The Portland daily press., 1882-06-12
CITY PHYSICIANS.
THE MOVEMENT FOR A FEMALE
CITY PHYSICIAN.
The Hearing Before the Committee Sat-
urday Night.

A hearing was had Saturday evening in the
Aldermens room on the petition for the ap
pointment of woman physician for the city
The select committee to consider and report
upon the petition consisted of Messrs. Little
and Winslow of the Board of Aldermen, and
Messrs. Bradley, Noyes and Fogg of the Coun-
Gil. Dr. Sarah w Devoll, Mrs L. M. N. Stew
ems, Mrs. Quinby, DR.. Frederic Henry Ger
IRISH and Gen. S. j. Anderson were present.
Alderman Little presided, and read the petit
tion signed by Hon. S. E. Spring and Others
requesting the appointment of DIR. Sarah Il.
Palmer as additional City Physician.
DR.. Sarah w. Devoll was the first speaker
for the petitioners. The Petitions she said are
two in number-one presented by women and
the other by men. The word "more" was
ommitted from the mems petition, and
the women's read that the s"women and chill
dren would be more suitably attended by
woman physician Are women physicians
on an equality here? Two-thirds of the prac-
tice is among women and children, and from
much of that practice as well as from the prac-
ticeshere among the poor, women physicians are
excl uded. Women have not an equal recogni-
ton with men in public office.
The speaker believed that it is the
duty of every woman, when there is wrong
toward woman discovered to seek to remove
it; and when there is right to be gained, to
seek to obtain it. All may not be aware of
how great factor women have been in medi-
cine. The speaker here traced the history of
the practice of women physicians from the
days of ancient Egypt to the present time.
In the presentation of the petition two
thoughts are essential-the person and the
place. First, the person must be fit for the
place, and second the place must be fit sfor the
person. There is a natural fitness in the prac-
tice of women among women. The woman
physician is needed in the home of the poor,
and the more womanly she is the moro is she
needed. Ibelieve that preventing medicines
are more needed in the homes of the poor than
in the homes of the rich, and 1 know that
women physicians give special attention to pre-
venting medicines in their own homes. There
are now three women city physicians in the
country-one in the city hospital of Philadel-
phia one in the 18th and 18th wards of that
city, and another in charge OF the. outdoor
poor of Bosom Dr. Sarah M. Crawford) and
TO more thoroughly bring out her point the
speaker read a letter from DR.. 81. B. Wheel
right of Boston, strongly endorsing DR.. Craw-
ford and bearing testimony to the value OF her
work, DR.. Wheelwright being the immediate
official superior of DR.. Crawford letter was
also read from Dr. Crawford to DR.. Devoll
giving some details of her work for the past %
months.
DR.. Deyoll here considered some objections:
First, the matter of salary. The women do
not ask that injustice be done to any one.
With physicians the equivalent for money is
often the same as the money itself. 1t issso at
the city hospital, and why should the women
physicians not share in this money that is APP
propriated, or better still in this experience
that is regarded as equivalent to money? Sec
ond, it is said "you are asking for favor"
but are We? The practice asked for is the 4
hardest part of the practice, involving the
night work, involving the hardest and most
wearisome practice of all, and are we asking
favor when we ask for share of this practice?
DR.. Devoll, in reply to a question by Mr..
Bradley, said there are three women physi-
clans in Portland, none of whom have as ex-
tensiye practice as some men physicians here.
DR.. Palmer has been here only since last Oc-
tober. DIR. Devoll added that large number
of women hold hospital positions IN the coun-
try. In reply to Mr.. Moves, she said that DR..
Palmer has been in practice one year. She
graduated at the Philadelphia school, at the
New England Woman's Hospital, and was at
the hospital and almshouse at Tewksbury,
Mass.
DIR. Frederic Henry Gerrish was the next
speaker. He testified to the able and judicious
manner in which the duties of the city physl-
clan have been and are being performed.
There is no harder worked man in the city
than the city physician. The speaker had had
special opportunities to trace the course of
women in medicine, first in Michigan, at the
Medical College, and second as practitioners,
and in many instances he had seen the good
effect resulting from their employment, and he
believed that it would be much better were
women physicians more generally employed.
The large majority of women find it to be
very great trial to be attended by men, and in
many cases women doubtless suffer for years
before giving the fall particulars of their case
to any man, no matter how much they may re-
spect him, and this feeling he was not inclined
to regard as false one. DR.. Gerrish said that
he believed that woman physician is needed
among the poor here, and spoke in the highest
terms of DR.. Palmer as a student and physi-
clan, and bore testimony to the success that
has attended her practice here.
NJ. A. Blanchard, ESQ.,, spoke earnestly in
favor of giving tie women fair chance. Let
the gentlemen of the Council not ask for out
is the right thing to do, the just thing to do,
and then do it,"
Miss Hersey spoke of the necessity of hav-
ing woman physician at the hospital, and
paid high compliment to DR.. Cummings. a
woman phySciOn can do much in aid OF refer
matory work.
81 notice Gen. Anderson here" said the
chairman, "shall we hear from Gen. Ander-
son. and Gen. Anderson made a brief speech
favoring the petition. He hesitated about
signing the petition at first, because he was not
prepared to ask any expenditure OF money
from the city. Upon further consideration of
the question it had seemed to him only mat
ter of right, and as matter of right he advo
Gated it. He believed he represented a strong
body of citizens who are in favor OF the grant,
ing of the petition.
DIR. Devoll called attention to the fact that
in the seventeenth century one Peter Ryman
was arrested in Wells for practicing midwif-
cry, that branch of the practice being then in
the hands of the women.
Mrs. L. M. N. Stevens spoke earnestly in
favor of the petition and of DIR. Palmer. She
believed that the highest moral welfare of the
women and children would be advanced by the
appointment of woman physician.
Mrs. Merrill spoke of the need of woman
physician ID the reformatory work, in the care
''of the unworthy woman, whose very history
we would shield from the knowledge of men,"
The present city physician was requested to
speak, but declined to do so.
Alderman Little returned the thanks of the
committee to the speakers for the information
given, and the general hearing was adjourned.
At the conclusion of the hearing the COM
mittee held short session and adjourned till
Thursday June 3D. for further consi Iteration