A WOMAN’S QUEST Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D. 
(From a photograph thought to have been taken some time 
in the ’60’s.) A WOMAN’S QUEST 
THE LIFE OF MARIE E. ZAKRZEWSKA, M.D. 
EDITED BY 
AGNES C. VIETOR, M.D., F.A.C.S. 
FORMERLY INSTRUCTOR IN PHYSICAL DIAGNOSIS AND SURGERY, WOMAN'S 
MEDICAL COLLEGE OF THE NEW YORK INFIRMARY; LATER ASSISTANT 
SURGEON, NEW ENGLAND HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN 
AND CHILDREN, BOSTON 
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
NEW YORK :: LONDON :: MCMXXIV COPYRIGHT, 1924, BY 
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA MARIE E. ZAKRZEWSKA, M.D. (1829-1902) 
Accoucheuse en chef, Royal Hospital Charite, Berlin, Prus- 
sia; First Resident Physician, New York Infirmary 
for Women and Children, New York; Professor of 
Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children, and 
Founder and Attending Physician of the Clinical 
Department (Hospital), New England Female Medical 
College, Boston; Founder and First Attending Physi- 
cian, New England Hospital for Women and Children, 
Boston. DEDICATED TO 
THE DEAR MEMORY OF A FRIEND 
ELIZABETH BIGELOW CONANT FOREWORD 
Viewed impersonally, this story of Marie E. 
Zakrzewska (Zak-shef'ska) is one more document 
testifying to the Humanity of Woman. The fact 
that the individual urge for the expression of this 
humanity found vent along the line of Medicine, is 
a detail. It is also a detail that the story is inter- 
woven with an interesting transitional period in 
American history and with the evolution of the 
American woman physician. 
The essential interest lies in the fundamental 
human instinct asserting itself through the indi- 
vidual woman, dominating her and driving her to 
reach out into the world until, after migrations over 
thousands of miles and through various phases of 
civilization, she at last found an environment favor- 
able for the development which her spirit so ardently 
demanded. 
Eventually stretching across the Atlantic Ocean, 
this Polish-German branch of the Human Tree 
pushed through first one crevice and then another, 
with here and there a struggling blossoming and 
leafage, to find at last its best efflorescence and 
fruitage in the favoring sun and air of America. 
Transpanted here, as are all the nations of man- 
kind, her life finally found fulfillment through the 
creation of the New England Hospital for Women 
ix FOREWORD 
X 
and Children, and though the influence which she 
exerted upon the lives of the numbers of women 
medical students, women physicians, women sur- 
geons, and women nurses who have there, in turn, 
been helped to develop and to express their 
Humanity. 
Stopping on her way to help in the birth of the 
first true “Woman’s Hospital” in the history of 
the world (the New York Infirmary for Women and 
Children), to develop the short-lived second (Clini- 
cal Department of the New England Female Medical 
College), and to assist in the conception of the third 
(the Woman’s Hospital of Philadelphia), her life 
reached its fullest expression in the evolution of the 
fourth (the New England Hospital for Women and 
Children). 
Thus in no ordinary sense do the life and per- 
sonality of Doctor Zakrzewska endure in America, 
and especially in Boston. Thence the inspiration of 
her life has extended throughout New England; 
throughout the United States; back across the 
Atlantic to Europe; and across the Pacific to the 
Orient. 
Is there, then, any part of the earth reached by 
educated medical women where her living spirit does 
not penetrate, that unconquerable spirit made mani- 
fest through her unchanging ideal—reasoned human 
standards for women as for men. 
It is a common habit of our people to abbreviate 
long or unfamiliar words and the American popu- 
lace so generally declined to apply itself to the com- 
plete pronunciation of the word Zdkrzewska that 
the name was characteristically shortened to the FOREWORD 
xi 
first syllable. Hence, “Doctor Zak” became the 
more familiar title, first of convenience and then of 
that personal and unceremonious aptitude for appro- 
priation which we as a people display toward those 
whom we regard with admiration and affection. 
The material for this biography was given to the 
editor by Dr. Zakrzewska to prepare for publication 
with what might be called one condition, and this has 
now been fulfilled. Circumstances which the editor 
could not control, and which it is unnecessary to dis- 
cuss here, have delayed its appearance until now. 
The earlier chapters are autobiographical and most 
of them were written in the form of a letter to Miss 
Mary L. Booth, of New York, and were published in 
1860 by Mrs. Caroline H. Dali under the title of “A 
Practical Illustration of ‘Woman’s Bight to Labor’; 
or A Letter from Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D., late 
of Berlin, Prussia.” 
Finally, the editor desires to express her appre- 
ciation of the assistance rendered by Miss Anne 
Sullivan, her secretary and synergetic critic. 
