[Some paragraph breaks added for ease of reading.]Peiyang Women's Hospital
Tientsin, China.
July 15th, 1933.Dear Miss Turner:
Your letter dated June 16th came. I am afraid that some of your letters may be lost on the way. I have received very few letters from you this year. I am glad that you got the tea and shared some with Miss Purington and Miss Greene. I have written to both last year and I did not get any answer from them.
The bad cloud is over for the present. China has suffered much these recent years. Many people blame the National Government but I am with the few who believe that the government is doing her best. We know doctors are unable to treat certain diseases. Certain problems are fundamental and they must be solved before China can be on equal terms with other great powers. Papers blame the government for flood. In fact our government to-day has done more for flooded districts than the past government. Floods can be prevented by planting trees but these tress [sic] must be planted and cultured before they are of use to mankind.
People want everything in a hurry. The other day papers blame the government for poor health of the present student body. In old China no one made survey of our students but with the introduction of modern education our government is making survey of the health status of our students. The result of the survey was that 50% of the present student body is suffering from ad teeth, 30% eye trouble and 10% of minor ailments. I often say that we must spend more time for actual work than just criticism.
I see very clearly faults of our government but there are few who are doing their very best. Many cases come to me too late for help and often in my earnest to help I risk certain operations. Some may get thru and other may die. But under such circumstances I have done my utmost. Often people are unreasonable to me and even wanted to damage my reputation. But they are not to be blamed for they are ignorant. I often say Ignorance is our curse. As a people we are an ignorant people. We must have popular education. Without education our progerss [sic] is hindered.
In spite of everything China is making progress. There are more trained women today than twenty years ago. Colleges are full of ambitious women and men. With chance for higher education these youths will certainly change China. Here and there we are seeing some unselfish men and women giving thier [sic] lives for service. If you come to China I would take you to see the mass education movement of Dr. James Yen. Twenty years ago he was only a freshman at Yale. Today he is the father of this wonderful movement.
I am sorry to know that your back is troubling you again. I hope that Dr. Goldthwait will give you a cure this time. I feel that rest is nature's best cure. How lovely, that you summer at Woods Hole shall be delighted with visit of Kroghs. I remember them with pleasant memory. I do remember Mr. Kinney but not his daughter. Everything of this wedding sounded so delightful. It is wonderful that Dr. Clapp is still so active. I wish her many more active years. The Journal of Pediatrics comes regularly and our staff members all look forward to its coming monthly. In China almost every educated person reads English. We find many useful articles.
I have just received the final record of my niece at Bryn Mawr College. The letter from the office reads something like this: She has done remarkable work and we are very proud of her. You will be pleased to know that she now heads her class in rank. Her grades are 2nd year Chemistry 96, and Geometry 91. Indeed I am proud of her success. My labour has not been in vain for I prepared her for college ever since my return. Every summer I tried to give her extra tutoring and beach life. So physically she is also in the best shape.
I am doing the same for these two little girls Mary Jean and Abby. They also seem to be rather promising. Mary Jean has started her piano lesson and reads English very well for her age. Her Chinese is far above her age. Abby is a student by nature. She reads so easily. The only trouble we have with her is that she is very poor in muscular movements. She will soon be seven and she cannot dress herself propoerly. I suppose by nature she is not tidy. She just does not care how she looks. Abby worries me some at times for she seems too childish for her age. Mary Jean is only one year older than Abby but Mary Jean takes care of herself like a young lady. I dress them both alike in different colors for I want Abby to earn neatness like her sister Mary Jean. Both have gained in health. They have not been sick at all this year. They are slightly underweight yet but their general health is good. They have gone to beach. Dr. Brown (a friend) is taking care of them. All summer they will hear and speak English. They have their Chinese tutor with them so they will continue their Chinese as usual. They will have oly two hours study daily. I often it is waste of time to have the whole summer vacation for holiday. A little work is good for children I think.
I feel very lonesome these days for our old amah left us five days ago. Amah is a woman helper. She has been with me for twenty years. She died after five days of illness. She died of Erysipelas. We did everything for her but she could not be saved. She has been at this hospital sixteen years and has served me for twenty years. She is a member of the family. Without her I feel lost. She was the first to rise and the last to retire. She was a most loyal member of this household. In fact she took care of all minute affirs [sic] of this hospital. I think that we will never be able to find an equal. The thing is that she got the fatal disease of malignant Erysipelas. Secondary Erysipelas usually gets well.
The American Mail brought me a photo from my old professor Ruben Peterson. He is most noted for his work on Gynecology and Obstetrics. I mailed him our two little books and he was so pleased that he sent his photo to me. I shall have it framed for my office. He has retired from active service after 40 years service to Michigan University. His assistant and my classmate Normal Miller is at the head of his department now. He was rather prejudiced against women students in medical school but he was always good to Chinese women students. He often said that we were there for business. He personally instructed my coworker Dr. Chu when she was at Michigan for graduate study. He was so pleased when he learned that we are doing these major operations ourselves now.
We are indeed most grateful to him. He has not given this generosity to American Women students though often I wish that he would do the same for them. Very few American women doctors do major operations for they do not have chances for major surgical experiences. In many ways we are ahead here. In government service men and women are paid according to thier [sic] ability. That is we are paid alike. All universities are opened to women alike. I personally wish that women will go into scientific studies rather than many ornimental [sic] studies. There is a tendency for Chinese young women to take up subjects to immitate [sic] men rather than to think in terms of usefulness to themselves and to country. I cannot see why women should take military training for the present.
Professionally I am doing well. I have the best practice in town now. Many men physicians call me into consultation especially in Obstetrical Cases. Almost all our babies are being cared by members of our staff. Here in China women physicians are more nended [sic] than men for we have too few. We have gone ahead with our hospital building and we hope to move in about Christmas.
July 26th, 1933.
Ten days have passed since I started this letter. I have been unusually busy with work. Hospital is so full that one week I had to give up my apartment to use of patient. Work has more than doubled these last ten years. We cannot get any doctor for the present. We are in need of a woman doctor immediately to relieve us. When the new building is finished we must have an extra resident. There are too few trained doctors. Very few are willing to go into hospital work. Weather has been unusually hot this year so this adds extra weight upon us. During very warm nights we could hardly have any sleep. I am glad to say that we are having better days this week.
If everything goes well I shall go to beach for this week end. Abby was seven years old July 24 and I promised to spend this week end with her. We send our love to you.
Yours lovingly,
Me-Iung Ting.