and resident -physicians--Dr. Zakrzewska and Dr. Sewall. - -The annual report of this year notes the receipt of the first annual -report of the Chicago Hospital for Women and Children, founded by Dr. -Mary Harris Thompson.[12] This institution may be called the oldest -hospital daughter of Dr. Zakrzewska, a previous attempt by Dr. C. -Annette Buckel[13] to open a woman’s hospital being obliged to yield in -its infancy to the greater interests excited by the outbreak of the -Civil War, Dr. Buckel giving her services to the Sanitary Commission. - -An important event of the year 1866-1867 was the granting to the -New England Hospital students of the privilege of visiting the -Massachusetts General Hospital under certain restrictions. - -The house at 14 Warren Street (changed to Warrenton Street the -following year) was now used for the medical and surgical wards and -for the offices of the assistant physician and the matron. Of the -Pleasant Street houses, No. 13 was the house of the resident physician, -No. 15 contained the Lying-in Wards, and No. 17 was given over to the -Dispensary. - -Once more the course of the Hospital becomes the uneventful one of -quiet, continuous growth, and Dr. Zakrzewska as attending physician -concludes her report for 1867-1868, as follows: - - The Hospital and Dispensary are established; many physicians who a few - years ago were opposed to female practitioners have not only become - convinced of their professional capability, but several have been - willing to give instruction and aid in any way possible. - - The Massachusetts General Hospital has been admitting the few students - whom we consider under our guidance and instruction. We have good - reason to hope that this friendly relation will continue. Harvard - College is still closed against us for theoretical instruction, but - I do not think that free, liberal America will remain long behind - another republic across the ocean--I mean Switzerland. - - One of our students who made application to the University of Zurich, - received the following reply: - - _Zurich, May 6, 1868._ - - DEAR MADAM: - - I reply to your letter of March 17 which has just come to hand. I have - the honor to inform you that there exists in this University no lawful - impediment to the matriculation of female students, and that female - students enjoy equal advantages with male students. - - _There is here full liberty_, and every one may attend the - lectures as long as he may desire. The majority of the students need - from five to five and a half years’ course before taking their degree. - - In answer to other questions of yours, I send you some printed - regulations of the University. - - I am, with great esteem, - - Yours, - BIERMER, - Professor and Dean of Medical Faculty. - - The University of Zurich is known as one where only men of the highest - standing in the profession are employed to instruct the students. - Such names as Moleschott, Griesinger, Breslau, von Graefe, Horner, - Mayer, and Billroth are familiar as authorities in the medical world, - and these men have been, and still are, the most influential teachers - there. - - In Paris, also, women can have the same advantages as men. And in - America the time is rapidly approaching when through the deeds and - words of women the profession at large will be convinced of the wisdom - of following the same course. - -A breath of encouragement was at this time wafted from New York in -a speech by Dr. Willard Parker, this noted physician saying at the -opening of the Woman’s College of the New York Infirmary, which took -place on November 2, 1868: - - Woman has always been a helpmeet to man and to a great extent is a - co-worker with him, and as such in medicine, I bid her Godspeed. If - it is charged that women who study medicine are sometimes unfit for - practice, I would answer--so are many men. A doctor is born, not made, - and is, naturally, found in both sexes. - -In the summer of 1868, Dr. Lucy E. Sewall, who was continuing as -resident physician, took a vacation of three months in England and -France for recreation and study. In a letter to her, dated July 16, Dr. -Zakrzewska writing from her new address, No. 1041 Washington Street, -says: - - I have hardly anything to report except that we have had intensely hot - weather since you left, such as I have not experienced since the first - year of my arrival in America. The thermometer stood at ninety-six - degrees in our parlor in Roxbury, and we felt that we were cooling - ourselves when we entered there. Yesterday, it was one hundred and - three in the shade out of doors.... I envied you very much when I read - how cool you were in Halifax and thereabouts. I am sure I would have - been very glad to play the lady with you. You will now understand how - pleasant it is to be away from business for a while. - - Dr. Buckel will write you all about the Hospital. You need not worry - in the least as all is going on well. At our last Hospital meeting - Mrs. Cheney reported, “I feared very much for the Hospital when I saw - how heartbroken the patients were after Dr. Sewall’s departure. But a - day after they sang the praises of Dr. Buckel as loudly as if they had - never known Dr. Sewall.” - - To this report I added, “It is the old story although a very - unsatisfactory one. Our places are filled just as soon as we leave - them. And we all have to learn that lesson and feel comforted by it - because it is thus that the world does not get off its hinges.” - - The day before yesterday, we had our housewarming--I missed you very - much.... The heat has prevented me from going to Melrose [Dr. Sewall’s - home] so far; all we can do is to live and to fan.... - -Within the two years just closing, the financial pressure began to be -relieved and four free beds were established in the medical wards. -About the same time, it was decided to charge at the Dispensary a -fee of twenty-five cents to such of the patients as were able to pay -this amount. The results exceeded all expectations. The patients -acknowledged the fairness of the rule and yet the really poor were not -shut out. - -Nevertheless, it was at the close of this year, as already noted, that -the Hospital was obliged to borrow money to meet its outstanding debts. - -This was truly the darkest hour and it was followed by the dawn of -which the proverb speaks. As the sunshine of help from the community -grew stronger, it was possible steadily to extend the ministrations of -the Hospital to the more dependent, so the report of 1898-1899 was able -to state: - - Nearly (if not quite) two thirds of all our work is given in charity - ... though we are slow to give charity indiscriminately but would - have each one make some return, however small, for benefits received, - thereby aiding her to keep her self-respect. - -The treasurer’s report for the year of 1868 notes the receipt of one -thousand dollars which was collected by Miss Sophia Jex-Blake for -supporting four free beds. Sophia Jex-Blake came to this country as a -student of Dr. Sewall and was a resident student at the Hospital. She -went later to the newly opened Woman’s Medical College of the New York -Infirmary, and still later she returned to Great Britain and became the -leader in the struggle which attended the attempt to open to women the -medical course at the University of Edinburgh--reference to which has -been made by Dr. Zakrzewska in a previous chapter. The attempt failed -and she went to Switzerland where the men students at the University -of Berne seemed to find no difficulty in permitting women to study -medicine with them.[14] - -The year of 1869 was especially noteworthy for the burden which was -lifted from Dr. Zakrzewska’s mind by the official return of Dr. Samuel -Cabot to the consulting staff of the Hospital, though ever since his -formal resignation in June, 1866, he had continued to advise the women -who, against almost insurmountable obstacles, were struggling to -give the surgical help called for by the increasing numbers of their -patients. - -If one requires expert teaching and constant practice to learn to -diagnosticate and prescribe for medical ailments, it is much more -difficult for one to learn to diagnosticate and prescribe for surgical -ailments, since a surgical prescription demands trained skill of the -hands as well as of the brain. And opportunities for acquiring this -trained skill of the hands are at the best very limited in number and -very expensive in detail, while they also require a very exacting -environment and an entourage trained to the highest degree. And they -are, further, beset on all sides by dangers which are momentous and -immediate as well as more remote. - -It is a fine index of the essential quality of these earlier women that -they were not daunted by the difficulties of the situation, and that -the conservative spirit of the sex was not too much affrighted by the -dangers which on every hand confronted them and their patients. - -Under the necessities of the situation, a friendly surgeon of the -eminence of Dr. Samuel Cabot was a veritable tower of strength. -Well might Dr. Zakrzewska, with gratitude that failed of words to -express itself, say year after year in her annual report as attending -physician, “To Dr. Samuel Cabot, we are again indebted for advice and -instruction in all the important surgical cases which have occurred -during the year.” - -Dr. Anita E. Tyng who had spent her apprenticeship as assistant surgeon -to the Hospital, had been obliged to resign her position there, but Dr. -Zakrzewska and Dr. Sewall were ably assisted in this branch of practice -by Dr. C. Annette Buckel who had been assistant physician for the past -three years and who, having particular ability for surgery, desired -to specialize in that direction. They were now aided also by Dr. Helen -Morton[15] who had returned from Paris and had become connected with -the Dispensary. - -With the arrival of such capable assistants among the younger -women who had all been her students, Dr. Zakrzewska felt justified -in relinquishing some of her arduous duties. And now her leading -assistant, Dr. Lucy E. Sewall, resigned as resident physician (a -position which she had held since 1863) and was appointed second -attending physician. She thus divided the Hospital service with Dr. -Zakrzewska, each being on duty every alternate three months. - -[Illustration: MARIE E. ZAKRZEWSKA, M.D. (About 1870)] - -Dr. Zakrzewska continued to serve on the board of directors as she had -done since the beginning of the Hospital, but the added freedom gained -by being released from work at the Dispensary and in being able to -share her Hospital duties, gave her greater opportunity to elaborate -and press forward her plans for building a hospital which should be -more suitable for its purposes than any altered dwelling houses could -possibly be. Writing of the successes achieved by the Hospital and of -the satisfactions derived from its possession of the four houses in -Warrenton and Pleasant streets, she continues: - - But after a few years, we found that even these accommodations were - becoming too small. Also, the character of the neighborhood was - changing from private residences to retail trading stores, and it was - easy to foresee that the time was coming when this location would be - entirely unsuitable for the sick. - - As it was neither my intention nor that of the Directors to carry - on simply a charity, but rather to make this charity at the same - time a school for educating women physicians on the European plan - before mentioned and for the training of nurses for the benefit of - the community, we felt that confidence in the value and need of our - work had now been sufficiently established to warrant our erecting - a building which would serve all these purposes and which in its - arrangement might become a model hospital among the charitable - institutions of the country. - -About this time an especially interesting bequest of two thousand -dollars was received by the Hospital from the estate of Mrs. Robert G. -Shaw, the language of the bequest stating that the money was “to be -used by Dr. Zakrzewska in aid of any Hospital or Infirmary for the poor -and sick which may be under her superintendence in the City of Boston -at the time of my decease.” - -The accumulating demand for a children’s ward in the Hospital was -so strongly felt this year that one of the physicians took into her -own household for care and treatment a child patient whose case was -particularly urgent. - -This pressure for a children’s ward was an additional factor in making -Dr. Zakrzewska and her associates begin a still more definite campaign -for the erection of new hospital buildings which should be especially -suitable for the varied demands made upon them. Alterations in the -streets and increase of business in that part of the city had enhanced -the pecuniary value of land in that vicinity, so it was hoped that the -sale of the present property would supply the money needed for building -the new structure. It was planned to hold a Fair in December in order -to raise the money needed for the purchase of the new land. - -And one may judge of the courage required to attempt to carry such -ambitions into execution when it is noted that the institution had just -held its own financially, the year closing with the same amount of debt -as that with which it began. - -The Fair in December, 1870, justified the ardent hopes which breathed -through every detail of its preparation and completion, and over twelve -thousand dollars was realized. - -A committee was immediately appointed to select a site, and after much -investigation this committee recommended the purchase of an estate in -Boston Highlands (now Roxbury), on Codman Avenue (now Dimock Street), -between Shawmut Avenue (now Washington Street) and Amory Street (now -Columbus Avenue). - -With the formation of a building committee (which included all the -medical officers) the new venture was definitely launched. The skies -were lifting, favoring breezes prevailed, and the year closed with -all running expenses met, all debts paid, and only the new building -expenses to confront the treasurer--but it must be admitted that these -were formidable enough, since they were on such an expanded scale. - -The report of the resident physician, Dr. Buckel, for the year of -1870-1871 reflects so clearly her association with Dr. Zakrzewska -and contains such interesting pictures of some phases of the social -life of the period that a few paragraphs may be quoted, especially as -some of them bear upon variations of a question which to-day is still -perplexing our community, and which has at last reached legislators all -over the United States in a concrete and radical form.[16] - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI - - _New Hospital buildings completed--Description of buildings and - interior arrangements--Children’s Department established--First - general Training School for Nurses in America definitely organized - under the direction of Dr. Susan Dimock; one of the graduates of - its first class (Miss Linda A. Richards) later helping to organize - the training schools of the Bellevue Hospital of New York, the - Massachusetts General Hospital and the Boston City Hospital--New - England Hospital medical women invited to attend some of the Clinics - at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary--Though delayed by the - epizoötic epidemic and the great Boston Fire, the new Hospital - buildings are finally formally dedicated--First Hospital Social - Service in America organized in connection with the Maternity. - (1871-1872.)_ - - -Architects, contractors, builders and workmen, all took a personal -interest in the plans of the new Hospital buildings, and all made -larger or smaller contributions to the enterprise. With such a spirit -the structure grew apace, and even early in the spring of 1872 a few -patients were moved in--some who especially needed the advantages of -the good air, sunlight and almost country quiet. But all the patients -were transferred before the end of September. - -[Illustration: FIRST BUILDINGS OF THE NEW ENGLAND HOSPITAL FOR -WOMEN AND CHILDREN, ERECTED 1872. - -The main building was later named in honor of Dr. Marie E. Zakrzewska.] - -Dr. Zakrzewska writes: - - At last we were able definitely to inaugurate the work for which we - had been preparing during the previous ten years, namely, to dedicate - our own building to our threefold object--a clinical school for women - physicians and students; a training school for nurses; and a charity, - especially for lying-in patients. - - For this latter purpose a cottage, the “Maternity,” was expressly - built, while the medical and surgical patients occupied the main - building. Some rooms were reserved for private patients, who paid - fully for all they received. This latter department is very desirable - in all hospitals, not only for the accommodation of travelers who - may be taken ill while sojourning in a strange city, but also for - those who when boarding cannot have the comforts of a home; while it - likewise gives to our nurses a fair chance to be trained in attendance - upon the sick of all classes and conditions of life. - - Thus we had arrived nearly at the point at which we aimed, only that - the means needed to carry on the work were not yet secured. We had no - endowed wards and we had only a few endowed beds in the Maternity; - therefore, we had no _Funds_ but must depend upon the daily - interest of the public to sustain the institution. - - We now offered to the public not only the idea of reform, as we - comprehended it, but also the visible embodiment of it in brick and - mortar. Our vision had become materialized, and the work done within - its walls spread the tidings of its success among the suffering and - the needy. - - The Drs. Blackwell, Ann Preston and myself stood no longer alone as - the bearers of an idea--hundreds of young women had joined us. The - path had been broken, and the profession had been obliged to yield, - and to acknowledge the capacity of women as physicians. The argument - that we few were exceptions to our sex has ceased; medical societies - in different parts of the country admit women as members; hospitals - begin to open their doors to women; men physicians endeavor to be - polite towards their women colleagues; and their women colleagues - certainly stand on a level with the men as regards good education. - - And last but not least, society admits that it is highly respectable - for a woman to become legally a physician, and offices and houses are - now rented to medical women without fear of injury to the reputation - of the neighborhood. - - Thus, the world does move! But I am sorry to be forced to say that it - is not the Republic of America which has given the proof that “science - has no sex,” only in so far as that it has furnished the largest - number of women students. But it is the Republic of Switzerland which - has verified this maxim. Our best women physicians have been educated - there as well as in Germany and in France--for even these two latter - countries have received women into their schools more on an equality - with men than has America. And not less than six of our pupils from - Boston are at present receiving the benefits which the opportunities - for medical study and research offer in Vienna. - - The United States still hesitate to allow to their women that - education which they offer to their men. The result will be that - talented women will go abroad and seek for the better medical - education which Europe offers them and, returning with a higher - standard of scientific learning, the men here will not only be obliged - to acknowledge such women as their equals but they will be compelled - to raise their own professional standards. - - So far as my knowledge extends, this will be the first instance in - history where through injustice to women, men themselves will be - benefited. - -The plan was to have one large brick building which should contain all -the administrative offices of the Hospital as well as a small number -of medical and surgical wards, the intention being to add later a wing -entirely devoted to wards. But the Lying-in Department was to be housed -in an entirely separate structure.[17] - -Quite as essential and desired a policy of expansion, but one which had -waited on the new building, was that of the training of nurses. - -We have seen the importance which Dr. Zakrzewska attached to this -question ever since her first hospital control, back in the days when -she organized the practical details of the New York Infirmary. And we -have noticed the recurring references to the difficulties which delayed -the full development of her plans. But she continued to exercise her -choice of individuals as best she might, and she endeavored to give -the most thorough training for as long periods as she could make -practicable. - -Thus, writing of the opening of the New York Infirmary on May 1, 1857, -she says: - - We kept true to our promise to begin at once a system for training - nurses although the time specified for that purpose was only six - months. - -She began with two nurses, one of whom remained for several years, -becoming invaluable as head nurse. But she was evidently not satisfied -with the success of this first system for, eight months later, she -says: - - We now began to make more positive plans for the education and - training of nurses. The first two who presented herself and who after - four months’ superior women, one a German, the other an American, but - neither was willing to give a longer time than four months. During - this time they received no compensation except their keeping and one - weekly lesson from me on the different branches of nursing. - - After these left, it was again a German woman who presented herself - and who after four months’ training remained for several years. The - second pupil nurse was sometimes of American, sometimes of Irish, - descent and nothing remarkable. - -When she removed to Boston and opened the hospital (Clinical -Department) in connection with the New England Female Medical College, -she there also attempted to carry into execution her conviction of the -necessity for training nurses. But in Boston as in New York, women -who wished to be nurses were unwilling to give time for training, and -applications were few. Nevertheless, she succeeded in training six -nurses. - -When she founded the New England Hospital, the act of incorporation -expressly stated that the training of nurses was one of the fundamental -purposes of the new institution. And the first annual report says: - - We offer peculiar advantages for training nurses for their important - duties, under the superintendence of a physician. - -In 1865, the term of six months is again emphasized. In 1868, it is -stated that the Hospital offers to candidates board, washing and -low wages after the first month of probation but it insists on an -attendance of six months. And it adds that few women are willing to -give the requisite time. - -But now, at last, she found the desired opportunities opening before -her. Aside from the influence of European experience, and especially -that of Florence Nightingale and of the subsequent writings and -utterances of the latter, undoubtedly the agitation which demonstrated -the necessity for practical hospital training for the medical -profession, had its effect in preparing the minds of both men and women -for the realization of the fact that the same necessity existed for the -training of members of the sister profession of nursing. - -And the lectures to the New England Hospital nurses (which, under -certain conditions, were open to women from outside) were steadily -attracting women who were better and better prepared to study a -profession rather than merely to practice an art. - -But Dr. Zakrzewska had still found herself hampered by the narrow -quarters which restricted her plans for nurses as well as for doctors, -students and patients. She had been still further limited by the human -impossibility of even her vigorous strength and endurance being equal -to the superhuman demands developed by the successful materialization -of her vision. And the training of assistants and colleagues required -primarily a sacrifice of the time and energy already imperatively -mortgaged. - -Now, not only was the material building ready for the Hospital, but -also there was there incarnated the spirit of a common purpose, a -spirit into the creation of which she had so literally incorporated her -own self. - -Hence, as the executive Head, she now had at her command not only a -commodious structure but also director associates; a corps of younger -physicians, trained theoretically and practically in both medicine -and surgery; a supply of patients, always beyond the possibilities of -accommodation; and a promising reservoir of aspiring women accepting -and demanding training in nursing. - -Immediately then, upon the opening of the new building, steps were -taken for the expansion of the New England Hospital Training School for -Nurses, and for its establishment as the “first general training school -for nurses in America,” organized and equipped to give general training -along the then most modern practical lines, with a full corps of -instructors in all branches, and with a hospital service that included -medicine, surgery and obstetrics. This change was described in the -annual reports of the year of 1871-1872, by Dr. Sewall in the medical -report and by Mrs. Ednah D. Cheney as secretary of the corporation. - -In addition to performing her duties at the Hospital and attending -to her continually expanding private practice, Dr. Zakrzewska served -on both the building committee and the furnishing committee for the -new hospital. But while, among the staff of medical instructors, she -delivered the greatest number of lectures, the details of organizing -the new Training School for Nurses were delegated to Dr. Susan -Dimock,[18] who became resident physician in August when Dr. Buckel -received leave of absence to go to Europe for rest and study. - -During the first year of the new Training School for Nurses ten -applicants were accepted after probation, two of these completing -the year and being graduated. One of these first graduates was Miss -Linda A. Richards who later helped to organize the Bellevue Hospital -(New York) Training School, and still later that of the Massachusetts -General Hospital and that of the Boston City Hospital. - -During this eventful year, two important financial losses shadowed the -high light thrown upon the foregoing successful working out of the -far-reaching plans which Dr. Zakrzewska had for so long labored to -develop. These were the loss of the annual donations of one thousand -dollars each from the Legislature of Massachusetts and from the Boston -Lying-in Hospital Corporation--the former having voted against any -appropriation to private charities, and the latter having decided to -reopen a hospital under its own control, in the overcrowded part of the -city. Hence, it was again considered expedient to plan for a December -Fair. But many days of doubt and hesitancy were to precede the opening -of this Fair. - -It had been planned to have the formal dedication of the new building -take place at the time of the annual meeting of the board of directors. -As this day approached it was found that it would be impossible for the -friends of the enterprise to reach the new location of the Hospital. -The great epizootic epidemic was prevailing; horses were everywhere -succumbing to its virulence, and all the activities of the city which -depended upon these necessary animals were almost paralyzed. - -A fortnight later traffic was more controllable, but in the meantime -every one had passed through the calamity of the great “Boston Fire,” -and Mrs. Cheney spoke the language of restraint when she said, “It was -not easy to go to men whose warehouses and offices were in ashes, or to -women who had lost their investments in insurance, and ask them to give -us the money that we needed to complete our building and to carry on -our work.” - -Under such circumstances it redounded to the credit of both the -hospital workers and the community of Boston that the formal opening of -the Hospital was not longer delayed, that the Fair was held in December -as planned, and that it resulted in a sum exceeding five thousand -dollars. - -It is important to note that it was also during this year that the -first Hospital Social Service work in America was begun. This was -organized in connection with the Maternity--Dr. Dimock, Miss Lilian -Freeman Clarke, Miss Elizabeth Greene and Miss Mary Parkman coöperating. - -And this year was further marked by the opening to the New England -Hospital medical women of some of the clinics of the Massachusetts Eye -and Ear Infirmary. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII - - _Dr. Zakrzewska goes to Europe for her first vacation in fifteen - years--Letter to Dr. Sewall from Switzerland--Dr. Helen Morton is - appointed third attending physician to the Hospital (in charge of - the Maternity)--Tragic death of Dr. Dimock--For the first time the - Hospital has a woman on the staff as attending surgeon, Dr. C. Annette - Buckel being thus appointed--The Hospital is represented by exhibits - at the Centennial International Exhibition, the plans and elevations - of the new buildings receiving an award--Mrs. Cheney writes from - Europe of the interest taken over there in the Hospital, and the - looking toward it from England, Scotland and Germany for encouragement - and help. (1872-1877.)