The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-03-16
A Woman's Experienoe.
WHAT A LADY OF GREAT rRoMTNENCE
has TO SAY ABOUT HER SEX.

Boston GlObeO
On recent trip by representative
OF this paper TO the city of Haverhill,
Mass, most important incident occur
red, which cannot fail TO be of the
greatest interest to all, and especially
to our lady readers. The newspapel
man met a lady tride past middle
age with luxurious white hair that con
trasted strikingly with piercing black
eyes. She possessed a straight, full
habit, womanly, but commanding,
combined with manners wholly lady
like, and yet pronounced. Any acute
judge OF human nature could see at
once that he was in the presence Of an
unusual personage-on destined to ac.
complish more than most of her sex,
and to exert an influence far reaching
in its power This lady was Mrs. NJ.
w. Wingate. Almost from childhood
she has taken special interest in the
bodily troubles of her sex and has
probably been more successful in re-
lieving suffering and saving lives than
any other woman in America Indeed,
she seems to have been to women what
Florence Nightengale and Dorothy
Dix were to the suffering soldiers
The instances of woman who were in
the greatest agony and apparently be-
yond the reach of human aid, that she
has restored to health and happiness,
are almost innumerable, and it was
only natural that the scribe should be
come specially interested and wish to
converse with her more in detail.
How long have yon been engaged in
the practice of medicine Mrs. Win.
gate :"
"For more than 25 years.
"a long time certainly. How did
you happen to enter the field at that
early day when women in the profes-
sions were specially frowned down up
on.
Il think | must have inherited a
taste from my Father Professor j @.
Wood, of Harvard college. lie was
eminent in the profession, hard work
er and equally earnest in his recreations.
He hunted considerably and l remem
Der when only nine years old | used to
dissect the birds and animals he had
killed. felt infatuated with medical
science, even then and the infatuation
has continued up to the present time,
"And did you begin your studies SO
early in life?
81 can hardly say when began, for
| cannot remember when | did not read
medical literature. You would scarce
ly believe it, but | was a slender girl
and did not weigh over l20 pounds,
but | used to sit up night after night
until o'clock in the morning poring
over my studies and never dreaming of
the flight of time. Itseemed as though
calls for my attendance on the sick al
ways came unsolicited. / certainly
cannot fix the date when first began
practicing. OF course most of my pa
tients were women, AMI the natural
sympathy felt for my sex has increas
ed during all these years where l have
been brought so closely in contact with
them and have learned to anticipate
their needs and sympathize with their
sufferings. After the opening of the
Boston Medical College l appeared be-
fore the faculty; passed examination
and received a diploma. had prac-
ticed for years previous to that time
but thought it desirable to receive
another diploma, which l did without
any effort.
"Your experience with many and Sc
rious diseases of women having been
SO extensive must also be valuable
Can you give me some facts regarding
them p
81 find that woman seems born to
suffering, and where she avoids it, it Is
by reason of some care on her part or
owing to some special renewing power.
1t is true some women go through life
without unusual suffering, but they are
none the less in danger, for there are
critical periods all along their pathway
when the utmost precaution is required.
The innumberable complaints called
female weaknesses the Irregularities
of life and changes of the system all in
dictate the perils which hang over every
woman's career, and which, attended
to, may result disastrously."
"But is there no way by which these
terrible troubles can be avoided ?"
''That has been the problem for
years. The habits of life and and the
demands of fashion are clearly at war
with the health of women. / have
been perhaps unusually successful in
my treatment of their troubles,
but there have been many
cases that seemed specially stub,
born. | recall one in particular. |
had exhausted all the usual expedients
and the results were not satisfactory.
/ became worried over the case and
really did not know what to do, but
finally thought | would try something
out of the usual line. | had heard
certain remedy recommended very
highly so procured some and made
chemical analysis of it, l found it was
perfectly pure, and that the ingredi ents
were unusually valuable. So l began
giving it to my patient, changing it,
however, into bottle of my own. To
my great joy it seemed to have an al
most imm ediate effect and a complete
cure was the result. Since then | have
used it constantly in my practice and
have cured every form of female weak