My dear Miss Turner;
Your good letter and two cards came sometime ago. Had I been well I would have answered them long ago. However whether I write or not, you know my love for you. I was very happy to learn of your trip to Europe and now you must be back at college. Your next trip must be arranged to visit China. You have no idea how many times haveI [sic] thought of you this summer.
You remember the letter I showed you which was written by Dr. Tsao urging me to come home. In your answer you said that I should not regret if anything should happen to her. You also siad [sic] that I should remember that under the circumstance I did my best. You do not know what a comfort your letter has been to me. Dr. Tsao died on August the 14th of cerbral haemorrhage. She got sick suddenly. We were going out for dinner on evening of 11th. While starting to dress, she felt headache. She suffered only five minutes and went sound asleep until her last breath. Her sudden death has been more than a shock to me. Often I blamed myself for not coming home a year earlier. Her look was a picture of health. During our two months together I did all her medical work in order to save her strength. While she was away for a short visit at Peking, her sister Miss Tsao died. I did my utmost to help out. Her sister died at this hospital July 24th. Within three weeks two of my best friends left me.
Everything is like a dream to me now. I had such a happy home coming. During my short stay at home, my father took me every where. We visited many patients together. Everything loked [sic] so bright to me. After I got to Tientsin, life has been a sad one for me.
I wish that I am as a good a christian [sic] as the late Dr. Tsao. On the day of her sister's death. She wrote in her Bible. "God makes no mistakes." Dr. Tsao was only 36 years old. She certainly was too young to leave this earth. Oh, I miss her and I feel that I have no more energy to carry on her unfinished task. Sense of loneliness overwhelmes [sic] at times.
Professionally I have been very successful. Within three months I have seen three thousand patients at clinic, delivered forty five babies, operated ten times. made sixty calls outside. Work is too heavy for a young doctor. I would like to have enough more time to read up my cases. I did my own laboratory work also. Since the death of Dr. Tsao I had to have charge of hospital account. The letter is a burden to me. I am looking for someone to do this part of my work.
I miss my college life. I would give anything if I could just get away for a good walk in the woods. My life here is an interesting and hard one. There are so few trained women at Tientsin.
Write me whenever you can. I must stop as I was up last night. Remember me to Miss Purington and Miss Griffith.
With love,
Yours lovingly,
M. I. Ting.
September 26th, 1922.
At my backyard.
 This lifoma [sic] weighs two pounds. This is before operation. |
 Ten days after operaton. |