_ - - -The addition of a third attending physician at the Hospital (Dr. Helen -Morton who took charge of the Maternity) and the continued increase in -the number of younger doctors still further relieved Dr. Zakrzewska and -enabled her in the summer of 1874 to go to Europe for a long-deferred -but much-needed vacation. The constantly growing demands in both -Hospital and private practice upon her professional skill, and in the -community at large upon the many gifts of her broad personality, became -at last a breaking strain upon the vitality so grievously depleted by -the pioneer work of these first fifteen years in Boston. - -Midway in this resting time (August 19, 1874) she writes to Dr. Sewall: - - My vacation is half over, and just now I am enjoying a short stay in - the queerest little old town and ditto hotel between the Bernese and - Wallis Alps. Such a rest from work and care I have never had in all - my life! My head is getting steady once more and, although I am not - yet as quiet in my upper regions as I ought to be if I want again to - work hard, I am certainly very, very much better than I was at the - time I started from Boston. I have had only slight headaches, never - sufficient to lie down, and I am much less confused, in spite of the - three languages around me. - - We travel in a very leisurely way, different from tourists, for we - stop and sojourn wherever the fancy happens to take us. In this way, - we have seen a great deal of Switzerland, and have enjoyed the usual - places of interest as well as the out-of-the-way places such as where - we are now. - - I have so often thought of you and of what you are doing and have - followed you in your summer’s work. I suppose just now you are away on - your vacation. What I am most curious about is whether you succeeded - in selling your present house, and whether you bought that nice one on - Boylston Street. It would be such a beautiful situation that I wish I - could find you settled there on my return. - - ... However beautiful all around me is here, I long for home and my - friends. My home in Roxbury is, after all, the most desirable spot for - me, and the few but true and kind friends I have made in America are - far dearer to me than all I could possibly find here in Europe. - - After this journey, I shall be more positive in my love for my - American home than I ever was before. The very freedom one breathes in - the air there is refreshing and stimulating compared with the air of - servility, destitution and depravity which an observing person sees - everywhere here. How Americans can prefer to live over here is to me - incomprehensible. - - ... Miss Sprague has hardly yet got over the effects of her - seasickness, and in four and a half weeks we shall undertake the - journey again. We hope to be in Boston by the 2d of October ready for - work. Please tell Dr. Dimock of the very pleasant call I had from - Professor Meyer and that he gave me his picture to bring home to her. - I hope she is doing well and can wait for my help till October. - - I have little time for letter writing, as I am too tired to write at - night and, besides, my eyes have given out. For the past few weeks, I - can neither read nor thread a needle by candlelight, and often even by - daylight everything is in a blur. - - But tell Dr. Dimock I am thinking a good deal about her and hope - she will not work too hard, so that she can bear the winter’s - responsibility and have her turn here in Europe next summer. - -In the spring of 1875 as planned in this letter, Dr. Dimock who was -acting as attending surgeon, in addition to her duties as resident and -attending physician, obtained leave of absence and sailed for Europe -to undertake additional surgical study, but she had the misfortune -to be a passenger on the steamer _Schiller_ which was wrecked -on the Scilly rocks early in May. Her loss was felt keenly, not only -because of the charm of her personality but also because she had been -a representative of the hopes of the Hospital for a woman who would be -broadly fitted and trained to serve as attending surgeon. The name of -Codman Avenue, a street which ran through the hospital grounds, was -later in her memory changed to Dimock Street. - -Later in the year, Dr. C. Annette Buckel, newly returned from two years -of study of surgery in Vienna and Paris, was regularly appointed as -attending surgeon. This was an important event for both Dr. Zakrzewska -and the New England Hospital because now for the first time since 1866 -an attending surgeon reappears in the annual report as a member of the -staff. And this event was especially noteworthy because for the first -time the name of such staff member was that of a woman. - -Although Dr. Buckel did not retain her position beyond that first year -(removing to California on account of ill health), yet her appointment -seemed to end the surgical vicissitudes of the Hospital. Never since -then has there been a time when the position of attending surgeon has -been omitted from the annual report. And never has there been lacking a -qualified woman to carry on this work. Indeed, it soon became necessary -to appoint a second attending surgeon, then a third, and then a fourth. -And to these have been added from time to time one or more assistant -surgeons. And with this conquest of the surgical field was surmounted -the last difficulty in filling staff positions with qualified women. - -Dr. Zakrzewska’s vacation in Europe had lasted only a few months, -though it should have been a year or even more. Recuperation from brain -and nerve fatigue is much slower than from muscle fatigue, a lesson we -all learn only by bitter experience. Her wonderful physique once more -drew upon its vital reserves and responded to the spur of her call to -duty, and she returned to work with apparently renewed vigor. - -Fortunate it was that she was able to resume the helm at the Hospital -in this eventful year of 1875, following Dr. Dimock’s untimely loss and -the necessity which had arisen for Dr. Sewall’s taking a long vacation. - -For eight months it must have seemed to her almost like a reversion to -earlier days. But there was the incomparable difference that Dr. Helen -Morton now took entire charge of the Maternity, having developed at -the Paris Maternité, according to Dr. Zakrzewska, “unusual skill and -special fitness for difficult and surgical obstetric cases.” And later -Dr. Elizabeth C. Keller[19] came from Philadelphia to serve as resident -physician, she succeeding Dr. Buckel the following year as attending -surgeon and occupying this latter position for many years. - -Writing of this time to Dr. Sewall in Europe, Dr. Zakrzewska says: - - I think we shall all like Dr. Keller. And it is a very good thing to - have a fresh and new element come into Boston, as we tend to renew - ourselves too much from and through ourselves. - -In the autumn the return of Dr. Sewall and the arrival of Dr. Keller -once more released Dr. Zakrzewska and permitted her to resume the wide -relations which she held outside the Hospital. She was constantly -called upon to express her views on the questions regarding women, -questions which were more and more appealing to the increasing number -of medical women as well as to the community at large. She responded to -these calls both in speech and in writing. - -Realizing how much the interior arrangements of the new buildings were -due to the advice and planning of the medical women, it was a great -satisfaction to her that in the following year (1876) at the Centennial -International Exhibition held in Philadelphia, the plans and elevations -of the new buildings of the Hospital, together with photographic -interior views of the wards, etc., were exhibited in the names of the -architects, Messrs. Cummings and Sears, and received an award for -“well-studied design securing economy of service, good distribution of -various parts for ventilation and cheerful accommodation.” - -Also that at the Centennial, a history and description of the Hospital -was displayed in the Massachusetts Exhibit in the Department of -Education and Science, and in the Woman’s Department. - -In 1877 Mrs. Cheney writes to her from Europe: - - All that I have seen and heard of the work of medical education - for women in Europe has deepened my sense of the importance of our - Hospital work. It is known in every circle that I have entered where - there is any interest in woman’s progress, and in England and Scotland - and Germany they look to us for encouragement and help. - -There was a great improvement in the financial condition of the -Hospital during this year (1877); and among other items in the -treasurer’s report occurs the following which speaks for itself as -an interesting commentary on the policy developed by Dr. Zakrzewska -in the Hospital, as we have already seen it developed in her private -practice: - - The executors of the late Mr. Augustus Hemenway devoted to us the - liberal sum of fifteen thousand dollars from the sum left by his will - to charities not promoting pauperism. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII - - _Dr. Zakrzewska and the other pioneer medical women find a new foe - in an increasing number of medical women who are poorly educated and - otherwise unfitted--She addresses the New England Women’s Club on the - “Medical Education of Women”--Unsuccessful attempt to persuade the - New York medical colleges for men to accept scholarships for properly - prepared women--Opening of the Woman’s Medical College of the New York - Infirmary--Further movement to open for women one of the great medical - colleges for men--Dr. Zakrzewska’s comment on this proposition, - with special reference to Harvard--The New England Hospital Medical - Society--Action taken by Harvard University in 1879 on the question of - admitting women students of medicine. (1865-1880.)_ - - -The pioneer medical women (Drs. Elizabeth Blackwell, Marie E. -Zakrzewska, Emily Blackwell, and Ann Preston) to whose successful -struggles are due, for the first time in the history of the world, the -real opening of the profession of medicine to women equally with men, -had no sooner begun to take breath after their first stupendous battle, -than they found themselves confronted with a new foe. - -This foe was within the ranks of their own sex, and its development -threatened an undermining campaign which seemed almost more -disheartening than the militant one from which they had just emerged. -This new foe was the increasing number of women doctors, poorly -educated and otherwise unfitted, who began to appear all over the -country. - -Because the evil was so insidious and was cloaked by the necessity and -the desire for competent medical women which had been demonstrated and -aroused throughout the country, it was most difficult to meet. - -The Philadelphia women met it by striving even harder to bring up the -standard of the Woman’s Medical College and to expand the field of the -Woman’s Hospital. - -The more eastern women, meaning those of New York and Boston at the -New York Infirmary and the New England Hospital, met it by trying to -establish a standard and by trying to educate both the profession and -the laity to accept nothing lower than such a standard. - -To these women, the simplest as well as the wisest procedure seemed -to be an attempt to persuade some of the best of the already existing -medical colleges to accept a number of properly prepared women students. - -To this end, it was proposed to inform the community at large of the -situation (the subject being really as vital to the laity as to the -profession, since doctors can practice only through patients), and to -collect a large sum of money which might serve to endow a number of -scholarships for women in some of the leading medical colleges of the -country. - -As early as 1865, a fund of fifty thousand dollars had been collected -for this purpose, but all the colleges refused to accept women as -students, even under such auspices. As the situation was particularly -pressing in New York, the Drs. Blackwell were then so urged to take the -next best step (the best having proved to be beyond their power) that -they consented to add a college to their Hospital. And thus, in 1868, -was opened the Woman’s Medical College of the New York Infirmary. - -This college set a standard which was never surpassed by any of the -colleges for men. But one small college insisting on a high standard -could not compete numerically with rivals offering apparently equally -desirable advantages and with standards easier of attainment. So the -campaign continued! - -In 1877, Dr. Zakrzewska being invited to address a body of leading -nonmedical women (the _New England Women’s Club_), brought this -problem to them for conference. She said in part: - - At first the study of medicine appealed only to earnest women who felt - a decided calling in that direction and who really thought to benefit - their sex by acquiring information which would serve others through - their advice. Very few, if any, of these first women combined with - this idea that of vindicating their rights as Women. - - It was no easy matter at that time to become a doctor of medicine. The - great obstacle, want of schools, sifted out the weaker elements; and - those who succeeded in obtaining teachers and in being admitted into - the colleges then open to women were, as you will conceive, possessed - of unusual perseverance and firmness of purpose. - - But soon there appeared among the candidates for medical honors - another purpose, the desire to gain these honors through simple study - during a prescribed course without any laborious work. - - The first suggestion of this came through some men physicians who, - becoming alarmed at the movement and perhaps conscious of their - own mediocrity, felt instinctively that there was danger of their - being overshadowed by women, who are by nature sympathetic and more - caretaking in sickness. - - These raised the cry of “competition.” Many women believed the cry - was caused by alarm at a real danger, that of the women making money - of which the men desired to retain a monopoly, and they imagined - that a new field especially adapted to their sex was opened--one in - which, with a short course of technical study, they could more easily - and rapidly than in other vocations open to them acquire a name and - abundant means of support, if not a fortune. - - The laity then awoke to this movement, and that portion of them whose - head and heart were interested in the “rights” of women began to - establish schools and colleges for the purpose of educating women - physicians. And in a short time such institutions sprang up in several - cities. - - After years of struggle and gradual improvement, the Philadelphia - medical school for women (Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania) has - acquired deserved value when judged by the standard of men’s schools. - - And the Drs. Blackwell were later compelled to open a medical school - in connection with the Infirmary (Woman’s Medical College of the New - York Infirmary), in order to stem the flood of inferior physicians - which was pouring forth, especially in New York, from schools which - were far below mediocrity. - - Thus to-day, of all the institutions open to women for medical study, - only these two and the University of Michigan even try to reach the - standard of medical education necessary to compare favorably with that - of the men. - - I say, _try_ to reach that standard. By this, I do not wish to - imply that the teachers and professors in these schools are always - less capable than those in the male schools. No, the fault is in the - students themselves, and so it will be for some time to come. Here, - allow me to state why this is so and has been so for many years. - - As I have said before, in the beginning of this movement women who - persisted in the study needed uncommon perseverance and firmness of - purpose. For the acquisition of these qualities, a certain amount - of educational training and concentration of thought and will were - requisite. - - At present, such uncommon perseverance and determination are not so - indispensable. It is now very easy to become a physician. If the - higher and better medical schools will not admit women, the lower and - the less strict are willing to do so. Socially, the woman doctor is - respected and in some circles even lionized and ranked far above the - teacher; therefore, two great obstacles are removed. - - All that a young woman needs is the permission of her parents and the - means of support while studying. Both of these are now more easily - attained, since her social position is likely to improve rather than - to decline as it formerly did. - - Also, the number of schools and colleges has increased and they - require a certain number of students in order to exist. Hence arises - a rivalry among these institutions, and instead of elevating their - standard to make good women physicians some lower it in order to fill - their classes. - - The effect of this sort of education is that the country is rapidly - being swarmed with women physicians of very doubtful ability as - regards either preparatory or medical education. - - At the same time, the need for well-educated women physicians becomes - the more pressing, as is manifested by the ready employment they all - find, though there is no chance for discrimination between the real - and the sham article denoted by the sign “Doctor.” - - Hence, in many places the movement is beginning to be again viewed - with distrust by communities which have again and again been - disappointed when hoping to find scientific education and practical - talent among the women practitioners who were offering their services - to the public. - - In a word, the so hopefully sown good seeds are in danger of being - suffocated by the still more thickly sown weeds. - - It is against this danger that I feel I must warn you. And I wish to - call upon every educated woman within my reach to aid in destroying - this evil. - - Every individual can assist in this great reform; first, by trying to - get clear ideas on the subject in order to discriminate and to judge; - and then, to assist in every possible way those who are striving to - elevate the educational and moral standards in medicine. - - Some highly educated physicians have said to me, “We see no reason - why a woman should not study medicine. If she can become wiser and - her practice better, then we _must_ have her, for our aim is the - _better_; if she cannot do this or cannot even do as well as men, - she will work her own destruction in her endeavors.” - - Women should be willing to accept this or any other just test, but - in order that the experiment shall be a fair one, they must have - preparation and education and subsequent opportunity, equal to those - given to the men. - -The continued refusal of the larger medical colleges to admit women, -under endowed scholarships or in any other way, led to the development -of a more ambitious plan, this being the idea of purchasing direct -partnership rights for women in one of these colleges. - -But this required the raising of a much larger amount of money. In -this direction there was made in 1880, a tentative proposition which -involved the formation of a central organization with State branches, -for the purpose of collecting such large fund and then arranging for -its wise use. - -The statement was made: - - All sectional jealousy must be laid aside. Neither Boston, nor New - York, nor Philadelphia must insist upon being the seat of the medical - school. If Harvard would accept our conditions, it might possibly - present certain guaranties which would give it a first claim in spite - of the greater clinical advantages of the larger cities. But the - College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, and the University of - Pennsylvania and the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, must - also be considered. - - In making the large united effort which seems desirable in order to - take an advance step in the education of American medical women, we - must secure that great impersonal enthusiasm for a cause which shall - be far above purely sectional pride. - -When this proposition was submitted to Dr. Zakrzewska for -consideration, she replied as follows: - - In order to answer your letter of July 27 carefully, I must dictate it - because an affliction of my eyes prevents me from writing myself. My - health is pretty good, and the very best of oculists declare my eyes - to be good, still the least use of them for reading or writing gives - me so much pain that it prevents sleep and unfits me for thinking - business. - - The proposed crusade against the mediocre medical colleges has been - recognized as necessary, not only by myself but by all the physicians - connected with the New England Hospital. Perhaps the fact that we are - working independently of all colleges has given us a more impartial - opinion in regard to these schools. We have, I think, the best chance - to judge of the results which these schools produce because we receive - the young graduates for the practical training. - - Perhaps you will remember that I wrote you four or five years ago - how discouraged I felt about the manner in which the different - female medical colleges educated and inspired their students and how - derogatory the result was to the whole movement. - - ... The proposition to raise one hundred thousand dollars for the - purpose of securing admission into a male college could be carried - out quite easily, comparatively speaking. In Massachusetts alone, - it could be done if Harvard would consent to add a small class of - women to its medical department. The fact is that when a few years - ago the New England Female Medical College here in Boston was broken - up, there came unofficially from some one in authority in Harvard the - proposition to take it, provided the public would endow it with one - hundred thousand dollars. - - In such case, the female students would be educated in their own - building which was two miles from the building for men. However, the - examinations of the women students for entrance into the college - were to be the same as those for the men, and the instruction was to - be given by the same professors--in fact, Harvard Medical College - repeated for the benefit of women alone. - - I did not favor such an arrangement but actually discouraged it, - because it seemed to me disastrous to the whole spirit of woman’s work - in the profession. - - I feared that after trial professors of acknowledged rank might - declare that teaching six or twelve women was not satisfactory, - although it might recompense them financially, and that therefore - they would either give it up entirely or leave the instruction to the - younger teachers. - - I could not advocate a school exposed to such a risk because if the - instructors of Harvard Medical College should become more prominent - in the woman’s branch while the professors took the lead in the men’s - branch, it would give both the students and the public the impression - that the women were of secondary importance. - - Another attempt to open Harvard to women has been made within a year - or two by a lady who proposed to give ten thousand dollars towards a - fund which would pay for a class of women in the medical department. - - Many discussions concerning this proposition came up in the different - meetings which were held in consequence of this offer. The result - was always the same, namely, divided opinions--entirely against the - admission of women at all; against their admission with men; and - against the formation of a small class of women alone. - - The only encouraging part of the discussion was that those who were - entirely opposed to women’s studying were a very small minority, while - those against coeducation were less firm in their opposition. Besides, - I am perfectly sure that if the younger men who now hold positions as - instructors at the College could cast their votes and could influence - the Directors’ decisions, there would be more chance for the admission - of women. - - The New England Female Medical College was absorbed into the Boston - University Medical Department, an inferior school and a homeopathic - one, which has no other merit than that it admits men and women on - equal terms to all its advantages; therefore, it does not injure the - movement for women any more than it does the profession at large. - - Our Hospital does as good a work as any hospital carried on by medical - men. We have now two good women surgeons, and all kinds of operations - are performed as a matter of course, without being considered - extraordinary occurrences, as was formerly the case. - - I can safely say that the Hospital work, which we enlarge as fast as - our means will permit, has become a power throughout the country, and - the Hospital in all its appointments is more or less acknowledged as - the most complete of any under the control of women physicians. - - This is as good a picture of the situation here in Boston as I am able - to give you. If we had gained admission into the Massachusetts Medical - Society, we would stand on equal footing with the best part of the - profession. - - In some of the smaller towns of Massachusetts, young women physicians - have been admitted into the county societies, and these being a part - of the Massachusetts Medical Society have thus opened a discussion - which will eventually lead to the admission of women into the parent - society, which is another step towards getting admission into Harvard - Medical Department. - - On October 1, Dr. Smith who was graduated in Zurich will take the - position of resident physician with us, and we shall try to persuade - other educated women to study in Zurich so that we can fill this post - with such graduates and thus overcome little by little the opposition - to coeducation. - - Can you not see from these statements that the raising of money alone - will not suffice to bring about the equally good education of women - and men? To be sure, if I had a sum large enough to endow a medical - college, I could bring about coeducation and thorough scientific - study by getting men of the best talent from both Europe and America, - but one hundred thousand dollars would be only a drop in the bucket - towards such an enterprise. - - Meanwhile, we have another bright prospect in the admission of women - to the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor. Although the medical - students are not in the same classrooms, yet the lectures and the - opportunities for women are precisely the same as those for men. - - The lectures are given in separate lecture rooms, except in chemistry. - The students of both sexes work together in the laboratory and are - present at most of the clinics. The work in the dissecting-rooms is - quite separate, and occasionally the women are not present at some - special operations. - - The movement for educating women as physicians has become so - widespread that I think it impossible to work for the elevation of the - standard of their medical education in any other way than by having - the leading women of each state keep in view as their final aim the - opening on the basis of coeducation of the best medical colleges. - - The number of persons now interested in the whole movement is so great - and the labor to raise money to maintain the institutions, even such - as they are, has required so much nerve and strength that even to hint - at their abolition or their absorption in male colleges might have a - detrimental effect in dispiriting the public who, taken as a whole, - are not yet settled on the question of coeducation. - - The American people, both men and women, have to work out the - different problems of advancing their interests without having them - favored or opposed by a fixed social class whose prerogative it is to - exercise a controlling influence on any standard set up. - - The medical education of women must now take its chance for growth - like all the other questions of woman’s rights, yes, even of men’s - rights, politically speaking. We are, with all the rest, passing - through the phase of crystallization, and only the merit or the - capacity of the individual can act to bring about a good and lasting - effect. - - We must grow at present by every one of us doing her utmost best from - day to day; and if the principle is a correct one that it is within - women to exercise their faculties according to their inclinations the - same as men do, it cannot be overthrown. I do not want to give you - the impression that I wish to be pessimistically indolent; on the - contrary, I want you to understand that I include in that “utmost - best” criticism as well as denunciation of the imperfect or mediocre - and readiness for any crusade for the better, for the higher, and for - the perfect ideal. - - The physicians connected with our Hospital have formed a Society,[20] - and have framed a constitution which admits to membership both men and - women. So far we have only women members, and there are only a very - few in the society who are not connected with the Hospital, because we - mean to be as careful and as stringent as possible. - - I wish I could visit you this winter and talk all these matters over, - as I really need a rest of a year, not because I am sick but because - I feel that I may be, as the strain upon my nerve power has been so - intense for thirty years that relaxation is needed if I want to end my - life in usefulness. - - For the present, I cannot do anything more than to plan for such a - recreation, but when the moment comes to carry out this plan, I shall - write to you in order to make arrangements for us to meet in a way - which will give us time and comfort. - -The ten thousand dollars referred to in the above letter was offered -in 1878 by Miss Marian Hovey toward the new building which Harvard was -about to erect, she making the condition that women should be admitted -as students. - -According to Dr. Chadwick, the Corporation referred the communication -to the Board of Overseers who in turn referred it to a committee -consisting of President Eliot, Alexander Agassiz, Dr. Morrill Wyman, J. -Elliot Cabot and Dr. LeBaron Russell. In 1879, majority and minority -reports were presented, the latter by Dr. Russell alone. - -The majority report recommended acceptance of the trust offered by Miss -Hovey, and presented an outline of conditions which were thought to be -desirable to govern the admission of women students. - -It further stated that of twenty-one members of the Medical Faculty who -expressed their views in writing, six were in favor, with restrictions; -three were in favor of making the experiment but had strong doubts -of its expediency or success; five were opposed, but were willing -to try the experiment under certain conditions; seven were strongly -opposed. Thus, fourteen were at least willing to try the experiment -conditionally, while seven were unconditionally opposed. - -The minority report opposed acceptance of the trust and advised that -the medical women should establish their own school, modeling it upon -the Harvard school. - -A vote of the Board of Overseers was immediately taken upon the -adoption of the majority report, the vote standing seven to nine. It -was then voted to reconsider the motion two weeks later. - -Meantime, a meeting of the Medical Faculty was held and the admission -of women was negatived in _two_ resolutions, one by a vote of -thirteen to five and one of fourteen to four. - -Following this action of the Medical Faculty, the Board of Overseers at -their next meeting voted (17 to 7): - - That the Board of Overseers find themselves unable to advise the - President and Fellows to accept the generous proposal of Miss Hovey. - -It then voted (16 to 10) for the following motion which was proposed by -the President: - - That in the opinion of the Board of Overseers it is expedient that, - under suitable restrictions, women be instructed by Harvard University - in its Medical School. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV - - _Opening of the Massachusetts Medical Society to women--Letter on - the subject to Dr. Zakrzewska from Dr. Henry I. Bowditch--She declines - to present herself for examination for admission, having already - twice prepared herself and been refused examination because she was - a woman--Dr. Zakrzewska’s reply to the question “whether to enforce - obedience medicines should be administered to refractory prisoners in - reformatories and prisons.” (1879-1884.)