Peiyang Women's Hospital, Tientsin, China.My dear Miss Turner;
This will be too late for Christmas. However my thought and my wish will remian [sic] the same for you; a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. I was called to visit a friend unexectedly at Tsingtau which is about 18hours [sic] from Tientsin. It was a combined professional as well as a vacational trip. I took the patient to Tientsin and sent her to Peking Union Medical School for a study in her metabolism. Her symptoms and signs suggest a disturbance of hormones probably the thyroid. During my week at Tsingtau I visited quite a number of my friends who used to be with me at Mctyeire School. Indeed I had a most delightful vacation and now I am reknewed [sic] for better work. My former former [sic] coworker Dr. Chu is back. She brought home a number of new methods and a number of new instruments. We are going to change some of our old methods. One program that we are going do do, that is each of our doctors is going to do some writing. Each doctor is given a certain time for medical literature. That portion of time is devoted to writing. After a certain number of weeks each doctor is expected to furnish an article for publication. What our puclic [sic] needs is enlightenment.
So far as political condition is concerend [sic] the same old situation stands. People are getting poorer everyday for we are taxed beyond our strength. We the middle class fell [sic] the burden of war already. Thousands are out of work. Those of us who still hope for a better day of our country must grit our teeth and bear our burdens and continue our task. Do whatever little we can. There are some very hopeful signs. In ourown [sic] little work we can see signs of growth. Patients are coming to us for advices [sic] as well as treatments. Preventive medicine is becoming a scinece [sic] in China also.
Just now we are busy in getting up a Christian entertainment for our children. Soo ying [sic] is helping us with singing. She comes to our hospital every Sunday for an hour. She teaches singing to our nurses and nurse maids. Then we also get ready a large number of bags for poor children of the city. Everything takes time for we are making many things ourselves. Little extra work keeps everybody in tone.
Do you remember Vong Ling Li? She is Mrs. S. S. Kwan. Mr. Kwan is in America on a business trip. While he is away, his little girl came. Both mother and baby are doing well. Vong Ling has a beautiful home. Her children are wonderfully bright. Their mother is very careful in her dealings with them. In this transitional period a mother has many problems also.
By this time I hope you have recovered from your backache. I wanted so much to make a Chinese long gown for you. It is the most comfortable thing to wear in winter. If I could have measurement of your height and measurement of your chest I would be able to make one for you. When it is convenient you can send me these two measurements. I sent you a homemade teaset which I hoep you would find useful. It was sent thru first class mail so you would have no duty to pay.
Kindly remember me to Miss Purington and Miss Greene. I close this letter with my love.
Yours lovingly.
M. I. Ting.December 4th, 1927.