The Portland daily press., 1882-03-24

been employed without an appointment. She
Is called in to examine and treat all patients
| who have diseases OF the pelvic viscera. In
accordance with the law enacted by the Penn
| sylvania Legislature in the spring of 1880, two
women physicians DIR. Margaret A. Cleaves
| and DIR. Alice Bennett, were appointed in July
and September Of that year physicians in chief
OF the female departments, each with an as
| slstant women physician, the former at the
State lunatic hospital at Harrisburg latter
at the new State hospital at Norristown. Dr.
| Cleaves who is Maine woman, held for three
years the position of assistant at the State asy-
ium,, Mount Pleasant, Iowa. The respect
developed by her ability, fidelity and the
value of her services, was attested at
| their close by her appointment on the
Board of Trustees of the hospital, to which
| her active services had been given. The
| satisfaction of the boards of management with
the employment of women physicians is fur
| Their shown by the subsequent appointment OF
| two physicians to the same hospital, made me-
cessary by resignation and retirement to pri-
| vate practice.
tendent ofthe New Hampshire asylum for the
insane, he states his opinions sand conduct in q
| fair and forcible manner. He has employed
DR.. Julia Wallace for the past two years and
half to examine and treat all patients who suf-
fer from any diseases of the pelvic viscera. Says
DIR. Bancroft, "The motive that led me to this
| course was to avoid the embarrassment, and l
| may say the risk, of discharging those duties
in a house made up of women IN every imagin-
| able morbid state OF mind, and liable from dis
| ease, to misconstructi0n and misrepresentation
1t was matter OF great relief to be able to del
egate duty so beset with "unpieasantness"
| which would not exist in the private family.
| The advantage which 1 have named is the
principal one. in my ewn mind In the employ
ment of women in this department
| A recaut laffar from Dr. Hiram COrSOQ OF
Penn, one of the board of trustees of the State
hospital at Harrisburg, says OF that institution
| OF which thorough examination has recently
| been made-"From the time when DIR. Abbie
| Cleaves entered upon her duties, change for
the better was soon observable in the condition
| OF the hospital and the patients; and this dill
| erence became more and more marked as the
| months moved on: Our president OF the board,
the eminent DR.. John Atlee who had presided
| there for nearly thirty years, declared on our
| last visit, that he had never seen the hospital
| in as good condition, and the patients SO
| comfortable. 1t was the feeling of every one
OF US, and we attribute much OF it to that won
derful capacity and adaptness of women for
| this work"
OF the Norristown hospital the records seem
| equally satisfactory. about three weeks since
| the members Of the Legislature, the trustees of
| Harrisburg hospital, and many prominent men
physicians, lawyers and ministers, in all
| nearly 300, met at the Norristown hospital; and
| there was universal expression of satisfaction
even of admiration-with the management
| in both the male and female departments; and
most gratifying to us all was the fact, that
while each department is entirely Independent
of the other, the physicians of both sexes are in
harmony with each other, and consult and aid
each other. The board of trustees Of both the
Harrisburg and Norristown hospitals are de-
lighted with the management of the female
physicians"
The State asylums of Michigan, at Pontiac
and Kalamazoo, have each woman assistant
superintendent. In one the services have stood
the test eighteen months, the other more than
year. They were placed in the hospitals by
the advice of the trustees who now, after the
experiment has been fairly tried, have petit
toned to the Legislature to make a law, to Sc
cure the permanent appointment OF women
physicians.
vers, Mass. continuously good reports are made.
The trustees report of 1879 says, "The appoint
ment OF woman physician has proved a move
in the right direction" That of 1880 states,
GAN the officers work assiduously for the good
of the institution
Madame Tarnowski, M D., has been recently
placed on the board of management of lunatic
asylum in Russia and is said to be an active
member. She has exhibited so much skill,
power of thought and sense in her treatment
of difficult cases in the practice of psychiatry
that she has earned wide reputation among
specialists. English Women's Review.) No
other country, except the United States has
employed women physicians in asylums for the
insane; but the same reasons and necessities
for their employment obtain, as shown by
Greisinger, high authority, who says, 1T is
certainly of great detriment to the patients
that there exists at the present time amongst
asylum physicians, q truly childish delicacy in
regard to examinations, etc., etc. In Germany,
France and England / have found the same
delicacy; they seem afraid of exciting the pa
tients, of awakening or increasing certain de-
lirious ideas. Such subordinate con-
- L. 101 vtAxxs
terferes with what is the only means OF arriv-
ing at a correct diagnosis, and therefore pro-
per system of treatment"
In the discussion of any subject, no fact or
its semblance should be concealed. Truth will
always bear the weight of all objections Two
instances of unsatisfactoriness in the employ
ment of women physicians have occurred, one
in Augusta. Maine, one in Worcester, Massa-
chusetts. Why they did not give satisfaction
/ have been unable to learn. Others besides
myself have failed to ascertain the reasons OF
the dissatisfaction. At any rate it cannot be
held as conclusive against the fitness and pro-
priety of the employment of women physicians
because one, or two have failed to give salts
faction, because tmany men have failed
in this most difficult department of medicine.
Another advantage in the employment OF
women physicians not previously mentioned,
is, their knowledge, and power, to better ar
range plans of labor in variety and adaptation
to women patients, than men physicians, be-
cause men do not have varied or familiar
knowledge of womens work. Neither can
matrons, or attendants meet this demand, for
the reason that they have not the knowledge
enabling them to decide upon what patients
could, or should do. knowledge and power
must be combined in one individual, and that
individual the physician. Not only is the
hygienic value of labor of as much general
importance to this class of patients as to any.
but labor suited to the different classes of
patients is of the highest Importance as re-
medal agent. The constant exercise OF few
brain cells in the expression of one idea or one
class of ideas, results in irritation, exhaustion
and ultimate degeneration of these cells, as
shown in the permanent impairment of faculty,
and proportionately weakens other brain cells
fran inactivity and want OF use. The work OF
the hands calls into activity the inactive brain
cells, affords rest and the opportunity for
nourishment to the exhausted centres OF idea.
ton or emotion.
One word as to the testimony given before
committee of investigation by lady on the
visiting board of the Maine State asylum, on
the employment OF woman physician. 1t
was stated that women patients did not want
women physicians. This statement requires ex-
animation for two reasons; it is both of special
and general application 1t is the reason
given against every movement in favor OF
women's progreGs, Women do not want it."
1t is the same statement made by Sir William
Gull and other noted LONDON physicians few
yearssago- women should not be educated
for the medical profession, or recognized after
such education has been received at foreign
universities, because women should not Ihave
thrust upon them what they did not want.
There are to-day in London and vicinity twenty
women physicians who have quite number of
the letters of the alphabet after their names
All rank well, and several in this short time
take high rank in position and practice. Here
is fact, what shall we do with it? What
does it signify, and what are the lessons it
teaches? Is it not pertinent to enquire, If this
were said of sane women, if it could be consid
cred reason against the employment of
women physicians, could anything more Ibe
said of it, than that it was an opinion-neither
a reason nor an argument?