The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1880-06-17
Women as Doctors.

I think tRefe Is q great deal Of lngen-
efous sentiment on the part. OF men, so
much as to be astonishing and incompre-
hensible,. considering the strong sense Of
Superiority which exists in the ,f1iale
Rtsofn from the age Of two upward. Il
cannot be fear Of new competitor, and
vet it looks like it. The doctors, d most
liberal and highly cultivated profession,
have shown themselves In this Particular
NIT fiore enlightened than the watch
makers, who have also resisted the en-
trance of women into their trade with
violence; though nobody can know better
than medical men how heavily weighted
a woman is. how much more energy she
must Require TO- Garry her to actual sllc-
Cess In d profession, and how certain 1t Is,
accordingly, that only few exceptionally
endowed individuals can ever enter into
those lists which are SO fercely guarded
But why not let convenience and general
utility be the ftile here as Id all other
matters? Every new piece Of machinery
in the Manufacturing districts has been
mobbed and wrecked at its first introduc-
ton, Just as the female students would
have been on one occasion had the gen
tlemen of the profession had Their way;
but the machine, II 1t Is . good 6ne,
always triumphs In the end. Ny own
opinion Is that the advantage to women
of having q woman doctor to refer to Is
incalculable. To discuss the peculiar
ailments Of their mysterious frames with
q man Is always q trial and pain 10 the
yoina. Necessity hafdens them as they
60 ON In life, and prejudice, and the idea
that woman cannot be properly educated,
or that by expressing preference for
female doctor they are exposing theifi-
selves to Be ridiculed as supporters of
Ewoman's rights, keeps many q woman
silent on the subject; but nature herself
surely may be allowed to bear testimony
on such point. I can not imagine it to
be- desirable in any way that woman
should get over their sense of personal
| delicacy even with their doctor. But at
| all events the sqaestiou whether women
should, be doctors of not u one, 1t might
1 be supposed, to be argued quite HSpes-
sionately. They could not Invade the
profession all at once in such numbers as
to swamp it, and DIS theit opponents have
always Indignantly maintained their want
of capacity for its exercise, there could
not surely be doubt in their minds as
to the failure of the experiment andthen
own eventual Triumph But here once
more the sentiment involved is create:
injury than the fact Not only were the
gates Of knowledge barred, but the yilesi
4 fnsihuations, Utterly beyond possibility
Of Spfdof, were launched against the few
blameless women who did nothing worse
than ask the privilege Of studying for al
enlightened profession. One br rnor,
writer's, supposedly English gentlemen
in a very well known and influential En-
glish paper, asserted boldly that the wo
men students study medicine from pru
rient curiosity and the foulest of motives
This was said in English print in. full
daylight of the nineteenth century, ana
nobody, so far is can remembers, oh
iected to it The journalist was not de
nounced by his brethren, and publi
opinion took it qtiite coolly, as q thing j
was no shame to say.-Mrs. OtiPhalat
in Fraser's Magazine. So