[Some paragraph breaks added for ease of reading.]Peiyang Women's Hospital
Tientsin, China.
December 5th, 1934.My dear Miss Turner:
For sometime [sic] I have been getting along without a typewriter and I found that I could do very little writing without it. Finally a machanic [sic] has fixed this right for me and this is my first time using it.
The Chinese Journal of Physiology came last night and I have read some of the articles. During the year we have had some very good articles giving definite results for practical use in everyday practice. The article on Soybean milk powder ought to be very useful to hospitals in the interior where they cannot get fresh milk for babies. The article on Ephedine is useful to us also for it is an alaloid from Chinese drug Ma_huang which we have used for centuries for asthmatics.
The Journal of Phsyiology will be sent to your department for the coming year as usual. At this hospital we have worked out a formula for goat's milk for babies and we found out this formula is most suitable to our babies. In the first place goats are very easy to raise and they are free from tuberculosis. Secondly it is much cheaper in price in comparison to cow's milk. This printed sheet is what I give to each mother who has to have artificial food for her baby. [The letter has an enclosed sheet printed in Chinese.] She brings her baby to be weighed at end of each moth. We have had wonderful success with goat's milk feeding. Our farmer can furnish enough milk for two hundred babies now. We have experimented on two babies who never had any other ilk but goat's milk since they were born. They are normal in their growth in everyway. I have used goat's milk for supplementary feedings to permature [sic] babies and it has been successful also. But I have not had the courage to try entirely on premature babies with goat's milk.
December 6th
My Chinese teacher is rather artistic and I helped him to put out a baby book for hospital use. We have about six hundred or more babies each year now. Any proud mother or father would be glad to have a record book for their baby. This is our first attmpt [sic] of such a book and if it works we shall have more printed. These are my avocations.
So far as hospital is concerned I was rather busy last month for Dr. in was sick and had to be away. Work was heavy and cases were difficult. Few patients were seriously ill and they took much of my time and enrgy [sic]. I am taking life easy these days as to give myself a chace [sic] to get rested. Now I am working for a good X ray apparatus[.] First of all I must try to get a specialist for this work. Material things are easy to get. But it takes sometime [sic] to get a trained person to do this work. Then it is also a task to get someone who would be interested in her work to consider her work as life work. Our medical schools are not turning out enough doctors for our demand. Our government is giving graduates wider oppotunities [sic] in health work so many have gone into public health work. Many also have [gone] into research institutions like Henry Lester Institute and Peiping Union Medical College. All are good signs.
By the timethis letter gets to you, college would be finishing her first term. I hope that our Chinese students are taking advantage of everything offered to them. How large a student body do you have this year? While I was at Peiping I learned that there are twenty five American students applied for Yenching this coming year. Ofcourse [sic] these students would have wonderful chances to learn something about China but for Learning I must say they better stay at home. You have better professors and better laboratories. The life is too easy here that is very few have to do any manual work.
Our government is trying to change this condition by compulsory camp life. Beginning with this coming April all boys of the fisrt [sic] senior high schools all over China have to go to government training camps for three months. Boys will have to learn to do things for themselves. Girls will have to take up compulsory nursing. I am with our government in this respect. Our youths do not do enough practical work to meet theirown [sic] life problems. Schools are having very heavy curriculum as to keep students out of politics. We shall help with this nursing program for high school girls. There is much for us to do here if we really want to do something for our country. It seems to me even we should work twice hard it would be sometime before we can catch up to the standard of other countries. The present government is doing her best for her people although at times our people are slow for improvement. It takes little time to educate people.
There is one very hopeful about China whihc [sic] I have never noticed before[.] That is our officials are anxious for reforms. Recently Genral Chinag [sic] and his wife made a tour thru North China. Everywhere they went they try to get public opinions from the educated professors and people rather than to get public opinon [sic] from well to do merchants. After all business people care for business and do not have the general good in heart of people of education.
One reform which is vital to our national life_ that is we must get rid of opium and narcotics. You have no idea how sincere is our government in this respect. No public officier [sic] is allowed to use it in any form and he must exercise his influence over people under his control. Few public officiers met death becuase [sic] of violation of law. By this strict measure China should be able to get rid of this evil within six years. In former years officals [sic] are those who violate law. But today these officials have to obey laws like rest of us. This was unknown in old China.
In old China parents were allowed to do everything and children had to bey. [sic] The old iron law cannot work in modern China. Our government has to listen to publuc [sic] opinions. People will not stand tyranny if people are intelligent. For the last five years we have had no internal wars. People are tired of these war lords and we would rather die than to give supply to continue thier selfish ends. War lords are getting tired of their wars also. Inspite [sic] of Japanese invation [sic] China is more united today than five years ago. There is new life in China which I never noticed before. There are so many working toward construction. Tientsin has improved in roads and schools. There are many more schools today at Tientsin than I first came. Our youths are anxious for training. At times I feel changes are slow. I guess all constructive works are slow.
We are watching America with deep interest. We are wishing for better economical condition for America everyday. [sic] Every country must protect her home industry. Japan is the only country apparently enjoying porsperity. [sic] She can manufacture goods ten times cheaper than China. She is invading the world with her cheap goods. Our cotton factories are forced to close our doors because we cannot compete with Japanese factories. Inspite [sic] of high price home products we are learning to use more home products. America must use her home products also. I noticed that your ten cents stores are flooded with 80% cheap Japanese goods.
Are you going to Moskow this coming summer for the Physiological Congress? Many of our professors have gone to Russia for study recently. I do wish that condition will be such that you can pay us a visit soon. After few years I would not be able to be so active in my work. Mary Jean and Abby are getting tall. Abby is of the age when she cares nothing for her studies. She wants to read her stories and would not apply to her studies at all. I shall be glad to know about your summer plan. My niece at Bryn Mawr will come home for summer then go to Ann Arbor for her medical course. My professors are anxious to have her. They have written me very cordial letters in wanting her to go there. Very likely my nice [sic] would be able to get a Barbour Scholarship for her medical studies. If my nephew can get enough English he would come to America for study also. He is coming to me after he finishes his high school in January.
With love from all of us three.
Yours lovingly,
Me_iung Ting.