Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-09-23
FROM ABROAD,
Abstract of a Letter from DIR. Lucy
Waite while at the Enternat-
ional Medical Congress
at Moscow,
Russia.

Moscow, Aug. a, 1897.
| We have but two days left of the
disappointment to me. Comparatively
few of the noted men in Gynoecology
prepared papers and many who are on
the program have failed to appear. Mr..
TAFT did not come but sent his paper,
which was read, "Th3 Comparative
value of the Operative Methods in the
Treatment of Uterine Cancer" This
was quite compliment to Mr.. TAFT, as
no other paper has been read unless
the writer was present and read it him.
self. Pean and ApOstoli are also absent.
| England and America are entirely un-
represented in gynoecology, there
being only one from each country on
the program, and both have read very
| poor papers. 1t is a shame. No
wonder the Europeans have such bad
opinion of us. In the general surgical
bureau it is little better. MacEwen
and Murphey have read goad papers.
Sunday Dr. Sem read his paper in
the Royal Theatre to fine audience.
1t was we'll received, although | am
convinced not onethird of the audience
understood it, Few of the Russians
and Germans speak English, and the
representatives in this congress is large
| ly from these two nations. DIR. Sem
has carried off the honors, as far as
America is concerned, being one of ten
to deliver al address before the general
| having received an invitation through
the Secretary General of the Congress
| to reside in the Kremlin. He was also
invited to preside at one of the sessions
of the general surgical section. So, al
| though America is poorly represented
in numbers, we cannot complain of lack
Of attention, as DR.. Sem has been
shown the greatest courtesy. The mill
tary surgeons gave him a regular
ovation the second evening Of the con-
gress. He happened on a company of
them at reception given to the visiting
delegates and as soon as they discovered
who he was, they made him their guest
of honor, carried him around on their
shoulders, cheering him until everyone
ran to see what had happened He
found out then for the first time that
his Surgical Pathology had been trans
lated into Russian.
Last evening l attended, to me, the
most interesting feature of the congress.
The local women physicians gave a ban
quet to the visiting delegates. There
are fifty women physicians in Moscow
and about one hundred in St. Peters
burg There ere several women dele
gates from Asia; one from Constantino-
pie, DR.. Siebold; and one from Egypt,
Cairo. There were about one hundred
and fifty present and we had a most
enjoyable time. / met Russian lady
who was studying in Vienna at the same
time | was there. I should not have
been able to place her, although her
face was familiar, and she said she was
not sure of me until she heard me
speak, when she recognized my voice
Immediately. She spoke both French
and German and took charge of me,
| introduced me to the more prominent
among the womenand was the means
of my having a very pleasant evening.
They called upon me to answer the ad-
dress of welcome of the president, on
behalf Of the visiting delegates. They
requested me to speak either French or
German, as very few understood Eng
| lish. So | essayed the German and
managed to make them little speech,
| thanking them for their courtesy and
comparing the position of women ply
sicians in the different countries l had
visited-very much in favor of the Rus
slams of course-Which pleased them
and they received my remarks very
| cordially. DR.. Stevenson, DR.. Hunt,
DIR. Garrison and myself, of Illinois,
were the only representatives from
America. They were a fine appearing
body Of women. 1t was gala occasion
lot tDoul, DIS luO y ulh CISltN Vi IluSSld Is
being reopened to women. after being
closed ten years. 1t seems to be here
as where, largely question of
money, as wealthy Russian lady has
offered one million rubles if the Uni
versity is opened to women. They
drew up memorial TO this lady last
evening and we all signed it. They in
sisted on our signing our titles, which
seemed very foolish to US, but to them
it was an important matter.
They do not realize how easily one
can become professor in America. One
of their number is a good surgeon, we
are told, and really has standing as
such among the men of the profession.
They are in every sense the new
woman," as the champagne and cigar
cites conclusively proved last evening.
Strange to say, it did not seem so out of
place to see the drinking as | thought it
would.