Agnes C. Vietob CONTENTS 
PART I 
(1829-1862) 
Berlin 
CHAPTER PAGE 
Foreword ix-xi 
I. Some recollections of childhood . . 3-7 
II. School life begins 8-15 
III. First knowledge of hospitals and read- 
ing of medical books .... 16-19 
IY. School life ends 20-25 
Y. Learns all details of household work; 
then spends most of her time read- 
ing in her father’s library; drifts 
into assisting her mother, who has 
become a trained midwife . . . 26-34 
VI. After regular course receives diploma 
from School for Midwives and be- 
comes assistant teacher in the Royal 
Hospital Charite 35-45 
VII. Is appointed Accoucheuse en chef and 
succeeds Dr. Schmidt as teacher of 
midwifery 46-54 
VIII. Resigns her position 55-65 
IX. Decides to go to America to help 
establish a woman’s hospital, her 
thoughts turned to Philadelphia . 66-72 
xiii xiv 
CONTENTS 
New York 
CHAPTER PAGE 
X. Impressions and experiences on land- 
ing—Unable to go to Philadelphia 
or to establish a practice in New 
York, she builds up a business in 
fancy goods 73-91 
XI. Social relations 92-98 
XII. Meets Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell . . 99-106 
XIII. Goes to Cleveland Medical School to 
acquire the title of M.D. . . . 107-119 
Cleveland 
XIV. Difficulties encountered by women 
medical students in Cleveland, 
Philadelphia, Boston, Edinburgh 
(Scotland) 120-131 
XV. Dr. Harriot K. Hunt’s attempt to 
study at Harvard Medical School 
and her practice in Boston . . 132-143 
XVI. First visit to Boston—Meets many 
noted men and women .... 144-158 
XVII. An interesting week-end near Cleve- 
land—Meets Ralph Waldo Emerson 
—Receives the degree of M.D. . . 159-175 
New York 
XVIII. Impossible for a woman physician to 
rent an office or to be admitted for 
study to a hospital or dispensary— 
Visits Boston to ask money to 
open the New York Infirmary for 
Women and Children—Visit to 
Philadelphia determines the build- 
ing of the Woman’s Hospital there 176-194 CONTENTS 
XV 
CHAPTER PAGE 
XIX. Frequent guest at the variety of social 
“circles” then existing in New 
York 195-208 
XX. Opening of the New York Infirmary 
wards and dispensary, with Dr. 
Zakrzewska as resident physician 
and superintendent—Mobbing of 
the Infirmary following death of a 
patient 209-219 
XXI. Incident of Dr. J. Marion Sims— 
Second mobbing of the Infirmary— 
First attempt at establishing a 
training school for nurses . . . 220-234 
Boston 
XXII. Removes to Boston to become pro- 
fessor of obstetrics in the New Eng- 
land Female Medical College and 
to establish a hospital department 235-242 
XXIII. Meets opposition in her attempts to 
elevate the standards of the college 243-258 
XXIV. Her “Introductory Lecture” . . 259-270 
XXV. Refused admission to Massachusetts 
Medical Society because she is a 
woman—Militant ostracism of 
women by Philadelphia County 
Medical Society, which tries to 
crush the Woman’s Medical College 
of Pennsylvania-—She insists med- 
ical students must be trained prac- 
tically as well as theoretically— 
Continuing unable to elevate the 
standards of the college, she resigns 
from the faculty and the hospital 
is discontinued . . . . . . 271-287 xvi 
CONTENTS 
PART II 
(1862-1902) 
CHAPTER PAGE 
XXVI. Founding of the New England Hos- 
pital for Women and Children, 
with Dr. Zakrzewska as first resi- 
dent and attending physician . . 291-298 
XXVII. Letters to her first Boston student, 
Dr. Lucy E. Sewall 299-313 
XXVIII. Two stories illustrating her broad 
common sense methods of studying 
and treating patients .... 314-327 
XXIX. Incident of Dr. Horatio R. Storer, the 
only man ever appointed on the at- 
tending staff—For the first time in 
America the name of a woman is 
listed officially as specializing in 
surgery, Dr. Anita E. Tyng being 
appointed assistant surgeon . . 328-344 
XXX. Land bought in Roxbury for new 
Hospital buildings—Dr. Helen 
Morton—Sophia Jex-Blake . . 345-355 
XXXI. New Hospital buildings completed— 
First general Training School for 
Nurses in America definitely or- 
ganized—Dr. Susan Dimock—'First 
Hospital Social Service in America 
organized in connection with the 
Maternity 356-365 
XXXII. Dr. Zakrzewska goes to Europe for 
her first vacation in fifteen years— 
Dr. C. Annette Buckel .... 366-372 CONTENTS 
xvii 
CHAPTER PAGE 
XXXIII. Attempts by Dr. Zakrzewska and the 
other leading pioneer medical 
women to keep the educational 
standard for medical women from 
being lowered—Opening of the 
Woman’s Medical College of the 
New York Infirmary—Movement 
to open to women one of the great 
medical schools for men, with spe- 
cial reference to Harvard . . 373-387 
XXXIY. Opening of the Massachusetts Medical 
Society to women—Dr. Zakrzewska 
declines to present herself a third 
time for admission after having 
been twice refused because she was 
a woman 388-397 
XXXV. Association for the Advancement of 
the Medical Education of Women 
—Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi—The 
New England Hospital establishes 
District Nursing in its out-practice 
—Dr. Zakrzewska leads another at- 
tempt to persuade Harvard to ad- 
mit women to its medical school . 398-415 
XXXVI. Dr. Zakrzewska replies to the ques- 
tion, “Should Women Study Medi- 
cine?”—Her opinion on “What’s 
in a Name?” 416-434 
XXXVII. Johns Hopkins becomes the first great 
medical school in America to admit 
women on the same terms as men— 
The New England Hospital adds 
new buildings for the Maternity 
and for Nurses—Because of misbe- 
havior of men students Columbian 
University of Georgetown closes xviii 
CONTENTS 
CHAPTER PAGE 
its doors to women—Dr. Zakrzew- 
ska writes on “The Emancipation 
of Women: Will It Be a Success?” 435-446 
XXXVIII. Dr. Zakrzewska’s attitude as a critic: 
her judgment on various details of 
Hospital policy 447-456 
XXXIX. Her private life; her home; her 
friends; her ethics—Men physi- 
cians who served as consultants at 
the New England Hospital . . 457-467 
XL. The New England Hospital adds new 
buildings for the Dispensary and 
for the Surgical department—Cele- 
bration of Dr. Zakrzewska’s seven- 
tieth birthday by a reception and 
by the naming of the original main 
building “The Zakrzewska Build- 
ing”—Her retirement from prac- 
tice — Her failing health — Her 
characteristic acceptance of the in- 
evitable—Her death—Her funeral 
service—Her farewell message . 468-478 
Afterword 479-482 
Notes 483-498 
Bibliography 499 
Index 501-514 ILLUSTRATIONS 
Portrait of Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D. 
