The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-11-24 00:00:00

DR. MARY E. WALKER BEFORE A

LONDON AUDIENCE.

Amon, the extraordinary lectures from time to time
given in Loudon, that which was delivered on Tuesday
eveningin St. James's-hall must be regarded as in every
respect unique. Dr. Mary E. Walker is among us,
the lady who took even the go-ahead Americans
aback by the pertinacity and eventual success of her
efforts to become a recognised member of the medical
profession; and on Tuesday night she made her ap-
pearance as a public lecturer to vindicate the course
she has taken, and to narrate her experiences first as
a student of college, then ass private practithiner, and
finally as attached to the staff of the Federal army.
Great curiosity had been excited by the announce-
ment of the forthcoming lecture, for the large room
was neatly filled in every part, the prices of seats
ranging from 7s. downwards. The gallery at the end
of the room was especially crowded, and, if report
did not belie its occupants, there were among them
numbers of medical students and other tumultuous
spirits, bent on giving full and free expression to the
feelings of the moment, whatever those might happen
to be. In the interval preceding the commenceinent
of the lecture, the utterances of the gallery took a
musical turn—" John Brown," 'Free and Easy,"
" Jolly Dogs," and other songs admitting of an
cffectivn chorus being rendered with spirit. and hailed
at the close with vociferous cheers. A policeman wsvi
sent upstairs with the object of moderating the
fervour of "the gods," but for some time he was
unsuccessful in his mission.

A gentleman appealsd to the audience to give a
patient hearing to Dr. Walker, who, though labouring
under a severe cold, would do her bast to make her
remarks audible. Apparently desiring to rent as little
as possible on the mere professional status, the gentle.
man hacked his request by the statement that Dr.
Walker was the wearer of a war medal conferred by
her own Government for distinguished service, and by
urging that as a lady she was entitled to • courteous
heating. Perfect silence having been obtained in
answer to this appeal, the lady doctor ascended the
platform, presenting in her personal appearance a
compound an remarkable as that inseparable
from her professional claims. She is of a slight and
almost boyish figure, the boyish aspect being strength
ened by the circumstance that her hair was braided,
drawn tightly off the forehead, and so gathered
together behind as to look as little feminine WI possible.
A closely fitting garment, best describable as a com-
promise between a frockcoat and a lady's mantle,
covered her figure from the shoulders to below the
knee. At the point where this ended other garments
became plainly visible, the right to wear which has at
all times been disputed, but which are obviously in-
dispensable to a Bloomer costume, even when this has
been toned down to sober professional black. A watch.
chain was displayed from the conventional watch.
pocket, and a pair of white gloves completed the
attire of the lecturer, save and except a large white
collar falling over her shoulders above the coat.

Reversing the usual formula, and addressing herself to the
" gmdlernen and ia,ttes ' present, she arid that to the re-
ma, Its which .he wail about to offer upon three eras in the
tile of a female physician, the difficult and delicate task must
be approached of talking a good deal about herself, and, inci-
dentally, of her own achievements. She wae one of those
who toonght it I otter and easier to live out their own indi-
vidual lives, and to use the power. 'specially bestowed upon
them, than to live arcording to other people's notions—to
live, is tact, the lives of other persons, hi ire that, fifteen
years ago she resolvel thus to do her whole duty to humanity,
as she cdmprehended it, leaving the results to care for
themselves. lier own approval of her own condudt
was worth more to her than the applause of all the world
would be without such self-approval At seventeen years of
age she entered the seminary, where large classes of both
sexes were neiti, and among her two greatest troubles were
the reproaches level el at the supposed immodesty of desiring
to be present at operations, and the perpetual worry atten-
dant on tog ditosee The lecturer dwelt very fully on tie
successive stages of opposition which ehe had one motored
and sari, counted, putting the onjectmns very often In the
identical words in which they had been tolvaticeil, and in
lei gouge so hi ruely and appropriate that these ohjectidue
were adopted and made their own bps section of the audience
others, again, anxious for a fair hearing of the lecturer,
doing their hest to drown the interruptions. At the L yceum
she *aid, when she attended the classes with two other ladles,
many of the male students threatened to eecede, but did not
dose, The other ladies discussed the subject of dress freely
with her, but did not tke to make themselves remarkable,
declaring that it was so use to go agatom the fashion. For
~„