_ - - -It was in this same year of 1879, however, that the cause was heartened -by the beginning of the tardy capitulation of the Massachusetts Medical -Society, the council of which following in the wake of ten or a dozen -of the other State medical societies, finally voted to admit women to -membership on equal terms with men. - -This society differs from most of the other State medical societies -in that its membership does not consist, as does theirs, of delegates -from the constituent county societies. Members join the Massachusetts -Medical Society as individuals, and it aims to include all reputable -members of the profession. - -It had previously refused to recognize homeopathic and eclectic -physicians, holding these latter as “irregular” practitioners of -medicine, even though their diplomas were legalized by the same -authority as that which had legalized those of its own members. - -Its refusal to admit women to membership showed its intention to -classify women also as “irregulars,” even women who had received their -diplomas as regular classmates of men who were acceptable. - -The _Boston Medical and Surgical Journal_, of October 9, 1879, -expressed itself characteristically in an editorial: - - We regret to be obliged to announce that at a meeting of the - councilors, held on October 1, it was voted to admit women to the - Massachusetts Medical Society.... Enshrouded in her mantle of science, - woman is supposed to be endowed with power to descend from that high - pedestal upon which we men have always placed her, and to mingle with - us unscathed in scenes from which her own modesty and the esteem of - the other sex has hitherto protected her. - -The editor seems to have forgotten that women had long mingled in those -“scenes” as patients and as nurses; it was only as physicians that they -were being “protected” from them. - -However, the “protectors” were loath to discontinue their gallant -services and, following the protest of the Suffolk District branch of -the State Society, the Council rescinded its vote, thus relegating the -medical women to their pedestals. - -But the Society continued in a state of unrest, friends of the -admission of women gaining in strength and their opponents losing -proportionately, though by-issues were also injected. Eventually, the -inevitable was foreseen; the question remained only as to the form -which it would take. - -The handwriting on the wall was visible when in 1883 the Pennsylvania -State Medical Society (!) sent a woman (Dr. Alice Bennett) as delegate -to the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Medical Society. She was -accepted officially, and she sat through the proceedings, and nothing -happened. - -At the annual meeting of the following year, 1884, the By-Laws were -amended so as to permit of the admission of women on an equality with -men; and then that storm center cleared. - -An editorial in the _Boston Medical and Surgical Journal_, June -19, 1884, loyally accepts the action of the Society but it cannot -forbear a little overflow of emotion in the following words: - - ... We believe that women in this particular community are already - aided and abetted in too many foolish fads and fancies. There is too - much bad piano playing and too little good cooking and sewing taught - them.... - -[Many years later, the editor of this book met the editor of the -_Boston Medical and Surgical Journal_, and in discussing the -subject of medical women, she is glad to say he admitted that he had -“readjusted” his “point of view.”] - -Dr. Henry I. Bowditch viewed the action of the Society in a different -light, as is shown in a letter written to Dr. Zakrzewska after the -details of this advanced step had been arranged and the women were -preparing to take the Society examinations: - - _Boston, June 15, 1884._ - - MY DEAR DOCTOR: - - I thank you for the letter received yesterday. The result was entirely - unexpected, and I can only thank God and take courage for the future - days and for opportunities to fight for simple right and justice. - - For I assure you that all through these years since I have advocated - the examination of women by the Massachusetts Medical Society, I - have myself stood upon the eternal foundations of justice to every - human being. My old anti-slavery warfare and its principles, with - the experience gained in that fight against prejudice, have been of - immense support to me. - - ... I have always consulted with honorable, educated women, in spite - of all By-Laws. At first I believe some of the bigots thought I ought - to be punished. But I cared not a farthing for the dark hints of - discipline impending, feeling sure as I did that light would appear - the next day and that with the element of Time and simple justice on - my side, Right would certainly prevail. - - But as I now look back upon this final victory, and mark the various - tyrannical rulings of our presidents and the stupid arguments urged - by the opponents and their victories up to the present hour, with - their final and, if not graceful, certainly good-natured and boorish - submission to the fact of being in a hopeless minority themselves--I - marvel, and, as I said above, take courage for any future fight for - the True and Right. - - Some of the arguments by our opponents in the council were so weak - that I think they injured their own cause. - - For example, Dr. ---- says: “Our fathers never meant that women should - be members, and how absurd it would be for us to admit them! They - are different from men and cannot properly become our associates in - medicine, etc.” - - Dr. ----, with becoming pompousness of manner after duly twirling - his gray mustaches, said: “I am not in favor of women being admitted - because they have never done anything original.” - - Dr. Wyman suggested that the names of Mrs. Somerville, Mesdames Boivin - and Lachapelle in France and Jacobi in America certainly proved that - women were capable of high intellectual work. - - “_I_ do not admit that they are exceptions,” replied Dr. ----. - - I was fool enough to forget to ask what original work had ever been - done by members of the Massachusetts Medical Society, and especially - by the speaker himself. That would have floored our antagonist very - effectually. - - But let us not think of the past, but prepare ourselves for the future - that is opening so brightly before us. - - I am glad that the young students are preparing for the race. As for - yourself, I do not wonder at your decision. You do as I think I should - do. - - Your “pioneer” race and energy will always command the respect of the - community and of the professional men who know you and who are not - bigots to a “Code.” - - I remain - Very truly yours, - HENRY I. BOWDITCH. - - -The reference at the end of Dr. Bowditch’s letter is to the course upon -which Dr. Zakrzewska had decided, after mature consideration of the -question of taking the examination for admission to the Massachusetts -Medical Society. She expresses this decision and the reasons for -reaching it, as follows: - - The Massachusetts Medical Society has within the last three months - decided to admit women. The perseverance of women in the practice of - medicine and surgery, their professional competency, the increase in - their numbers, and the impossibility of ignoring them any longer, - have led to the result that physicians of this Society acknowledge - women in daily practice and have thus broken the rule which binds them - to friendliness and coöperation with members only. Necessity, not - acknowledgment of the principle of the right of woman to practice, has - finally conquered, and the Massachusetts Medical Society is willing - to allow women to present themselves for examination with the view of - admission. - - On the other hand, the regular women practitioners have found it - necessary to protect themselves against being confounded with - charlatans of every description, and have formed themselves into a - society which adopts the name of the Hospital in which their practice - started and now centers. - - Besides the physicians living in Boston, a few scattered over the New - England States are members of this society. Thus a union of reliable - women practitioners is begun and promises to be of interest and - usefulness. If a union with the Massachusetts Medical Society can be - effected by them, it would be beneficial to both and, no doubt, to the - profession at large. - - The obstacles to such a union consist chiefly in the fact that any one - wishing to become a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society has to - present himself or herself for examination before a number of censors - chosen by the Society, and at present in the Suffolk District Medical - Society consisting of five of its youngest members, who have to - examine the candidate in Obstetrics, Histology, Anatomy, Physiology, - Pathology, Materia Medica, and Chemistry, that is to say, precisely in - those branches for proficiency in which the candidate has received a - diploma years ago. - - It is well known that wisdom and experience acquired in practice push - into the background textbook knowledge, and that most physicians after - ten years of practicing life have gained a great deal of knowledge - which is not in the textbooks and have forgotten a great deal which is. - - It is therefore a question whether the amount of benefit gained by - admission into the Massachusetts Medical Society is worth the waste of - time necessary for reading and studying books which we have long laid - aside and simply use occasionally for reference. - - To young beginners, I would advise the seeking of this privilege but - as for myself, I feel constrained to make the following statement: - - When I came to Boston in 1859, eight years after my graduation in - Berlin as _accoucheuse_ and three years after graduation as - physician from the Western Reserve Medical College of Cleveland, Ohio, - and having been regularly employed in teaching classes and private - pupils in medicine, consequently, in the full life of a student--I - made application for examination to be admitted into this society and - was refused. - - Again, five years later, that is, in 1864, I made the same - application, and was not so decidedly refused. Thinking there was a - possibility of my being admitted, I set myself to work reviewing some - of my studies in order to prepare myself to meet the high dignitaries - in the shape of the young men members and censors of that venerable - society; but after several months of discussion, I again received a - refusal. - - This last refusal I met with the declaration that “when the time comes - for women to be received into this Society--and I know it will come - before I have passed out of this existence--this venerable Society - cannot have me as a candidate for examination but must give me an - honorary membership if it wants me at all.” - - To-day, its condescending proposal for my examination for admission - has been made, and I am only a little more than fifty years old. But - after twenty-six and one-half years of practice (that is, nearly - at the end of my career), my only personal interest in this affair - is that I am happy that the younger women can have the benefit of - an association which is very desirable for all beginners, and most - desirable in assisting women to gain the position for which they - strive. - - I have done my part, and I feel satisfied with the results achieved. I - have aided the women of this country by word and deed, by example and - sacrifice, and I am willing to retire, leaving them the field in which - to sow and to reap where I have helped to plow, associated as I have - been with the pioneer women of the medical profession. - -It was about this time that, at one of the meetings of the New -England Hospital Society, that body was asked to give an opinion upon -a question which had arisen in reformatories and prisons, that is, -“whether medicines which cause anesthesia, emesis or prostration should -ever be administered to refractory prisoners to enforce obedience -through their action.” - -A unanimous “No” expressed the instinctive feeling among all members -present of the absolute wrong in the use of such remedies to compel -obedience. The discussion of this subject was continued to a subsequent -meeting, and Dr. Zakrzewska was requested to prepare a written -statement of her views upon this point. She writes: - - I. From the medical standpoint, the administering of a pharmaceutical - preparation for any other purpose than to aid in the restoration of - health is malpractice. An emetic or an opiate might be easily given to - a culprit who is in perfect health but who refuses obedience to the - prison regulations; this could be done by deceiving the offender. But - the administration of ether or chloroform would meet with opposition - for the overcoming of which an application of force would be needed, - which would be as much in the nature of corporal punishment as would - the use of the rod. - - No physician could sanction the use of remedies for any other than - their legitimate purpose and must refuse such demand from the prison - superintendent or warden. - - II. From the legal standpoint, no prison official has a right to order - for the purpose of enforcing obedience the administration of powerful - medicines to a healthy individual, thus rendering her ill for hours or - days, shocking a system otherwise in harmonious action, and thereby - also possibly producing bodily injuries, internally or externally, - which may after the release of the prisoner easily lead to a - complaint in a court of law, a complaint which could well be sustained. - - III. From the moral standpoint, the deception which is necessary - either by disguising the medicine in some usual beverage or by false - statement, pretending a necessity for some medical remedy, such as - hypodermic injection of morphine, would at once awaken distrust of the - whole official management and would thereby destroy the very principle - upon which all prisons should be conducted, that is, the reformation - of those intrusted to their care. - - If we once admit that medical remedies can be used by the physician - under the orders of the superintendent in order to enforce obedience - or as punishment, where shall we stop? The physician and the - superintendent can become in time accomplices in such practices as may - lead to even fatal results, for such officials have almost absolute - power in these institutions which are subjected to only occasional - examinations by State committees. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV - - _Association for the Advancement of the Medical Education of - Women--Coeducation or segregation--Dr. Zakrzewska leads another - attempt to persuade Harvard to admit women to its Medical School - (1881-1882)--Failure takes from Harvard final opportunity to be first - great medical school to admit women on equal terms with men, this - honor passing to the Johns Hopkins in 1890--Massachusetts Legislature - directs that a woman physician be appointed in each State Hospital for - insane patients--Dr. Zakrzewska takes a vacation in Europe--Letter to - Mrs. Cheney and others--The New England Hospital requires all resident - students to possess the degree of M.D., and changes their status to - that of internes--The Hospital establishes District Nursing in its - out-practice--Letter from Dr. Zakrzewska to Dr. Sewall who is on - vacation in Europe--Dr. Zakrzewska compares earlier and later women - medical students. (1879-1886.)_ - - -As a further move in the campaign for opening the larger colleges -to women, there was formed the Association for the Advancement of -the Medical Education of Women. This association had a membership of -medical and lay men and women from different parts of the country, and -Dr. Mary Putnam-Jacobi was its president for many years. - -Mary Putnam, one of the earlier students of the New England Hospital, -and a graduate of the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, was the -first woman to be admitted to the _École de Médicine_ of the -University of Paris, from which she was graduated in 1871. Later, she -married the noted Dr. Abraham Jacobi of New York, becoming herself one -of the most brilliant members of the profession in America. It will be -remembered that in 1876 she was awarded the Boylston Prize of Harvard -University, the identity, and consequently the sex, of the competitors -for this honor remaining unknown to the judges until after the verdict -was rendered. - -The above association not only carried on an educational campaign, but -for several years it assisted the Woman’s Medical College of the New -York Infirmary by paying part of the faculty’s salaries and by helping -to enlarge the College and the Hospital. - -Although continuing the support of such separate women’s colleges as -maintained their high standards, the leading medical women and the -well-informed men and women of the laity still realized that these were -(and in the nature of things, must be) only the lamps which are kept -trimmed and burning as additional guaranties that the sacred fire shall -never be extinguished. - -The main temples and the central fires are found in the large medical -schools which were then monopolized by men, and the struggle must -continue till these temples and fires are acknowledged to be human -possessions, and hence open to women equally with men. Only then will -it be possible to maintain the high standards to which both men and -women physicians should be held, and which are required for the safety -of the communities in which they practice. - -Hence the persistence in seeking entrance to the men’s colleges. Not -because they are colleges of men, no, but because this is still so -largely a man’s world, with men so often holding possession of the Best. - -And it is the Best in their chosen profession that medical women have -always been seeking--the best teaching; the best laboratories; the best -libraries; the best facilities for training all their faculties; the -best clinical opportunities; the best hospital advantages. - -Aside from valid reasons for not segregating women students and -physicians as a separate group, all the conditions enumerated above -have an economic basis. They require money as well as scholarship--and -scholarship itself requires money or it will starve--and no community -can afford to duplicate the expensive plants required for proper -medical education, so as to have twin institutions in which medical men -and medical women shall be separated. - -The answer and the advice always given by the men who happen to be -in possession of these legacies of the ages and of the race--for the -great medical schools owe their continued existence to the money and -the help of the women as well as of the men who have gone before--has -always been, “No, we cannot let you enter our colleges. Build your own -colleges!” - -It is as though the great universities of the country should decline to -admit any but their local students, telling all others to build their -own universities. Do Harvard and Yale Universities refuse students -outside of Cambridge and New Haven, or even outside of Massachusetts -and Connecticut, saying, “No, you cannot enter here. Build Harvards -and Yales for yourselves!” - -Illogical as has been this advice, women have been driven by -desperation to attempt to follow it for both academic and professional -studies. A certain measure of success has been attained in the academic -institutions, owing to the large number of women desiring education -of the kind there given. In the field of medicine, as well as in that -of the other technical professions, the situation is far different. -The number of women desiring such education is small when compared -with the number of those desiring academic education and, as has been -well-established, the expense for properly equipping professional -schools is much greater proportionately as the number of students is -smaller. - -So, in 1881, another attempt was made toward persuading Harvard to -admit women to its medical department. The New England Hospital -Medical Society, through a committee of which Dr. Emma L. Call was -chairman, had asked the assistance of the leading medical colleges for -women toward making a combined appeal for the opening to women of the -medical school of Harvard University. And in September, the following -communication was formally presented: - - To the President and Overseers of Harvard University: - - GENTLEMEN: - - Would you accept the sum of fifty thousand dollars for the purpose of - providing such medical education for women as will entitle them to the - degree of Doctor of Medicine from your University? - - This sum to be held by you in trust, and the interest of the same to - be added to the principal, until the income of the fund can be used - for such medical education of women. - - If such an arrangement cannot be made within ten years, the fund to be - returned to the donors. - -This letter was signed by Drs. Zakrzewska, Emily Blackwell, Lucy -E. Sewall, Helen Morton, Mary Putnam-Jacobi, Elizabeth M. Cushier, -Alice Bennett, and Eliza M. Mosher--the Woman’s Medical College of -Pennsylvania feeling unable to join, but writing: - - ... While we are in hearty sympathy with the object of your efforts, - it seems impracticable at present to offer any active coöperation. - -After a delay of several months, the following reply was received from -Harvard University: - - Treasurer’s Office, Harvard College, - No. 70 Water Street, Boston, May 2, 1882. - - DEAR MADAM: - - I have the honor to enclose a copy of a vote recently passed by the - President and Fellows of Harvard College, in relation to the Medical - Education of Women in Harvard University. - - Yours very respectfully, - E. W. HOOPER, Secy. - - Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D. - - - (COPY) - - At a meeting of the President and Fellows of Harvard College in - Boston, April 24, 1882. - - Upon the question of accepting the proposal contained in the - communication received by this Board on September 26, 1881, from Marie - E. Zakrzewska, M.D., and others, in relation to the medical education - of women in Harvard University. - - Voted, that while the President and Fellows of Harvard College - recognize the importance of thorough medical education for women they - do not find themselves able to accept the proposal contained in the - communication above referred to. - - A true copy of Record - Attest: E. W. Hooper, Secy. - - To Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D., - for herself and others. - - -Thus did Harvard lose its last opportunity to become the leader in -the opening to women of the great medical schools of America, its -misfortune in this respect being due to what appears to have been a -certain indecisiveness. - -It showed the perception and the conviction of the justice of the -women’s claim as early as 1850, or even 1847 (away back when Oliver -Wendell Holmes was dean of the medical school), and it seems to have -had, then and afterwards (1879), the desire for performance but it -appears to have failed in resolution, and so it was at the mercy of -minor cross-purposes. - -At any rate, the result of its vacillation was that eight years later -the honor was taken by the Johns Hopkins University of Baltimore. - -Meantime, Dr. Zakrzewska had in 1881 spent another vacation in Europe, -and this time she particularly inquired into the progress of medical -women in England. On May 28, she writes: - - DEAR FRIENDS: - - I shall mail this letter eventually to Mrs. Cheney, but I intend it to - be of the same interest to Miss Lucy Goddard and Miss Peabody. - - After a very rough passage, we arrived in London on the 17th of May - at 4 A. M. My companions desired to begin sight-seeing at once and - so, as is customary, we proceeded to Westminster Abbey. You all know - how little appreciation I have for Fame; but whenever I go to places - like this Abbey, Fame presents to me another aspect. It is entirely - impersonal--names are of no consequence, but the reasons why these - landmarks of civilization are placed there for the beholder are of - intense interest. - - You all know that every shade of greatness is here represented in the - monuments to men. There are some to women also, but only because these - women happened to be queens or wives of royalty, though a few have - been erected to high-stationed philanthropists. In no other capacity - could I discover the name of a woman. - - Query: Before long, will there be erected a monument to a woman - physician? We find the names of men physicians here, for no other - reason than that they were eminent in their profession. Will there - ever be a monument to the first woman physician because she was the - leader of the movement; because she had the energy, will and talent, - as well as the education, which would make her worthy of imitation; - and because she is a landmark of the era marked by women’s freeing - themselves from the bondage of prejudice and from the belief that they - are the lower being when compared with men? - - These are the speculations which follow me wherever I go and wherever - I find the monumental display to and for talent. I did not find Mrs. - Somerville’s name on even a tablet in the Abbey. Why is it that women - do not start a movement for placing one there and in other significant - places? - - We need such landmarks of civilization not because those who died - have lived for fame, no, but because the now-living, as well as - those who will live long afterward, need encouragement for utilizing - their capabilities, and monuments of this sort suggest to them the - possibility of their so doing. The person who is covered by a monument - is of no consequence, but the fact that a “woman” can work and make - an impression upon civilization needs to be made known and to be - remembered. - - Apropos, the word “woman” reminds me of the custom of speaking here in - London. I have not heard a single time the word “lady” used as we use - it in America. The Queen is spoken of as “a good woman,” the Princess - Louise as “a sickly woman,” Mrs. Somerville as “an eminent woman,” - the Duchess of Blank as “a fashionable woman.” Nowhere do we hear a - dressed-up cook or chambermaid mentioned in the streets as “that lady - there,” but as “the woman in the velvet gown,” etc. I wish some of our - prominent women in America would make a crusade against the habit of - applying the word “lady” to every woman under every condition. - - But now I must speak to you of what interests us most of all, namely, - the work of the medical women in London. There is no doubt but that - the position here of the woman physician is, professionally and - legally, a far better one than with us in the United States. By the - indomitable will and energy of Dr. Sophia Jex-Blake, the women who - study medicine have been placed fundamentally on the same level with - men. The method of study, theoretical and practical, is precisely that - of the men. - - And although the Royal Free Hospital has only one hundred and fifty - beds for the medical school of women, while the medical school for men - of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital has six hundred and that of St. Thomas’ - Hospital has one thousand, five hundred, that makes no difference - in the mode of study nor in the amount of knowledge which the woman - student can acquire. One reason is that the number of women is only - about forty while at either of the other hospitals, the number of men - runs as high as seven hundred. Besides, I am told that women are more - ready to gain knowledge through dispensary practice, which is entirely - outside of the hospitals. - - There is, however, one branch which is very much neglected, both - theoretically and in clinical instruction, Dr. Charles Drysdale being - my authority for the statement that this neglect is just as great in - the men’s course, namely, the instruction in higher midwifery and - obstetrics as taught in France and Germany. He assures me that if - there are English men of eminence in this branch, they have laid the - foundation by going to Germany to study. Alas, these opportunities are - not open as freely to English medical women. - - Dr. Drysdale, as well as some of the most prominent women - practitioners here, expressed the wish that Boston or some other large - city in the United States which has a hospital for women would so - develop this particular branch as to induce the educated medical women - of England to go thither in order to perfect themselves therein. The - opinion of those who express such a wish is that money would gladly - be paid to its full value for such opportunity for study. - - Such an opening for the English student would react very beneficially - upon our American medical student, for there is no doubt but that the - English medical women and students have in every respect a higher - average education than we have. And the standards of education and - civilization can best be raised through international intercourse. - - We now have in Boston decidedly good women surgeons and the beginning - of a good department in surgery. This is of momentous importance for - the reason that surgical work tells best both in the profession and - among the laity. We also have in Boston excellent women obstetricians - who do a great deal of obstetric surgery, but who give instruction to - only the few privileged students of our Hospital. - - This branch could easily be enlarged and developed by our Hospital - Staff if through larger means, greater opportunity for practice could - be afforded them, and thus make it worth her while for the attending - physician to give more thorough instruction both to our own students - and to students from abroad. By saying making it worth her while, I - mean allowing her compensation for time and labor. - - On the whole, we must begin to think of compensating our staff of - women physicians. Now that the woman physician is an accepted fact - in America, it becomes our duty to compensate those who have spent - time and money in study (and especially those who have gone to the - continent of Europe) for the labor which they expend upon the students - not able to follow such a course. - - After introducing the woman into society as a physician, we must - now take the next step, namely, see that those who follow are - well-educated; and, therefore, we must utilize the knowledge of the - former by giving her the chance to spread it among the new disciples. - In other words, every physician with a good education who comes to us - must be well paid, so that her time and strength will belong to our - patients and to the students of the Hospital. And if other students - who are not inmates of the Hospital wish to avail themselves of our - instruction, they must be made to pay for it, whether this instruction - be given by the resident physician or by one of the attending - physicians. - - This has been my view for some years, and I am now very much confirmed - in it through talk with the friends of medical education here, where - I see most clearly that work without money value set upon it is not - expected nor is it considered to be of the first class. - - The students here pay £80 for the theoretical instruction and £40 - for the hospital instruction, besides paying for their board outside - of school and hospital, for they do not reside in either. Our - institutions in the United States would not permit such a rate, nor do - I wish to suggest it, but I wish that the friends of the movement for - the medical education of women would come forward, as have those here - in England, and provide us with means so that we can afford to pay an - ample salary to our physicians, or at least to our resident physician, - and thus secure her services for some years to come for the benefit of - all concerned. - - The English generosity in this respect seems marvelous to me. For - instance, the Royal Free Hospital would not connect the medical school - for women with its work, saying that it had not room for them. The - governors of the hospital were asked how much money was needed, and - the enormous sum of £5,000 was set for a limited number of years, - namely, five. At the expiration of this time, a similar sum, or even - more, or perhaps nothing at all, might be needed. In a very short time - the sum was raised, the money being used to build another wing to give - room to the women for study. - - Out of the funds of the school, towards which the student contributes - £40 for three years’ study, a large sum is paid to the physician who - gives the instruction in this hospital. The funds of the school are - raised by private subscription, and the fees charged to the students, - although high, do not suffice to pay for the instruction given. In so - far as the fees do not suffice, the situation is similar to that in - our American colleges and schools; it differs in that the instructors - are fully paid for the time and knowledge given to the students. - The result is a higher education in medicine and a higher grade of - individual physician than in the United States. - - In the two branches, surgery and the medical treatment of general - diseases, the woman student has now in London ample opportunity. - Plenty of material is provided, not only by the Royal Free Hospital - but also by the New Hospital for Women, as well as by the dispensary - attached to the latter. The latter hospital is carried on precisely - as is our New England Hospital for Women and Children except that it - has no maternity department. It admits patients for as little as four - shillings a week but only a few are entirely free. - - The attending physicians are all married women of high social - position, mothers and housekeepers and quite rich. It is thought by - the English women that these prominent women should work in order to - live down the prejudice, which seems to be very strong, that if women - study or do anything they will cease to be willing to become mothers - and housekeepers. This explained why in the medical school the “Mrs.” - was always introduced to me before the “Miss” was spoken of. - - I think this is all I have to communicate to you about the work which - lies so near to our hearts, and as my London visit closes to-morrow I - think I shall have nothing more to add, but shall see what the women - in Germany are doing. - - But I may tell you that I attended a small, public, woman suffrage - meeting held to consider Mr. Hugh Mason’s proposition in the House - of Commons to give the franchise to women. The meeting was a rather - select one. The audience was admitted only by cards, which, to be - sure, any one could procure beforehand, but which forms more or less - of a hindrance to attendance. - - The speakers were all women and in favor of the measure. They were - seven in number and each spoke for about ten minutes. They were - fluent, eloquent, concise and modest. Their dignity was superb. There - was a great deal of applause, and happiness over what had been gained - was expressed in many a face. But the whole affair lacked vitality, - enthusiasm, and breadth of feeling and fellowship. And, compared with - even our smallest meetings, no matter whether held by women alone or - by both men and women, it made me homesick for Boston--for America! - - Should you see any of our Doctors (for instance, Dr. Morton), ask - them whether they care to read this epistle. Perhaps Dr. Smith will - decipher it and read it at one of their meetings. But let Miss G. have - it first, and tell me in a few words what you think of it, and how you - are doing and whether your health and that of our friends is good and - strong and ready to carry our work a little farther on. - - I am getting rested, and while my two companions are going sightseeing - I am writing this. If you want to recommend our lodgings here, do so. - They are in every respect desirable and recommendable. Be sure to - give my love to all inquiring friends--Miss Farnham, Miss Cary, Mrs. - Boardman, and a number of others whom I have no more paper to mention. - - Faithfully yours, - M. E. ZAKRZEWSKA. - - -In 1880-1881, the New England Hospital took the important step of -requiring all resident students to be the possessors of the degree of -M.D., and of changing their status to that of _internes_. - -In 1881, plans were made for having a nurse always on duty at the -Dispensary to respond to calls in the out-practice, but these plans did -not materialize until 1883, the New England Hospital thereby becoming -the leader in establishing the service of District Nursing. This form -of service has since additionally expanded, under other auspices, into -an organization which on a large scale renders valuable assistance to -patients at their homes. - -The year 1884 was marked by the setting up of another milestone along -the upward path of the medical woman, this being that the Massachusetts -Legislature not only permitted but directed the appointment of medical -women in the State Hospitals for insane patients. - -In February, 1886, Dr. Zakrzewska writes to Dr. Sewall, who was then in -Europe: - - ... In ten weeks from to-day, I shall start on my Western tour, and I - suppose you will start by that time for the United States. - - My health is very good. I am better than I have been for thirty years - and a great deal better than when I went to Europe five years ago. - Nevertheless, I look forward to a five months’ vacation with a great - deal of pleasure and feel sure that it will add years of health to my - life. - - The Hospital work goes on well. I suppose Dr. Call informs you of the - different legacies we have received. Even if they are not yet handed - over to the treasurer, we can now be sure of the solidity of the - institution as far as money is concerned. - - Now comes the professional standard and the question as to whether in - the course of time women as physicians will prove themselves to be - organizers and creators or simply handmaids. So far we cannot boast of - much originality among our corps of women. However, we can feel sure - that all the women physicians of the Hospital are above the average of - the men physicians. Genius, after all, is rare. - - Apropos of sister Rosalie. It occurred to me that you with your usual - generosity might think of her and bring with you some present for her. - Now I honestly beg of you not to do any such thing, because the poor - thing is sick and tired of all the bric-a-brac and vases which she has - received, in spite of our not sending out invitations. - - Last Sunday morning when I called, she showed me a whole closet full - of stuff which she had packed away in the attic because it is beyond - human thought and possibility to place these things and take care of - them in her little house. When I told her in consolation that she - might use these things as presents again in the course of time, she - replied in her usual way, “No, I shall never inflict them on people. - If I make presents, I shall give flatirons.” - - My nephew Herman is engaged to be married to a young German-American - lady who visited me for a week. She is handsome, an accomplished - singer and pianist, a good housekeeper, and a sensible woman. We are - very happy about his choice and feel grateful to her that she selected - him. - - On the 22d at twelve o’clock, I shall give a great lunch party to - the students and doctors. About fifty people will come, I hope. The - snowdrops in Washington Street are in bloom since the 9th. - -In line with her questioning in this letter of the achievements of -medical women of the then present date, is her estimate of the quality -of the women students of the later times as compared with those of the -earlier days. She writes: - - I am frequently asked whether the quality of medical students among - women is not much better now than formerly. This question is a - very subtle one to reply to justly. There is no doubt but that the - educational standard among all youths, female and male, has been - greatly raised; that accomplishments are not so universally considered - all the education that girls need; that the increase of colleges for - women alone, as well as the coeducational institutions, has promoted - a thoroughness of training which was unknown fifty years ago in the - schooling of young girls; and that all these advantages have promoted - thought and earnestness of purpose in deciding upon a profession. - - But that the student of either sex is in consequence of this education - of a better quality and promising more marked ability, especially in - the medical profession, by no means follows. - - In the early decade of this movement, the woman who entered upon - professional study had to possess qualities which no school, college - or university can bestow. Originality, perseverance, persistency, - self-abnegation, industry in study, and a certain amount of practical - knowledge, as well as perception of human nature and social - conditions, were absolutely necessary for each and every woman student - in order to succeed even in going through the medical colleges then at - their disposal, to say nothing of later attempts to enter into general - practice. - - The help then offered by professional men was not based at all upon - the principle of right nor on the suitability of the woman to become - a physician. No, it was offered only by such men as stood head and - shoulders above their colleagues in the professions. They were men who - could afford to make enemies in and out of professional circles and - who could afford to be pleased with a talented “exceptional woman”; - intellectually to pet her, as it were; to teach her; to indulge her; - yes, to speak in high terms of her and compare her with historic women - of the past, feeling even proud that they had discovered such an - exception to womankind. - - They seemed entirely unaware that the woman student perceived their - delusions but nurtured in the depth of her heart the conviction, - “What I am able to do now, hundreds, yes, thousands, will be able - to accomplish after me.” Meanwhile, the women were grateful for all - favors, advantages and teachings, utilizing them but industriously - aiming higher and higher so as to gain all that could be gained - through the qualities enumerated above. - - Such a schooling trained the women far better than all the colleges - do now, in spite of their excellence; on the other hand, the - complaints of the women students of to-day as to the disadvantages yet - to be overcome are greater than they were then. Yet at this present - time, almost every chance exists for women if it is in them, to become - original investigators, workers and practitioners. