Peiyang Women's Hospital, Tientsin, China.My dear Miss Turner;
It has been long time since we have written to each other. This is a very dusting day which keeps patients from coming to my office. However a busy person enjoys a quiet morning like this. Here in North China we have terrible dust storms. When a dust storm appears one really does not care to be out at all. For whole morning I have been dusting my office and parlor.
About a week ago I received two books on nutrition. They are not accompanied by cards. I feel they are from you. Thank you for sending these useful books to me. I gave a course at Nankai Middle School last year on Health Problems. We are far behind you in medical science. Our mothers as a whole know nothing about food and value of different kinds. Then in schools we find a great deal of malnutrition. In South China we have a number of cases of beriberi. On account of dry dusty weather and lack of vegetables in diet here in North China our children have very dry skin. I often joked in saying our young girls in schools look like aged women. Schools are taking more interest in their students then [sic] afew [sic] years ago. In myown [sic] school days three [sic] was no such thing as physical examination. Nobody talked anything about trachome. Tuberculosis was prevelant [sic] also but no one paid any attention to it. School arthorities [sic] are excluding students to enter schools if they cannot pass thier [sic] examinations in health. Progress is slow and the latter is working slowly toward a better goal.
At end of this coming June I have been at head of this hospital for six years. I feel tired physicallly and mentally. At the last board meeting - I have asked for a year of absence. I am planning to leave China summer of 1929. If possible I want to spend six months in Europe this time. For six months in America I want to do some concentrating studies in my lines. After my vacation is granted then I will make my plans accordingly.
Kindly let me hear from you when you have time to write. Thank you also for your Christmas greetings. With much love.
Yours lovingly,
M. I. Ting.February 23rd, 1928.