Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1882-09-07
ILLOGICAL DOCTORS.


Medical School, has been interviewed
(see Boston Daily Advertiser Of June
81 in regard to the condition of the
school, and incidentally in regard to
the admission of women. I do not
know how far logic is department of
instruction in that institution, but lis
branch of science does not seem to me
to preside over his argument. He
says that 'sthe fact cannot be denied
that the sphere of woman is domestic
one, and then, instead of going on
to point out that she ought therefore,
by all means, to obtain a knowledge of
medicine, he draws the opposite con-
clusion. 1t is good deal as if
merchant were to say II propose that
my daughter should become my book
keeper:-and | have therefore positive
ly forbidden her to learn the four rules
of arithmetic"
He farther illustrates his logical
anomaly when he goes into particulars
and points out that women medical
students will leave their professional
work and become wives and mothers if
they can. Note how this Strengthens
the argument for their medicine train
ing. Men, like women, often leave
the medical profession, but if a man
leaves it is apt to be a total charge.
He becomes a farmer, an author, or
mayor Of city;-to go out of his pro-
fession in short. A woman gives up
practice IN one form to resume it in an
other-to become wife, or a mother,
as DR.. Bigelow justly points out.
Again and again [ have been told by
women who had done this, sit was
worth all my study of medicine to find
myself better fitted to take charge Of
the health of my own family
Nay, | have known repeated instan-
ccs of married women who HAYES tudied
medicine with the full approval and
even at the urgent wish Of their hus-
bands, for just this purpose. Is not
the purpose reasonable? Who has not
known priceless lives of men and
W omen sacrificed, precisely because the
wife and mother was ignorant of some
principle Of medicine or Of surgery,
which if known in time, would have
averted danger. Yet the women who
would acquire this knowledge, are
insulted and resisted by this eminent
surgeon as ga few people who believe
in what are called woman's rights"
and ''wish to get foothold' in the
Medical School 1t is paying a great
compliment to the "woman's rights
party, to say that it includes all the
women who wish to train themselves
thoroughly to be wives ard mothers.
Is this career of wife and mother
the only career in which it is honorable
to be ignorant and disgrace to wish
for thorough preparation? Assigning
one-half the human race to this, as the
beginning and end of their duty, are
we then to turn upon them and say,
"Do this duty, but beware how you
try to fit yourselves for it ?" Consider
the fearful responsibility-beyon that
of any man-which every young bride
takes upon herself. Her married life
may begin under the close protection
of the Massachusetts Medical Society;
she may dwell near Park square or
Boylston street, with forty frst-cIass
practitioners within five minutes call.
But in the swift changes of American
life, she may bear her first baby in
some frontier cabin, with none to help
but perhaps some local NJ. D., whose
sum total of knowledge is even less,
were it possible, than the amount
which DIR. Bigelow would concede to
woman. She may bring into the world
some child invalid from birth, Of whom |
the daily care is daily martyrdom,
without even the relief in martyrdom |
which conscious knowledge might |
give. Her very devotion may injure
because of ignorance, her uninstructed |
tenderness may kill If she asks
counsel, it may only come from
mothers who, by the wise foresight of
the physicians. have been kept seclud-
ed from all the knowledge that could |
help her; and whose multifarious
advice only suggests the lament of the
poor old negro, who said that chills
and fever was very bad complaint
and the worst of it was that 50 many
different people knew just the very
best way to cure it!
If anything seems plain logic it is
this: that sphere implies duty: and |