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Show MERRY CHRISTMAS! Tunghsien, Peiping East, China. Nov. 7, 1936. Dear Friends When last I wrote you, I was scheduled to go out to the Fenchow Hospital in Shansi the first of March. I was all packed and ready to go but, the day before I was to start, a telegram from Dr. Judd came advising me to delay departure, because of the Communist invasion of that province. Hoping daily for word that I still might go I left my trunk packed for a month. Then an S.O.S. call came from Dr. Cooke in Tehchow asking me to come down and relieve Miss Dizney while she go to Peiping for special medical care. So, instead of going to Shansi the first of March, I went to Shantung the last of the month. The extra few weeks afforded me the opportunity to get the work in the Tungchow Hospital in better shape to leave. At the Peking Union Medical College Hospital it was discovered that Miss Dizney was suffering from a gastric ulcer. As she was not allowed to do full time work after her return to Tehchow, it was arranged that I should stay on there until August instead of going to Fenchow. Conditions in Shansi had cleared up somewhat by that time. The four months in Tehchow gave me my first experience of working in a school of nursing, as neither the Lintsing nor the Tungchow hospitals has a school. I enjoyed the work with the students ever so much and was particularly happy in my association with the staff members. Miss Florence Ch'en, principal of the nursing school, has a delightful personality and is very capable and efficient in her work. She is a recent graduate of the Peking Union Medical College School of Nursing and of Yenching University. Another of the choise spirits on the staff is Miss Chang, an old friend from Lintsing, who after her graduation from the school of nursing at Tehchow took the midwifery course at the school in Peiping conducted by Dr. Marion Yang. She returned to Tehchow and is in charge of the obstetric ward. Mr. Feng, who has been head nurse in the operating room for three years, is back after taking a graduate course at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Mr. Chang, the technitian, is another member of the staff who is invaluable. Dr. Hou is the doctor who has been with us longest, having come to Tehchow upon his graduation from Cheeloo University Medical School four years ago. He is a young man with a beautiful spirit and is a very good doctor. All of these folks also help by teaching classes in the nursing school. Miss Ch'en came to Tehchow at a difficult and critical time for the school of nursing and handled the situation very capably. It was a satisfaction to be there and help her through the crisis and we now feel that the school is on the upgrade. In August a new class of twelve young women were admitted and they seem to be very good material for the making of nurses. Our school of nursing like a great many other schools, is no longer taking in men students. The time has now arrived in China when there is no question about the propriety of women nursing men patients. There is still a place for a number of male nurses but it is interesting to note that the men nurses themselves are recognizing that in the nursing profession their opportunities are limited. At the National Conference of the Nurses Association of China held recently the committee of males nurses to represent their special interests and problems brought forth the proposition that the schools of nursing should limit the number of men to be trained. I am just back from Nanking where I had the privilege of attending these meetings. It was particularly fortunate that the nurses convention was held in the capitol this year, for the government is just now in the process of registering the schools of nursing with the Department of Education, and it afforded the opportunity to discuss the problems connected therewith with the representatives from that department. In fact an extra half day was added to allow for the discussion of the minimum curriculum requirements proposed by the Department of Education. The entrance requirement is the completion of Junior High School. Because of such low entrance requirements, the study of cultural subjects is emphasized, such as Chinese composition and |