Peiyang Woman's Hospital, Tientsin, China.My dear Miss Turner:
This is the fifteenth of November and I am in hopes that this letter will reach you before Christmas. My last letter was not answered and I begin to doubt if you have received it.
I have wanted to write to you long before this. Busy months are just over. We are not so busy in winter especially our clinical work. Hospital work is progressing well. I have just finished repairing and now I am having a garage built. My private work is also progressing fast. A car would save energy as well as giving my patients quicker service. Within a year and half I am fairly well established at Tientsin. For the present I have no desire to start my work at Shanghai. There are three western graduate women physicians at Shanghai and none here. I feel it is my duty to stay at this hospital than to go to Shanghai. As long as I would stay, the city would give some support to this hospital. We have a large place and it is centrally located. We only need enerygy [sic] and means to make it the most uptodate [sic] hospital. I have invited another Michigan graduate to join me as I cannot last long by being up night and day. There are times when I do not close my eyes for twenty four hours. I begin to feel tired. I also find that one cannot do surgery and obstetrics at the same time. If I am up at night I do not feel equal for surgery in morning. Now I have a very good assistant. But she wants to go to America for further training for which I am more than willing for her to have a chance. She will not leave nutil [sic] the arrival of this new doctor. I hope to send a girl to America this coming year for nurse training. In order to build up this hospital we must have first class workers. I want to get workers trained before getting fund for a new building. One cannot get training in short time.
Beginning December the first we are going to open another workshop for the poor. We try to get work for women[.] We have just organnised [sic] a vocational department for our tubercular patients. We have a regular teacher for them. The women who come to our morning clinics are poor. They are sick for lack of proper clothing and food. Medicine just helps to lessen their immediate syptoms [sic] but the final cure is to give each a training whereby she can earn a livable earning.
In your letter to me in August you were at Woodshole with Dr. Clapp. Certainly it was a privilege to have had some work under her. During my first two years in America I was really too green to grasp her good teaching. I was glad to know of her address which delivered at that distinguished gathering[.] How I would like to have another chance to come to America for some further studies afew [sic] years from now.
I think of you and Miss Purington very often in my work. I cannot forget Miss Purington's quiet influence over girls at Mead Hall. Indeed it would be my pleasure to entertain you two if you could ever come to China for a visit. Things are being changed daily. It is sad that people are copying western styles without regard whether they are good or bad for us. "A little learning is a dangerous thing." This is well said. Every dinner I attended I was served with western liquor. Every weathy [sic] home I attened [sic] I was offered cigarette. Some would say this to me; you are a western educated woman and you have not learned how to smoke. I told themthat [sic] I went to America for a training and no other reason. However here and there you would find earnest workers who are giving their lives for the good of our country. Just a week ago I visited an orphanage. The latter is called Junior Republic of China. There are more than one thousand girls and boys there who are receiving trainings of different kinds that are not enjoyed by children of well to do class. If you should visit Govenemnet [sic] Colleges you would find both boys and girls are receiving same kind of high education. Public opinion has changed. This is the first step for constructive revolution.
There is so much that I would like to do. One has not the energy and means. My income is fairly large in comparison to many other women and men of the same profession. There are so many poor around me that I often wonder if it is right for me to have so much in life. Life does not seem fair to me for many are born with no privileges whatever.
By this time you must have received a summery [sic] of my yearly report. Here I am giving you a summery of my fifth quarterly report.
Special patient ; 363
Free patient ; 430
Surgica. patient ; 357
Medical patients ; 2783.
Total come to clinic 4135
Obstetrical cases 40 with 6 abnormal cases.
Operations ; 10.
Hospital patients 93.
Hospital days of inpatients 1227.
5270.61 income for the quarter.
4631.73 expenditure for the quarter.
638.88 balance left for improvement.Besides what we have done within hospital we have had one hundred forty visits of outside calls for emergencies.
Everything takes time and patience. I am teaching my patients how to take care of themselves when well and sick. One can keep well by observig [sic] health habits. This branch of study is most neglected in our schools. Tuberculosis is widely spread among our people. My ward is full with these patients. The other day a young school girl of seventeen came to my office for lack of appetite. On examination I found a solid area, size five inches around in circumference at the right side of paex. [sic] It is sad to find so many young students suffering from this disease.
Before long I hope that you would pay me a visit. You need only to have your travelling expences. As soon as you land in China you would be welcomed as a member of my large family. My family consists of quite afew [sic] of poor intelligent girls. I am helping them to become something for their good as well as for the good of society.
With my warmest Christmas greetings.
Yours lovingly.
Me-iung Ting.November 19, 1923.