(From a photograph thought to have been 
taken some time in the ’60’s) . . . . Frontispiece 
Second location of the New England Hospital 
for Women and Children, Boston .... Page 331 
Portrait of Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D. 
(From a photograph taken about 1870) . . 352 
First buildings of the New England Hospital 
for Women and Children, erected 1872 (third 
location) 357 
Portrait of Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D. 
(From a photograph taken in 1896) , , M 468 PART I 
(1829—1862) A WOMAN’S QUEST 
CHAPTER I 
Her reason for writing autobiography, to encourage average 
woman to determine and decide for herself to do what- 
ever she can—Polish-German ancestry—Childhood in 
Berlin—Recollection of experience when nmeteen 
months old—Walks nine miles when twenty-six months 
old. (Birth to five years of age: 1829-1834.) 
I am not a great personage, either through in- 
herited qualifications or through the work that I 
have to show to the world; yet you may find, in 
reading this little sketch, that with few talents and 
very moderate means for developing them, I have 
accomplished more than many women of genius and 
education would have done in my place, for the 
reason that confidence and faith in their own powers 
were wanting. 
And for this reason I know that this story may be 
of use to others, by encouraging those who timidly 
shrink from the field of action, though endowed 
with all that is necessary to enable them to come 
forth and do their part in life. 
The fact that a woman of no extraordinary powers 
can make her way, by the simple determination that 
whatever she can do she will do, must inspire those 
who are fitted to do much, yet who do nothing be- 
cause they are not accustomed to determine and 
decide for themselves. 
3 4 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
I do not intend to weary you with details of my 
childhood, as I think that children are generally 
very uninteresting subjects of conversation to any 
except their parents, who naturally discover what is 
beautiful and attractive in them and appreciate what 
is said that corresponds to their own feelings. I 
shall therefore tell you only a few facts of this 
period of my life, which I think absolutely necessary 
to illustrate my character and nature. 
I was born in Berlin, Prussia, on the 6th of Sep- 
tember, 1829; and am the eldest of a family of five 
sisters and one brother.1 
My early childhood passed happily, though heavy 
clouds of sorrow and care at times overshadowed 
our family circle. I was of a cheerful disposition, 
and was always in good humor, even when sick. I 
was quiet and gentle in all my amusements. My chief 
delight consisted in telling stories to my sister, one 
year younger than myself. She was always glad to 
listen to these products of my imagination, which 
were wholly original, for no stories were told me, 
nor had I any children’s books. 
My heroes and heroines were generally distin- 
guished for some mental peculiarity—as kind or 
cruel, active or indolent—which led them into all 
sorts of adventures till it suited my caprice to termi- 
nate their career. 
In all our little affairs I took the lead, planning 
and directing everything; and my playmates seemed 
to take it for granted that it was their duty to carry 
out my commands. 
1 The figures throughout the text refer to corresponding numbers in 
Notes, pages 483 to 498. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
5 
My memory is remarkable in respect to events 
that occurred at this time, but it always fails to 
recall dates and names. 
When twenty years of age, I asked my father 
what sort of a festival he took me to once, in com- 
pany with a friend of his who had only one arm. We 
walked through meadows where daisies were blos- 
soming in millions and rode in carriages that went 
round continually until they were wound up. 
My father answered, with much surprise, that it 
was a public festival of the cabinet-makers, which 
was celebrated in a neighboring village, and that I 
was, at that time, only nineteen months old. He 
was so much interested in my story that I related 
another of my memories. 
One dark morning, my mother wakened me and 
hastened my dressing. After this was accomplished, 
she handed me a cup of something which I had never 
tasted before and which was as disagreeable as was 
asafoetida in later years. This was some coffee 
which I had to take instead of my usual milk. 
Then I went with my father to the large park 
called “The Thiergarten,’’ where we saw the sun 
rise. I began to spring about, looking at the big 
oaks which seemed to reach into the heavens, or 
stooping down to pluck a flower. Birds of all kinds 
were singing in chorus, while the flower-beds sur- 
rounding the statue of Flora scented the pure morn- 
ing air with the sweetest of perfumes. 
The sun ascended meanwhile, from the edge of a 
little pond covered with water-lilies. I was intoxi- 
cated with joy. The feeling of that morning is as 
fresh to-day as when I related this to my father. I 6 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
know I walked till I got fairly tired, and we reached 
a solitary house beyond the park. 
Probably fatigue took entire possession of me, for 
I remember nothing more till we were on our way 
home and the sun was setting. Then I begged for 
some large yellow plums which I saw in the stores. 
My father bought some, but gave me only a few. 
I had a desire for all and stole them secretly from 
his pockets, so that when we reached home, I had 
eaten them all. 
I was sick after I went to bed, and remember 
taking some horrible stuff the next morning (prob- 
ably rhubarb), thus ending the day which had opened 
so poetically in rather a prosaic manner. 
When I repeated this, my parents laughed and 
said that I was only twenty-six months old when 
my father’s pride in his oldest child induced him to 
take me on this visit, and that I walked the whole 
way—a distance of about nine miles. 
These anecdotes are worth preserving only be- 
cause they indicate an impressionable nature and 
great muscular endurance. 