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI - - _Twenty-fifth anniversary of the New England Hospital--Drs. - Zakrzewska, Sewall and Morton resign as attending physicians and - are appointed advisory physicians--Presentation to the Hospital of - portrait of Dr. Zakrzewska painted by Miss Ellen E. Hale--Address by - Dr. Zakrzewska before the Moral Education Association--Her reply to - the question “Should Women Study Medicine?”--Her opinion on “What’s in - a Name?” (1887-1890.)_ - - -In 1887, the Hospital celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary, a -pleasant feature of the event being the presentation to the Hospital -by the graduates and internes of the portrait of Dr. Zakrzewska. This -was painted by Miss Ellen E. Hale and was placed in the directors’ -parlor. The occasion was also marked by the resignation of all three -of the attending physicians, Drs. Zakrzewska, Sewall, and Morton. So -many qualified women were becoming available for hospital service and -were asking for opportunities, that these three women who had borne the -burden and heat of the earlier years felt they could now stand aside -and make room for their younger sisters. - -Their resignations were accepted and they were immediately appointed -advisory physicians, thus remaining in a position where their knowledge -and skill continued to be available to the Hospital and to their -successors, those immediately following them being Dr. Emma L. -Call[21] and the Drs. Augusta and Emily Pope.[22] - -The additional time thus available to Dr. Zakrzewska gave her greater -opportunity to respond to the many demands upon her for public speaking -and writing. - -An address delivered before the “Moral Education Association of -Massachusetts” about this date is so timely, and so pertinent to the -problems which still beset us to-day, that it is here inserted: - - The question is often asked me by persons not attending these - meetings, What is this Moral Education Association? and What does it - intend to accomplish? - - When I reply, I always construct my explanation as I myself comprehend - the motives of this Association and the purposes toward which we - intend to work. - - I am naturally an optimist. I fully believe that the world--by which I - mean the human beings on this mighty planet--is constantly improving; - that we, as a people of to-day, are progressing; and that we have - reached a condition of physical, mental and moral improvement such as - has never before been attained by the inhabitants of this globe. Yet I - feel that we are far from being what we might become if each one of us - would carry out fully, all the time, daily and hourly, the precepts of - the Golden Rule. - - In order to attain such a state of perfection, workers are constantly - needed who, with deeper insight or stronger convictions or warmer - hearts, shall lift the banner high over all our heads, and thus summon - followers from all directions. - - Now I call this Moral Education Association such a banner. - - During the thirteenth century, after the knights of Middle and Western - Europe returned from their crusading expeditions in the Holy Land and - settled again in their homes, they formed an association, the chief - object of which was to raise the “standard of honor.” A spoken word - was an inviolable contract; an ignoble deed, however slight, was - considered so dishonorable as to relegate the perpetrator from the - order of knighthood. - - To many, it may seem to have been an unmeaning pastime, this - cultivation by these men of an ideal honor in themselves and in - others. Yet this movement ushered in a grand era of poetry, both lyric - and dramatic, of chivalry, and of learning. It formed the nucleus of - right in many directions and created a new code of morals. - - In this same sense, and applying it to the elevation of the honor of - woman, I joined this Association because I know that it is a good - field in which women can work by helping to create a code of morals - befitting our enlightened age, a code which shall govern our relations - to all mankind, to our children, to each other as women, and to the - State. - - The increase of wealth and the increase of an intelligent population - producing more and more wealth--this is the bright side of our - progressive age. But there is also the dark side of the picture--the - increase of luxury and its twin brother, sensuality. - - In nature, as a rule, it is the female who nurses the young into - maturity; in this case, it is the female who must stifle these twin - brothers while they are yet in their infancy, so that they may never - reach their dangerous maturity. - - Luxury carried beyond a reasonable degree of comfort vitiates human - strength and thus enervates both body and mind; then temporary - stimulation and relief are sought in the excitements of sensuality. - By sensuality, I understand all indulgences which carry to excess the - natural physical appetites. Man, with his greater physical force, is - the aggressive element in this strife for gratification, and woman - with her slighter physique, the passive. - - If we first make these points clear to ourselves, it will be easy to - make them clear to others and to show to every woman the necessity - of being on the defensive against these twin brothers, Luxury and - Sensuality. All history teaches us that they have been the destroyers - of nations in ancient times. Let us not deem that we are proof against - their omnipotence. The defensive weapon can be none other than a code - of morals as high and as idealistic as our present state of education - and development will produce. - - Further, this code ought to be in accordance with the political form - of life in our country. We cannot afford to imitate any other people, - any other nation. The women of this continent, and especially of the - United States, enjoy a place in social life such as no women of any - nation ever held before, or hold now. They can have all the power they - want if they will simply take it, and if they will make themselves - equal to all the responsibilities such a power involves. - - Especially do I wish to speak of a danger to be avoided. We need to - create and to foster among women a realizing sense that we _are all - alike_ and that the _worst_ women belong to _us_ as much - as do the best. We cannot feel proud of the virtues and talents of one - woman without feeling an equal degree of shame at the vices and the - degradation of another. - - There is no _third sex_; and we must see to it that this - feeling--I cannot call it an opinion--that there exists a class of - _animal women_, shall never take root in this country. In order - to effect this, we must create a code of morals in accordance with our - free institutions. Never should we look across the ocean for a guiding - rod. Nowhere has woman been so poetized and so idealized, nowhere have - music and the plastic arts so celebrated her as on the continent of - Europe--yet everywhere there woman can be bought! She is legalized - merchandise, and is inspected as such for the purpose of purchase, - _which is prostitution_. - - Among the nobility and the aristocracy the men hold it below their - dignity and honor to be traders or even merchants because they - consider that all commercial enterprise tends to make men mercenary, - so lowering their character. Yet these same men do not hesitate to - purchase women; while the aristocratic and noble lady thinks it right - and just that there should be a special class of women for this - purpose. - - This is no exaggerated statement; it is a fact that women of - education and of high standing speak of a certain class of women as - if there were a third sex--a creature resembling woman in all outward - appearance but sterile in propagation, sterile in morals, and sterile - in intellectual capacity, a slave to men, and a creature of contempt - in the eyes of women. - - The word by which these women are designated when spoken of is - “creature.” In Europe, in common conversation and in everyday - literature, this word “creature” has become a legitimatized - designation for prostitutes. It is therefore deplorable to hear women - in their superior position as employers speak thoughtlessly of honest, - virtuous women--their nurses, seamstresses, servants and the like--as - “these creatures.” - - I say, therefore, that one of the laws of our moral code should be, - “Respect the _woman_ in every woman.” - - This respect for all womankind leads us to consider next the moral - relations to children. The highest ideal code cannot be too high here, - and example should take precedence of teaching. - - I would advise a whole code, explanatory of modesty, purity, chastity, - truthfulness, obedience, self-denial, and self-control, clearly to be - comprehended and strictly to be practiced by every woman--married and - unmarried, mothers and grandmothers--so that example shall teach the - virtues to the boy as well as to the girl. - - Moral precepts and admonitions, repeated daily in words are listened - to with indifference; but from a living example are drawn good - draughts of healthful moral strength. For instance, speak before a - boy, no matter how small (in fact, the smaller the more dangerous), - with contempt of a woman, and you may be sure the seed of contempt - toward all womanhood is sown and will grow and mature and bear fruit - for another generation. The same is true if, in the hearing of girls, - contempt for men is expressed; yet here the effect is less bad for, as - I said before, the girl is the passive, not the aggressive, element in - nature. - - Next, we need a moral code in relation to men. Here, the first - principle should be, what is wrong in woman is wrong in man. There - is no special right for the man. Although we cannot demonstrate an - absolute Right, yet the Golden Rule will always serve as a test where - there is doubt. Men are born as pure and innocent and good as women. - _We develop_ qualities in them from a false conception of the - aggressive impulses inherent in the masculine constitution. This - is the point which we must bear in mind--man is not willfully nor - intentionally vicious; but we allow him to practice a pernicious code - of morals from early childhood, when we begin to say, “Oh, a boy will - be a boy.” - - Of course, we want a man to be a man, but we also want a woman to - be a woman. And we cannot make any advance toward the standard of a - true man and a true woman if we give one set of morals to the man and - another to the woman. Our constitution should be alike for both sexes, - although from natural causes some of the by-laws must differ. This is - the only way by which we can establish such relations of men to women - and of women to men as shall be honorable to both and elevating to - mankind in general. - - Let us now consider the last but not the least point in our code of - morals, that which concerns our relation to the State. This is, of - course, the broadest and the most comprehensive theme with which moral - education has to deal. Here again we shall see that we have our own - code to make. For by “State” we mean in this country a different thing - from that which Europe so designates. We do not mean a government - given to a people by an aristocracy established centuries ago. We must - learn to understand that when we speak of “the State,” we mean the - voluntary association of a free people which governs itself through - and by the individual exercise of both intellectual and physical - powers. Hence, there arises at once the need of a full comprehension - of our duties as members of such a State. - - These duties are of two kinds--the duty of the normally endowed - members (those having moderate or superior physical and mental - qualities) toward each other; and, secondly, the duty of this - fortunate class toward the less favored--the weak, the feeble in mind - or in body and the crippled--those born or later afflicted with less - capacity to take up the struggle for existence. We have all seen - how the man born rich may become poor; and on the other hand, how - the child born a pauper may yet lift himself to the position of the - millionaire or to the highest office. - - Here, then, lies our duty. Especially must we women educate ourselves - and the young in regard to our relations to all humanity--particularly - to the suffering, to the frail, and to the poor near our own doors. We - have to create a code of morals strong enough to be just toward all - the unfortunate--men, women and children; yet it must be free from - that sentimentalism which cannot discriminate between an honest poor - person and a criminal. On this point, endless illustrations could be - given to show our lack of moral education. How difficult it is to - preserve the righteous balance without being harsh to the criminal, - the drunkard and the female vagrant! We have this great lesson to - learn--that the poorest, the lowest, even the most degraded, when - honestly striving to keep out of the almshouse or the prison, stands - far higher in the scale of humanity than the reformed or the reforming - prisoner; and that justice ought first to be done toward these poor - degraded ones before sentimental charity is bestowed upon the criminal. - - For here comes another part of this code as regards the State. What - is charity? What is benevolence? What is the best way for their - application? What is justice? - - I would advise that all the members of this Moral Education - Association, and nonmembers too, form classes where these subjects - may be discussed, not simply where morality is preached to the moral, - but where we enlighten ourselves by an interchange of opinion and by - faithful investigation of moral questions. We need to know what is the - real moral requirement in our peculiar state of American society. - - We are a State which has not been produced by propagation of one and - the same race, so we have thus formed a nation with its own peculiar - characteristics. We are an aggregate in a free country of many races - and of many nations, a country where it is possible for the slave to - step at once into self-sovereignty, or for the pauper from any foreign - race to rise in a few years to the position of a well-to-do trader or - merchant or artist, according to the intellectual capacity which he - possesses. On the other hand, even with us these people may go down - and form the center of a proletarianism unless they are prevented by - education both of the intellect and of the morals. - -A similar opportuneness characterizes her answer to the question which -continues to be asked to-day as it has been asked down the ages: - - - SHOULD WOMEN STUDY MEDICINE? - - So many women, both young and of mature age, appeal to me for - information concerning the profession of medicine that I have thought - it desirable to express my opinion thus publicly. The principal points - inquired about are How to study medicine? and What are the prospects - in practice? - - There are so many medical schools now open to women, both in the - East and in the West, that the selection of one for the purpose of - study need depend only upon individual convenience and the pecuniary - resources of the student. A student needs to have means for her - support during three full years of college life and, if possible, for - an additional year’s residence in some hospital before entering upon - practice. - - Next comes the question, What can she expect in practice? Many young - women enter the profession because it seems to them a lucrative - business. Yet for a young person to choose this path in life because - she thinks it leads invariably to success--by which she means a - plentiful purse--is a mistake. - - Success in the practice of medicine may coexist with small pecuniary - gains; the money gain should be incidental, not primary, in the - thought of the physician. A well-educated physician, who has passed - through the regular course of study and who conscientiously works - within the legitimate sphere of her knowledge, must allow about ten - years of indefatigable labor before her practice brings a competency - worthy the name of independence, by which I mean a comfortable living - free from the anxieties of petty economies and allowing occasional - relaxations from duty. Many a young woman has gone out of my office - excited and indignant because I have expressed doubt that the medical - profession would be the best career for her to choose, and her final - exclamation as she left me is very significant, “You have been - successful; why should not I be so?” - - This “why not” is just the hard point to explain. On April 5, 1888, - it was just thirty-six years since I began to seek practice. - Young (twenty-two and one-half years old), full of enthusiasm and - self-reliance, willing to work, ready for self-abnegation in every - direction, I felt sure that I should succeed in life, but this success - never presented itself before my mind in the shape of a plentiful - purse. - - Besides the moral qualities I have mentioned, I started with another - great advantage, namely, a good physical constitution. In no - profession is sound steady health so requisite as in the medical, for - the practitioner must be ready night and day, and at the beck and call - of patients--whether paying or charity. Thus this profession demands - a body free from annoyances of all kinds and a clear, sound head, to - enable one to be decisive in judgment, firm in advice, and kind in - sympathy. - - Another step in the ladder of success is a good business training from - early youth. By this I mean correctness in listening to every word - spoken, accuracy of observation, and logical deduction. Every faculty - must be, as it were, on the alert and yet kept under the control of - judgment. - - Yet there may be sound health, good education, and carefully trained - faculties, and still a something lacking for success in life as - physician. I call it a power of adaptation to the various temperaments - and conditions of humanity; a moral courage; an ability to step - forward and seek opportunities for practice; a kind of self-confidence - and fearlessness in entering every class of life. - - Thus equipped, and backed by friends or pecuniary means to sustain - the respectability of the beginner during the first few years of - her attempts to seek practice, a young woman has still to overcome - prejudices and obstacles which are not easily described, for they are - of an intangible nature, relating sometimes to personal appearance - and oftener to that indefinable quality--tact. - - Yet notwithstanding all these difficulties, it is far easier to-day - for a woman to establish herself as physician than it was thirty - years ago. The annoyance and tribulations which we pioneers had to - endure were far greater than the natural ones which have always to - be overcome. For women physicians were then looked upon not only as - intruders upon the field hitherto occupied by men alone, but also as - disreputable persons and they were constantly confounded with the - women who, prefixing “Dr.” to their names, carried on a foul and - illegal practice. - - So great was the prejudice against the first women physicians that - friends and acquaintances hesitated to invite them into their social - circles. Yet in spite of this hostility, I was inclined to encourage - other women to study medicine; for, inexperienced like all young - people and more enthusiastic than most, I imagined that every one who - expressed a desire for some active work was as willing and as well - prepared to undergo hardships and privations as I myself was. Years - have made me wiser and, consequently, more cautious in advising these - young seekers. - - Every physician, man or woman, who has acquired prominence through - ability, finds himself or herself placed in the position of adviser - to youth. No one claims infallibility in judgment; great talent is - not always recognizable to the wisest counselor; but the duty is the - same for all--a conscientious statement of what the medical profession - demands. Its difficulties and the various obstacles should be stated - clearly to the young man or woman who is so often dazzled by the - brilliant success of the few, forgetting the many who are plodding - along in economical, modest paths or have retired entirely, and who - are therefore unknown. - - Yet while I have thus shown the darker side, I can see that the study - of medicine is full of opportunities for women, and that there are so - many ways of becoming useful, if not as practitioners then as teachers - and resident physicians in female schools and colleges, that no - truly talented woman need fear want of success in some branch of the - profession.--_The Woman’s Journal, June 23, 1888._ - -Less weighty but not less serious, and again as though a response to -another question which is agitating us to-day, is the following article -reprinted from _The Woman’s Journal_ of April 5, 1890: - - - WHAT’S IN A NAME? - - It may be true that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” - But even Shakespeare does not convince us that a Montague would - not still be a Montague though called by another name. No, the - name becomes a part of the individuality. A name has two distinct - qualities--the lighter, social and emotional; and the graver, legal - and representative. Pet names denote affection and are usually applied - to infants as expressive of their helplessness or diminutiveness in - contrast to our superiority to their small persons. The continued use - of these pet names when their bearers fill active and responsible - positions in life, indicates thoughtlessness if not real inferiority - of intellect. - - To explain my meaning fully, I will illustrate from my own experience - both conditions--the social and the legal value of names. Quite - recently I was asked whether I knew a Dr. Carrie S----, of ----town, - whom the inquirer wished to consult on arriving there. Instinctively - I replied that I should not care to know a “Dr. Carrie” or “Hattie” - or “Maggie,” etc., and I certainly would not ask the advice of any - physician who had not more sense than to advertise herself by sign - or word as a diminutive person. How can a woman think deeply on any - subject who has not brains enough to object to such pet names? - - A short time ago, a friend who was visiting me handed me two letters - to be posted. One was addressed “Mr. C. Albert ----” and the other, - “Miss Nellie ----.” Glancing at the addresses, I remarked, “I thought - your son’s name was Bert as I have always heard him called so, and why - has your sister changed her name from Ellen?” This sister was then - forty years old and had been teacher to her sister’s sons who lived in - the country where there was a lack of schools suitable to prepare lads - for the Latin school. Yet my friend said in reply to my remark, “No, - my son’s name is Albert and we called him Bert or Bertie, but since - he entered Harvard College, he has forbidden our using those names, - because,” she added, “boys, you know, have more pride than girls. My - sister likes to be addressed as Nellie.” Thus the teacher, twenty-two - years older than her nephew, was denoted by spoken and written word - “a girl” without “pride.” I wish all girls and women would comprehend - this fact--that as long as they are pleased with a diminutive name, so - long will they be classed in the category of diminutive human beings. - - Again, consider the ludicrous side. Here enters a woman twenty years - old, six feet tall, addressed as Maggie. Now, must such a woman - reach a height of eighteen feet before she attains the dignity of - “Margaret”--that is, the name of a full-grown woman? - - I once had under my medical care a girl whose face was greatly - disfigured by an eruption. She had a dark complexion and dark hair, - yet her name was Lily. When a little more than fourteen years old, - she came to me, her eyes sparkling with delight. “Oh,” she said, “I - have found out that my real name is Lucy; I was called so for an aunt - who died last week and who left me one thousand dollars in her will - because I am her namesake. I cried for joy, not about the money, - but because I have got rid of that horrid name of Lily.” Seeing my - astonishment at her excitement, she added, “You do not know how I - have suffered from my schoolmates; they nicknamed me Tiger Lily on - account of my face, and now, see, Lily was only a pet name; it is not - my real name!” Her mind was relieved, she was at ease and happy to - assert her dignity by an appropriate name. She soon recovered from the - torment of the eruption, and I have no doubt that the mental relief - of having a sensible name aided in her recovery. Again, how would a - woman with the dignified name of Margaret feel if she read in the - newspaper the notice of her marriage with “Tommy” Smith? A certain - amount of etiquette is essential in life--it gives weight and dignity - to everyday occurrences, and is, as it were, an expression of a sense - of social responsibilities. - - The second question is the legal and representative quality. To - understand the full importance of this, let us recall the fact that - throughout the whole civilized globe, it is customary to give to the - child the father’s name. It is not necessary to discuss here whether - it would be better to change this custom and give to the child the - name of both father and mother. The fact is established that the - child receives a personal name prefixed to that of the family of - which it is the offspring. By this latter name it becomes known, and - in the course of years this name becomes a part of the individual, - belongs to the character itself, and can no more be got rid of than - the blood which flows in the veins and had its origin in the parents. - It is a rare thing for a man to admit even the thought of changing his - name; if it were Smith, he is and remains Smith, simply denoting his - individuality by the prefix _A_, _B_, _C_, or whatever - the initial may be. He cannot be addressed by any other name, and he - can receipt bills and sign legal papers by no other name without being - considered guilty of misrepresentation. - - The importance of this individuality of name is nowhere better - recognized than in Germany. A girl named at birth Anna Eleanora Miller - is and remains Anna Eleanora Miller all her lifetime, no matter - whether she marries once or six times in the course of her career. By - no other name can she sign a deed or contract; thus only can she bear - witness; and she is not summoned by the courts as witness under any - other name than that of Anna Eleanora Miller. - - If she has a husband, she is addressed in law by her name, Anna - Eleanora (or, if she has ten given names, then by all of them) Miller, - wife of Brown, or wife of Baron Ketzow, or von Alden. If she becomes - a widow and marries again, she is addressed in law (of course not in - social intercourse) as Anna Eleanora Miller, widow of Brown, wife of - Baron von Ketzow. - - To make this clearer, let me illustrate still further by giving the - name of a well-known lady who, after she became a widow, studied - medicine and now practices dentistry in Berlin, having been dentist - to all the children of the Empress Friedrich. Her diploma would be - utterly valueless had it been given to her with the name of her - first husband; only by her maiden name could she be authorized as a - practitioner. Her sign at the door reads, “Dr. Henriette Pagelson, - widow of Hirschfeld, wife of Tiburtius,” she having, after a few - years of practice, contracted a marriage with Dr. Tiburtius. Thus she - is, and remains, Henriette Pagelson, and by this name only is she - professionally and legally responsible; this stamps her individuality, - and the other names of Mrs. Hirschfeld and Mrs. Tiburtius become - merely social and conventional designations. - - The question of changing names will and ought to become of grave - importance before the law in this country. As we now have women - lawyers, it should be their special charge to bring up at once this - neglected matter--the question of the legality of diplomas as regards - the names thereon--before the legislatures in their respective states. - - Let me suppose a case in order to show the gravity of this subject. - A young woman who has studied medicine receives a diploma under the - name of Anna Elizabeth Brown. In a few years she marries, removes the - sign from her door and puts up a new one reading “Dr. A. E. Stone.” - Soon after this she has to sign a death certificate, which she does - by writing “Anna Elizabeth Stone, M.D.” Such a document has no legal - truth in it. Again, suppose the relatives of a patient sue this doctor - for malpractice, cannot the lawyer make a good case from the fact - that her diploma certifies to the ability of “Anna E. Brown,” and - that a “Dr. Stone” does not exist? Does not this create a flaw or an - irregularity in the indictment executed by the complainants? Still - further, the husband “Stone” dies, and in a year the widow marries - McIntosh and again changes sign and signature to “Dr. A. E. McIntosh,” - while no diploma, and therefore no such doctor of that name exists, - but only the original “Anna Elizabeth Brown, M.D.” - - What is thus true in the medical profession is true in commercial - pursuits and in all professions. Annoyances also arise in social - relations. A short time ago, I was asked if I knew a Dr. Alice - Smith of a certain city, she having referred to me for professional - recommendation. I at once declared the woman to be a fraud. A few - months later, Dr. Alice Smith, having been informed of my not very - complimentary appellation, sent me a letter expressive of much injured - feeling. In this letter, she gave her maiden name under which she had - served as interne in our New England Hospital where we had valued her - as one of our best assistants. - - Now, if men cannot see the importance of this demand for a settlement - of the question of women’s names, I wish that our women lawyers would - bring the subject before the legislatures, requesting some decision on - the legal qualifications as to names for any professional or business - relation of women, whether they are single, married or widowed. If the - woman cannot call her name her own and will not drop the diminutive - pet name, she does not deserve to be considered a full human being. - - Let me be understood--I do not mean to say that in social life a - woman should not accept the name of her husband. I do not desire to - overturn existing customs, and I think it is far more sensible to - be “Mrs. Smith” in common social life than to be “Dr. Brown,” which - may be the title on the diploma, but all this could easily be left - to personal decision. Princess Louise of England will not be called - Marchioness of Lorne. Baroness von Essmarsch prefers to be called Frau - Doctor (having married Dr. von Essmarsch), and objects to the title - of Princess Mecklenberg to which she is entitled, and by which she is - addressed, as aunt of the present Empress of Germany. Here love casts - aside all titles; nevertheless, it is only as Princess Mecklenberg - that she can legally be addressed, or legally be empowered to sell or - to give away even a few feet of land. The only signature valid in law - is “Princess Mecklenberg, wife of Dr. von Essmarsch.” - - Throughout Europe, the women in all classes cling more closely to - their family names than we do. On visiting cards, one commonly sees - “Mrs. Brown, _née_ Miller.” If one wishes to be specially - respectful, one addresses in the same way, mentioning both names, the - envelope which incloses even a friendly letter to a married woman. - And, finally, on the gravestone placed above a deceased married woman, - the maiden name is always conspicuously inscribed before the married - name. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII - - _Opening of the Medical School of the Johns Hopkins University to - women on equal terms with men--Consultations with Dr. Zakrzewska by - women interested in the event--Her report of the attitude of the - community towards women surgeons--New building for the Maternity - Department of the Hospital (the Sewall Maternity and, later, the Helen - Morton Wing)--Opening of the Goddard Home for Nurses--Because of - misbehavior of men students, Columbia University of Georgetown closes - its doors to women--Dr. Zakrzewska writes on “the Emancipation of - Woman: Will it be a Success?” (1888-1894.)_ - - -These were eventful days (1888-1890) for all friends of the advancement -of the medical education of women, leading up as they did to the -opening to women of the medical school of the Johns Hopkins University -in 1890. - -The same fear of beguilement and subsequent disillusionment which Dr. -Zakrzewska had felt regarding the proposed opening to women of the -Medical School of Harvard University, away back at the time when the -future of the New England Female Medical College hung in the balance, -haunted the minds of all workers for the cause of medical women. - -So many colleges had been opened to women and had then been closed to -them, in response to the storm raised by one or another protesting -group, that experience had made women feel they must always be on their -guard. - -One of the prominent women of Worcester wrote to Dr. Zakrzewska in 1890: - - Our Women’s Club has been urged to contribute to assist the Medical - School of the Johns Hopkins University, with the idea that women shall - have there all the advantages which men have, and as I have seen your - name with other well-known names, I desire to ask if you really think - that they will act in good faith if the $100,000 should be given them. - - We are told by parties in Baltimore who ought to know that the whole - policy of Johns Hopkins is conservative in spite of its high rank, and - that women would never be admitted on the same terms as men. - - As one of an investigating committee, I am to report on October 22d. - Will you be so kind as to tell me what you think of the scheme? If - the money is raised and offered on condition that women shall be so - received, we are told that it will be refused. In that case, it would - not seem worth while to give anything towards it. - - This must be a matter which would greatly interest you, and I venture - to hope that you will find a moment to reply. - -In the course of her correspondence with Dr. Zakrzewska, a leading -woman of Baltimore who was one of those foremost in the present -movement, writes: - - I will bear your cautions in mind and watch very carefully. I myself - have not much confidence in the willingness of many men to give - women a fair chance, but since out of the four women who began this - movement, three of them have fathers on the two boards who are deeply - convinced of the righteousness of the cause, I cannot help feeling - hopeful. Moreover, the physicians at the Hospital have been most - cordial and helpful to every well-qualified woman who has sought its - advantages. - - I inclose a copy of the trustees’ resolutions. I do not see how, - although they reserve the right of making “such rules and regulations - as they may deem necessary for the government of its School of - Medicine,” they can possibly ignore the paragraph that “in making - such rules and regulations, the terms of this minute shall always be - respected and observed”--and these terms we insisted should be _the - same_, not equal. - - However, I agree with you that we must watch carefully, and if there - should ever be a sign of trying to evade it you may depend on us to - fight it out. - -It is interesting to note that half of the $100,000 was given by one -woman, Miss Mary Garrett, daughter of one of the original trustees of -the Johns Hopkins University. Also, that the $10,000 previously offered -by Miss Hovey to Harvard, on condition of its admitting women and which -was declined by its medical faculty, was transferred to the Johns -Hopkins. - -When, in 1888, Dr. Zakrzewska and her two earliest co-workers on -the Hospital staff, Drs. Sewall and Morton, resigned as attending -physicians and became advisory physicians, Dr. Sewall had in the state -of her health an additional reason for relinquishing her arduous -duties. And Dr. Zakrzewska suffered keenly during the next few years in -realizing the approaching loss of this particularly dear colleague, -who had always been to her as her own child though her junior by only a -few years. Dr. Sewall died in February, 1890. - -At the annual meeting at the close of the Hospital year, 1890, Dr. -Zakrzewska again was called upon to present the report from the -resident physician--this position being temporarily vacant. - -Referring especially to the increasing work of the Hospital under women -surgeons, she says: - - The results thus far are so satisfactory that no other hospital can - show a greater percentage of recoveries. Our reputation for successful - operations increases; and the request is often made by patients that - no men shall be present. - - An old lady of seventy-nine years, the prolongation of whose life - depended upon the immediate removal of a large ovarian tumor--an - accidental fall having caused inflammation--insisted upon having - even no consultation with men, nor any men present at the operation, - saying, “I am old enough anyway to die, only I don’t want to suffer - as I do now; and if the women can save my life for a while longer, I - shall be grateful.” She was saved, and went home well in just four - weeks from the day of operation. - - Another change has come with this advance in the medical women’s - world. Women now express the strongest confidence in women’s skill, - entirely refuting the fears and opinions of former years that “women - would never have confidence in their own sex.” The opposite condition - has now become so manifest that when in a first consultation a patient - decides at once and unreservedly to employ a woman surgeon, we are - frequently obliged to remind her that her friends or her family may - prefer to have a man perform the operation. - - A patient was brought into my office from the carriage before the - door. She seemed so weak and exhausted that I did not venture to - speak frankly to her but called the friends into an outer room and - informed them of the need of the removal of a large abdominal tumor - without delay. After a short deliberation, they considered it best - for me to inform the patient. I did so. A few moments of silence - ensued, and then came the response, “Where can it be done? Will you do - it?” Answering the latter question in the negative and the former by - proposing our Hospital, she replied, “Well, take me there and I will - have it done to-morrow.” - - We did take her there, but the case was too grave for an operation - on the morrow as important preparations were necessary. But in a few - months the patient left the Hospital well, and when a half year later - she came into my office, I did not recognize the changed woman. - - Such cases are not infrequent now, and the gratitude of many a mother, - wife, and daughter spreads throughout our land the fame of our - Hospital, the skill of our surgeons, and the kindness of our nurses. - The number of women surgeons is but few as yet, but I do not care to - compete numerically with men. I simply repeat the claim which I made - thirty-five years ago when pleading the cause of women physicians, - namely, give to women whose qualifications and tastes lead them to - study the healing art, the opportunity to develop such talents to the - utmost on an equality with men. - - It is due to the perseverance of woman’s nature and to the freedom - of this country that such comparatively great results have been - achieved in so few years. I, who saw at most a possibility in the - dim future, am permitted to behold an idea realized--an idea for the - materialization of which I expected simply to plow the ground before - I passed away from this life, leaving it for others to cultivate. But - see! Already, under the sunshine of free institutions and the favoring - breezes of universal progress, we reap the fruits of our labor. - -In June, 1892, a new Maternity Building was completed and dedicated. -It was named the Sewall Maternity, in memory of that early and devoted -friend of Dr. Zakrzewska and the Hospital, Hon. Samuel E. Sewall, -and of his daughter, Dr. Lucy E. Sewall, who was, successively, Dr. -Zakrzewska’s first student, assistant, and staff colleague. - -The old Maternity was renovated and transformed into a home for the -nurses, and it served this purpose until replaced by a new building in -1909. It was named the Goddard Home for Nurses in honor of the Goddard -family--Miss Lucy Goddard, one of the incorporators of the Hospital and -first president of the board of directors; George A. Goddard, for many -years the devoted treasurer of the Hospital; and his mother, Mrs. M. Le -B. Goddard, one of the earlier directors. - -Some years later (1906), a wing was added to the Sewall Maternity, -the Helen Morton Wing. This was named in honor of Dr. Helen Morton, -classmate of Dr. Sewall and Dr. Zakrzewska’s second student, assistant, -and staff colleague. - -In the midst of the congratulations and rejoicings which followed the -opening to women of the Johns Hopkins Medical School, the distrust -which Dr. Zakrzewska had already voiced was, in 1893, given another -justification by the action of the Columbian University of Georgetown, -D. C. (now the George Washington University Medical School), which -decided to close the doors that it had opened to women. - -For at least ten years the medical department had been graduating -women on equal terms with men. But there had always been three members -of the faculty who were bitterly opposed to allowing women to study -medicine on any terms. These three professors made the path of the -women students as rough and stony as possible; and the male students, -taking the cue from these professors, added discourtesies and affronts -to hostility. - -Finally, in the dissecting room, some of these students so debased -themselves by offering insult, not only to the women medical students -but also to the helpless bodies of their fellow beings who had been -given to them for scientific study, that the faculty and trustees were -obliged to take official notice of the occurrence. - -Now, mark the administration of justice. The male students committed -the offense which no one attempted to condone. Were the offenders -punished? No. Neither were the innocent victims of the offense, the -women medical students. But the whole sex of the innocent victims was -selected to make vicarious atonement. The verdict was that the women -then in the Medical School should be permitted to complete their -course, but after that no more women should be admitted to the school. - -After this demonstration can any one doubt that the story of Adam and -Eve and the Garden of Eden has biologic foundation and, as the good -old books say, “is in the nature of man.” But we can rejoice that this -is a nature which man is steadily moving upward to modify and correct, -hence the increasing number of men who are willing to do justice to -women. - -It remains to add that the trustees were said to have been almost -unanimous in their opposition to the exclusion of women but to have -been overborne by the financial control exerted by the three professors -mentioned. - -The indignation of a large portion of the lay community was aroused -by the injustice thus done to women, and an appeal for advice was -made to Dr. Zakrzewska, whose views on such a situation have already -been stated. Fortunately, the Johns Hopkins Medical School is not far -removed from Washington. - -The era of the “emancipation” of woman as an all-inclusive phrase had -not yet passed, though it was approaching its eclipse by more specific -terms. Using it as an antithesis of “oppression,” Dr. Zakrzewska writes -in _The Open Court_, June 21, 1894, on “The Emancipation of Woman: -Will it be a Success?” - -This article was in reply to one on “The Oppression of Woman,” -evidently written by a man who voiced his protest against the -subjection from which women have suffered for so many centuries, and -who claimed for women freedom to develop along their own lines. His -plea was apparently similar to Tennyson’s when the latter sings: - - ... “Leave her space to burgeon out of all - Within her--let her make herself her own - To give or keep, to live and learn and be - All that not harms distinctive womanhood. - For woman is not undevelopt man, - But diverse.” - -Perhaps, as is so often the case, an undercurrent of masculine -patronage had crept into the plea of the advocate. Or perhaps Dr. -Zakrzewska merely felt the weariness that comes to all normal grown-up -women when their normality and growth are commented upon as phenomena, -instead of being accepted as the thing to be expected. On a very -hot day, the chirr of even a friendly katydid may seem too obvious, -repeating (what should be) “an undisputed thing in such a solemn way.” -At any rate, she responds: - - I admit that the writer of this article is right, positively right, - logically right, sentimentally right, to the end of these reasonings - which are lucid and clearly stated. - - Then I ask, What is the value of this new point, this proving that the - evolution of woman’s activity cannot be otherwise than feminine? If - twice two make four, no exertion of either man or woman can make it - five. Let us leave it as a positive fact, and not worry when we see - any individual trying to prove that twice two make five. - - Why are all these mental somersaults and caprioles in men’s writings - needed? Will their attempts at prophesying or illustrating the future - effects arising from the activity of a yet unknown quantity alter or - check the present phenomenal awakening of woman’s ambition? - - Allow me to elucidate my meaning by a true story of what happened in - my native city, Berlin, about fifty years ago. - - In a courtyard lived a poor family. The father was a locksmith by - trade. His eldest son, a boy of twelve, bright, industrious and smart, - spent all his time either in the schoolroom or in his father’s shop. - Not even on Sundays could this poor family enjoy rest but worked in - the dreary shop. The boy was very fond of eating string beans which - the mother could seldom afford to buy. - - He therefore decided to raise them in a box before his window. He used - some old pieces of boards for the construction of his window-garden, - and all the inmates of the front as well as of the rear houses became - interested in his experiment, everybody feeling it to be his or her - duty to express opinions on the subject. - - Thus it came to pass that the boy was told that the beans planted - would rot because the boards were not porous enough to allow air to - pass; that the soil in the box could not be regulated as regarded the - daily moisture needed; that the rain could not be discharged after - flooding the window garden; that the heat of the sun reflected from - the window glass would burn the tender growths; that not more than two - stalks of beans could be raised if the seed turned out to be dwarf - beans, and if pole beans, he could not fasten them high enough; that - no good growth could be expected if there were not a flow of air all - around to favor the plant; that the already dark room (this being - the only window) would be darkened too much by the growing plants - and thus the three children who slept in it would not awaken in time - for school, which commenced at seven o’clock; that the health of the - children would be injured by the exhalation of the plants and the - moisture of the earth in the box; that his mother should be warned not - to allow such an experiment as it would be a moral injury to the boy - when he found himself disappointed in the success of his plan, as the - most valuable of emotions--hope--would thus be destroyed; that the - father ought to realize that he would lose at least half an hour daily - of the boy’s help in the shop; in fact, all the arguments and all the - prophesying were that a complete failure would be the result and that - the boy would be crushed under the weight of it. - - However, the boy prepared his box, took note of the many suggestions - and obviated some of them, as by perforating his box with small holes, - by opening the windows when the sun shone from ten in the morning to - three in the afternoon, etc. - - The twelve beans which he had planted grew and proved to be pole - beans, so he tied strings for them to climb up on as high as the - tenant above his room allowed him to do. He watered and nursed his - plantation with care and love, and lo and behold, the beans flourished - and blossomed and bore fruit relatively plentifully. - - During this time of growth, an old and wise tenant of the front house, - also a professor, joined the group who for eight weeks had watched - and discussed in the yard this willful boy’s experiment. This critic - remarked that he observed a new phase of which nobody had thus far - taken notice and which might have both good and bad effects, namely, - that a hailstorm might yet come and destroy this garden, although - there might also be a good result as the plants would protect the - window panes if the storm should occur when the windows were closed. - - All admitted that this was true, and all admired the wisdom of the - Herr Professor, and went to their respective abodes a little mortified - that they had not thought before of this neglected point of the - subject. - - The boy had the satisfaction of gathering a mess of well-grown beans, - sufficient for a hearty meal for the whole family. But while eating - his favorite dish, he said, “Well, mother, I did succeed; but to tell - the truth, the beans don’t taste so good as those which grow in the - fields. So next year, I will not try again but I shall sow nasturtium - seeds for you to enjoy.” - - He did so, and his window was a perfect delight and source of cheer - to him, to his mother, and to the tenants of the little court. He - continued to do this until he had to enter the army, at eighteen years - of age. His younger brothers (he had no sisters) followed in his - footsteps, and when I left Berlin my last look was at the nasturtium - window. - - Let me ask, did it matter much which the boy raised, beans or - nasturtiums? What use was it to him, or to his family, or to the - tenants when the latter all joined in the chorus, “I thought so” or “I - told him he could not raise beans”? Let each one try nature’s forces - and take his chance! And twice two will always remain four. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVIII - - _Dr. Zakrzewska’s own description of her attitude as a critic--Her - judgments on various details of Hospital policy: Against the admission - to the Hospital of women students of the Boston University Medical - School (that being then a school of homeopathy); On the reciprocal - relation of the medical staff and the board of directors of the - Hospital; On a question of Hospital discipline; Letter to an ambitious - colleague whose feelings have been hurt._ - - -Matters of Hospital policy were continually being referred to her for -decision. Before noting details, it will be illuminating to read what -she says as to her mental attitude when making criticisms: - - If I praise, it is hardly ever the person or the relation in - which this person stands to me of which I think--it is simply the - praiseworthy thing or deed which I eulogize. - - These very same persons may do or say something which, according to my - comprehension, is not praiseworthy but the contrary, and I criticize - and blame just as strongly as I praised before when many did not see - the praiseworthiness until I drew attention to it. - - For the praise, I receive thanks, for human nature likes far better to - hear agreeable things than disagreeable ones. - - For the blame, where I pointed out the fault, I receive double - reproach, for human nature likes to defend, it is vexed because - its attention has been drawn to the fact of imperfection and its - displeasure tends to fall upon the person who points out this - imperfection. - - I am fully aware that gratitude and warm friendships are easily - gained by speaking well of everything and everybody. Hence it is that - secondary, yes, even very mediocre, talents receive a certain amount - of fame and appreciation by the multitude. - - But to a true nature such kind of appreciation is humbling; and - that, too, in just such a degree as to him or her, praise or blame, - appreciation or censure, are equally sacred. One who is satisfied with - the recognition of the few can calmly wait till the multitude find out - for themselves how much of the seed sown among them will grow. - - Therefore, when I mention names to you, pray do not believe I speak - of them because they are either friends or foes to me, or that I wish - either to please or to hurt. Both are far from me--I do not care to - please, nor do I want to hurt, anybody. - -In answer to a proposal in earlier years to admit to the New England -Hospital the women students of the Medical Department of the Boston -University (then a school of homeopathy), she decided in the negative. -In this connection, she says: - - It is my opinion that if we do not intend to lower our aims or to - descend from the position which we have taken and which we should - uphold, we cannot form any connection, through the admission of its - students to our Hospital, with a school which holds itself strictly - sectarian and which claims a one-sided knowledge--a faith in medicine - which has no warrant, and an advancement in science which neither - here in America nor abroad is approved by natural scientists, by - chemists, or by microscopists. And which in reality possesses no sound - foundation other than that which exists in all new ideas, namely, - that of experiment. But this experiment is just as permissible to the - regular practitioner who is educated on the broadest terms and who has - a perfect right to administer any remedy for the restoration of health. - - In stating this opinion, to which I have given thoughtful - consideration, I regret personally that I thus exclude women of a - school with which I agree as to the great principle of equality in - education of the sexes. - -At one time, there seemed to be in the minds of some of the later -members a question as to the reciprocal relation of the medical staff -and the board of directors. On this occasion, she writes: - - Our Hospital is utterly different from all hospitals carried on by the - City or the State or by private individuals and endowments. - - In these latter there exists either a need to provide for the - helpless who are dependent on the Commonwealth, or benevolent persons - wish to provide a charity and so they establish hospitals. In both - conditions, the staff of physicians is employed by those who manage - the institutions and, consequently, either money or thanks are due to - such physicians as serve. - - With us, it is entirely different. None of our original directors - wanted a hospital; none of them was inspired by charity or had the - means to provide such charity. I, the representative of an idea in its - earliest evolution--I sought those Directors that they might serve - the purpose of carrying out that idea. - - They served then and in the future the women physicians connected with - the Hospital. They never dictated as to the number of physicians or - internes; they never proposed to enlarge the work; this has always - been done by the professional staff. _We_ thank _them_ for - their generous aid, but they cannot thank us for doing much or little. - - Of course, the Directors are the corporate body, and they represent - us legally before the public; but they carry out our ideas, not we - theirs. They simply stand ready to support the principle of giving to - women physicians full opportunity to manifest their skill and judgment. - -In this connection it is interesting to refer to a letter regarding -another matter, which Mrs. Cheney wrote to Dr. Zakrzewska in 1888. Mrs. -Cheney says: - - I hope you will not think me ungrateful for your inestimable frank - criticism, which has been one of the greatest helps in my life even - if I cannot adopt all your suggestions, as I must speak my own - language--but I am most thankful for the matter you have supplied. - - I never know what to say about my relation to the Hospital work. It is - not to me what it is to you.... I accepted it as blessed work ... and - have thanked you all my life for bringing it to me, but it has never - been mine as it is yours. - -Other aspects of her mind appear in connection with special -experiences, as when she writes to one of the other doctors regarding -a question of hospital discipline: - - MY DEAR DOCTOR: - - I enclose the letter you handed to me and one from Dr. ----. Allow - me to tell you how I have managed such letters. I have had precisely - three similar experiences. Dr. ----’s patients left in the same way as - Mrs. ----, and to this day their relatives are not satisfied that the - patients were treated rightly. Still, they are good friends with me in - spite of my having acted as I did. This was what I did. - - When I received the first letter, I said to myself: - - 1. There are always two sides to every story. - - 2. I cannot act at all if I keep this letter secret, as I am requested - to do. - - 3. If there is an accusation, I must have the excuse unless I want to - ignore the whole concern and burn the letter. - - 4. I will not talk, so as not to run the risk of losing my temper. - - Therefore, I sat down, wrote a note to the doctor and enclosed the - letter of accusation, but requested her not to let either the patient - or the student know about it but to tell me what she thought was best - to be done. - - Now this action seemed right to me, because - - 1. I investigated the other side. - - 2. I tried to put things to rights. - - 3. I gave a chance for explanations. - - 4. I could not become impatient, because both parties are always more - careful when things are put on paper. - - After I received the doctor’s reply, I took the letters, the patient - and the doctor into a private room, and informed them why and how - I had acted in the affair. Then I read both letters, and this was - followed by an apology on both sides and the matter was ended. - - Then, although the patient left the Hospital, she could not say that - the doctor was not courteously treated by me. Nor could she say that - justice was not done to her. - - After this, the doctor and I together had an interview with the - student, and we said as little or as much as was necessary to make her - more careful, and that was ended. - - As it happened, Dr. ----’s patient was one of more education and she - saw that she was in the wrong, so she apologized and remained until - the doctor discharged her. - - I don’t think that either you or I are the last authority on such - questions. They should be settled with all concerned in harmony and - even with polite treatment of the culprit, should there be one. - - If you lose your temper with a coworker, it lowers you in the eyes of - patients or of others a great deal more than it hurts her. Everybody - feels with or for the punished one, and nobody with the one who - punishes or condemns. - - I find that in going through the wards now, all the patients feel - attached to the doctor and are full of her praise, and they hope she - will have a good time and come back to her arduous duties with her - usual strength, fine spirits and cheerfulness. - - As soon as Dr. ---- comes home, we shall work out rules for the - physicians so that these will be ready for our next meeting. And if - they are then properly discussed, I think it might be a good plan - to have them printed in our report so that patients may learn their - extent and on whom they depend. - -Again, one of the doctors was evidently suffering from a wounded -_amour propre_, feeling that she had not been treated with -sufficient consideration. She had apparently expressed her grievance -to Dr. Zakrzewska, and then being dissatisfied with the result of her -interview, had tried to express herself more definitely in a letter. -Dr. Zakrzewska replies: - - MY DEAR DR. ----: - - I will answer the last paragraph of your letter first, because this - is the straw which shows how the wind blows, and it also confirms my - impression concerning the cause of your manner. I have nothing to - forgive in your manner because, personally, you have never offended - me. I therefore have nothing to forget either. - - But forgetting that we are colleagues and professional women - interested in the same work and in the same great cause where harmony - is so desirable, you seem to think, or rather you assert, that I - should remember your years and your condition of health, which is to - account for your speaking without thinking.... - - Now about your age, I never have thought of you as young even when - you were young. At the time we met, I recognized in the instant the - genuine talent and fervor of purpose of which you were possessed, and - I accepted you not as an inferior but as an equal. - - Do you think that I could now make an attempt to throw the mature - woman from a past and from a place in my estimation which I let her - occupy when she was really a young girl of no experience? Would not - this be silly and mean? Do you admit that I am either, or both? - - I always saw your weaknesses and faults as clearly as I see them now, - and I often spoke plainly of them to you, but I never, never thought - of putting you lower on account of them, because weaknesses we all - have, and I am glad to bear and forbear with these in people who have - something of worth to counterbalance, or else to place these faults - entirely in the background. - - You say you wish to preserve an opinion of your own on all Hospital - matters. Who has ever wished more than I have that you would do this? - How often have I said to you when you wished to make changes and have - told me that you put these on me and my orders, that my shoulders were - broad enough to carry all, but that I thought you should do things - on your own authority as this seemed simply right. How often have I - referred to you as being a more efficient authority on those points - regarding which I thought you were. - - And even when you did not agree with my propositions, when did you - ever hear that I complained? On the contrary, have I not the more - readily yielded and tried to investigate honestly which way would be - best? “Do as you please,” “suit yourself,” “work in your own way”--are - not these standing phrases which I have used to every physician? - - I am ready to give up the Hospital work at any moment that you all - think you can do without me. I have no ambition to _work_ in - it; I had only the ambition to help women into the position where - _they_ could work. And this I have accomplished. - - In New York I did well, and I am remembered in an honorable and - friendly way. And here in Boston I have certainly done my best. And - if there are now a hundred women who differ from me and a thousand - who know better than I do, I have nothing to say against it. On - the contrary, I am glad and happy about it because this is just the - condition which I strove for. My teachings have always been--you must - all do better, far better, than I have done, because you have far - better opportunities than I had. I helped to make those opportunities - and shame upon you if you do not come out better than your present - teacher. - - No, no, my dear Doctor, it is not at all anything of this that is in - your manner. In some way you have got it into your head and heart that - you must play the first fiddle, or still better, be the conductor and - show your importance in every way, small and big. You want the incense - of having everybody look up to you as the most important person in the - concern; you like to patronize, and so on. - - And I, to tell the truth, am very willing that you should have all - this pleasure because I do not care at all for these things. To me, - the answer to one of the great questions of the time is to assist - women into their right position whether or not they know me or my name - (which, luckily, is so hard that they won’t even take the trouble to - learn it). - - Now, this will be the last time that I shall write on this subject. - There is no use in trying to make artificially a harmony which does - not any more come spontaneously. I am very willing, yes, even too - willing, to allow myself to be overruled, because I do not care at all - for the particular minutæ. - - You know that I carried on the Hospital quite differently from Dr. - ---- or Dr. ----, yes, even from what you did, but I never tried, - nor wanted to try, to interfere, because it is far better that each - individual should do her work in her individual way. Otherwise, it - must fail to be done well. Imitations are always inferior to the - genuine article. But agreeing to a thing is not always liking it. - - As for my having wounded your feelings, this is possible--but I - daresay it was only in hospital matters when forced out by your - hostile manner. I hope I never was rude in my social relations, and if - I have been let me assure you that if you will tell me when and where - I was so, I will certainly beg your pardon. