The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-11-05 00:00:00

WOMEN DOCTORS IN INDIA.

The October number of the Indian Female Evangelist
contains an interesting description of an interview last
April between the Maharanee of Punna and Miss Beilby, a
lady medical missionary at Lucknow. We make the follow-
ing extracts:—
"Punna is the capital of a native State in Bundel-
cund, Central India, a city of 12,000 inhabitants situ-
ated above 200 miles south of Lucknow and 100 south
of Allahabad. The Sovereign of this State, the
Maharajah of Punna, applied to Miss Beilby last year
for medical attendance for his wife, the Maharanee,
who had long been suffering from a painful internal
disease. It would have been impossible for her to
have obtained relief at the hands of any but a lady
doctor, as native customs wholly preclude an inmate
of a Zenana from being seen by any man but her
father, husband, or brother. The call was an urgent
one, and Miss Beilby went to Punna to attend the
Maharanee. residing many weeks in the midst of this
heathen Court, and in a native city where there
is no other European. [Punna is 63 miles from
Nowgong, the nearest place where there are Eng-
lish people.] Her skill and care in the treat-
ment of this Indian Princess were blessed of the
God she serves, and a cure effected. She was
also able, while in attendance on the Maharanee,
to relieve many poor patients in the city and in the
native hospital. When the time of her departure from
Punna arrived, she was desired to present herself at
the palace to take leave of her Royal patient, on
Wednesday, the 13th of April last, The Maharanee
received her in her private room, and almost imme-
diately dismissed all her attendants and ladies, so that
she might be quite alone with her. The Maharanee
then said she wished Miss Beilby to make her a solemn
promise. Without knowing what it might involve she
was reluctant to do this, but at length the Maharanee
said— You are going to England, and I want you to
tell our Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales,
and the men and women in England, what the woman
in the Zenanas in India suffer when they are sick.
Will you promise me to do this?' She explained that
it was no social change in their condition she sought,
but relief in their cruel sufferings. She charged Miss
Beilby to give this message herself to the great Queen
of England, not to send it through any other channel,
but to take it herself, or Her Majesty would think less
of it. _ _ _

---
" Miss Beilby represented to the Maharanee the diffi-
culty she would have in getting access to the Queen—
that with us it is not as in the East, where any one
can go to tke Palace and lay a petition before the
native Sovereign. Besides, she told her she hardly
knew what good it would do if she could do as she
wished and take her message to our Queen. The
Queen could not make lady doctors, or order them to
go out. It was not in the power of even the great
Queen of England to do this. 'But,' said the Maha-
ranee, 'did you not tell me our Queen was good and
gracious, that she never heard of sorrow and suffering
without sending a message to say how sorry she was,
and trying to help? Did you not show me a picture
of a train falling into the sea, where a bridge broke,
and did you not tell me how grieved our Queen was?
Well, it was very sad those people should have been
killed, but our condition is far worse. If you will
only tell our Queen what we Indian women suffer
when we are sick, I am sure she will feel for us and
try to help us.' Miss Beilby felt she could no longer
refuse to promise to convey this message, if possible.
The Maharanee next bade her write it down at once
(giving her pen, ink, and paper), lest she should forget
it, and added, "Write it small, Doctor Miss Sahibs,
for I want to put it in a locket, and you are to wear
this locket round your neck till you see our great
Queen and give it her yourself. You are not to send
it through another." _ _ .

"On Miss Beilby's return to England, the Queen
having been told by some of the ladies of her Court of
Miss Beilby's work and her message, determined, in
spite of all difficulties and many engagements, to see
her and hear all for herself, and accordingly sent for
her. Her Majesty listened with great interest, asking
many questions and showing the deepest sympathy.
Turning to her ladies she said We had no idea it was
as bad as this; something must be done for these poor
creatures.' The Maharanee's locket, with its message,
was given to the Queen, and Her Majesty intrusted
Miss Beilby with a message in reply, which was in-
tended for the Maharanee alone. But the Queen also
gave Miss Beilby a message which might be given to
everyone with Nhom she spoke on the subject :—' We
should wish it generally known that we sympathize
with every effort made to relieve the suffering state of
the women of India.'

"The Maharanee, in parting with Miss Beilby, said
in solemn and earnest accents, 'lf you forget your
promise your God will judge you.' She did not say,
'my God,' or 'this or that God,' but "your God.'"