Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-01-15

II was DreSlQeu over ny ~ uuINe t1rglntdU,
James Calf The attending physicians were
general practitioners of the city of Williams
burg. then the capital of this State. The
hospital for persons OF unsOund mind and
idiots was established for the proper care and
treatment of that afflicted class of our popu-
lation, and not to encourage on promote the
welfare of women doctors Atno time and I'M
der no consideration should the latter factor
enter into the management OF our unfortu.
nate insane
Ard the correspondent might have added
we presume, that when James Gait and the
assisting general practitioners of the
village of Williamsburg took charge Of the
first asylum Of Virginia, they were them
selves as much of an experiment as womer
physicians were in the United States {
quarter of century ago. They had gotter
M. d. affixed to their names by Northern
Oh Scotch colleges as general prac
titioners,' and as matter of Il,
cessity must have known less about
treating the insane than the average
asylum attendant knows to-day, and posi-
bly, good deal less. The reputation OF DR.
Gait was his own work. made afterwards il
his years OF control Of that institution
for neither Gait nor his village assistants
were aiienists. The next institution Vir
ginia opened, was at Staunton, in 1927, anC
she put at the head Of it-for she had nc
narrow local pref dices in those days-Dr
VIM. Boys Of Philadelphia. His assistant
were general practitioners Of the village
of Stauntor, as inexperienced III the treat
ment of insanity rs SUI practitioners gen.
orally are, and one of them, Dr.. Francis T
Stubling, afterwards the Superintendent
made for himself a national reputation. Tt
a thoughtful mind the suggestion naturally
arises-if the Stateexperimented SO success
fully with male physicians why can she moi
do the same with women physicians, who
were educated fifty years later and who
have the advantageous equipment of a mod
ern medical education.
The correspondent IS right when he says
that those asylums were not established to
promote the welfare of women doctors, and
he might have added that neither were they
established to promote the welfare of mer
doctors. They were established for the
cure, comfort, and care of the insane, and
it is the solemn duty and obligation of the
State to her helpless insane to avail herself
of every advance and reform in their be-
half.
cat that time the woman doctor had moi
made her appearance on the stage, and WO
men, even in Massachusetts, We're content to
dignity the position signed them by the great
p,
Virginia ladies have been indsposed to give
up, even to the present day, as proven by this
statement in reference to the women doctors
OF all these there is not one practicing in
Virginia. This remark is really the gist OF
the whole question. AS physicians, women
stage anywhere. A few unusually endowed
women have succeeded and rank high in the
medical profession, but these ladies have also
large practice and cannot be induced tC
come to Virginia asylum at the small sal
airy the State is able to give them. No one
can admire and bestow greater praise than the
writer on such physicians as Miss jacob, OF
New York, but all women with NJ. D. APP
pended to their names are unfortunately not
Miss Jacobs.
We presume that in the eyes of a gentle
man holding such opinions as this one ex.
presses, there would be no time when. as
physicians, women (who wanted to entel
insane asylum practice) would have passed
the experimental STAGE They have beef
practicing medicine in the United States
for thirty years; there are So medical cole
ges here open to them, Of which nine art
exclusively women's colleges; they have 6
large clientage in every large city and il
some of Our cities a single woman physic
ian realizes a larger income from the prac.
tice of her profession than all the male
Physicians i'll a Virginia asylum put to.
gether realize from theirs; at the World /
Fair of this year she has a hospital manag-
ed exclusively by women physicians; she is
filling positions on the medical staff OF
twenty insane asylums, and at ole. in Nor
rstown, Pa, has exclusive control of the
female insane department containing over a
thousand patients, and yet she has 'only
reached the experimental stage.' If this
were true, what marvels could we not eX.
pect OF her When she shall have passed the
experimental stage? 1t appears, however.
that a few Unusually endowed women
have managed to squeeze through the
awful ''eXperimentals stage, but "they have
a large practice and cannot be induced tc
come to a Virginia asylum at the small sal
airy the State is able to give them.n Does
the State Of Virginia demand from the male
medical profession TIA, It's members II. ust
rank us distinguished with large prac-
tlce before they can fill the place OF AS
sistant physician in her asylums? When
did Board of Directors ever hope that
such men as Hunter Mcclure Oh darcy
Cullen OF MANY others Of the profession
could be obtained for even the heads of theil
Asylums? There are distinguished men in
lie Oh the top round. Why then should she
demand from the woman profession a DR..
jacob for al assistant physician, and yet
from the male profession forget to demand
q Hunter Mcclure. If we are going to de-
mand that Woman must be ruled out OF
asylum practice and stay where she began
''as Adams helpmate," then Man must
he held there too, and the male doctor of
te'JioHo oilot'lu pC pun Dttoh III VIC COl Hllcltl
with hoe i'll his hand where Adam was
to which position lie is renanded by the
absurd logic of this expert OF twelve years
standing.
'If women doctors are failures unless sus-
tanned and propped up by Government OF
State appointments, then in the name of hui
manity what right has the Legislature to in
tlict upon the insane Of this state such prac-
titioners? Is it because their affection renders
them incapable to protest against being made
subjects Of experiments; torsooth because a
woman has an NJ. ID. attached to her name,
though not capable OF taking care of herself,
unless the Legislature forces her upon the in
sane?
Having had a long experience in living in
an insane asylum and III its management,
feel that | am qualified to express the opinion
that it is very difficult to find any physician,
nia lie or female, suitable to take charge Of the
wards OF an insane asylum. They must not
only be good practitioners, but thoroughly un,
fish "A nj have "A natural ia emf for mi n