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIX - - _Dr. Zakrzewska’s private life--Her home--Her friends--Her keeping - in touch with the Hospital doctors, students and internes--Her - “boys”--Her ethics--Her reading--Men physicians who served as - consultants at the New England Hospital._ - - -Concurrently with the public manifestations of Dr. Zakrzewska’s life, -as recorded in the preceding pages, proceeded her more intimate life -of home, family and friends. Allusions to these happy possessions have -been made from time to time, but a particular word should be given to -one feature which she brought with her from the old world to the new--a -feature which enriches life over there, and which would add so much to -our American life could we adopt it as generally and as simply. - -Reference is here made to the custom of European people of all grades -of circumstance in incorporating the outdoors into the daily life of -the household, especially for the hour or moment of social relaxation. - -Poor indeed the family that has not at least a tiny arbor, or shelter, -or shaded spot, where the glass of sirup or other beverage of the -country, or the cup of coffee or tea, or the incense of the friendly -pipe or the more exclusive cigar, draws the curtain upon the workaday -world and releases the spirit for a few moments’ dream of content. - -“Rock Garden” was the name of her most blessed retreat--a large garden -with terraces and with the rocks for which Roxbury is famous. There -were trees and shrubs, fruits and flowers, tables and seats, and the -air was filled with memories of happy hours, hospitable days and -friendly meetings. And many groups of Hospital directors, doctors and -internes, as well as other friends, gathered there at various times, -carefree and festive. - -“Rock Garden has always been the Garden of Paradise,” comes a voice -borne upon the breeze, “but wherever you are or wherever you make your -home, that place will soon be ideal to your friends.” - -Dr. Buckel writes from the gardens of California, her thoughts turned -back to Rock Garden: - - Oh, what has it not been! You know what it has been to you, but you do - not know how dear it is to other hearts. I almost feel as if it ought - to be set apart as a place sacred to friendship and to all the sweet - memories associated with it. - - ... Christmas at Rock Garden always comes to me as a beautiful memory - of generous hearts and joyous greetings. How plainly I can see - you holding up the packages and reading off the names in your own - inimitable manner, while the big stocking stands yearning to give up - its treasures. - -And again: - - ... I always think of Rock Garden and the Christmas tree there and how - much I enjoyed it, and how dear are the memories. All the Heinzens, - Miss Sprague, Dr. Morton, the Prangs, Dr. Berlin, the Drs. Pope, and - others, are all fresh in my mind, and I send them kind greetings, - with love to Santa and your own dear self. - -William Lloyd Garrison at one time described this home which Dr. -Zakrzewska had there created for herself and for the friends and -patients who were her paying guests. He said: - - Dr. Zakrzewska was already settled in her attractive home in Cedar - Street, Roxbury, when, in 1864, my father moved to Highland Street - near by, and the two families became intimate. Although unmarried, the - Doctor rarely failed to have a house full of friends and relatives, - making of her home a social center for her German and American - acquaintances. - - She was a woman of decided opinions and the frankest speech, a - circumstance which gave zest and animation to any group in which she - mingled. She held firmly to the conviction that personal consciousness - ends with death; that so-called spiritual communications are a - delusion, that prohibition laws infringe upon individual rights; that - homeopathy has no claim to science; and that armed resistance to - tyrants is justifiable. - - My father held diametrically opposite views, but as both were - believers in the utmost freedom of speech, the social clash of arms - never engendered a moment’s ill feeling. They were closely united upon - the questions of anti-slavery and woman’s rights, and they were drawn - by a common impulse to progressive and philanthropic movements. - - Karl Heinzen, who with his wife and son made a part of the Doctor’s - household, was a striking and remarkable figure. He was a man of - massive intellect, possessing a high reputation in Germany as a writer - of both prose and verse. His intense love of liberty and hatred - of shams had made him an exile in America in the tumultuous years - preceding the Civil War. He was of noble stature and frame, a spacious - temple for a great soul, his rugged face betraying his indomitable and - fearless character. Boston never realized the value or distinction of - this moral hero, for the reason that the English language was more - formidable to him than despots and monarchies. But in Dr. Zakrzewska - he had a friend who appreciated his noble talents and virtues. - - ... I have dwelt upon this conjunction of the Doctor with Karl Heinzen - because his influence upon her life was deep and abiding. To see him - working about the ample grounds, trimming the grapevines and attending - to the fruit trees--his recreation and pleasure--and, when the weather - permitted, to behold the afternoon table-gathering under the leafy - shade at the back of the grounds which rose above the house, was to - receive the impression of a bit of the Fatherland--a German grafting - on a Yankee hillside. The glimpse was often through or over the board - fence which separated my own house on the hilltop when, in 1868, I - became the Doctor’s closely adjacent neighbor. What animated talk - enlivened the coffee, and how many friends enjoyed first and last the - retirement and refreshment! - - In the early days, sweet Mrs. Severance and her interesting family - lived also on Cedar Street; the Prangs were near at hand on Center - Street; the Koehlers and the Elsons were in the vicinity. The - beautiful suburb of Roxbury was then full of natural charm, an object - of interest to strangers visiting Boston and at that date untouched - and unspoiled. - - I remember a traveled friend pointing down Cedar Street towards the - Doctor’s house and asking, “Have you ever been to Versailles?” adding, - “The arches of these glorious elms are a reminder of it.” - -For many years Dr. Zakrzewska had a summer cottage at York Harbor but -it is of her busy city homes that her friends wrote most often. - -One of the former internes writes to her in later days: - - The year spent by me in the Hospital will always be remembered with - great pleasure, particularly that part of it when I was quarantined - at the Maternity and you used to ask me down to dinner at your house - nearly every evening. - -She kept in touch with all the doctors and students who had been at -any time connected with the Hospital, if writing only at notable times -such as the big anniversaries or when some special report or Fair -souvenir was published. She always inquired how they were getting on, -and whether they received the annual reports of the Hospital which were -always sent to their latest address. And so she was kept informed of -their changing circumstances, their successes or discouragements, their -marriages, their husbands, their children, and their problems of many -kinds. - -In beginning practice they had the varied fortunes which might be -expected from differing individualities, equipment, resources and -environment. Some found doors already opened to welcome them; some had -to make places for themselves. One of the latter group writes to her: - - I am now doing very satisfactorily but I often think how prophetic - you were when you used to warn us, saying, “Five years of waiting and - starvation are before every one of you.” - -Their addresses were scattered all over the world--over the United -States from Maine south to Florida and west to California; on the north -to Canada; and east and west to England, Scotland, France, Germany, -Switzerland, Italy, India,[23] Persia, Japan, China. - -In keeping with the breadth of view which characterized her and her -director associates, no discrimination has ever been made at the New -England Hospital regarding sects, races or nationalities in students, -doctors, nurses or patients. - -As we have already seen, Dr. Zakrzewska had always a large circle of -friends among the famous and high-minded men of her time, and her -influence with the men in the families of her patients has also been -noted. - -It remains to add a word as to the number who were proud to call -themselves her “boys.” A specimen letter from one of these latter, -signed by a name well known in Boston, says: - - DEAR DOCTOR: - - As no person in the world outside of my own immediate family is dearer - to me than yourself, I want you to be one of the first to know of my - engagement to ---- ----, and I am sure you will approve of my choice. - - Trusting that we may meet before long, I am as ever one of your boys. - -She had no theologic affiliations. Her clear vision and her keen -reasoning powers were unsatisfied with any form of dogma, creed or -ritual yet elaborated. And she found these latter unnecessary to -the development of a rule of life which reconciled the untrammeled -intellect and the highest ethics yet evolved by an upward-struggling -humanity. - -She was able to organize instinct, training, reason, observation, -experience and personal association, and to add to these the communion -with the great minds of the race which is to be derived from -reading--each continually checking up and correcting all the others. So -she developed a mind which she kept in a wholesome state of flux, ready -to modify any conclusion as new light rose above the horizon. - -She held her course and steered her life as a skilled navigator holds -his course, who while he steers by compass and chart yet makes myriad -adjustments as required by continually varying conditions of wind and -wave and sky. - -And pursuers of high ideals in ethics and philosophy were always on -her list of friends. This list always included clergymen, and in this -connection we may note the observations at a later date of Rev. Charles -G. Ames. He says: - - Dr. Zakrzewska in speaking of the class of unfortunate women with - whom she was often brought in contact in her medical work, once said - to me, “I cannot give them money but I always give them my friendship - in order to keep them morally alive.” It made me think of Fichte’s - words, “No honest mind is without communication with God, whether so - called or not.” After hearing that remark of the Doctor’s, I never had - any difficulty in giving her my fellowship on the deepest spiritual - ground. - -Reverend James Freeman Clarke[24] was one of her earliest friends in -Boston, their acquaintance beginning back in the days when she came -soliciting help for opening the New York Infirmary. - -In her address at the opening of the Sewall Maternity new building, in -1892, Dr. Zakrzewska alludes to this episode, saying: - - Let me express the gratitude we owe for our existence to a man whose - influence secured to us the noble friends who in the spirit of justice - to women gave invaluable assistance with their labors and their - financial help--I mean, Reverend James Freeman Clarke. - - I feel justified in saying that it was among the members of his church - that the idea was materialized and that funds for the beginning of the - experiment were provided. - -We have referred above to Dr. Zakrzewska’s wide reading. One of the -friends of her Cleveland days, Rev. A. D. Mayo, says: - - By an intuitive grasp of what was best for herself in books, she - realized the saying of the historian, George Bancroft, “I should as - soon think of eating all the apples on the big tree in my garden as - to read the whole of any good book. I pluck and eat the best apple - and leave the rest.” She always knew the best apple on every tree of - knowledge, and her mind was stored with the condensed wisdom of many - libraries. - -And he tells of the renewal in Boston of his friendship with her, some -twenty years after its beginning in Cleveland: - - Having made Boston my family headquarters, we were brought together in - her generously appointed home in Union Park, almost under the eaves of - the great church of Dr. Edward Everett Hale. I then verified anew the - old truth that a genuine friendship grows even during absence. - -Writing at this same date about Dr. Zakrzewska’s personality, Dr. -Buckel says: - - I cannot measure how much I owe to her skillful, energetic, practical - instruction as a physician when I was a student in the New York - Infirmary; neither can I measure the strength, courage and hope which - her bright example has given me throughout my life. - - I think, however, that her genuine respect for even the very poorest - of the poor immigrants who crowded the most wretched quarters of - New York made the deepest and most lasting impression. Others - showed sympathy and pity, but she entered into their lives with an - appreciation of their difficulties and a coöperation in their honest - efforts that stimulated their courage and gave them strength to work - on until success finally rewarded them. - - She considered the husband, father, son, and brother equally worthy of - regard with the women of the family in all her plans for improvement. - Although devoted to women’s best interests, she never worked for - women alone. Her influence over the men in these poor families was - most remarkable, considering their supposed opinions as to the proper - sphere of woman. - - Not a few educated, intelligent men owe their first start in the world - to her suggestive counsel. The spirit of comradeship she felt with - high-minded, intellectual men greatly strengthened my own convictions - as to the true relations of men and women to each other and helped me - to enjoy more freely the friendship of men whom I honored and admired. - - In her social life, gentlemen were always most cordially welcomed, - and they seemed sincerely to appreciate her kindness and highly value - her esteem. The picnics and excursions she planned to the suburbs - and parks of New York, which were then easily accessible, are among - the most delightful memories of my life. Grave professors, exiled - philosophers and learned doctors ran with us in our merry games and - forgot for the moment all but the gladsome spirit of the play. - - During my long association with Dr. Zakrzewska in hospital life, - both in Boston and in New York, I do not remember a single - misunderstanding. I always had her cordial support in the hospital - and a bright, warm welcome in her home. And I knew that any of our - students whom I might take to her house would also receive a cordial - welcome and realize that she was their friend. - -For so many years after its beginning the New England Hospital was so -largely regarded as a personal expression of Dr. Zakrzewska, and its -place in the estimation of the profession was so largely based upon -appreciation of the standards of which she stood as a representative, -that the acceptance by a man physician of a position on the consulting -staff was really a personal tribute to her. - -For this reason it seems desirable to publish here the names of all -the men who during her life served the Hospital in a consulting -capacity--whether as physician, surgeon or other specialist--the names -being placed in chronological order.[25] - - - - -CHAPTER XL - - _Opening of the new Dispensary building (the Pope Dispensary)--Dr. - Zakrzewska speaks of the relation of the Dispensary to confidence - in women surgeons--The new surgical building (the Ednah D. Cheney - Surgical Building)--Dr. Zakrzewska’s remarks on the progress of - the woman physician as demonstrated by these added new buildings - (made more complete later by the Kimball Cottage for the Children’s - Department)--Celebration of her seventieth birthday by a reception - and by the naming of the original main building “The Zakrzewska - Building”--Fatigue of this reception emphasized the failing health - which had already caused her retirement from private practice--Her - characteristic acceptance of the inevitable--Her death--Her funeral - services--Her farewell message. (1896-1902.)_ - -[Illustration: MARIE E. ZAKRZEWSKA, M.D. (1896)] - -In 1896, Dr. Zakrzewska again refers to the confidence of the community -in women surgeons, illustrating it by an experience which she relates -in her address at the opening of the new Dispensary building (Pope -Dispensary--donated by Colonel Albert A. Pope and named for the donor -and his twin sisters, Drs. Augusta and Emily Pope) which was located on -the site of the old one at No. 29 Fayette Street. She says: - - Our Dispensary in especial serves another purpose, namely, to - convince rich and poor, educated and uneducated, professionals and - nonprofessionals that women physicians can serve the community at - large as well as can men physicians. - - Said an Irishman to me a few weeks ago, when I pronounced it necessary - for a member of his family to undergo a serious operation and advised - further consultation with other physicians, “Can’t we have one of the - women surgeons from your Hospital?” - - Seeing my surprise at this proposition, as the man was by no means an - educated person, he said, “Well, Doctor, when I came to this country - with my wife, we were very poor and knew nothing. The good women of - the Pleasant Street Dispensary attended to us and taught us to take - care of ourselves. All our children were born under their care, and - they watched that we did right by them, all without any charge. Now - that we can afford good pay, I am sure we want the same, for I swear - by the women doctors.” This speech, delivered in good broad Irish - brogue, made me laugh most heartily. I soon had the case in the hands - of the proper attendant, and all went well. - - So, friends, let us be proud of all we have done, with the promise to - do more and better work as science advances. - -In June, 1899, on Mrs. Cheney’s seventy-fifth birthday, the cornerstone -of the new surgical building (the Ednah D. Cheney Surgical Building) -was laid. In an address made at that time, Dr. Zakrzewska says: - - After fifty years of experimental agitation and practical work, we - now are completing the third department of the medical art in laying - the cornerstone for this building. The medical pavilion,[26] the - maternity, and now the surgical pavilion are the proofs in brick and - mortar of woman’s independent and faithful performances in the medical - profession.[27] - - The confidence of the public which generously provided the means for - this cause, the confidence of the sick who sought relief at the hands - of the women physicians, and the attitude of the profession in general - towards the woman practitioner--all these have been acquired through - skillful and patient labor. - - It would be affectation if we women physicians did not feel proud - of the result which we now see materialized, grateful as we are to - all those who in earlier years bore with us not only the doubt and - opposition but also the ridicule of our attempts. While we remember - those who have done their part so valiantly, we do not forget those - who have passed away without having had the satisfaction which we now - enjoy in the success of our early effort. - -On September 6, 1899, she celebrated her seventieth birthday, and on -October 24, as stated in the annual report: - - The Hospital tried to do honor to the one who, more than all others, - deserves to be honored--its senior physician, Dr. Zakrzewska. In her - thought, the New England Hospital was born. Because of her zeal and - untiring energy and the aid of a few earnest friends, it became a - fact. And from that day to the present one, as wise woman, skillful - physician, and faithful friend, she has been an inspiration to all. - - A reception was tendered her by the Hospital at the home of Mrs. - Thomas Mack and there, with Mrs. Cheney to assist, she greeted her - many friends, old and new. - - That the Hospital shall always bear an evident sign of its originator, - it has been decided to name the main building which was the first one - built, “The Zakrzewska Building,” and to have it suitably marked by a - tablet. - -The exhausting excitement of this celebration aggravated the nerve -fatigue which had been hanging out warning signals for many years, -and to which attention has been called in these pages. At last these -admonitions had become peremptory, and at last the high-spirited -physician was obliged to confess herself subject to the laws regarding -which she had so often cautioned her patients. - -A study of her symptoms would in these days lead to a diagnosis of -arteriosclerosis, that sad, sure reaction that waits inevitably upon -the over-strenuous life, whether this follows the spur of the inward -urge or the whip of circumstance. In the earlier days of medical -practice, when symptoms of this condition were most in evidence through -cerebral manifestations, the diagnosis of an obscure and fatal nervous -disease was made, and so it was in this case. - -The keen-sighted patient realized that her ailment was progressive, -that it might be palliated though not cured, and that the imperative -treatment lay in a simplified mode of life with avoidance of care, -anxiety and excitement. - -So she retired from the last detail of private practice, put her -affairs in order, even arranging her funeral service, and then she -cheerfully turned her mind to bearing her discomforts philosophically -and to making the best of the time which remained. - -When the realization of the finality of her situation came to her, -she was undoubtedly shaken (when the final summons comes, every -normal-minded human being quivers, even if it be only for the moment), -but she was not dismayed. Subconsciously her physical condition must -have aroused compensatory instincts, as it does with all of us, for at -one time she wrote: - - Death is to me a good friend. Whenever it comes, it is welcome. So - many of my contemporaries have gone and are going into Nirvana, the - world becomes young daily and new to me, into which newness I can - hardly find myself. So that, when I say, “I have enough,” I say the - truth. - -But additional acceptance of her position was favored by the serenity -which comes to a mind which had long recognized the inevitable -limitations which time would some time bring, for she writes: - - For some years I have been saving money for old age, and in fact, I - have done what I have so often encouraged other women to do--become - independent of friends and charity. I have arranged to be independent - until eighty years--to which age I sincerely hope not to live. - -She seldom spoke of herself or of her feelings, but at one time she -wrote: - - If it were not for my poor head, I would say I was in better health - than for years. But, alas! the nervous centers refuse to recuperate - and the least excitement renders me sleepless, and a host of regrets, - reproaches and condemnations rise up like demons to torment me. - -Then, in one of the characteristic remissions of the condition, she -writes, with one of her customary glints of humor: - - I intend to live another seventy years because life seems so well - worth living. - -Once she wrote more in detail to Mrs. Cheney, because, as she said: - - ... It seems to me right that my dearest and oldest friend should - understand me and not misjudge my actions.... Years ago some confusion - of mind warned me of trouble to come, and it finally set in in the - form of noises in my head. I scolded myself for being so nervous in my - behavior while being irritated by these sounds, and I went gladly to - California, hoping to get benefit by diversion. - - However, the two distinct noises on the top of my head kept increasing - so that even the noise of the cars did not drown them. Still I forced - myself to act cheerfully and was determined not to be hopeless. Little - by little, however, indifference toward events, then toward people, - and now toward the beauty of nature, has crept upon me. - - I have spoken to Dr. Berlin about this noise and described it as a - steady sound of falling rain which prevented my falling asleep, to - which she replied, “Well, we do fall asleep even if it rains hard, - and so will you.” I do not care to talk with other physicians, as I - have made a study of brain trouble more than anything else and can - therefore advise myself. Besides, talking about it increases the - nervous irritation. So please take this as it is written, in cool - reason--it is an inevitable condition which must be braved. - -Less than three years were left to test her fortitude. She grew -steadily weaker and on May 12, 1902, her release came. After a night of -restlessness and intense discomfort she fell asleep, never waking again -but passing at sunset into the Silence. - -On a beautiful afternoon, the closing scene was laid in the chapel of -the Forest Hills Crematory, and the details were as she had arranged. -She had requested that no flowers should be used--she who so loved -Nature and all the lovely growing things--and in this her friends -respected her wishes. But they could not be denied the tribute of green -palms and wreaths of laurel. - -There was no music, no service in the ordinary terms. Her older -friend--William Lloyd Garrison--having gone before, his son of the same -name and her younger friend, made a short introductory address. And -then Mrs. Emma E. Butler, secretary of the board of directors of the -Hospital, read the farewell letter which Dr. Zakrzewska had written for -the occasion: - - During my whole lifetime, I have had my own way as much as any - human being can have it without entirely neglecting social rules or - trespassing upon the comfort of others more than is necessary for - self-preservation. - - And now, upon this occasion, I wish to have my own way in taking leave - of those who shall come for the last time to pay such respect as - custom, inclination and friendship shall prompt, asking them to accept - the assurance that I am sorry to pass from them, this time never to - return. - - While these words are being read to you, I shall be sleeping a - peaceful, well-deserved sleep--a sleep from which I shall never arise. - My body will go back to that earthly rest whence it came. My soul will - live among you, even among those who will come after you. - - I am not speaking of fame, nor do I think that my name, difficult - though it be, will be remembered. Yet the idea for which I have - worked, the seeds which I have tried to sow here and there, must live - and spread and bear fruit. And after all, what matters it who prepared - the way wherein we walk? We only know that great and good men and - women have always lived and worked for an idea which favored progress. - And so I have honestly tried to live out my nature--not actuated by an - ambition to be somebody or to be remembered especially, but because I - could not help it. - - The pressure which in head and heart compelled me to see and to think - ahead, compelled me to love to work for the benefit of womankind in - general, irrespective of country or of race. By this, I do not wish - to assert that I thought of all women before I thought of myself. Oh, - no! It was just as much in me to provide liberally for my tastes, for - my wishes, for my needs. I had about as many egotistical wants to be - supplied as has the average of womankind. - - To look out for self and for those necessary to my happiness, I always - considered not only a pleasure but a duty. I despised the weakness of - characters who could not say “No” at any time, and thus gave away - and sacrificed all their strength of body and mind, as well as their - money, with that soft sentimentality which finds assurance in the - belief that others will take care of them as they have taken care of - others. - - But, in taking leave, I cannot pass by those who, in every possible - way in which human beings can assist one another, have assisted me by - giving me their true friendship. Of my earliest career in America, Dr. - Elizabeth Blackwell has been the most powerful agent in strengthening - what was weak in me; while shortly afterward, my acquaintance with - Miss Mary L. Booth fed the enthusiasm kindled by Dr. Blackwell and - strengthened me in my uphill path. The friendship of these two women - formed the corner stone upon which I have built all my life long. - - To many valuable friends in New York I owe a deep gratitude, and - especially to Mrs. Robert G. Shaw of Staten Island. In Boston, I - leave a great number of friends, without whom I never could have - accomplished anything and who have developed my character as well as - faculties dormant within me of which I was unaware. It is the contact - with people of worth which develops and polishes us and illuminates - our every thought and action. - - To me the most valuable of these early friends were Miss Lucy Goddard, - Mrs. Ednah D. Cheney, Mrs. George W. Bond, Mrs. James Freeman Clarke, - Mrs. George R. Russell, Dr. Lucy E. Sewall and Dr. Helen Morton--not - that I give to them a place higher than to others, but because I am - fully conscious how deeply they affected my innermost life and how - each one made its deep imprint upon my character. - - I feel that whatever work may be ascribed to my hand could not have - been done without them. Although I could not number them in the list - of other friends who, in a special sense, formed a greater part of my - life’s affections, still I owe to each and every one a great debt. And - I wish now, whether they be still alive or in simple tribute to their - memory, to tell them of my appreciation of their kindness. - - To those who formed the closer family circle in my affections--Mr. - Karl Heinzen, Miss Julia A. Sprague, and my sisters--I have tried to - show my gratitude during the whole of my life, on the principle of - Freiligrath’s beautiful poem: - - O Lieb, so lang du lieben kannst; - O Lieb, so lang du lieben magst; - Die Stunde kommt, die Stunde kommt, - Wo du an Grabern stehst und klagst. - - And now, in closing, I wish to say farewell to all those who thought - of me as a friend, to all those who were kind to me, assuring them - all that the deep conviction that there can be no further life is an - immense rest and peace to me. I desire no hereafter. I was born; I - lived; I used my life to the best of my ability for the uplifting of - my fellow creatures; and I enjoyed it daily in a thousand ways. I had - many a pang, many a joy, every day of my life; and I am satisfied now - to fall a victim to the laws of nature, never to rise again, never to - see and know again what I have seen and known in my life. - - As deeply sorry as I always have been when a friend left me, just so - deeply sorry shall I be to leave those whom I loved. Yet I know that - I must submit to the inevitable, and submit I do--as cheerfully as a - fatal illness will allow. I have already gone in spirit, and now I am - going in body. All that I leave behind is my memory in the hearts of - the few who always remember those whom they have loved. Farewell. - - * * * * * - -Perhaps she is right. Perhaps in the ordinary egoistic sense in -which the word is used, there is no such thing as Immortality. -Nevertheless--_the spirit of Marie E. Zakrzewska still lives_. - - - - -AFTERWORD - - -The personal quest of Marie E. Zakrzewska is ended. The land of -dispossession and refusal has been penetrated by many small parties -under her and other leadership, and many outposts have been established -and are being valiantly held. - -But the battle which she faced and fought is not ended. It remains for -all lovers of justice to sustain the impulsion which carried her on and -so to continue the fight till the truth of her watchword, “Science has -no sex,” is acknowledged. Then, and only then, will her life’s work be -fulfilled. - -In medicine, many doors of opportunity have been opened as the result -of her life and the lives of her sister pioneers. But as with her and -with them, the struggle persists around the hospitals. Many if not most -of the great medical schools are now open to women but to-day, even as -in Dr. Zakrzewska’s day, the attainment of the degree of M.D. is only -the beginning of medical knowledge. - -Opportunities for hospital study and training are needed not only -for the subsequent year of interneship, but as a constant resource -all through the professional life. With a few exceptions, these -opportunities are not yet open to women, and women are to-day hampered -by this exclusion even more than they were in the past. - -With the modern expansion of the science and art of medicine and the -increasing elaboration of the required appliances and methods of -examination, hospitals have become great centers of laboratory and -clinical investigation and research. And the physician who is not able -to form contact with some such center is crippled and is compelled to -do his work either imperfectly or at the cost of tremendous additional -strain. - -This is the reason why we have just said that the opening of all -hospital opportunities to women on equal terms with men is yet more -imperative to-day than it was when Dr. Zakrzewska made such valiant -battle for her sisters. - -At the same time, when women seem to have attained opportunities, they -still find it necessary to remember Dr. Zakrzewska’s distrust and fear -of beguilement, to remain on guard and to take all possible steps to -keep secure all that has been so painfully achieved. - -Even among nonmedical students and in circles that are supposed to be -the most broadly educated, here and there the tolerances and amenities -of civilized life develop slowly. Thus as late as October 20, 1921, -the students of the University of Cambridge (England) express their -disapproval of even “limited membership” for women by the old, worn-out -methods of mobbing and rioting--battering down and smashing the -valuable memorial gates of the women’s college, Newnham. The arrival of -the police prevented their further progress there, but at Peile Hall, -they reached the doors and tried to force entrance into the college -itself, which further outrage was again prevented by the police.