The Anaconda standard., 1899-10-10
MEDICINE IN kLOND1kE.
Woman Physician Establishes Right to
Practice in Dawson City.

Woman Physician Establishes Right to
Practice in Dawson City.
BY very thorny path have at last
reached the goal of my ambition, the
right to practice medicine in Dawson
CITY, writes DR.. Mary E. Ai3sher Of
Dawson City. Il have been asked to
relate my experiences and l do so solely
because [ believe they will help others
| OF my sex to peTsevere until success
| comes. | am graduate of the Boston
| university school of medicine of the
| class of 1887. and also studied in Eu-
| rope in 1892 and 1896. While struggling
| in Boston it occurred to me that If
could reach city where the profession
would not be overcrowded, so far as
women at least were concerned, I could
more readily achieve success, and l de-
cided to try the Klondike. I left the
Hub city on March and arrived in
Seattle the last of April. ] heard some
thing of the difficulties that 1 would
have to encounter when / arrived in
Canada. / learned that the law re-
quired that all physicians be examined
and registered before they would be al
lowed to practice. This looked like q
very rough road at the start, but l was
assured by talks with arrivals from
Dawson City who told me that any reg
ular physician could practice.
This comforting information proved,
knowledge of the new arrivals went,
for by the time I got to Dawson City
the medical council had been formed
and examination was required. All un-
conscious of this state of affairs, I
reached Dawson City and erected my
aluminium house, hung out my Shin
gle and waited for patients to besegE
the door The first man to call was not
a seeker for health, but a limb Of the
law who ordered me to take down my
sign. Then / found that was not a
doctor at all in the eyes OF the Dawson
City authorities, but must pass exam
nations and prove my fitness before I
could minister to the wants of the all
ing Yukonites. This informatio was
given to me at the same time that the
impression was conveyed that women
physicians were not wanted anyway,
and that homeopathic doctors were re-
garded with particular adherence.
mo c0ncealment was made of the
fact that the examinations would be
made specially hard for me. The threat
was carried out: I was given catch"
questions, and such queries as only u
professor of anatomy or specialist
could possibly know. OF course failed.
I had paid s1oo for the privilege Of the
examination and received $50 back with
a command not to practice.
when l heard that a man had been
given his papers three days before to
study up, l forgot my disappointment
in my anger. and | made up my mind
to try again and win. borrowed every
medical book in Dawson and studied
night and day until was nearly ex-
hausted l paid a professor of surgery
SI5 to quiz me until | felt absolutely
sure of myself. l mastered all the aw-
full text books and was up in operation
on all parts of the body I studied un-
til my brain power nearly left me, and
For onft he
exam l again appeared before the
council. 1 was there from 8 o'clock
until 6 o'clock one day and from 10
o'clock until 2 o'clock the day follow
ing for oral questions,
Il stayed in the cabin and had the
announcement brought to me, for I
could not bear to have anyone see me
if I were to be disappointed again. But
I was not, for I had passed most sue
cessfully. One member of the board
who does not approve of women doc
tors at all confided to me that they had
decided not to trip me up, as l had
shown tremendous pluck. They gave
me a hard but entirely fair trial. The
very men who ordered my sign down
have been here to congratulate me. 1t
is a great satisfaction, because I am
the only woman doctor allowed to
practice in the Yukon district and the
only homeopath in the entire Nerth-
west Territory The improvements to
Dawson this year have made it a re-
markably healthy place, and none of
the doctors could be called busy, but
I certainly have had my generous
share of the work. The hospitals are
now almost empty, and there are three
private hospitals here, built on ac-
count of their need last year that have
not had one applicant.
Last year at this time the hospitals
were filled. and every available place
used that doctors could call up. Many
consider this due to the drainage of the
city and greatly improved water sup
ply, and, think, the better supply of
very good food.
They say 1 will not make any mon
ey, for the town is SO poor, but can
live some way and give better things
to those needing medical attention
than whiskey and morphine. Oh, how
I wish l had the capital to start u hos
pital. even if there were only six beds
in it,