3/10/15Lady dear,
Margaret's letter from you yesterday suggests that your eyes are not much better. I had hpoes that the journey to Boston in January would reveal something definite & soon to be corrected. These refraction errors are too common and uninteresting to stimulate research in this branch of Ophthalmology. If one only had a disease of the cornea or iris on conjunctiva! This pessimism springs from last experience; the knowledge from the last two days' cram for a final in Ophthalmology. Nobody ever learns anything in this course until the week of exams, and then we attempt to correlate May's Diseases of the Eye with what little we have picked up in three mos. dispensary. The Physician-in-Chief of the department is a distinguished Balt. oculist of some seventy winters. He gives the weekly lectures and three afternoons a week of dispensary. Only seven or eight elect his dispensary because he is said to be a bit tedious. Instead the majority of the class flock to his associate's dispensary on three other afternoons; because he has the reputation of being "snappy." Consequently there is armed [force?] between the two. They are at swords points in most of their treatment, and "slam" each other to their respective divisions without mercy. Since Nestor gives the exam, I thought I'd elect his dispensary so as not to learn two separate views & theology. But behold he goes to Atlantic just before exams, and his associate gives the final & corrects the papers.
The 2nd years are having their spring trimester examinations. Yesterday was a practical in Pathology in which each had to diagnose three sections. Margaret got three easy ones of miliary Tbc; which my poor roommate drew awful tumors and necrosis of the spleen. Ruth had a written in anatomy this A.M. which was very easy. This P.M. they have a final in Pharmacology, and tomorrow another in Pathology. The rest of the year they play around at lectures and enjoy life.
Saturday (13th) finishes surgical trimester for me. God let me but pass my finals & state boards, and this noble branch wont see my heels for the dust. This A.M. on rounds I heard my last cancer patient mooning in agony while we all stood around and discussed his exodus. Poor chap he first was operated on for hemorrhoids last August & was discharged cured. He continued to lose weight & have indigestion, finally too weak to stand he was brought here again. While awaiting operation for what proved to be cancer of the splenic flexure he complained of a lump in his throat & distress on swallowing. Everybody thought it was globus hystericus & paid no attention to his complaints, until one day the interne thought he'd look into his mouth to make sure. And discovered an involvement of the mouth, pharynx & even the larynx with Thrush!
Monday (15th) I begin my medical trimester which carries me to the end of May. This consists of doing chores for the interne - blood, urine analysis, stools, gastric contents, sputum, history taking & blood pressures.
Perhaps you may know that this is the first year of the trial of the new Rockefeller Foundation dorm here. The Medical department is under the control of Dr. Theodore C. Janeway formerly of P&S. in N.Y. and his staff. The "staff" is continually making a fool of itself, and it ought to stay in its laboratory & not try to give clinics or hold rounds. It makes dreadful "breaks" at medical meetings; it says that people who operate on thyroids are fools; and that nobody has ever proved that the pancreas has an internal secretion that has anything to do with sugar metabolism. There is an awful silence when it sits down.
So far none of the students this year have learned anything on Wed. Trimester[.]
Last Wed. night I went across town to a very "swell" dinner given by one of our Professors. There were seven of us students along, I being the only woman. One of the men took me, so I enjoyed myself as well as I usually do at parties. Committed no social indiscretion aside from getting mixed up with the forks. We had glorious "eats" and drinks, to which I developed a surprising tolerance. Our host had two giggling grandaughters [sic] there who wondered if dogs had tonsils etc.
Our hostess was the dowager type who saw to it that we were entertained. She lay at anchor near me during coffee after dinner and told me about the glories of her family. How many maids she carried abroad with her when she first went after marriage. Says she "If a young married woman doesn't have a good time in England, it is because she is stupid & isn't good looking. Now I had a wonderful time in England." The men got her going in cruel shape. She could talk on any subject with ease and grace. She was telling us about a recent talk by Dr. Welch which she heard at some Club her husband belongs to. Oh, it was a wonderful talk, so inspiring and soul-melting - but she couldn't quite remember whom it was about. "Samuel, dear" she commanded, "Who has it that dear Dr. Welch talked about the other night.?" "Oh yes, Vesalius!" [smiley face]
She was interested to know how I survived such close & continuous contact with the "masses."
I want to hear about your eyes.