[28] - -In 1922 the London Hospital decided to exclude women from the classes -and services to which they had been admitted since 1908. The story -has a familiar sound--“... the chairman emphasizes the fact that the -step has not been brought about by any failure of the women students -... who have done very well in every way, in work, in conduct, and in -discipline.”[29] - -Notwithstanding all the handicaps imposed on woman, she has -demonstrated that “science has no sex.” Do not her opponents now need -to demonstrate that they themselves are worthy followers of science by -accepting truth wherever it may be found and by rendering impartial -justice to every one? - -As some of these pages are being written (June 21, 1921), Madame Marie -Curie is in Boston. - -The morning papers report that she was yesterday given a reception -by Harvard University. President Lowell presided, and in his address -he ranked Madame Curie with “Sir Isaac Newton and other epoch-making -discoverers.” He then introduced Professor Richards of the Department -of Chemistry, who said, “The discovery of Madame Curie gave the world -new ideas concerning the structure of the universe, and opened a new -path of thought to scientists.” - -The highest mark of distinction which a college or university can -bestow upon a person whom it desires to honor is an honorary degree. -At its Commencement, three days later, Harvard did not confer an -honorary degree on Madame Curie. Would it have conferred one on Sir -Isaac Newton? - -Is scholarship, then, the ideal of a college or university? Or is it -scholarship which happens to be attained by a sex? - -But humanity is neither male nor female: it is both. And both possess -all human faculties _plus_ the specialized qualities of the sex -of the individual. The nonrecognition of this basic fact impedes the -progress of the race. And the subjection of either sex to the other -impedes both. - -Hence, an appeal for justice to women, such as is embodied in this life -of Marie E. Zakrzewska, is equally an appeal for justice to men. The -man who would hold woman in subjection is himself held in subjection. -For - - “The woman’s cause is man’s: they rise or sink - Together, dwarf’d or godlike, bond or free: - For she that out of Lethe scales with man - The shining steps of Nature, shares with man - His nights, his days, moves with him to one goal, - Stays all the fair young planet in her hands-- - If she be small, slight-natured, miserable, - How shall men grow?” - - - - -NOTES - - -[1] This statement and related ones throughout the autobiographical -chapters are the only references to her family history made in this -connection by Dr. Zakrzewska. - -A “Memoir of Dr. Marie Elizabeth Zakrzewska, issued by the New England -Hospital for Women and Children, Boston, 1903,” quotes her as writing -to a friend, “I am in reality as family-proud as any aristocrat can -possibly be, but I prefer to be remembered only as a woman who was -willing to work for the elevation of Woman.” This Memoir further says: - - The Polish family of Zakrzewski of which her father and grandfather - were in the line of direct descendants, is one of the most ancient in - Europe and traces its history back to 911. It is named among the most - powerful aristocratic “republican families of agitators” of Poland, - and fell with Poland’s downfall. - - The princely family property--which consisted according to some - accounts of ninety-nine villages--was confiscated, the main portion - falling into Russia’s hands in 1793. At that time Marie’s grandfather - saved his life by flight beyond the border, having seen his father - fall on the field of battle and his mother and other members of the - family perish in the flames of their castle. - - Writing of the family history, a brother of Marie states: “Ludovico - was the name written under the coat of arms which I often held in my - hands as a boy, and Ludwig was the name borne by every eldest son of - the family until 1802. When our father was born on November 11--St. - Martin’s Day--his mother, a good Catholic, added Martin to the name - of Ludwig.” His father (Marie’s grandfather) was, however, the first - one of the Zakrzewski family to leave the Catholic church. He became - not only a Protestant but a very liberal thinker. - - The family history on the mother’s side is traced back only to the - middle of the eighteenth century. - - Marie Elizabeth Sauer, the great-grandmother of Marie, for whom she - was named, was a Gypsy Queen of the Lombardi family. She was said - to be “the most lovely of women, very beautiful and energetic.” Her - father was a surgeon and was attached to the army of Frederick the - Great during the Seven Years’ War. His daughter accompanied him in his - work as assistant surgeon. Among those whom she attended was a Captain - Urban. He had been wounded in the chest and she removed the ball. Upon - his recovery they were married, much to the delight of her father, - as Captain Urban belonged to the same Gypsy tribe of the Lombardi. - Nine children were born to them, five daughters and four sons. They - were all of unusual size, the daughters almost six feet tall, with - hair flowing down to their feet; the sons seven feet tall and of - perfect stature. Marie’s grandmother was the middle one of these nine - children, and became a veterinary surgeon. She had three daughters one - of whom was the mother of Marie. - -[2] “The undersigned, Secretary of Legation of the United States -of America, certifies that Miss Marie Elizabeth Zakrzewska has -exhibited to him very strong recommendations from the highest -professional authorities of Prussia, as a scientific, practical, -experienced _accoucheuse_ of unusual talent and skill. She has been -chief _accoucheuse_ in the Royal Hospital of Berlin, and possesses a -certificate of her superiority from the Board of Directors of that -institution. She has not only manifested great talent as a practitioner -but also as a teacher; and enjoys the advantage of a moral and -irreproachable private character. She has attained this high rank over -many female competitors in the same branch; there being more than fifty -in the city of Berlin who threaten by their acknowledged excellence to -monopolize the obstetric art. - - THEO. S. FAY. - - Legation United States, Berlin, Jan. 26, 1853. - (SEAL) - - Upon inquiry I find that instead of fifty there are one hundred and - ten female _accoucheuses_ in Berlin. - - THEO. S. FAY. - -[3] Apparently Dr. Zakrzewska had no information as to the details of -raising the money which was loaned to her for defraying her living -expenses while at the medical college. - -In _Glances and Glimpses_, the source of such financial assistance -is suggested by Dr. Harriot K. Hunt, who visited Cleveland in 1854. -She speaks of the first Medical Loan Fund Association. She also speaks -of the Ohio Female Medical Education Society, and quotes from the -constitution of this latter an article referring to the repayment of -loans. - -Dr. Hunt further speaks of traveling to other towns in Ohio, lecturing -on the study of medicine by women, and “establishing loan fund -associations auxiliary to the Cleveland association.” She particularly -mentions Elyria (where Mrs. Severance also spoke), Tiffin, Columbus, -Cincinnati, and Yellow Springs. - -[4] Elsewhere, Dr. Zakrzewska says: - - In the beginning of the first winter I was the only woman; after the - first month another was admitted; and during the second winter there - were three besides myself who attended the lectures and graduated in - the spring. - -[5] This attitude of the clerical profession, persisting at least as -late as 1857, is also referred to by Professor Joseph P. Remington -in the report of an address published in the _American Journal of -Pharmacy_, January, 1911. - -[6] Speaking of the visit made to Cleveland at this time, Dr. Hunt -states in _Glances and Glimpses_: - - In December, 1854, I started for Ohio, being desirous to understand - the medical question in that State.... I had only heard that Marie was - a student at the Cleveland College; but when I met her I felt that - here was a combination of head and heart which was as uncommon as it - was beautiful.... Further acquaintance has but deepened my interest - in Marie, and Dr. Blackwell of New York must feel it a privilege to - have been the means of her introduction at Cleveland as a medical - student, where her noble bearing and scientific mind are perceived and - acknowledged by the faculty.... - - I attended lectures one day on a class of diseases peculiar to women, - and not one shade of levity or impropriety diminished the interest of - the occasion. Men and women studying together at a medical college - of high standing was prophetic. I spoke with the professor after the - lecture and he remarked, “We are more democratic in Ohio than you - are in Massachusetts.” I felt like hanging my head. The Athens of - America was eclipsed by a younger sister; yet I rejoiced greatly that - as the elder was unprepared to advance, the junior tripped her up - triumphantly, stepped over her, and took the first prize. - - ... I thought it best to visit the towns in the northern part of Ohio - and try to elicit interest in the medical question by establishing - loan fund associations. - -[7] Mary L. Booth later earned a reputation as historian and as -translator, and was the editor of _Harper’s Bazar_ from its -beginning in 1867. - -[8] The first Board of Directors (nineteen in number) was made up -almost entirely of women who were serving on the Board of Lady Managers -for the Clinical Department of the New England Female Medical College -in 1861-1862, the last year of Dr. Zakrzewska’s connection with that -college. Her resignation at the end of that year caused that department -to be discontinued and the services of the Lady Managers to be no -longer in request by the college. - -To the number of Lady Managers who transferred their interest to the -new Hospital were added on the Board of Directors several men, one -being the former leading trustee of the college, Hon. Samuel E. Sewall. - -This historic first Board of Directors was finally constituted as -follows: - - Mrs. Mary C. E. Barnard - Miss Sarah P. Beck - Geo. Wm. Bond - Mrs. Louisa C. Bond - Mrs. Ednah D. Cheney - Mrs. Anna H. Clarke - Miss Mary J. Ellis - Mrs. Lucretia G. French - Miss Lucy Goddard - Fred. W. G. May - Mrs. Joanna L. Merriam - Mrs. Mary A. S. Palmer - Thomas Russell - Mrs. Caroline M. Severance - Samuel E. Sewall - John H. Stephenson - James Tolman - Mrs. Mary G. White - Dr. Marie E. Zakrzewska - -[9] Later, Dr. Mary E. Breed, who was graduated from the New England -Female Medical College and had been a student under Dr. Zakrzewska at -the New York Infirmary, became resident physician, and Miss Anita E. -Tyng and Miss Lucy M. Abbott, who had been her students at the New -England Female Medical College, were student assistants. Dr. John Ware -consented to serve as consulting physician and Dr. Samuel Cabot as -consulting surgeon. - -[10] Karl Heinzen is thus described by the Boston _Evening -Transcript_: - - He was a native of Prussia and came to America in January, 1848, as an - exile, having been banished from Germany on account of a book which - he published on the _Civil Service of the Prussian Government_, - which showed that, instead of the promised constitutional government, - a complete net of absolutism was extending over every province of - Prussia. - - On the breaking out of the revolution of 1848 in France and Germany, - he left America in May to participate in the movement in Europe; after - its suppression he was again exiled, going first to Switzerland and - afterwards to England. But in 1850 he again came to America which has - since been the scene of his labors. - - On his arrival he found almost the entire German population in the - Democratic and pro-slavery party; he therefore established here the - first anti-slavery German newspaper. This exposed him to severe - persecutions by the Democrats, so that his life was threatened in New - York City and in Toledo, Ohio. - - He was also the first among the German-Americans to advocate woman - suffrage. - - Since 1858 he has lived in Boston, and during this time he has stood - on terms of firm friendship with William Lloyd Garrison who frequently - translated Mr. Heinzen’s articles for the _Liberator_. - - Mr. Heinzen was the most radical thinker whom the Germans in America - possess. Besides editing for more than twenty-five years a newspaper, - _The Pioneer_, he has published a number of valuable books on - political, philosophical and social subjects. - -[11] Dr. Tyng had been a student at the New England Female Medical -College under Dr. Zakrzewska, later a resident student at the New -England Hospital and then a graduate of the Philadelphia medical -school--this school now becoming established on a more stable -foundation and having changed its name from the Female Medical College -of Pennsylvania to the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. - -[12] Dr. Thompson was a graduate of the New England Female Medical -College, studying for two years under Dr. Zakrzewska. Later she -received an honorary degree from the Woman’s Medical College of -Pennsylvania. The Chicago Hospital for Women and Children which she -founded was afterwards named the Mary Thompson Chicago Hospital for -Women and Children. - -In an affectionate letter to Dr. Zakrzewska in later years, Dr. -Thompson rallies this former teacher on her frank remarks when trying -to goad the students of the New England Female Medical College to -better work, saying: - - I wished to tell you of our work here that you might know that we - are doing something more than “the ordinary run of nurses,” I having - heard it remarked in times past that that was all we would amount - to. That did not stimulate me in the least to this kind of work. But - I will tell you what did--it was the actual love of surgery and the - witnessing many men operate when I felt that I could do quite as well - as they did. Since writing you, my third case of ovariotomy has done - well. - -[13] Dr. Buckel was graduated in Philadelphia and then served under -Dr. Zakrzewska as resident student at the New York Infirmary. During -the last two years of the Civil War she rendered efficient service in -the United States military hospitals of the Southwest, earning the -soubriquet of “The Little Major.” _The Survey_, May 17, 1913, -says: “She selected and supervised the nurses, kept records in the -absence of clerks, wrote letters for sick soldiers, obtained furloughs -for convalescents, and comforted the dying.” In the year 1865-1866, she -succeeded Dr. Ruth A. Gerry as assistant physician at the New England -Hospital, the latter returning to the practice which she had already -started at Ypsilanti, and beginning to share in the long fight for the -admission of women to the University of Michigan. - -[14] After receiving her degree of M.D. at Berne, Dr. Sophia Jex-Blake -returned to Great Britain and was largely instrumental in establishing -the London School of Medicine for Women and in obtaining hospital -facilities for it. She has reported her experience in _Medicine as -a Profession for Women_ and in _Medical Education of Women_. -Charles Reade makes extensive use of both of these articles in writing -his novel _The Woman Hater_. - -[15] Dr. Morton was a classmate of Dr. Sewall when both were students -of Dr. Zakrzewska at the New England Female Medical College. She had -spent four years in study at the Paris Maternité during the last two of -which she had served as assistant teacher. - -She returned to Boston in 1867 to begin the practice of her profession. -She then became connected with the New England Hospital, her first -appointment being on the staff of the Dispensary. Here she became the -successor of Dr. Zakrzewska, the latter resigning from this branch of -the work and leaving it entirely to the constantly growing number of -younger medical women. - -[16] (p. 355) There are two great causes of sickness in our lying-in -wards. First, mental distress during pregnancy, caused by poverty or -neglect; second, the exposure and fatigue which many endure before -coming to us. - -One young girl, late last fall, had been sleeping for a week in -outhouses. Another came in the cold winter weather, after wandering -in a bewildered condition in the streets with wet skirts and no -stockings, searching for some place of shelter in her distress. Another -when she entered was very sick with acute pleurisy and pneumonia, so -that even before her delivery her life was threatened. Several cases -of intermittent fever and one of typhus fever were admitted under -such circumstances that we could not avoid taking them without being -guilty of inhumanity. Two women in a comatose condition from puerperal -convulsions were also taken in. One of these last was restored to -health, while the other never recovered consciousness. - -We have taken in several babies who were so poisoned with patented -nostrums that only the most vigorous treatment with antidotes could -rouse them, and weeks of the most assiduous nursing were necessary to -restore their enfeebled vitality. - -Some of you saw in one of the wards the wretched little creature who -was brought by its mother to us in a comatose state, with the skin -drawn loosely over its bones and its half-closed glassy eyes sunk -deeply in their sockets. This child had been boarded out by its mother -while she worked at service, and it had been gradually declining until -at the age of three and one-half months, it weighed but seven and -one-half pounds. - -This was an extreme case, but frequently a practiced eye will detect -the same process going on. Often when I am called to a sick child, I -recognize in the ashy hue, sunken eyes and other well-known symptoms, -the work of some “soothing syrup” or other equally pernicious drug. -Pitiful indeed is the fate of babies deprived of their natural -guardians and subjected to the influence of these infamous nostrums. - -Can we not find some means to secure to infants a mother’s care and -love for at least the first year of their lives, by furnishing these -mothers with some honest means of support, and thus saving both mothers -and children? I leave this important question for you to consider, for -even if it is not strictly part of our work, it is a sequel to one -department of our Hospital. - -A young woman, who in her childhood lost her mother and whose -stepmother not only kept a house of ill-fame but sent this daughter to -another, has now a beautiful baby to which she is so strongly attached -that, in spite of the evil influences of all her past life, she is -willing to do even the hardest work for the sake of keeping her baby -with her. Yet, only a few evenings ago she came, with her blue-eyed -baby sweetly smiling in the soft wrappings provided by its fond mother, -and said that she must give it up. “Nobody,” she said, “would take -_her_ with her baby,” and I saw the hard look in her eyes and the -bitter smile that made me tremble for her future, though I am confident -that she had the will and the strength to earn her living honestly. - -Last winter we were called to attend a woman in a difficult and -complicated labor. She lived in a dark basement with floor wet and -broken, the scanty bedcovering eked out by her husband’s old coat -(which he himself needed) and the small pile of coal on the floor being -the only comforts visible except the stove. Cold, faint and hungry, -this woman had suffered for hours. When she was safely delivered, -public charity could not make her comfortable--it was private -benevolence that gave her blankets, sheets, clothing and care. - -Another case of recent occurrence shows how insufficient is the law to -take care of the sick. A woman in one of the worst localities in the -city who was beaten by her drunken husband and turned out of doors, -was seized with premature labor in the streets and found her way into -the house of a neighbor. This neighbor, Mrs. M., who was nearly blind, -supported by her daily earnings herself and an interesting little boy -whom she had taken from the city crier’s to nurse and whom she had kept -with her rather than send him to Tewksbury. - -Mrs. M. allowed the woman to stay, and on the third day I was sent -for and found her in an almost dying condition. It was late Saturday -evening, and there was neither food nor fuel in the house. The woman -was too ill to be removed, no aid could be obtained from the city -before Monday, and then the legal allowance would be only two dollars -in groceries and one dollar in money. Clothing, a bed and a nurse were -absolutely needed. These were provided by private charity and the -woman recovered, though it was said that three different physicians -who were called in by the neighbors had declined to attend her as they -considered it useless under such adverse circumstances to attempt to -save her. - -The first time this woman stepped out of doors she walked from the -North End to the Hospital to see if we could not get work for her. -Her husband, who had been released from the jail where he had been -kept awaiting the result of her illness, had visited her and told her -he should do nothing more for her. Also, Mrs. M., who had given her -shelter, was about to be turned out of her rooms because she had not -been able to work as usual to earn her rent. - -It is true that all these sufferers were drunkards, but I mention their -cases to show how the Hospital leads us into every path of reform. - -In order to accomplish permanent good, it is necessary to remove -the causes of evil. For this reason, we are deeply interested in -every effort to dispel ignorance, promote temperance, and banish -licentiousness and other vices, for all these have a direct influence -on health or disease. We frequently find it necessary not only to watch -over the individual case of illness but to see that the whole tenement -is cleaned and ventilated; or, when this is impossible, we sometimes -succeed in removing the whole family to a more healthful locality away -from their old associates and the low, drinking saloons. - -Thus it will be seen that our students have a large field of labor open -to them--every woman whom we help to educate not only adds one to the -band of workers but strengthens our position and enlarges our means -of usefulness. Hence, it is all-important that we gain every possible -advantage for our students, and it is hard to see denied to them the -valuable opportunities so freely offered to young men in this city, for -we feel that the very best America affords comes far short of our wants. - -[17] The new Hospital is described in the annual report: - - Although within the bounds of the city, thus giving the advantages of - water, gas and the other conveniences of city life, the land is very - high and commands an extensive and beautiful view of Jamaica Plain, - Roxbury and Brookline. It is also easily accessible both by horse and - steam cars, and seems to combine all the important requisites of good - air, light and easy access at a moderate price. - - The beautiful exterior of the building is due to the taste and skill - of our architects, Messrs. Cummings and Sears, who have successfully - grappled with the problem of designing a hospital which shall be - beautiful in proportion, form and color, and so contribute to the - pleasure of all connected with it, without sacrificing either interior - comfort or economy of means. - - The excellence of the interior arrangements, especially of the wards - and the nurses’ rooms (which differ from those of any hospital known - to the Committee), is due to the Women Physicians who, having learned - from long experience the needs of their patients, have striven to meet - them by arrangements at once simple and ingenious. - - Our first object was to secure an entire isolation of the lying-in - patients from those of the medical and the surgical wards, so as to - guard against all possible danger of infection passing from one to - the other. This has been effected by a separate house, called the - “Maternity Cottage” for the lying-in patients. - - In this building, the two stories are so arranged that one can be - thoroughly cleansed and aired while the other is in use. Our plan - contemplates a second similar building as soon as our means will - enable us to construct it. Then, in case of any threatened danger, one - house can be entirely isolated, while all new patients are taken to - the other. In this way, we can increase our Lying-in Department to any - desirable extent without incurring the dangers attendant upon large - hospitals. - - The next consideration was to get as much sunlight as possible into - the patients’ rooms and to give the nurses, who are all human beings - and need to be cared for as well as others, good airy rooms in which - to take their rest when rest is possible to them. For this reason, all - the medical wards have been placed on the back of the house, which - looks nearly south. - - Each ward consists of two rooms--one for two beds and one for - four--with a nurse’s room between. The nurse can thus often have the - benefit of the solitude and quiet of her own room and yet be so close - to her patients that nothing can escape her notice. A bathroom, also - enjoying the sunshine, separates the two wards and can be used by the - patients of either. These light, airy, sunny wards with their open - fireplaces seem more like the rooms of a pleasant home than the dreary - apartments of a hospital. - - The house does not square exactly with the points of the compass, and - the northern side is touched by the sun during some part of the day, - thereby securing it from dampness. The eastern surgical ward projects - beyond the other part of the house, and so gains a southern window for - light and cheerful sunshine. A similar projection on the western side - makes a pleasant parlor for the patients. - - The rest of this side of the house is occupied by the patients’ - admission room, tea kitchen, etc., in which sunshine is not so - important. - - The Children’s Ward, in the upper story, is a new feature of which we - have long felt the want. It is large, airy and convenient. - - The furniture of the wards was mainly provided by individuals and by - various churches and societies in the city and vicinity. The wards - were named after the donors, who promised to keep them in order and - in repair, the names to be retained as long as the rooms were thus - sustained. - -[18] Dr. Dimock had been a student in the Hospital in 1867. As was -the case with several other students, she thus at the beginning of -her medical life came under the teachings of Dr. Zakrzewska. We may -judge of the trend of these teachings from what Dr. Zakrzewska writes -elsewhere as to her advice to Dr. Sewall when the latter wished to -begin the study of medicine. She says: - -“I advised her to lay a foundation by first studying natural -history--biology, comparative physiology and microscopical anatomy.” -And we are already familiar with the convictions of Dr. Zakrzewska that -Europe at that time offered both to men and women better opportunities -for a medical education than did the United States. - -Susan Dimock differed from these other students in that she had more -initiative, or more self-dependence, or less fear of circumstance and -convention, or some other temperamental quality. Or perhaps it was -the financial situation--that great lion in the path of women not -trained in self-support--that she felt she could control, through Dr. -Zakrzewska and other friends. - -At any rate, the resulting reaction of Dr. Zakrzewska’s teaching upon -this temperament was such that Susan Dimock decided to go abroad -for her entire medical course, to study there and to be graduated -there--almost the first American woman to take such a radical step, and -one of a lengthening procession of women from many countries who were -driven into temporary exile by their ambition to qualify themselves for -their chosen profession, having found the best opportunities at home -reserved for the exclusive use of their brothers. - -She entered the University of Zurich, and after completing the required -five years of study, received her degree, returning to Boston as the -new building of the Hospital was in course of erection. She had paid -particular attention to surgery and was intending to specialize in that -branch. - -[19] Dr. Keller was a graduate of the Woman’s Medical College of -Pennsylvania and she had been attending physician at the Woman’s -Hospital in Philadelphia. She had also had considerable surgical -experience in hospital and private practice. - -[20] The New England Hospital Medical Society, later the New England -Women’s Medical Society. - -[21] Dr. Call was a student of the Hospital and later was graduated at -the head of her class in the University of Michigan. She then spent a -year studying in Europe before beginning work at the Dispensary. - -[22] The twin sisters, Drs. Augusta and Emily Pope, after being -graduated at the New England Female Medical College, went to Europe to -study for an additional year, becoming connected with the Dispensary on -their return. Both later received an honorary degree of M.D. from the -Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. - -[23] Among the internes whose address in India was, unfortunately, not -for long, was the charming