Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-07-13
FEMALE DOCTOR IN CHINA.
The Good Work an American
Woman Has Accomplished In the
Celestial Empire. o

(elSStiaI empire. .
The Indiana Medical Society did a
ratker unusual thing at its session on
last Thursday, Gays the Indianapolis
Journal II elected a woman 10 hon-
orary membership The lady so hon
ored is Miss Kate Corey, NJ. d., a
graduate Of the University of Michi-
gan, who for four years was principal
surgeon in charge of the hospital at
Foochow, China, and who has, as was
stated in the convention by DIR. i. S.
Elder, performed almost every sur
gical operation known, from pulling
tooth to ovariotomy." The lady re-
Gently returned to her home at Van
Buren,. Grant county. this state, great
iy broken in health, by reason Of her
arduous labors, and Is now under med
ical treatment. The hospital of which
she was in charge is for the treatment
OF native women and children. 1t was
established (and is supported) by the
Woman's Foreign Missionary Society
OF the Methodist Episcopal Church ten
years ago. Miss Corey was there four
years, and DR. Mary Carleton, Of New
York, is now at the head of the insti-
tuition in her absence.
How many persons are treated
there each yearer inquired the re-
porter who visited DIR. Corey recently.
From 5000 to 5000 yearly. There
would have been more. but with only
one physician that was all thai 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 well as
most OF the hospitals in this cou ntry.
We have private rooms in which the
better class OF Chinese are cared for,
and who pay for the treatment they re-
ceive; the large wards are for the com
mon people. The dispensary practice
runs from fifty to eighty persons daily.
These, like those who are patients in
the wards, are women and children;
occasionally man.
II made 800 10 600 outside visits a
year, going TO the homes OF the
Chinese. The better class of
Chinese are now looking toward
Christian lands for physicians -th It
is. women physieians-fo their wives
and children. Last year entered the
homes Of more OF the high caste peo-
pie than ever before. Even Tie doors
of the palace of the governor of the
city were opened TO me, and had
frequent calls TO the houses of other
1 officials.
"How do you do in surgical casesa
II death follows an operation are you
not blamed or threatened?n
1--WE undertake no case in surgery
until the utmost confidence is expressed
and the patient is willing to take the
risk OF death. AS indicating the con-
fidence we inspire, mandarin came
10 me and pleaded with me to ampu-
tate his wife's leg. 1t would have Il
be amputated at the hip joint but the
case had gone too far for surgery
Chinese women are ready 10 take the
chance of death. If a Chinese woman
feels that she is dying with any inn
perfection, tumor or anything of the
kind, she viii insist that the attempt
be made to remove it before she dies
even though the operation kiln her, fol
she believes that IL she dies with the
tumor unremoved her gods viii not re
ceive her, and her only chance Of
heaven is that she be received by the
gods, so that she may be reborn intC
the soul Of man. The Chinese know
nothing about surgery, because they
know nothing of the cadaver, for they
believe it to be sacrilege TO cut or mar
the human body after death. They
have many remedies, few OF which
are efficiently and wisely used in som,
cases, but there is no such thing a.
science in Chinese medicine, TIL,
larger part of Chinese medicine con
sists of sorcery, incarnation and sacri
flee TO idols.
what are some of the strange ant
barbarous remedies they employ?N
They administer insects Of variou;
kinds: finger nails are sometimes Civ
en- all sorts of foul decoctions Tiger
teeth is one of their medicines. The!
regard disease as being communicated
by evil spirits. and so the most out
rageous remedies, with sacrifices t
idols, are employed. Their knowledge
OF mercury in its various forms is yer.
complete, and think they use it eff
fectively. Often the first thing dom
with a newborn babe is to give it |
dose of cinnabar (red sulphuret o
mercury to purge 1t of evil spirits
Sometimes because of an overdose IN,
child may be poisoned. Ihaye had few
such brought to me with almost ever,
joint in the body displaced. Nothing
could be done for them, and death fol
lowed. Fortunately such cases ar
few. Cauterization is universal II
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