It is peculiar that between these two events and 
a third which occurred a year after, everything 
should be a blank. 
A little brother was then born to me, and he lay 
undressed upon a cushion, while my father cried 
with sobs. I had just completed my third year and 
could not understand why, the next day, this little 
thing was carried off in a black box. From that time 
I remember almost every day’s life. 
I very soon began to manifest the course of my 
natural tendencies. Like most little girls I was well THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
7 
provided with dolls, and on the day after a new one 
came into my possession I generally discovered that 
the dear little thing was ill and needed to be nursed 
and doctored. 
Porridges and teas were accordingly cooked on my 
little toy stove, and administered to the poor doll 
until the papier mdche was thoroughly saturated and 
broken, when she was considered dead and prepara- 
tions were made for her burial—this ceremony being 
repeated over and over again. 
White dresses were put on for the funeral; a 
cricket was turned upside down to serve as the coffin; 
my mother’s flower pots furnished the green leaves 
for decoration; and I delivered the funeral oration 
in praise of the little sufferer while placing her in 
the tomb improvised of chairs. 
I hardly ever joined the other children in their 
plays except upon occasions like these, when I ap- 
peared in the characters of doctor, priest and under- 
taker ; generally improving the opportunity to 
moralize, informing my audience that Ann (the 
doll) had died in consequence of disobeying her 
mother by going out before she had recovered from 
the measles, etc. 
Once I remember moving my audience to tears by 
telling them that little Ann had been killed by her 
brother who, in amusing himself with picking off 
the dry skin after she had had the scarlatina, had 
carelessly torn off the real skin over the heart, as 
they could see; thus leaving it to beat in the air and 
causing the little one to die. This happened after 
we had all had the scarlatina. CHAPTER II 
Begins school life—Her conduct already guided by habits 
of reasoning and self-government—Conflict between 
such guidance and the school rule of unquestioning 
obedience to authority—First friendship with a girl— 
First contact with an insane person; changes an in- 
tractable patient to a docile one—Allowed to assist 
nurse in hospital in care of blind cousin—Observation 
of defects in hospital care arouses desire to be some day 
a head nurse, so as to prevent such defects and have 
patients treated more kindly. (Five to nine years of 
age: 1834-1838.) 
When five years old, I was sent to a primary 
school. Here I became a favorite of the teacher of 
arithmetic, for which study I had quite a fancy. The 
rest of the teachers disliked me. They called me 
unruly because I would not obey arbitrary demands 
without being given some reason, and obstinate be- 
cause I insisted on following my own will when I 
knew I was in the right. 
I was told that I was not worthy to be with my 
playmates; and when I reached the highest class in 
the school, in which alone the boys and the girls 
were taught separately, I was separated from the 
latter and placed with the boys by way of punish- 
ment, receiving instructions with them from men, 
while the girls in the other class were taught by 
women. 
Here I found many friends. I joined the boys in 
8 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
9 
all their sports, sliding and snowballing with them 
in winter, and running and playing ball in summer. 
With them I was merry, frank and self-possessed, 
while with the girls I was quiet, shy and awkward. 
I never made friends with the girls or felt like ap- 
proaching them. 
Once only, when I was eleven years old, a girl in 
the young ladies ’ seminary in which I had been placed 
when eight years of age won my affection. This 
was Elizabeth Hohenhorst, a child of twelve, re- 
markably quiet and disposed to melancholy. 
She was a devout Catholic, and knowing that she 
was fated to become a nun, was fitting herself for 
that dreary destiny, which rendered her very senti- 
mental. She was full of fanciful visions, but ex- 
tremely sweet and gentle in her manners. My love 
for her was unbounded. I went to church in her 
company, was present at all the religious festivals, 
and accompanied her to receive religious instruc- 
tion: in short, I made up my mind to become a 
Catholic and, if possible, a nun like herself. My 
parents, who were Rationalists, belonging to no 
church, gave me full scope to follow out my own 
inclinations, leaving it to my nature to choose for 
me a fitting path. 
This lasted until Elizabeth went for the first time 
to the confessional. And when the poor innocent 
child could find no other sin of which to speak than 
the friendship which she cherished for a Protestant, 
the priest forbade her to continue this, until I too 
had become a Catholic, reminding her of the holi- 
ness of her future career. The poor girl conscien- 
tiously promised to obey. 10 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
When I came the next morning and spoke to her 
as usual, she turned away from me and burst into 
tears. Surprised and anxious, I asked what was 
the matter. In a voice broken with sobs, she told 
me the whole story and begged me to become a 
Catholic as soon as I was fourteen years old. 
Never in my whole life shall I forget that morn- 
ing. For a moment, I gazed on her with the deepest 
emotion, pitying her almost more than myself; then 
suddenly turned coldly and calmly away without 
answering a single word. My mind had awakened 
to the despotism of theology and the church had lost 
its expected convert. I never went near her again 
and never exchanged another word with her. This 
was the only friend I had during eight and a half 
years of uninterrupted attendance at school. 
A visit that I paid to my maternal grandfather 
when seven or eight years old made a strong im- 
pression on my mind. 
My grandfather, on his return from the war of 
1813-1815 in which he had served, had received from 
the authorities of Prenzlau (the city in which he 
lived) a grant of a half-ruined cloister with about 
a hundred acres of uncultivated land attached, by 
way of acknowledgment of his services. He re- 
moved thither with his family, and, shortly after, 
invited the widows of some soldiers who lived in the 
city to occupy the apartments which he did mot need. 
The habitable rooms were soon filled to overflowing 
with widows and orphans, who went to work with 
him to cultivate the ground. 
