Peiyang Woman's Hospital, Tientsin, China.Dear Miss Turner;
Your good letter dated May 26th came to me a month ago. I was much interested in reading your letter about the Forsyth Dental Infirmary for Children. The next mail brought to me a number of pamphlets from Dr. Cross. When I was in America I did not have the chance to visit such an institution. I hope to devote more time to visit and study methods used in such an institution in my next visit to America.
Our condition here is slightly different from that of America. I want my niece to be a dentist and dental hygienist as well. With a health officer a medical training is only a foundation to his work. Here in China we have so few trained workers therefore; we must have broader training if possible. Whereas in America you have so many specialists, division of labor is possible. Then with our students in coming over so far a distance we want to get at least a solid foundation to build upon our work. Time and progress are related and China is still in infancy in science in comparison to America.
With so much hard work we were able to get afew [sic] schools to send in their students for physical examinations. Most high schools and colleges require their students to be examined. But they do not do anything further for these students. In one of the schools examined we were able to send a nurse to treat students with trachoma. With malnutrition of our children there are two causes; they are ignorance and poverty. With the well to do children their parents are ignorant, therefore; their children are malnurished. [sic] With the poor their parents are ignorant and poverty stricken. The only class that appreciates health work is the educated class. I have about fifty children whose parents appreciate our health work. These children are free from trachoma and most of them are in good condition physically. Their teeth are being taken care of by a dentist. These children undergo physical examinations before entering schools. Their parents even have requested for different tests such as Schick test and Von Pirquet test. My only consolation is that a little beginning is better than nothing. With babies that are delivered by our doctors of this hospital we tell our mothers to take care of their babies' teeth as soon as they appear. Food has much to do with teeth. I have observed that our girls from famine districts. They have no decayed teeth but their teeth lack either in number or dentin. Their teeth look yellow as if there is no life in their teeth.
Now I would tell you something of my personal work. Outside of my profession I am intersetd [sic] in the education of our neglected children. Our little school in country district has grown to be a school of fair importance. There are one hundred sixty boys and girls in that school. Twenty eight children finished the six years citizen's course. I was asked to give diploma[s] to these children and I felt quite happy to see thier [sic] happy eager faces. With help from some friends I am thinking of getting a piece of land in that district for a high school for there is none. There are five villages about this location and I know there are more than ten thousand children.
Life in China is much more serious. After reading your letter I went to Peking for a short vacation. There is so much to be done and one forgets her health. While I was at Peking I went to Peking Union Medical College for a physical examination by an internist. He also advised me to take a longer vacation every year. For the last week I have been troubled with intestinal disturbance. For the last three summers I have suffered this trouble. Much has said against "The Returned Student" by ourown [sic] people and missionaries as well. Naturally I resented criticisms. When I first came home Chinese food disagreed with me for I had eaten American food for eight years. I should have changed my diet gradually but I was willing to suffer rather than to have people criticise me. For three months I suffered diarrhoea. Last summer I suffered another attack. Last week the same disturbance bothered me for a week. As soon as I came home I plunged into my work and our mode of living. Hundreds of us who had better educational advantages abroad are working day and night for the betterment of our country. But human nature is same evrywhere [sic]. People are eager to criticise and forget to praise. We are just sick of our political conditions. Foreign powers say China must stop her civil war. We people say that foreign powers must stop sending ammunition to us. As a group no group suffers more than we who have had education abroad. We are eager to do things but we are helpless. This being just a letter you would have to read my thoughts between lines.
Dr. C. Y. Chu is leaving this coming August for America. Dr. A. L. Giang a graduate of Michigan is coming to take her place. Just now we want to get our staff organized. We want to send another girl to America for nurse training. This girl is a graduate nurse whose work is fine. But the trouble is that she has not enough English to take advantage of her training if we should arrange for her to go to America. I want my niece to come to America very much but just now I am unable to finance her education. I have thought of writing to Miss Purington for the Oriental Student Scholarship. Her teachers at McTyeire speak very highly of her character as well as her scholarship. It takes three qualities to be successful in an undertaking; they are health, intelligence and ambition. It is not my desire for my niece to be a dentist. She prefers to take up such a profession.
I would just give you a summery [sic] of our owrk [sic] for this year. The yearly report is finished and have presented to the hospital board.
July 1924 - July 1925.
Clinic patients. 16993 Hospital patients 276 Obstetrical cases 121 Operations 60. Visits to homes
by doctors.500 Visits to homes
by nurses450 Hospital income. $21309.05 Hospital expenditure 19900.54 -------------
1408.51 balance for improvement for the coming year.The above work is done by two doctors, two graduate nures [sic] and one druggist. We have ourown [sic] dispensary where we fill prescriptions for patients. We have worked pretty hard. We have opened our gates everyday of the year. I cannot think there is one day without patients. When holidays came I stayed and act as Jack of all trades.
Our buildings are getting old and we would like to build a new modern hospital in place. I hope that when you can vist [sic] me I would be able to get our new hospital built.
I have asked Dr. Chu to bring you a gift. If she should succeed in getting thru you would have the package by October. This is just a loving expression from the one who thinks great deal of you.
With much love,
Yours lovingly,
Me-iung Ting.July 22, 1925.