her own part she brought wits ber eeveral short dress., and
" pantaleves;" but the drawback to the latter was that they
had to be changed so often in muddy weather. She had been
anxious to volunteer for service in toe Crimean hospitaln, but
the war closed too speedily. She therefore devoted herself
to private practice among women and children, only at-
tending husbands at the special request of their awn wives
The preen:a which s!,e acquired might be attriouted to
various causes. Some employed her because she lived near
them; some because she made her toilet quicker than the
gentlemen : alone because they liked her personally ; and
some because they baieved it to tie the true position Of a
woman to be a physician to her own sex. it was a fact, ad-
mitting of no denial, toast long dresses were killing women:
doctors knew the facts well, but as long as eta), and long
dresses were worn in their own hits they c..uld r ot
compel their patients to abandon them. The Moonier move-
ment all but died out some years ago, because the ladies who
favoured It then were for the most part incapable of appre-
ciating and explaining the physiological, hygienic, and moral
bearings of the que.tion. lithe petticoat were cut it, one
way the lady as, accused of a desire to show her aniCes; Al
In another, of "looking like a squaw" lti,lseitie, however,
could he overcome by patience. There wee a time when any
man was laughed at for carrying an umbrella The Civil
War is a set+ at having natural fascination for all Ame-
ricans. lace approach it, and any other theme is well.
nigh hopeless. So IL proved on Tuesday night, remarks
The Tiioeo, from whom we are quoting. As soon
as the audience heard that "slavery was a portion
of the great eclipse covering Britain's giant son, America,"
they gave tin inselves up for lost, and come left their seats
and went to hear the Christy Minstrels there and then. For
fully tacitly MIMIC. Dr. Mary Walker, aniid frequeut
mamifeetations of impatience, tiled through the to., laud-
liar passages of "let hunter,"" the mighty Union seuti-
men,t" sad " the line/Amin of the negro." At last she
came back to her own share in these events, and to the
'medical services which she bad been enabled to render, first
at Washington, ami afterwards near, to the scenes of
action. At this point more [Rowdily than at any other the
lecturer carried with her the sympathies of tier audience
We know what women did In the Crimea; we are prepared
to believe that they old still more tn America But lir.
Walker certainly did not undervalue her own exertions.
According to her account doctors columned her about opera-
tions; soldier, aubmiteed in amputation all h good grace
when she reonnmended it. Panacea of the lecture, however,
intended doinitless to be de, p'y p-ithetic, convulsed the
emit, lice with laughter by tee naivete and reintreuest With
Which she gave , very detail, how, vor trgmg, apparently un-
c.mscions of its silt ct upon those of the audience who were
hunorously inclined
At the close of her addrems there was a burst of
applause. Sae remained for a few moments in con-
versation with friends upon the platform, but with-
drew into her own apartment upon the revival by her
junior colleagues of the medical profession of the chorus
of "John Brown" with greater vigour than ever.
In reciting particular passages she acted Of Shaken-
peare's advice, "to suit the action to the word, the
word to the action," to an extent approaching for-
mality, but frequently read for some minutes without
using any gesdire at all. She spoke, however, with a
strong American accent.
As regarila physique, it is plain that Dr. Walker's
frame has beers subjected to hardship' perhaps in
excess of its powers of resistance. That consideration
increased the regret which every one lutist have felt
that ii lady ebould be expri,ed to constant and by no
means mannerly interruption.. At the same times
lady who comes forward to claim perfect equality"
with men occupies a different footing from other
ladies.