Peiyang Woman's Hospital, Tientsin, China.Dear Miss Turner;
Your letter dated January 5th came this morning and it made me very happy. My work is getting heavier everyday [sic] and it is indeed nice to have a letter from America to cheer me up. I am enjoying my work. But the more I go into this profession the more I feel the need of a better knowledge of health. I have said over and over again that we are a suffering people. China is sick physically as well as spiritually. She is morally bankrupt. I am much concerned in the education of our future leaders. I cannot express my exact feeling to you but I do know something is fundamentally wrong with our system.
Yen Ching College is only three hours from here. How I wished that you could have accepted that invitation. Probably it would be wiser to wait for another two years for Rockefeller Foundation offers better chance. If you can get a chance to come under the Foundation you would have a chance to do research work. I also can understand why you cannot leave your department for another year just now. I would certainly love to have you visit me now for then you would understand what we are trying to do with little we have. During my years and half here I have added some modern conveniences. At our last board meeting I told our board members that a new building is neccessary [sic] for our work. As it is now each room or two is a detached building and you can imagine how hard it is on our doctors and nurses to go from house to house at these cold wintry nights. For the next two yars I shall be busy in getting a fund of sixty thousand dollars for our new hospital. So far I have ten thousand dollars pormised. [sic] The two years and alf have made me very serious in thinking as well as in actions. I am longing to come to gay America for a change. The atmosphere in America is elevating and that of China is depressing. One sees so much sadness in life as a doctor.
You remember of a letter I wrote you concerning my niece. The latter finishes high school this coming June. I so wish that she could have a chance of coming to America soon. Tsing Hua is going to give an examination this coming summer. The successful candidate would be sent abroad for college education. Ofcourse [sic] the examination is not so easy as afew [sic] years ago for there are many candidates from all over China. I am also making arrangement to find out from her teachers if she is suited to go abroad for her college and professional training.
The college paper gave me a vivid picture of Mount Holyoke at play and work. I enjoyed in reading everything. The Science Department has grwon [sic] since my days.
This is February 13th. Yesterday was Lincoln's birthday. Time passes so quickly. Soon spring will be here. Just now my assistant has gone to Peking for a course in Ophthalmology. When she arrives I expect to make a visit to some hospital also for a change and study. Travelling is not so easy otherwise I would like to make a trip to interior of China. I want to see the medical work of other doctors in interior. Tientsin is a seaport and we can get everything and anything. We are handicapped on account of smallness of staff and fund. We are sending two of our workers to Peking Union Medical College for further training. Just now I am getting my workers trained before I would take up the step of our new building. Dr. Chu my assistant is going to America this coming summer for further training. Probably she would be our eye specialist in our new hospital. One of our girls is also going this summer for nurse training. I am looking forward to the day when myown [sic] niece could be of use to this hospital. She wants to take up dentistry. The latter is greatly needed here. When we were in America we gave the people the impressin [sic] that we have good teeth. This is not true among our people. Americans take better care of their teeth than any other nation. My niece expects to do work among children when she is trained.
An understanding of nutrition is fundamental in schools and colleges. We have so much trouble with undernurished [sic] children of school age. This is due to ignorance of teachers and parents.
I am looking forward to your book. I have enjoyed in reading Mayo Clinics. We had a case of carcimona [sic] of esophagus recently. It happened that I read about such a case this winter. Unfortunately we can do very little for such a case. My friends in America are too good to me. Dr. McLean sends me medical literature all the time. Dr. Van Hoosen is sending me a small pair of forceps for my obstetrical work. Dr. Marx of Saint Louis gave me a pair of forceps and they are too large for Chinese women. Dr. Van Hoosen visited this hospital and she is much interested in our work. She praised much of medical work of Chinese women. She visited Dr. Kahn, Dr. Stone[,] Dr. Tsur, Dr. Won, Dr. Lin and few other Chinese women doctors. She was much pleased in everything. If you should come I would give you the same warm welcome[.]
With much love.
Yours lovingly,
M. I. Ting.2. 14. 1925.