It was not long before crippled and invalid sol- 
diers arrived, begging to be allowed to repair the THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
11 
cloister and to find a shelter also within its walls. 
They were set to work making brick, the material 
for which my grandfather had discovered on his 
land: and in about five years an institution was built, 
the more valuable from the fact that none lived there 
on charity but all earned what they needed by cul- 
tivating the ground; having first built their own 
dwelling which at this time looked like a palace 
surrounded by trees, grass and flowers. Here, in 
the evening, the old soldiers sang martial songs or 
told stories of the wars to the orphans gathered 
about them, while resting from the labors of the day. 
I tell you of this institution so minutely to prove 
to you how wrong it is to provide charitable homes 
for the poor as we provide them, homes in which 
the charity always humiliates and degrades the in- 
dividual. Here you have an instance in which poor 
crippled invalids and destitute women and children 
established and supported themselves under the 
guidance of a clear-headed, benevolent man, who 
said, “Do what you like, but work for what you 
need.” He succeeded admirably, though he died 
a very poor man, his younger children becoming in- 
mates of the establishment until they were adopted 
by their relatives. 
When I visited my grandfather, the “convent,” 
as he insisted on calling it—rejecting any name that 
would have indicated a charitable institution—con- 
tained about a hundred invalid soldiers, a hundred 
old women and two hundred and fifty orphans. One 
of the wings of the building was fitted up as a hos- 
pital and a few of the rooms were occupied by 
lunatics. 12 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
It was my greatest delight to take my grand- 
father’s hand at noon as he walked up and down 
the dining room between the long tables around 
which were grouped so many cheerful, hearty faces; 
and I stood before him with an admiration that it is 
impossible to describe as he prayed, with his black 
velvet cap in his hand, before and after dinner. 
Though I could not comprehend why he should thank 
another person for what had been done, when every 
one there told me that all that they had they owed 
to my grandfather. 
One afternoon, on returning from the dining room 
to his study, I spied on his desk a neatly written 
manuscript. I took it up and began to read. It was 
a dissertation on immortality, attempting by scien- 
tific arguments to prove its impossibility. I became 
greatly interested, and read on without noticing that 
my grandfather had left the room or that the large 
bell had rung to call the family to dinner. 
My grandfather, a very punctual man who would 
never allow lingering, came back to call and to 
reprimand me; he suddenly started on seeing the 
paper in my hands and snatching it from me tore 
it in pieces, exclaiming, “That man is insane, and 
will make this child so too!” A little frightened, I 
went to the dinner table, thinking as much about my 
grandfather’s words as about what I had read, with- 
out daring, however, to ask who this man was. 
The next day, curiosity mastered fear. I asked 
my grandfather who had written that paper, and 
was told in reply that it was poor crazy Jacob. I 
then begged to see him, but this request my grand- 
father decidedly refused, saying that he was like a THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
13 
wild beast and lay without clothes upon the straw. 
I knew nothing of lunatics, and the idea of a wild 
man stimulated my curiosity to such an extent that 
from that time I teased my grandfather incessantly 
to let me see Jacob. He finally yielded to be rid of 
my importunity and led me to the cell in which he 
was confined. What a spectacle presented itself in 
the house that I had looked on as the abode of so 
much comfort! On a bundle of straw in a corner 
of the room, with no furniture save its bare walls, 
sat a man clad only in a shirt, with the left hand 
chained to the wall and the right foot to the floor. 
An inkstand stood on the floor by his side, and on 
his knee was some paper on which he was writing. 
His hair and beard were uncombed, and his fine 
eyes glared with fury as we approached him. He 
tried to rise, ground his teeth, made grimaces, and 
shook his fist at my grandfather, who tried in vain 
to draw me out of the room. 
But, escaping from his grasp, I stepped towards 
the lunatic who grew more quiet when he saw me 
approach, and I tried to lift the chain which had 
attracted my attention. Then, finding it too heavy 
for me, I turned to my grandfather and asked, “Does 
not this hurt the poor man?” I had hardly spoken 
the words when his fury returned, and he shrieked: 
“Have I not always told you that you were cruel 
to me ? Must this child come to convince you of your 
barbarity? Yes, you have no heart.” 
I looked at my grandfather: all my admiration of 
him was gone, and I said, almost commandingly: 
“Take off these chains! It is bad of you to tie 
this man!” 14 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
The man grew calm at once and asked imploringly 
to be set free, promising to be quiet and tractable if 
my grandfather would give him a trial. His chains 
were removed the same day, and Jacob was ever 
after not only harmless and obedient but a very use- 
ful man in the house. 
I never afterwards accompanied my grandfather. 
I had discovered a side in his nature which repelled 
me. I spent the remainder of my visit in the work 
rooms and the sick room, always secretly fearing 
that I should meet with some new cruelty, but no 
such instance ever came to my view. 
On my return from my grandfather’s I found that 
a cousin had suddenly become blind. She was soon 
after sent to the ophthalmic hospital, where she re- 
mained for more than a year, and, during this time, 
I was her constant companion after school hours. I 
was anxious to be useful to her; and being gentler 
than the nurse, she liked to have me wash out the 
issues that were made in her back and arms. The 
nurse, who was very willing to be relieved of this 
duty, allowed me also to cleanse the eyes of the 
girl next my cousin; and thus these cares were soon 
made to depend on my daily visit. 
Child as I was, I could not help observing the 
carelessness of the nurses and their great neglect 
of cleanliness. One day, when the head nurse had 
washed the floor and left pools of water standing 
under the beds, the under nurse found fault with it, 
and said, “I shall tell the doctor when he comes why 
it is that the patients always have colds.” “Do,” 
said the head nurse. “What do men understand of 
such matters? If they knew anything about them, THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
15 
they would long ago have taken care that the mat- 
tress upon which one patient dies should always 
be changed before another comes in.” 
This quarrel impressed itself upon my memory, 
and the wish rose in my mind that some day I might 
be a head nurse to prevent such wrongs and to show 
kindness to poor lunatics. CHAPTER III 
School life continues—Her mother begins training for 
career of midwife—Because of eye trouble, Marie re- 
sides in hospital with her mother, and becomes pro- 
tegee of Dr. Muller—First real knowledge of medicine 
as a career—Adventure in morgue and dissecting 
rooms—Begins to read medical books. (Nine to eleven 
years of age: 1838-1840.) 
At the end of the year, my cousin left the hospital. 
At the same time, trouble and constant sickness fell 
upon our family. 
My father, who held liberal opinions and was of 
an impetuous temperament, manifested some revo- 
lutionary tendencies, which drew upon him the dis- 
pleasure of the government and caused his dismissal, 
with a very small pension, from his position as mili- 
tary officer. This involved us in great pecuniary 
difficulties, for our family was large and my father’s 
income too small to supply the most necessary wants, 
and to obtain other occupation was for the time out 
of the question. 
In this emergency, my mother determined to peti- 
tion the city government for admission to the school 
of midwives established in Berlin, in order in this 
manner to aid in the support of the family. In- 
fluential friends of my father secured her the elec- 
tion, and she was admitted to the school in 1839, 
I being at that time ten years of age. 
16 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
17 
The education of midwives for Berlin requires a 
two years’ course of study, during six months of 
which, they are obliged to reside in the hospital 
to receive instructions from the professors together 
with the male students. My mother went there in 
the summer of 1840. I went to stay at the house of 
an aunt who wished my company, and the rest of 
the children were put out together, to board. 
In a few weeks my eyes became affected with 
weakness so that I could neither read nor write, and 
I begged my mother to let me stay with her in the 
hospital. She applied for permission to the director 
and received a favorable answer. 
I was placed under the care of one of the phy- 
sicians (Dr. Muller), vTho took a great fancy to me 
and made me go with him wherever he went while 
engaged in the hospital. My eyes being bandaged, 
he led me by the hand, calling me his ‘Tittle blind 
doctor.” In this way, I was constantly with him, 
hearing all his questions and directions, which im- 
pressed themselves the more strongly on my mind 
from the fact that I could not see but had to gain 
all my knowledge through hearing alone. 
One afternoon, when I had taken the bandage off 
my eyes for the first time, Dr. Muller told me that 
there was a corpse of a young man in the dead- 
house that had turned completely green in conse- 
quence of poison that he had eaten. I went there 
after my rounds with him, but finding the room 
filled with relatives who were busily engaged in 
adorning the body with flowers, I thought that I 
would not disturb them but would wait until they  A WOMAN’S QUEST 
18 
liad gone before I looked at it; meanwhile I went 
through the adjoining rooms. 
These were all freshly painted. The dissecting 
tables, with the necessary apparatus, stood in the 
center, while the bodies, clad in white gowns, were 
ranged on boards along the walls. I examined 
everything, came back, and looked to my heart’s 
content at the poisoned young man, without noticing 
that, not only had the relatives left but the prosec- 
tor had also gone away, after locking up the whole 
building. 
I then went a second time to the other rooms, and 
looked again at everything there; and at last, when 
it became dark and I could not leave the house, sat 
down upon the floor and went to sleep, after knock- 
ing for half an hour at the door in the hope that 
some passer might hear. 
My mother, who knew that I had gone with Dr. 
Muller, did not trouble herself about me until nine 
o’clock, when she grew uneasy at my stay; and, 
thinking that he might have taken me to his rooms, 
went there in search of me, but found that he was 
out and that the doors were locked. She then in- 
quired whether the people in the house knew any- 
thing about me, and was told that they had last 
seen me going into the dead-house. Alarmed at this 
intelligence, my mother hastened to the prosector, 
who unwillingly went with her to the park in which 
the dead-house stood, assuring her all the way that 
I could not possibly be there; but, on opening the 
door, he saw me sitting close by on the floor fast 
asleep. 
In a few days after this adventure, I recovered THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
19 
the use of my eyes. As it was at this time the sum- 
mer vacation in which I had no school tasks, I asked 
Dr. Muller for some books to read. He inquired 
what kind of books I wanted. I told him, “ Books 
about history,” upon which he gave me two huge 
volumes, the History of Midwifery and the History 
of Surgery. Both were so interesting that I read 
them through during the six weeks of vacation, 
which occupied me so closely that even my friend Dr. 
Muller could not lay hold of me when he went his 
morning and evening rounds. 
From this time I date my study of medicine, for 
though I did not continue to read on the subject, 
I was instructed in the no less important branch 
of psychology by a new teacher whom I found on my 
return to school at the close of the summer vacation. CHAPTER IV 
Takes highest prizes at school—Helpful friendship with 
one of her men teachers—Begins to understand rela- 
tion of public opinion to personal conduct—School 
life ends. (Eleven to fourteen years of age: 1840- 
1843.) 
To explain better how my mind was prepared for 
such teaching, I must go back to my position in 
school. In both schools that I attended I was 
praised for my punctuality, industry and quick per- 
ception. Beloved I was in neither. On the contrary, 
I was made the target for all the impudent jokes of 
my fellow pupils, ample material for which was fur- 
nished in the carelessness with which my hair and 
dress were usually arranged, these being left to the 
charge of a servant who troubled herself very little 
about how I looked, provided I was whole and clean. 
The truth was, I often presented a ridiculous ap- 
pearance ; and once I could not help laughing 
heartily at myself on seeing my own face by accident 
in a glass, with one braid of hair commencing over 
the right eye and the other over the left ear. I 
quietly hung a map over the glass to hide the 
ludicrous picture and continued my studies, and most 
likely appeared in the same style the next day. 
My face, besides, was neither handsome nor even 
prepossessing, a large nose overshadowing the unde- 
veloped features; and I was ridiculed for my ugli- 
20 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
21 
ness both in school and at home, where an aunt of 
mine who disliked me exceedingly always said in 
describing plain people, “Almost as ugly as Marie.” 
Another canse arose to render my position at 
school still more intolerable. In consequence of the 
loss of his position in the army, my father could no 
longer afford to pay my school bills, and was about 
to remove me from school, when the principal of- 
fered to retain me without pay. She disliked me 
and did not hesitate to show it, nor to tell me when- 
ever I offended her that she would never keep so 
ugly and naughty a child without being paid for it, 
were it not for the sake of so noble a father. 
These conditions and harsh judgments made me a 
philosopher. I heard myself called obstinate and 
willful, only because I believed myself in the right 
and persisted in it. I felt that I was not maliciously 
disposed towards any one but wished well to all, and 
I offered my services not only willingly, but cheer- 
fully wherever they could be of the least use, and 
saw them accepted, and even demanded, by those 
who could not dispense with them, though they 
shunned and ridiculed me the same as before. I 
felt that they sought me only when they needed me; 
this made me shrink still more from their com- 
panionship, and, when my sister did not walk home 
from school with me, I invariably went alone. 
The idea that I might not wish to attach myself 
to playmates of this sort never occurred to any one, 
but I was constantly reproached with having no 
friends among my schoolfellows, and was told that 
no one could love so disagreeable and repelling a 
child. This was a severe blow to my affectionate 22 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
nature, but I bore it calmly, consoling myself with 
the thought that they were wrong, that they did not 
understand me, and that the time would come when 
they would learn that a great, warm heart was con- 
cealed beneath the so-called repulsive exterior. 
But, however soothing all this was for the time, 
a feeling of bitterness grew up within me. I began 
to be provoked at my ugliness, which I believed to 
be excessive. I speculated why parents so kind and 
good as mine should be deprived of their means of 
support merely because my father would not con- 
sent to endure wrong and imposition. I was indig- 
nant at being told that it was only for my father’s 
sake that I was retained in a school where I tried 
to do my best and where I always won the highest 
prizes; and I could not see why, at home, I should 
be forced to do housework when I wanted to read, 
while my brother who wished to work was com- 
pelled to study. When I complained of this last 
grievance, I was told that I was a girl and never 
could learn much, but was only fit to become a 
housekeeper. 
All these things threw me upon my own resources 
and taught me to make the most of every oppor- 
tunity, custom and habit to the contrary notwith- 
standing. 
It was at this juncture that I found, on my return 
to school, the psychologic instructor of whom I have 
spoken, in a newly engaged teacher of history, 
geography and arithmetic, all of which were my 
favorite studies. 
With this man I formed a most peculiar friend- 
ship, he being twenty years older than myself, and THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
23 
in every respect highly educated; I, a child of twelve, 
neglected in everything except my common-school 
education. 
He began by calling my attention to the careless- 
ness of my dress and the rudeness of my manners, 
and was the first one who ever spoke kindly to me 
on the subject. 
I told him all my thoughts; that I did not mean 
to be disagreeable, but that every one thought that 
I could not be otherwise; that I was convinced I was 
good enough at heart; and that I had at last resigned 
myself to my position as something that could not be 
helped. 
My new friend lectured me on the necessity of 
attracting others by an agreeable exterior and 
courteous manners, and proved to me that I had 
unconsciously repelled them by my carelessness, even 
when trying the most to please. His words made a 
deep impression on me. I thanked him for every 
reproach, and strove to do my best to gain his ap- 
probation. 
Henceforth, my hair was always carefully combed, 
my dress nicely arranged, and my collar in its place; 
and as I always won the first prizes in the school, 
two of the other teachers soon grew friendly towards 
me and began to manifest their preference quite 
strongly. 
In a few months, I became a different being. The 
bitterness that had been growing up within me grad- 
ually disappeared, and I began to have confidence 
in myself and to try to win the companionship of 
the other children. 
But a sudden change took place in my schoolmates, 24 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
who grew envious of the preference shown me by the 
teachers. Since they could no longer ridicule me 
for the carelessness of my dress, they now began to 
reproach me for my vanity and to call me a coquette 
who only thought of pleasing through appearances. 
This blow was altogether too hard for me to bear. 
I knew that they were wrong, for with all the care 
I bestowed on my dress, it was not half so fine as 
theirs, as I had but two calico dresses which I wore 
alternately, a week at a time, through the summer. 
I was again repelled from them; and at noon, when 
the rest of the scholars went home, I remained with 
my teacher-friend in the schoolroom, assisting him 
in correcting the exercises of the pupils. 
I took the opportunity to tell him of the curious 
envy that had taken possession of the girls, upon 
which he began to explain to me human nature and 
its fallacies, drawing inferences therefrom for per- 
sonal application. He found a ready listener in me. 
My inclination to abstract thought, combined with 
the unpleasant experience I had had in life, made 
me an attentive pupil and fitted me to comprehend 
his reasoning in the broadest sense. 
For fifteen months, I thus spent the noon hour 
with him in the schoolroom, receiving lessons in 
logic and reasoning upon concrete and abstract mat- 
ters that have since proved of far more psychologic 
value to me than ten years of reading on the same 
subjects. 
