Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1886-01-21

Young North Carolina Woman Who
Achieved Eminence a Physicisn.
Mary Narsden IN Home and Farm
In our own country in North Caro-
lima, in the year of 1S47 was born Su-
san Dimock, of whom we, as Ameri-
cans, have reasons to feel proud. At
twelve years of age she told her father
that she wished to study medicine and
become physician. AS her family
were then in easy circumstances and
lived In a community where no wom-
an ever worked except from necessity,
this was regarded as an eccentry. But
she had formed her purpose and adj
hered to it. Of the old family doctor
she borrowed such medicine books as
he would lend her and studied them
carefully. During the rebellion her
family moved to the North and she
applied for admission into the Medi-
cal School of Howard University,
prefering, if possible, to take degree
in an American college. Twice she
applied and twice she was refused
Then, hearing that the University of
Zurich was open to women, she went
to that institution, was received hos
Pitably, and there she graduated with
honor From the medical school at
Zurich, she went to that at Vienna
and devoted herself to study for anoth-
er year. On her return to the United
States, Susan Dimock took the posi-
ton Of resident physician at the Hos
pital for Women and Children, on
Goldman avenue, in Boston. Here she
won the love of students and patients,
who were fascinated, we are told, by
her remarkable union of tenderness,
firmness and skill. The secret of her
influence, says one who knew hor we'll
was told in part by what she said in
one of her lectures in the training
school for nurses connected with the
woman's hospital 81 wish you of all
my Instructions, especially to remem-
Der this: When you go to nurse
patient imagine that it is youl' oaon SIS
ter before you in the bed and treat
her in every respect as you would
wish your eWn sister to be treated"
DR.. Dimock combined energetic deter
mination and frmness with extreme
feminine gentleness. Her voice was
soft and low, her manners refined and
modest in the highest degree. These
qualities made her services Invaluable
to her patients. In lecturing to her
students she said: eff we're obliged
in my practice to do without sympa-
thy or medicine, | should say do with
out medicine She did not care to
L
was naturally unsympathetic. One
student having said, 81 have not much
pity for hysteric patients, Dr. Dimock
remarked: If medical science is not
yet so far advanced as to discover any
lesson in what we call 'hysteria,' this
is no reason why we should have no
sympathy with those thus afflicted, for
they suffer severely" We believe DIR.
Dimock died in 1876 at the age of
twenty eight. At this time no Amer
lean woman need go abroad nor en-
counter half the obstacles in her way
to eminence in her chosen profession,
that Susan Dimock did. But who
shall say that the overcoming of the
mony difficulties which she encounter
ed at the beginning of her career, did
not do much toward developing the
courage and nerve which made victor
les easier to win later on, and which
is SO essential to one in her profession?
An eminent Boston surgeon said to
her: ut was not merely her skill,
though, that was, remarkable, consid-
ering her youth, and limited exper-
fence, but also her nerve, that quail
fed her to become a great surgeon. 1
have seldom known one at once so de-
termined and so self-possessed. Skill |
is quality much more easily found
than this self control that nothing can
furry. She had that in an eminent
degree and had she lived, she would |
have been sure to stand, in time,
among those at the head of her pro-
fessiGa,"