Dr. Anandabai Joshee, the first Hindoo woman -to seek medical education in America, and who had been graduated at the -Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. - -Coming to Boston in the summer of 1886, she served only a short time -when her health failed. She returned to India to become physician in -charge of the Female Ward of the Albert Edward Hospital in Kolhapur, -but she died from tuberculosis a few months later, before reaching her -twenty-second birthday. - -[24] Dr. Clarke was a member of the board of trustees of the New -England Female Medical College when Dr. Zakrzewska became a member -of the faculty. He resigned this trusteeship when she resigned from -the faculty, and his wife, Mrs. Anna H. Clarke, became a member of -the board of directors of the New England Hospital which was founded -immediately thereafter. - -Mrs. Clarke remained a member of the board of directors until her -death in 1897. Their daughter, Miss Lilian Freeman Clarke, was always -interested in the Hospital and, as already stated, she assisted in -organizing in connection with the Maternity the first hospital social -service work in America. - -[25] (p. 467) - - 1. John Ware. - 2. Samuel Cabot. - 3. Walter Channing. - 4. Henry I. Bowditch. - 5. E. C. Rolfe. - 6. Edward Jarvis. - 7. Edward H. Clarke. - 8. Francis Minot. - 9. B. Joy Jeffries. - 10. Reginald H. Fitz. - 11. C. H. Osgood. - 12. G. G. Tarbell. - 13 Arthur T. Cabot. - 14. W. W. Gannett. - 15. James R. Chadwick. - 16. Geo. F. Jelly. - 17. J. J. Putnam. - 18. Maurice H. Richardson. - 19. Clarence J. Blake. - 20. F. B. Mallory. - 21. Vincent Y. Bowditch. - 22. W. F. Whitney. - 23. G. A. Leland. - 24. F. C. Shattuck. - 25. C. F. Withington. - 26. J. E. Goldthwait. - 27. Richard C. Cabot. - -[26] In 1910, the Children’s Department obtained a building of its -own in the Kimball Cottage. This was named for Miss Helen Kimball and -for her father, Moses K. Kimball, who was a staunch supporter of the -Hospital. Mrs. Cheney became president in 1887, upon the resignation of -Miss Lucy Goddard, the first president, and continued in office till -1902 when she resigned and was succeeded by Miss Kimball. - -[27] An interesting note in connection with the new Surgical Building -was the receipt through Dr. Zakrzewska of a contribution of five -hundred dollars towards its construction, from one of her classmates at -the Cleveland Medical College, Dr. Cordelia A. Greene, then established -at Castile, N. Y. - -[28] Boston _Herald_, October 21, 1921. - -[29] Boston _Evening Transcript_, March 30, 1922, quoting the -Springfield _Republican_. - - - - -BIBLIOGRAPHY - - - BLACKWELL, ELIZABETH, M.D., _Pioneer Work in Opening the - Medical Profession to Women_. - - CHADWICK, JAMES R., M.D., “The Study and Practice of Medicine - by Women” (_International Review_, October, 1879). - - DALL, MRS. CAROLINE H., _A Practical Illustration of - Woman’s Right to Labor, or A Letter from Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D., - late of Berlin, Prussia_, 1860. - - GREGORY, SAMUEL, _Man-Midwifery_. Reports of the Boston - Female Medical School; the Female Medical Education Society; and the - New England Female Medical College. - - HUNT, DR. HARRIOT KEZIA, _Glances and Glimpses_, 1856. - - JEX-BLAKE, SOPHIA, M.D., _Medicine as a Profession for - Women; Medical Education of Women_. - - LIVERMORE, MRS. MARY A., _The Business Folio_, Boston, - March, 1895. - - NEW ENGLAND HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN, _Memoir of - Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D._, 1903. - - PUTNAM-JACOBI, MARY, M.D., “Women in Medicine” (_Woman’s - Work in America_, 1891). - - READE, CHARLES, _The Woman Hater_. - - SIMS, J. MARION, M.D., _The Story of my Life_, 1884. - - - - -INDEX - - - Abbott, Lucy M., 253 - - Agassiz, Alexander, 385 - - Aigner, Dr., 182, 222, 223 - - Albert Edward Hospital, Kolhapur, India, 497 - - Alcott, Mr., 200 - - Alexander, Mrs. Janet, 136 - - Alexandrian School, 261 - - Alpha, The, 198, 203 - - American Journal of Pharmacy, 485 - - American Medical Association, 342, 344 - - Ames, Rev. Charles G., 463 - - Andrews, Stephen Pearl, 200 - - Anti-Slavery Movement, 110, 138, 146, 152, 153, 154, 193, 198, 202, - 245, 297, 391, 459 - - A Practical Illustration of Woman’s Right to Labor, or A Letter from - Marie E. Zakrzewska, M. D., late of Berlin, Prussia, by Caroline H. - Dall, xi, 59, 256 - - Association for the Advancement of the Medical Education of Women, 398 - - Asylum for Infants, Temporary, 280 - - Atlee, Dr., 129 - - - Bacon, Lord, 261 - - Barnard, Mrs. Mary C. E., 487 - - Barnard, Rev. Charles F., 329 - - Baudeloque, 263 - - Beck, Miss Sarah P., 487 - - Beecher, Rev. Henry Ward, 189, 203, 211 - - Bellevue Hospital (New York), 222 - - Bellevue Hospital (N. Y.) Training School for Nurses, 364 - - Bellows, Rev. Mr., 203, 207 - - Bennett, Dr. Alice, 390, 402 - - Berlin, Dr. Fanny, 458, 473 - - Berne, University of (Switzerland), 350 - - Bigelow, Dr. Jacob, 136 - - Billroth, Prof., 347 - - Blackwell, Dr. Elizabeth, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, - 115, 119, 121, 123, 124, 130, 134, 143, 148, 149, 155, 156, 178, 180, - 181, 182, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, - 202, 206, 208, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 222, 225, 226, 236, 237, 238, - 240, 268, 307, 310, 311, 335, 358, 373, 375, 376, 476 - - Blackwell, Dr. Emily, 112, 113, 130, 195, 206, 211, 214, 225, 226, - 236, 237, 238, 240, 268, 358, 373, 375, 376, 402 - - Blackwell, Henry, 181 - - Blackwell, Mrs. Antoinette Brown (Rev. Dr. Antoinette Brown - Blackwell), 181, 198, 202 - - Blackwell, Mrs. Lucy Stone, _see_ Mrs. Lucy Stone - - Blackwell, Mrs., Sr., 181, 203 - - Blake, Dr. Clarence J., 498 - - Boardman, Mrs., 411 - - Boivin, Madame, 111, 263, 392 - - Bologna, University of, 111 - - Bond, George William, 244, 293, 294, 487 - - Bond, Louisa (Mrs. George William), 244, 487 - - Bond, Rev. Henry, 153 - - Booth, Mary L., xi, 184, 185, 198, 203, 210, 230, 235, 239, 240, 476, - 486 - - Boston City Hospital, 337, 364 - - Boston Evening Transcript, 127, 481, 487 - - Boston Female Medical School, _see_ New England Female Medical College - - Boston Herald, 481 - - Boston Lying-in Hospital, 243, 297, 334, 338, 364 - - Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, 224, 342, 389, 390 - - Boston University Medical College, 285, 286, 382, 448 - - Bowditch, Dr. Henry I., 256, 277, 332, 336, 337, 344, 390, 392, 498 - - Bowditch, Dr. Vincent Y., 498 - - Boylston Prize (Harvard University), won by a woman, Dr. Mary Putnam - Jacobi, 399 - - Brace, Charles, 201 - - Bradburn, Mrs. George, 152 - - Breed, Dr. Mary E., 216, 217, 295, 309, 487 - - Breslau, Prof., 347 - - Brignoli, 215 - - Brisbane, Albert, 200 - - Brook Farm Movement, 201 - - Brown, Dr. B., 310 - - Browne, Mrs., 226 - - Buck, Dr., 222 - - Buckel, Dr. C. Annette, 345, 346, 348, 349, 351, 354, 364, 369, 370, - 458, 465, 489 - - Burns, Dr. John, 263 - - Busch, Dr., 44 - - Business, Folio, The, 129 - - Butler, Mrs. Emma E., 474 - - - Cabot, Dr. Arthur T., 498 - - Cabot, Dr. Richard C., 498 - - Cabot, Dr. Samuel, 244, 256, 277, 301, 332, 339, 340, 345, 350, 351, - 487, 498 - - Cabot, J. Elliot, 385 - - Call, Abraham A., 294 - - Call, Dr. Emma L., 294, 401, 412, 417, 497 - - Cambridge (England), University of, 480 - - Carey, Miss Susan, 244 - - Cary, Alice and Phœbe, 198, 215 - - Cary, Miss, 411 - - Celsus, 261 - - Centennial International Exhibition, 371 - - Chadwick, Dr. James R., 286, 385, 498 - - Chadwick, Mrs. (M.D.), 126, 139 - - Channing, Dr. Walter, 277, 332, 333, 498 - - Channing, Dr. W. H., 185 - - Channing, Dr. William F., 151, 244 - - Channing, Rev. William Ellery, 133 - - Chapin, Rev. Mr., 153, 203 - - Chase, Salmon, 153 - - Cheney, Mrs. Ednah D., 186, 193, 194, 244, 245, 293, 348, 363, 365, - 371, 404, 450, 469, 471, 473, 476 - - Cherokee Indians, 142, 173 - - Chicago Hospital for Women and Children, 253, 345, 488 - - Christian Science, 166 - - Clairvoyance, 30, 31, 166, 179 - - Clark, Dr. E. H., 244, 277 - - Clark, Dr. Henry E., 254 - - Clark, (Clarke), Dr. Nancy, 149, 150, 336 - - Clarke, Anna H. (Mrs. James Freeman), 194, 244, 476, 497 - - Clarke, Dr. Edward H., 498 - - Clarke, Miss Lilian Freeman, 365, 497 - - Clarke, Miss Sarah, 194 - - Clarke, Rev. James Freeman, 244, 464, 497 - - Cleveland, Dr. Emeline H., 279 - - Cleveland Medical College, _see_ Western Reserve University - - Cleveland, Mrs., 201 - - Cole, Mrs., 215 - - Colfax, Speaker, 153, 199 - - College of Physicians and Surgeons (New York), 379 - - Columbian University (Georgetown, D. C.), 441 - - Cook, Miss, 301 - - Cooper, Peter, 201 - - Cotting, Dr. S., 256, 277 - - Cummings & Sears, 371, 494 - - Curie, Madame Marie, 481, 482 - - Curtis, George W., 203 - - Cushier, Dr. Elizabeth M., 402 - - Cushman, Charlotte, 200 - - - Dall, Mrs. Caroline H., xi, 59, 60 - - Davis, Andrew Jackson, 200 - - Delamater, Dr. John J., 123, 125, 126, 168, 169, 170, 171, 174, 178 - - De la Motte, 261 - - Deventer, 261 - - Dimock, Dr. Susan, 238, 364, 365, 368, 370, 495 - - Ditrichin, Justina, _see_ Siegemund - - Douglass, Frederick, 153 - - Drysdale, Dr. Charles, 406 - - Eagleswood (N. J.), Phalanstery, 201 - - Eastern Dispensary (N. Y.), 223 - - Eberle, Dr., 275 - - Ebert, Dr., 58, 69, 70 - - École de Médecine, University of Paris, 398 - - Edinburgh, University of, 130, 350 - - Elder, Dr. William, 153, 211 - - Eliot, President Charles W., 385, 386, 387 - - Ellis, Miss Mary J., 487 - - Elson family, 460 - - Emerson, Professor and Mrs., 160, 161, 162, 180 - - Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 153, 159, 160, 161, 162, 180 - - - Farnham, Miss, 411 - - Fay, Theodore S., 69, 134, 485 - - Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, _see_ Pennsylvania, Woman’s - Medical College of - - Female Medical Education Society (Boston), _see_ New England Female - Medical College - - Fichte, 464 - - First in America-- - Woman listed officially as specializing in surgery, 336 - Woman appointed as attending surgeon on a hospital staff, 369 - District Nursing service, 411 - Hospital Social Service, 365 - Regularly organized general Training School for Nurses, 363 - Regularly trained nurse graduated, 364 - - Fitz, Dr. Reginald H., 498 - - Fliedner, Pastor, 57 - - Florence, University of, 111 - - Formes, Karl, 215 - - Fourier Movement, The, 138, 201 - - Fox Sisters, The, 201 - - Free Lovers Circle, 138, 200 - - Free Soil Movement, The, 146, 152, 153, 154 - - Freeman, Miss, 200 - - Freiligrath, 477 - - French, Mrs. Lucretia G., 487 - - Frothingham, Rev. O. B., 203 - - - Gannett, Dr. W. W., 49 - - Garrett, Miss (England), 307 - - Garrett, Miss Mary (Baltimore, Md.), 437 - - Garrison, William Lloyd, 151, 153, 199, 244, 459, 474, 488 - - Geneva (N. Y.), Medical College, 112 - - George Washington University Medical School, _see_ Columbian - University, Georgetown, D. C. - - Gerry, Dr. Ruth A., 489 - - Gibbons, Dr., 343 - - Giessen, University of, 111 - - Giles, John, 153 - - Glances and Glimpses, Autobiography of Dr. Harriot K. Hunt, 112, - 126, 127, 149 - - Goddard, George A., 440 - - Goddard, Miss Lucy, 186, 244, 293, 295, 404, 410, 440, 476, 487 - - Goddard, Miss Matilda, 151, 280 - - Goddard, Mrs. M. LeB., 440 - - Goldthwait, Dr. J. E., 498 - - Goodrich, Miss, 105, 107 - - Gottschalk, 200 - - Graefe, von, Prof., 347 - - Greeley, Horace, 199, 200, 204 - - Greeley, Mrs. Horace, 201 - - Greene, Dr. Cordelia A., 126, 142, 498 - - Greene, Miss Elizabeth, 365 - - Greenwood, Grace (Mrs. Leander Lippincott), 146, 153 - - Gregory, Samuel, 272, 284 - - Griesinger, Prof., 347 - - Grimké, Miss Angelina, _see_ Mrs. Theodore Weld - - Grimké, Miss Sarah, 149, 150, 198, 201 - - Grissell, Dr. Elizabeth, 126 - - Grosvenor, Mrs., 200 - - - Hahnemann, Dr., 32 - - Hale, Dr. Edward Everett, 465 - - Hale, Miss Ellen E., 416 - - Harper’s Bazar, 230, 486 - - Harvard University Medical School, 126, 136, 249, 286, 346, 380, 381, - 383, 385, 386, 387, 399, 400, 401, 402, 403, 435, 437, 481, 482 - - Hasenfuss, (Hassenfuss), Mrs., 246 - - Haydock, Mr. and Mrs. Robert, 207 - - Haynes, Miss, 199 - - Heinzen, Karl, 297, 300, 303, 304, 458, 459, 460, 477, 487, 488 - - Heinzen, Mrs. Karl, 297, 300, 301, 304, 458, 459 - - Hemenway, Augustus, 372 - - Hildreth, Mr. and Mrs. George (N. Y.), 152, 200, 215 - - Hildreth, Mrs. George (Boston), 194 - - Hilliard, Mrs. George, 194 - - Hippocrates, 261 - - Hirschfeld, Dr. Henriette P., _see_ Dr. Henriette Pagelson - - Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 403 - - Home for Aged Men, 243 - - Homeopathy, 32, 33, 105, 286, 448, 459 - - Hooper, E. W., 402 - - Horn, Director, 64, 68, 69 - - Horner, Prof., 347 - - Hospital Social Service in America begun, First, 365 - - Hovey, Miss Marian, 385, 386, 437 - - Howe, Julia Ward, 335 - - Howland, Mrs., 203 - - Hunt, Dr. Harriot Kezia, 112, 126, 127, 134, 135, 136, 137, 149, 150, - 152, 185, 186, 192, 197, 224, 336,485, 486 - - Hunt, Sarah Augusta, 135, 136 - - Hunter, Dr., 263 - - Hydropathy, 179 - - Hypnotism, 166 - - - Illinois State Medical Society, 344 - - Infant asylum in Boston, Temporary, 280 - - Insane asylums of Massachusetts, Women physicians on staffs of, 411 - - International Review, 286 - - - Jackson, Francis, 244 - - Jackson, Dr. James, 136, 278 - - Jacobi, Dr. Abraham, 399 - - Jacobi, Dr. Mary Putnam, 136, 392, 398, 402 - - Jarvis, Dr. Edward, 498 - - Jefferson, Joseph, 215 - - Jefferson Medical College (Philadelphia), 274, 379 - - Jeffries, Dr. B. Joy, 498 - - Jelly, Dr. George F., 498 - - Jex-Blake, Dr. Sophia, 130, 350, 405, 489 - - Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Md.), 403, 435, 436, 437, 442 - - Johnson, Dr., 267 - - Joshee, Dr. Anandabai, 497 - - - Kaiserswerth Institute, 57, 101, 197 - - Keene, Laura, 215 - - Keller, Dr. Elizabeth C., 370, 496 - - Kemble, Fanny, 197 - - Kilian, Dr., 44 - - Kimball, Miss Helen, 498 - - Kimball, Moses K., 498 - - King, Rev. Starr, 153 - - Kirtland, Dr. J. P., 124, 174 - - Kirtland, Mrs., 199 - - Kissam, Dr., 203, 211, 222, 227 - - Know-Nothing Party, 133, 277 - - Koehler Family, 460 - - Kölliker’s Comparative Anatomy, 175 - - - Lachapelle, Madame, 42, 52, 263, 392 - - Lee, Mrs. George G., 298 - - Leland, Dr. G. A., 498 - - Liberator, The, 488 - - Lippincott, Mrs. Leander, _see_ Grace Greenwood - - Livermore, Mrs. Mary A., 129 - - London (England) School of Medicine for Women, 490 - - London (England) Hospital, 481 - - Lowell, Miss Anna, 194, 245 - - Lowell, President, 481 - - Lutze, Dr. Arthur, 31, 32, 33 - - Lyons, Mrs., 203 - - Lyceum System, 152 - - - Mack, Mrs. Thomas, 470 - - Magnetism, 33, 138, 166 - - Mallory, Dr. F. B., 498 - - Man-Midwifery, Samuel Gregory, 272 - - Mann, Mrs. Horace, 201 - - Marburg, University of, 111 - - Mary Thompson Chicago Hospital for Women and Children, 253, 345, 488, - 489 - - Mason, Hugh, 410 - - Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 365 - - Massachusetts Infant Asylum, 280 - - Massachusetts General Hospital, 337, 346, 364 - - Massachusetts Hospitals for Insane, Women Physicians on staffs of, 411 - - Massachusetts, Legislature of, 334, 411 - - Massachusetts Medical Society, 277, 382, 383, 388, 389, 390, 391, 392, - 393, 394 - - Maternité, Paris, 279, 308, 370, 490 - - Mauriceau, 261 - - May, Miss Abby, 186, 244, 245 - - May, F. W. G., 244, 294 - - Mayer, Prof., 347 - - Mayo, Rev. A. D., and family, 131, 137, 138, 139, 142, 144, 145, 146, - 148, 151, 152, 154, 176, 464 - - McCready, Dr., 182, 203, 222 - - Medical Education of Women, by Dr. Sophia Jex-Blake, 490 - - Medical Loan Fund Associations in Ohio, 485, 486 - - Medicine as a Profession for Women, Dr. Sophia Jex-Blake, 490 - - Merriam, Mrs. Joanna L., 487 - - Mesmerism, 33, 165, 166 - - Meyer, Professor, 368 - - Michigan (Ann Arbor), University of, 383, 489 - - Minot, Dr. Francis, 498 - - Moleschott, Prof., 347 - - Moral Education Association of Massachusetts, 417, 418 - - Morton, Dr. Helen, 253, 300, 352, 366, 370, 402, 410, 416, 437, 440, - 458, 476 - - Mosher, Dr. Eliza M., 402 - - Mott, Lucretia, 192 - - Mott, Mr. and Mrs., 135 - - Müller, Dr., 17, 18, 19, 42, 44 - - Müller, Dr. Johannes, 44 - - Müller, Prof., 58, 68, 69, 70, 124 - - Mumford, Rev. Mr., 153 - - Murdock, James, 153 - - - New England Female Medical College, 150, 236-286, 291, 292, 293 - Boston Female Medical School, 247, 248, 249 - Female Medical Education Society, Boston, 248, 249 - Clinical Department of, 243-285 - Opened, 244, 252 - Training for nurses, 361 - Closed, 285 - College merged with Boston University Medical College, 285 - - New England Hospital for Women and Children, - Founded, 293 - Incorporated, 294, 295 - First board of directors, 486, 487 - First location, 293; Second location, 329 - First woman in America listed officially as specializing in surgery - (being appointed assistant surgeon), 336 - First General Training - School for Nurses regularly organized in America, 363 - First Hospital Social Service in America established, 365 - First woman in America appointed as attending surgeon on a hospital - staff, 369 - First District Nursing Service in America established, 411 - Graduation of first regularly trained nurse in America, 364 - List of medical men on the consulting staff during the lifetime of - Dr. Zakrzewska, 498 - Main building of Hospital named “The Zakrzewska Building,” 471 - New buildings (third location) opened, 356 - Plans receive award at Centennial International Exhibition, 371 - Purposes, 295 - Resident students required to have degree of M.D., 411 - - New England Hospital Medical Society, 385, 395, 401, 496 - - New England Women’s Club, 375 - - New England Woman’s Medical Society, 496 - - New Hospital for Women (London), 409 - - Newton, Sir Isaac, 481, 482 - - New York Infirmary for Women and Children, 109, 112, 114, 130, 149, - 182-190, 193, 196, 206-219, 227-229, 233, 234, 238, 239, 257, 293, - 360, 374, 487, 489 - Woman’s Medical College of the, 348, 350, 375, 376, 399 - - New York Times, 184, 203, 230 - - New York Tribune, 204 - - New York University of Medicine, 310 - - New York “Woman’s Hospital,” 225 - - Nichols, Miss, 301 - - Nightingale, Florence, 57, 197, 206 - - Nurses, first regularly organized Training School in America for, 363 - - - Ohio Female Medical Education Society (Cleveland), 485 - - Open Court, The, 442 - - Osgood, Dr. C. H., 498 - - - Pagelson (Tiburtius), Dr. Henriette, 432 - - Palmer, Mrs. Mary A. S. (Mrs. J. K.), 487 - - Pareus, 261 - - Paris Maternité, 279, 308, 370, 490 - - Parker, Theodore, 133, 151, 153, 244 - - Parker, Dr. Willard, 222, 347 - - Parkman, Miss Mary Jane, 186, 244, 365 - - Peabody, Miss Elizabeth P., 197, 201 - - Peile Hall, Cambridge (England), 480 - - Pennsylvania, Female Medical College of, _see_ Pennsylvania, Woman’s - Medical College of - - Pennsylvania State Medical Society, 129, 390 - - Pennsylvania, University of, 379 - - Pennsylvania, Woman’s Medical College of (Philadelphia), 67, 69, 105, - 126, 128, 137, 191, 195, 224, 278, 279, 310, 374, 376, 402, 488, 489, - 496, 497 - - Phalanstery (Eagleswood, N. J.), 201 - - Philadelphia County Medical Society, 128, 278, 310 - - Philadelphia Woman’s Medical College, _see_ Pennsylvania, Woman’s - Medical College of - - Philadelphia, Woman’s Hospital of, 192, 279, 374, 496 - - Phillips, Wendell, 151, 153, 244 - - Physiological Society (Cleveland), 121, 124, 125 - - Pioneer, The, 488 - - Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women, by Dr. - Elizabeth Blackwell, 111 - - Pope, Colonel A. A., 468 - - Pope, Drs. Augusta and Emily, 417, 458, 468, 497 - - Porter, Dr., 203 - - Prang family, 458, 460 - - Preston, Dr. Ann, 191, 240, 278, 358, 373 - - Priestley, Dr., 310 - - Putnam, Dr. C. G., 332 - - Putnam, Dr. J. J ., 498 - - Putnam Jacobi, Dr. Mary, _see_ Jacobi, Dr. Mary Putnam - - - Quaker friends of the New York Infirmary, The, 185, 210 - - - Reade, Charles, 490 - - Reisig, Dr., 84 - - Remington, Professor Joseph P., 485 - - Restelle, Madame, 180 - - Richards, Miss Linda A., 364 - - Richards, Professor, 481 - - Richardson, Dr. Maurice H., 498 - - Ripley, George, 199, 200, 204 - - Rock Garden, 458 - - Rolfe, Dr. E. C., 498 - - Rose, Mrs. Ernestine L., 202 - - Royal Free Hospital (London), 406, 408, 409 - - Royal Hospital Charité (Berlin), 36, 40, 43, 100, 172, 254, 484 - - Russell, Dr. LeBaron, 385 - - Russell, Mrs. George R., 476 - - Russell, Mrs. Sarah Shaw, 244, 245 - - Russell, Thomas, 487 - - - Schmidt, Dr. Joseph Hermann, 36, 37, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, - 48, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 67, 69, 107, 332 - - Schmidt, Mrs. Joseph Hermann, 40, 53, 54, 62, 69, 70 - - School for Midwives (Berlin), 36, 38, 43, 56 - - Sedgwick, Miss Catherine, 107, 201, 203 - - Sedgwick, Theodore, 108 - - Seelye, Dr., 142, 143 - - Severance, Mrs. Caroline M., 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 134, 137, 138, - 142, 154, 186, 190, 460, 485, 487 - - Sewall, Dr. Lucy E., 192, 253, 295, 299, 314, 335, 339, 345, 348, 349, - 350, 351, 352, 363, 366, 370, 402, 416, 437, 440, 476 - - Sewall, Hon. Samuel E., 192, 236, 244, 250, 281, 283, 285, 294, 298, - 299, 440 - - Sewall, Joseph, 192 - - Shattuck, Dr. F. C., 498 - - Shaw, Mrs. Robert G., 203, 244, 353, 476 - - Shepard, Mrs., 125, 131, 142 - - Siegemund, Justina Ditrichin, 36, 37, 261, 263 - - Simpson, Dr., 310 - - Sims, Dr. J. Marion, 224, 225, 226, 274, 275, 276 - - Sister Catherine, 41, 43, 44, 56, 57, 58, 100, 101, 102, 103, 105 - - Smith, Dr. Mary A., 383, 410 - - Smith, Mrs. Elizabeth Oakes, 199, 215 - - Social Service in America, First Hospital, 365 - - Somerville, Mrs., 392, 405 - - Somnambulism, 30, 31, 166 - - Spiritualism, 31, 138, 166, 179, 201 - - Sprague, Miss Julia A., 296, 297, 301, 304, 311, 368, 458, 477 - - Spring, Marcus, 201 - - Spring, Mrs. Marcus, 198, 203 - - Springfield Republican, The, 481 - - Stephenson, John H., 487 - - Stevens, Miss Hannah, 151 - - Stevenson, Dr. Sarah Hackett, 344 - - St. Bartholomew’s Hospital (London), 406 - - St. Thomas’ Hospital (London), 406 - - Stone, Mrs. Lucy, 181, 198, 202 - - Storer, Dr. Horatio R., 295, 310, 332, 335, 338, 339, 341, 342, 343 - - Story of My Life, The, by Dr. J. Marion Sims, 225, 274 - - Stowe, Mrs. Harriet Beecher, 244 - - Stuart, Henri L., 226 - - Suffolk District Medical Society (Boston), 389, 394 - - Survey, The, 489 - - - Tarbell, Dr. G. G., 498 - - Taylor, Bayard, 153 - - Tennyson, Alfred, Lord, 442, 482 - - Thompson, Chicago Hospital for Women and Children, Mary, 345, 488, 489 - - Thompson, Dr. Mary Harris, 253, 345, 488, 489 - - Tiburtius, Dr. Henriette P., _see_ Dr. Henriette Pagelson - - Tolman, James, 487 - - Trained nurses in America, _see_ Nurses - - Training School for Nurses in America, first regularly organized - general, 363 - - Transcendentalism, 132, 198 - - Tudor, Mrs. F. Fenno, 244 - - Tuthill, Dr. and Mrs., 203 - - Tuthill, Miss Sarah, 203 - - Tyng, Dr. Anita E., 253, 309, 336, 338, 351, 487, 488 - - - Unitarians, 138, 146 - - Universalists, 138, 146 - - University, Harvard, 400, 401 - - University, Johns Hopkins, _see_ Johns Hopkins University - - University Medical School, Harvard, _see_ Harvard University Medical - School - - University of Berne, 350, 489 - Bologna, 111 - Cambridge (Eng.), 480 - Edinburgh, 130, 350 - Florence, 111 - Giessen, 111 - Marburg, 111 - Michigan, 383, 497 - Paris, 399 - Pennsylvania, 379 - Zurich, 346, 347, 383, 496 - - - Vaughan, Miss Virginia, 159, 160 - - Vaughan, Mrs. C., 152, 153, 154 - - Virchow’s Cellular Pathology, 175 - - von Graefe, Prof., 347 - - von Raumer, Minister, 68 - - - Ware, Dr. John, 254, 255, 256, 498 - - Weld, Angelina Grimké (Mrs. Theodore), 149, 150, 198, 201 - - Weld, Theodore, 201 - - Western Reserve University Medical School (Cleveland Medical College), - 115, 121, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 131, 134, 163, 168-170, 171, 174, - 175, 394 - - White, Mrs. Mary G., 487 - - Whitman, Walt, 167 - - Whitney, Dr. W. F., 498 - - Whitney, Miss Anne, 197 - - Willey, Mr. and Mrs. G., 152, 177 - - Withington, Dr. C. F., 498 - - Woman, First in America listed officially as specializing in surgery, - 336 - First in America appointed as attending surgeon on a hospital staff, - 369 - - Woman Hater, The, Charles Reade, 490 - - Woman in Medicine, Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi, 339 - - Woman’s Hospital, New York, _see_ New York Woman’s Hospital - - Woman’s Hospital, Philadelphia, _see_ Philadelphia, Woman’s Hospital - of - - Woman’s Journal, The, 322, 428 - - Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, _see_ Pennsylvania, Woman’s - Medical College of - - Woman’s Medical College of the New York Infirmary, 348, 350, 375, 376, - 399 - - Woman’s Medical Society, New England, _see_ New England Woman’s - Medical Society - - Woman’s Rights Movement, 47, 131, 134, 138, 153, 156, 157, 202, 212, - 245, 297, 459, 488 - - Woman’s Rights Movement in London, 410 - - Woman’s Right to Labor, A Practical Illustration of, by Caroline H. - Dall, xi, 59, 60, 256 - - Women and Children, Chicago Hospital for, _see_ Chicago Hospital for - Women and Children - - Women and Children, New England Hospital for, _see_ New England - Hospital for Women and Children - - Women and Children, New York Infirmary for, _see_ New York Infirmary - for Women and Children - - Women of attainment, Why not monuments in Westminster Abbey to - English, 404 - - Women physicians in England, Training of, compared with that in - America, 405-409 - - Women’s Club, New England, _see_ New England Women’s Club - - Women’s, Club, Worcester (Mass.), 436 - - Women’s College, Newnham (Cambridge, Eng.), 480 - - Worcester (Mass.), Women’s Club, _see_ Women’s Club, Worcester - - Wright, Mrs., 134 - - Würtzer, Dr., 224 - - Wyman, Dr. Morrill, 385, 392 - - - Zakrzewska, Marie E., M.D. - birth, 4 - ancestry, 483 - recollections of early childhood, 3-7 - beginning of school life, - conflicts, friendships, prizes, - contacts with mental and physical illness, her mother begins - training as midwife, - begins to read medical books, 8-25 - end of school life, resorts to father’s library, 26 - training in housework, dressmaking, nursing, French, housekeeping - and assisting in mother’s practice, 26-34 - studies midwifery privately under Professor Schmidt, 36 - enters school at Royal Hospital Charité as student and assistant - teacher, 42 - repeatedly declines father’s choice for marriage, 51, 66 - appointed _Accoucheuse en chef_, 52, 65 - resigns position and emigrates to America to organize a woman’s - hospital, 66-72 - arrives in New York, 73-83 - disappointed in professional plans she becomes self-supporting in - business, 83-105, 115-118 - her meeting with Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell reopens the medical path, - 108-110, 114 - assists Dr. Blackwell in dispensary of New York Infirmary, 114-115 - enters Western Reserve Medical College (Cleveland), 123 - learns details of the professional and social opposition to women - physicians, students and practitioners, 125-131 - meets men and women noted in all phases of advanced thought, 134, - 138, 146, 149-153, 160 - first visit to Boston, 149 - receives degree of M.D., 168 - returns to New York where no one is willing to rent her an office, - 78; - begins practice in Dr. Blackwell’s house, 181; - and finds the Infirmary dispensary closed, 182 - successful visit to Boston to seek money to reopen the dispensary - and to establish the hospital department, 190-191 - visit to Philadelphia decides those interested in the Woman’s - Medical College to establish also a hospital, 191, 192 - entrée into the varied social circles of New York, 196-204, 220-222 - becomes resident physician and superintendent of the finally - opened New York Infirmary, 209-211 - incidents in hospital management, in teaching and in practice, - 213-218 - experiences in mobbing of Infirmary and in neighborhood fires, - 218-219, 227, 233 - meeting with Dr. J. Marion Sims and observation of his - interpretation of the New York Woman’s Hospital’s by-law - calling for the appointment of a woman physician on the staff, - 224-226 - definitely begins training of nurses, 212, 228 - health begins to show effect of overstrain, 230, 234, 239, 244 - removes to Boston to become a member of the faculty of the New - England Female Medical College, 239 - is appointed professor of obstetrics and diseases of women and - children, 238, 259 - establishes the Clinical Department (hospital) of which she - becomes the head, and in which she continues the definite - training of nurses, 243, 252, 361 - tries to elevate the standards of the college and insists students - must be trained practically as well as theoretically, 250-252, - 273-277 - is refused admission to the Massachusetts Medical Society because - of her sex, 277, 394 - establishes a temporary asylum for infants, 280 - continuing unable to raise the standards of the college, she - resigns from the faculty and the hospital is discontinued, - 280-286 - founds the New England Hospital for Women and Children and becomes - resident, attending and dispensary physician and in charge of the - out-practice, 293, 294 - details of out-practice; night calls, 328, 329 - continuous growth of this hospital and addition of assisting and - coöperating medical women necessitate moving to larger quarters - and favor her plans for specially designed buildings, 329, 333, - 334, 352-354, 356-360, 493-495 - she buys a horse and carriage, 335 - for a second time she is refused admission to the Massachusetts - Medical Society because of her sex, 394 - opening of the new hospital buildings enables her to expand her - already existing training school into the first general training - school for nurses regularly organized in America, this school - being under the direction of Dr. Susan A. Dimock, 360-364 - serious effects of overwork oblige her to take first vacation in - fifteen years; goes to Europe, 366-368 - joins in the movement to check tendency towards the lowering of - standards for the medical education of women, and towards opening - to women the great medical schools of America, 373-387, 398-399, - 401-403, 424-428, 435-437, 448 - assists in forming the New England Hospital Medical Society and - becomes its first president, 385 - declines to apply a third time for admission to the Massachusetts - Medical Society, this society now deciding to admit women, - 392-395 - goes to Europe again for vacation and investigates the progress of - medical women in England, 404-411 - resigns as attending physician, becoming advisory physician, 416 - her private life, 457-466 - celebrates her seventieth birthday, 470 - her acceptance of the inevitable, 471-474 - her death, 474 - her farewell message, 474-478 - addresses, letters and writings, - The Study of Medicine, 259 - Hospitals; Their History, Designs and Needs, 312 - On the Problem of the Doctor in Charging Fees, 315 - On Charity, 315 - On the Golden Rule, 316 - A Lesson, 316 - Another True Story, 322 - The Medical Education of Women, 375 - A Moral Code for Women, 417 - Should Women Study Medicine?, 424 - What’s in a Name?, 428 - The Emancipation of Woman: Will It Be a Success?, 442 - Letters to Dr. Lucy E. Sewall, 300-312, 348, 367, 412 - On the opening of the new buildings of the New England Hospital, - 356 - On the question of Harvard University opening a separate medical - school for women, 380 - Declining to apply a third time for admission to the Massachusetts - Medical Society, having been refused twice on account of her sex, - 393 - Should medicines which cause anesthesia, emesis or prostration - ever be administered to refractory prisoners to enforce obedience - through their action?, 396 - Letter to Mrs. Cheney and others, 404 - On the absence in Westminster Abbey of any monument to a woman - of attainment, 405 - On the abuse of the word “lady,” 405 - On the progress of medical women in England, 405 - Comparison between earlier and later women medical students, 413 - On the increasing work of the Hospital under women surgeons, 438 - On her attitude as a critic, 447 - Against the admission to the New England Hospital of women - students of the Boston University Medical School (that being then - a school of homeopathy), 448 - On the reciprocal relation of the medical staff and the board of - directors of the New England Hospital, 449 - On a question of hospital discipline, 451 - Letter to an ambitious colleague whose feelings have been hurt, - 453 - On the relation of the Dispensary to confidence in women surgeons, - 468 - On the laying of the corner stone of the Ednah D. Cheney surgical - building, 469 - Farewell message to be read at her funeral service, 474 - - Zurich, University of, _see_ University of Zurich - - -THE END - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes - -Page 120: “to lecures in 1851” changed to “to lectures in 1851” - -Page 327: “especially on rainly days” changed to “especially on rainy -days” - -Missing period were added at the end of a few sentences. - -The index reference for Dr. Elder was corrected to 211 (instead of 21). - -Footnotes 28 and 29 were numbered and moved to the Notes section with -the other footnotes. All other footnote numbers have been retained as -in the original, though they appear out of sequence in the original -text. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A WOMAN'S QUEST *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where - you are located before using this eBook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that: - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without -widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |