Peiyang Women's Hospital
Tientsin, China.November 4th, 1932.
Dear Miss Turner:
It seems to be long time since I have heard from you. Your last letter was written on ocean. By this time you must be back from your vacation and is [sic] settled down for your work. I do hope that this trip abroad has given you the needed rest and that you are strong in everyway. [sic] I have had a very short vacation this last summer for we sent one of our doctors to P. U. M. C. for post graduate study. P. U. M. C. is so near Tientsin that we try to set as much help from that institution as possible. My niece wrote that Bryn Mawr College was late in her fall term on account of prevalence of infantile paralysis. I have not seen college news from Mount Holyoke for some time so I do not know if this epidemic has prevented your regular fall term.
We have been unusually busy with a number of Caesarean sections this last month. We had eight in one month. This means much work on my part. My senior coworker has left me last year and I have to do all these operations myself with another coworker. My greatest satisfaction is that we have had wonderful results. Some cases were infected before coming to hospital and we were able to save at least mothers. With planned cases we have had one hundred per cent success for mothers and babies. My work in obstetrics is still very heavy so I have had very little time to develop the department for pediatrics. There is so much need to be done and one hardly can say which is more important than the other. Our stations are doing very satisfactory work and we think that we are meeting a real need for our common people. We added a small laboratory and diet kitchen to our main hospital building. Both of these two rooms are very much needed in our work. Our two workers who take care of these two places had special training at P. U. M. C. For delicate analysis we send our specimens to city laboratory or to P. U. M. C. laboratory. But we are able to do all our routine right at this hospital We have not started our new building for there is still great fear for Japanese aggression. Tientsin has too many Japanese soldiers and our condition is very uncertain. Thru times we have learned to be quiet in uncertainty.
On 10th of November. A. A. U. W. has asked me to speak on "My Daily Round." There are about forty some active members in this association and they are going to visit our hospital that day. I hope that I would have some interesting cases for them that afternoon. I shall speak to them very informally and tell them something of my experiences at homes, at hospital and at schools. Most students at Tientsin come to us for medical help. I have also made a chart showing the growth of our little hospital. I feel that we are making progress although I feel very slowly at times. After all education is a long process. Our school for nurses has improved. We now have six months affiliation with P. U. M. C. Entrance requirements are higher now. We require junior high school graduation. Our school is registered with National Nurses Association. The new class of twelve girls are of better quality this fall. We have a Yenching P. U. M. C. graduate as their instructor. Tht is our instructor is a college graduate. Since my return this time I have made definite demand to our hospital board, that I would not have the business side of hospital administration. Now we have a graduate from Carleton College who is our business manager. Now I am devoting all my time to direct the medical affairs of our hospital. This is better arrangement for I have littel more time for keeping up the progress of medical sciene. By this I mean I would have for reading medical journals. We have now two very fine medical journals sponsered [sic] by China Medical Association, one in English, other in Chinese. All this means some progress for China.
In regard to my personal affairs I am still giving much time to my children and my garden. Mary Jean is doing second grade work in Tientsin American Scool and Abby is doing first grade work. Both are bright children. Abby has a very active mind and Mary Jean is an all round girl. Abby has much trouble with her writing but she is very quick in learning. If one had eyes closed one would think that she is an American child. She reads very naturally and has no foreign accent at all. She has just passed her sixth birthday in summer. She reads very well in her Chinese. Mary Jean is fond of outdoor life and is not so keen in her reading. Mary Jean is very good in her writing and drawing. Both are lovable children and have good habits. Their physical conditions have improved so much since they have been with me. They give so much comfort and happiness. Mary Jean told me one night that she prayed for me. I asked for what. She said that she prayed God for all babies to come day time and so I would not have to get up at night. I try to be with them onehour [sic] daily if possible. This happens usually in the evening. They do not stay with me at hospital for I have a little apartment for them with their nurse. I usually stay with them one night during the week so they would have some home life. The little nurse is very good to my children.
Weather is getting very cold now at Tientsin. I was at Peiping last week end. I almost was frozen on the way. By the time I got to Peiping (it snowed so heavily that everything was white) it was winter. When I started from Tientsin Saturday morning it was good fall weather. The change was so sudden. Peiping is a delightful place. I felt much rested altho just one week end. I called upon my two dear friends who have homes at Peiping. It is good to see your old friends and talk over happy days in college. We were in high school together and then we went to America about the same time. Their husbands are college men also so we have much in common to talk about. Each home has four children and they all call me aunt.
I started this letter on November 4th and this is 9th. I am sure that this letter will get to you before Christmas. This letter brings you much love from my children and myself. We wish you a Merry Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Yours lovingly,
M. I. Ting.November 9th, 1932.
Summary of ten years' work at Peiyang Women's Hospital, Tientsin, Cina. 1922 to 1932 Year starts with July 1st and June 30th each year.
Expenditure Clinic Patients Obstetrical cases. Inpatients. Operations 1_ $15511.12 25176 93 201 32 2_ 18732.38 15192 136 280 41 3_ 19900.45 16993 121 276 60 4_ 23812.90 18587 155 332 65 5_ 20269.34 17794 198 450 73 6_ 30952.15 17891 224 515 58 7_ 31455.04 17468 262 728 125 8_ 29160.82 16713 313 727 145 9_ 31949.21 17686 324 812 153 10_ 30966.34 15484 380 744 40 Total 251860.75 178984 2206 5065 792
Departments Doctors. Graduate nurses. Pupil nurses. Satff [sic] M. Beds 1922 4 2 1 3 20 25 1932 8 8 6 25 50 50 Clinical departments;
Medical, surgical, obstetrical, gynecological, Pediatrical, eye, ear_nose throat, dental.Hospital;
Medical, surgical, obstetrical, gynecological, pediatrical, eye, earnose throat, and dental.