New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-22
LIS SURGICAL FEAT
Operation She Performed in
Hut Saved Mans Life.
FIRECRACKERS AS REWARD
Superintendent of Large Hos
pital in China Tells Mission
Board About Her Work.

How would the surgeons in this country
| accustomed as they are TO all the latest
and most ingenious appliances and pre-
cautions for preventing infection when
they use the knife, like performing an
abdominal operation with the patient rest
ing on short bamboo bench in a dark
hut. where the bench had to be pulled
half out of the door to gain sufficient
light?
II doesn't sound easy, but DR.. Ii Ri
once.
Who is DR.. Ii? She is a quiet little.
unassuming Chinese woman. but she runs
u hospital over in Nguchang near Foo
chow. In China where about six thousand
women and children are received as
patients i'm the course Of a year.
Besides managing il. she does the doc
toring and performs all the opera tons,
with the aid OF one assistant whom she
has trained. Just now she Is i'm America
taking a postgraduate course in surgery
at Johns Hopkins. in Baltimore, and yes
! terday she talked at the thirty eighth
. birthday anniversary Of the Woman's
| Board of Foreign Missions, held in the
afternoon at tho Marble Collegiate
Church. at Fifth avenue and 10Th street
Always" she told the reporter after
the meeting. always / wanted TO be a
doctor, even when I was little girl
No.
/ When she was "A child her parents sold
her because she was a third daughter
and they didn't want her. The mission
aries got her and educated her AMI she
! married my father. who is a minister
II used as a child to look at the sick
or dcformed pcoplc-at the beggars In the
streets. who need not he beggars If they
were well-and ] wanted TO do something
10 heal them. ! did not suppose. then
that | could ever do anything more than
learn something about nursing, but then
when ! grew older the missionaries de-
cidcd to send me to America to study. ana
! took the course in the Woman's Medical
Hospital in Philadelphia. graduating in
1905.
II was here seven years studying, and
then | went 10 China. and have been
there seven years working. This year /
was sent IS delegate to tho Methodist
! conference in Minneapolis and as there
Is some time 10 spare, ! thought ] would
take the course at Johns Hopkins
Or. Lis dearest wish is 10 get funds
for building for contagious diseases at
her hospital in NGuchanG.
In China oil diccaere mot
isolated" she said, and you can under
stand how terrible that is.
In radius of three miles around the
village OF Nguchang. four thousand chill
drcn died OF smallpox last year Tho only
discaso Of which the Chinese are afraid,
so that they see need Of quarantine. is
lcprosy. We have a leper village II is
needed. for there are many epers; but
We also need, very much. arrangements
for quarsntininS patients suffering from
other contagious Diseases
Arc YOU a suffrag ist?' the reporter
asked Or. Ii.
Il don't think much about it," she
said simply and seriously.
I'VE believe our government will give
women the vote as IT seems right. We
do not wish an extended franchise.
among men or women, now. because
many OF our people cannot even write,
and what would be the use of giving
them the vote? The government will OK
tend the franchise as fast as il is well
TO do So
To women as 20 men,
"Of course" said DR.. LII. looking sur
prised that such question should be
asked. The government will treat WON
en- az II treats the men. Women hold a
very important position in Chinese house
holds. you know
Even with their feet bound
"Oh. little binding of feet is done now.
The feeling is strong against 1t. There
is even an Anti-Foot Binding Society.
The custom is rapidly going out"