Connecticut western news., 1882-08-02
MEDICAL MISSIONARIES.
The Experiences of Two Pretty Young Doctoresses Among the Chinese.
From the Denver Tribune.l


 Chinese.
 From the Denver Tribune.l
 People are very we'll acquainted with religious missionaries, and know their objects and aim and all about them, but very few are aware of the fact that there are such people as medical missionaries. A reporter had the pleasure of nesting two of them recently. They are very charming and handsome young ladies' Dr. Ella Gilchrist and Dr. Kate Bush- nell. The prefix 'Doctor" is used, as that is the one which they use in ad- dressing each other. They are gradu- ates of the Chicago Woman's Medical College. Dr. Gilchrist IS a small, we'll built lady, not more than125 years old, and Dr. Brushnell is 8 tall brunette, with pretty teeth. clear olive com- plexion, winning smile, and very ex- pressive eyes. They said they were graduates in medicine who had Eeen sent to China to teach the Chinese their system of doctoring, and to assist the other missionaries in Ohristianizing the people. The Methodist Board of Foreign Mission sent them and the Presbyterian Church also sent few. Women were sent, as men would not be allowed to attend Chinese women. There were about fifty of these medical missionaries in that country, and they were accom- plishing great deal of good.
 "Did the people receive your admin istrations kindly ?" asked the reporter.
 "very kindly, indeed. We had all the work we could attend to. WeEhad working with us Bible woman and 8 teacher, and we were able to assist them in marked degree. The people whom we cured were very easy to influence, and none disputed our authority"
 "What systems of medicine do the Chinese follow?"
 "No regular system. A AChinese doc. tor does not study and go through a regular course as we do. Any man be- comes physician when he pleases. An ordinary man, if he thinks he can cure any particular disease, hangs out his shingle, declares himself, and starts out to kill or cure, generally the former. They pretend to discover all forms of diseases by the pulse, of which they claim to distinguish thirty-two varieties. For instance, they claim that certain kind of pulse indicates disease of the liver, and another kind affection of the heart, but they have no idea of the in- ternal organs and knowledge of anat. omy whatever. They have not the slightest conception where the spleen or smaller organs are, and of course their treatment is the merest quackery. The most ignorant man in the community can become physician by hanging out sign.
 cone of their greatest remedies Is to pinch the patient violently. One often sees patients recovering from attacks, covered all over with purple marks where they have been pinehed until nearly dead with pain. Another very common treatment praoticed it to cauter' ize. I have seen bodies with their ten. der skin fearfully burned by the doctors in trying to cure them of fits. There if no system. Each physician gives his patient anything which his fancy may dictate. The medicine, strange to say is changed to suit the patient, the doc tors seeming to think that costly medi cine must perform cure, and the cost Her it is the quicker the cure. Tn, richer the patient is the more he has tt pay for his medicine, and we have seer even solutions of gold and silver given In extreme cases there is one remed, resorted to which is simply horrible Should the head of the house be dyinl and the doctors give up all hope, the, announce that the only thing which vii save him is piece of warm human flesh. When this announcement is mad one of the daughters of the house is ex pected to offer herself as a sacrifice o, the altar of ancestral reverence. Tn doctors cut out of her body large piec of flesh, which the dying man eats. A a rule the patient dies, and also tn heroic daughter. The relatives there upon erect a monument on her grave inscribed with the story of her sacr fice."
 "What are the fees of Chinese do, tors ?"
 "They have no fixed fees. When man is sick the family makes bargai with him. If the family is poor tl charge is small, even as low as 10 cen visit. If the family is well of the fe may be as high as 50 cents, and for pc sons of great rank or wealth even might be charged; but this would , very exceptional.
 "How did the native physicians r ceive youP"
 } "Very kindly. We treated the fan ) lies of several physicians, and tho . would come to us for assistance wh, , they would have 8 very severe cas . One time we operated upon 8 woma l and removed an immense tumor. T,
 native physicians who were in the ca
 considered this a most remarkable pt
 formance, and they quietly wrote up I long article, which they had publish . in the Chinese newspaper at Pekin.
 was 8 very complimentary article. Tn :. could not translate our names, as tn