Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-05-23
A FEMALE DOCTOR IN CHINA.
The Good Work an American Woman Had Ac
complished in the Celestial Empire.

| woman TO honorary membership. The
| lady so honored is Miss Kate Corey, Nj
d., graduate of the University of Mich
igau{ who for four years was principal
surgeon in charge of q hospital at Foo
chow, China, aud who has, as was stated
in the convention by L. 5. Elder, per
! formed almost every surgical operation
known, from pulling tooth to ovariot-
omy." The lady recently returned to net
home at Van Buren,, Grant county, this
state, greatly broken in health, by reason
of arduous labors, and is pow under
medical treatment The hospital of
which she was in charge is for the treat
ment of native women and children. Ii
was established land is supported by the
| Woman's Foreign Missionary society of
the Methodist Episcopal church ten years
ago. Miss Cary was there three years,
aud DR.. Mary Carleton of New York is
now at the head of the institution in her
absence.
How many persons are treated there
each Year," inquired the reporter who
visited DIR. Corey recently.
From 600 TO 5000 yearly, There
would have been more, but with only one
| physician tina. was all that could be done.
There are from seventy TO eighty patients
in the wards, and the hospital is equipped
in every way with drugs and instruments
quite as we'll as most of the hospitals OF
this country. We have private rooms III
which the better class of Chinese are
better cared for, and who pay for the
treatment they receive; the large wards
are for the common people. The dispen-
sary practice runs from fifty TO eighty
! persons daily. These, like those who are
| patients in the wards, are women and
children; occasionally man.
~ made 500 to 900 outside visits year,
going into fine homes of the Chinese.
| The better class of Chinese are now look
ing toward Christian lands for physicians
that is, women phYsicians-for their
wives and children. Last year l entered
the homes of more of the high-caste peo-
pie than ever before. Even the doors of
! the palace of the governor of the city
were opened to me, and had frequent
calls to the houses of other officials"
How do you do in surgical cssesS If
death follows an operation are you not
blamed or threatenedl"
1--WE undertake no case in surgery un-
til the utmost confidence is expressed and
the patient is willing to take the risk of
death. As indicating the confidence we
inspire, a mandarin came to me land
pleaded with me to amputate his wife's
leg. 1t would have to be amputated at
the hip Joint but the case had gone too
far for surgery. Chinese women are
ready to take the chance of death. If q
Chinese woman feels that she Is dying
with any imperfectioI, tumor or any
thing of the kind, she will insist that the
attempt be made to remove it before she
dies, even though the operation kill her,
for che believes that if she dies with tie
tumor unremoved her gods will not receive
her. and her only chance of hea en- Is that
she be received by the gods, SO that she
may be reborn into the soul of man.
The Chinese know nothing about surgery,
because they know nothing OF the DADA
yer, for they believe it TO be sacrilegetto
cut or mar the human body after death.
They nave many remedies, few of which
are efficiently and wisely used in some
cases, but there is no such thing as
science in Chinese medicine. The
larger part of Chinese medicine consists
of soroery, incautation and sacrifice TO
idols"
"What are some of the strange and
barbarous remedies they enjoy!"
"They administer insects of various
kinds; hEger nails are sometimes given
and all sorts of foul decoctions. Tiger q
teeth liz one Of their medicines. They
regard disease as being communicated by
evil spirits, and so the most outrag
rem edies, with sacrifice to idols, are en-
ployed. Their knowledge of mercury in
its various forms is very complete, and
think they use it effectively. Often the
first thing done with a newborn babe is
to give il a dose of cipnabar (red sulphur
ct of mercury to purge it of evil spirits.
Sometimes because of an overdose the
child may be poisoned. / have few
such brought to me with almost every
Joint in the body displaced. Nothing
could be done for tn sm and death follow
ed. Fortunately such csses are few.
| Cauterization is universal in cases of
pain or cramps, the burning being done
by hot irons. Cauterization is used for
cholera
"Does the binding Of the feet OF girls
and women give any hospital casesS"
81 have had to amputate toes, some
times the entire foot of a child. The
bandaging begins when the girl is or 3
years old If scientifically done no bad
result follows; if not 80 done gangrene IL
the result. The low caste women, the
burden bearers, and those who work in
the fields do not have their feet bound.
II is a badge of birth and social distinc-
ton. This idea of special distinction
that the feet should be bound Is held by
mere children. One lit5e girl about Z
years old was brought to me with gan
grenous toes. Before she was put under
the influence of chloroform she was very
anxious TO know whether | would cut of
her foot or not. Her reason for not
wishing to lose her foot was that it might
be spared so that she could bind II, and
yet this child had suffered untold agony
with her feet"
DR.. Corey hopes 20 return 70 China, II
her health is restored in year.
.
IL l. - i.-..a