A strong attachment grew up between us: he 
became a necessity to me, and I revered him like an 
oracle. But his health failed, and he left the school 
at the end of these fifteen months in a consumption. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
25 
Shortly after, he sent to the school for me one 
morning to ask me to visit him on his deathbed. I 
was not permitted to leave the class until noon; 
when, just as I was preparing to go, a messenger 
came to inform the principal that he had died at 
eleven. 
This blow fell so heavily upon me that I wished to 
leave the school at once. I was forced to stay three 
weeks longer, until the end of the quarter, when I 
left the schoolroom on the first of April, 1843, at 
the age of thirteen years and seven months, and 
never entered it again. CHAPTER V 
Training in all details of housework—After mastering 
them, spends most of time reading in father’s library 
—Gradually begins assisting mother in care of patients 
—Contact with the heights and depths of human na- 
ture, from dens to palaces—Nurses two aunts and 
keeps house for their family—Dr. Arthur Lutze 
guides her reading in homeopathy and mesmerism— 
Attack of “brain fever”—Father burns books from 
Dr. Lutze—Marie learns French, plain sewing, dress- 
making and the management of the household, while 
continuing to assist in mother’s practice. (Fourteen 
to eighteen years of age: 1843-1847.) 
On the same day that I quitted my school, an aunt 
with whom I was a favorite was attacked with a 
violent hemorrhage from the lungs, and wished me 
to come to stay with her. This suited my taste. I 
went, and for a fortnight was her sole nurse. 
Upon my return home, my father told me that, 
having quitted school, I must now become a thorough 
housekeeper of whom he might be proud, as this 
was the only thing for which girls were intended by 
nature. I cheerfully entered upon my new ap- 
prenticeship, and learned how to sweep, to scrub, to 
wash and to cook. This work answered very well as 
long as the novelty lasted, but as soon as this wore 
off, it became highly burdensome. 
Many a forenoon when I was alone, instead of 
sweeping and dusting, I passed the hours in reading 
26 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
27 
books from my father’s library, until it grew so late 
that I was afraid that my mother, who had com- 
menced practice, would come home and scold me for 
not attending to my work, when I would hurry to 
get through, doing everything so badly that I had 
to hear daily that I was good for nothing and a 
nuisance in the world; and that it was not at all 
surprising that I was not liked in school, for nobody 
could ever like or be satisfied with me. 
Meanwhile, my mother’s practice gradually in- 
creased, and her generous and kindly nature won the 
confidence of hundreds who, wretchedly poor, found 
in her not only a humane woman but a most skillful 
practitioner. 
The poor are good judges of professional qualifica- 
tions. Without the aid that money can buy, without 
the comforts that the wealthy hardly need, and 
without friends whose advice is prompted by in- 
telligence, they must depend entirely upon the skill 
and humanity of those to whom they apply. Their 
life and happiness are placed in the hands of the 
physician and they jealously regard the one to whom 
they intrust them. 
None but a good practitioner can gain fame and 
praise in this class, which is thought so easily satis- 
fied. It is often said, “Oh! those people are poor 
and will be glad of any assistance.” Far from it! 
There is no class so entirely dependent for their 
subsistence upon their strength and health. These 
constitute their sole capital, their stock in trade; 
and when sick, they anxiously seek out the best 
physicians, for, if unskillfully attended, they may 
lose their all, their fortune and their happiness. 28 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
My mother went everywhere, both night and day, 
and it soon came to pass that when she was sent for 
and was not at home I was deputed to go in search 
of her. In this way, I gradually became a regular 
appendage to my mother, going with her in the 
winter nights from place to place and visiting those 
whom she could not visit during the day. 
I remember that in January, 1845, my mother at- 
tended thirty-five women in childbed—the list of 
names is still in my possession—and visited from 
sixteen to twenty-five daily, with my assistance. I 
do not think that, during the month, we were in bed 
for one whole night. Two thirds of these patients 
were unable to pay a cent. 
During these years, I learned all of life that it 
was possible for a human being to learn. I saw 
nobleness in dens, and meanness in palaces; virtue 
among prostitutes, and vice among so-called re- 
spectable women. I learned to judge human nature 
correctly, to see goodness where the world found 
nothing but faults, and also to see faults where the 
world could see nothing but virtue. 
The experience thus gained cost me the bloom 
of youth; yet I would not exchange it for a life of 
everlasting juvenescence. To keep up appearances 
is the aim of every one’s life; but to fathom these 
appearances and to judge correctly of what is be- 
neath them ought to be the aim of those who seek 
to draw true conclusions from life or to benefit others 
by real sympathy. 
One fact I learned, both at this time and after- 
wards, namely, that men always sympathize with THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
29 
fallen and wretched women, while women themselves 
are the first to raise and cast the stone at them. 
Why is this? Have not women as much feeling 
as men? Why, women are said to be made up en- 
tirely of feeling. How does it happen then that 
women condemn where men pity? Do they do this 
in the consciousness of their own superior virtue? 
Ah, no! for many of the condemning are no better 
than the condemned. 
The reason is that men know the world, that is, 
they know the obstacles in the path of life, and they 
know that they draw lines to exclude women from 
earning an honest livelihood while they throw op- 
portunities in their way to earn their bread by 
shame. All men are aware of this; therefore, the 
good as well as the bad give pity to those who 
claim it. 
It is my honest and earnest conviction that the 
reason that men are unwilling for women to enter 
upon public or business life is not so much the fear 
of competition or the dread lest women should lose 
their gentleness, and thus deprive society of this 
peculiar charm, as the fact that they are ashamed 
of the foulness of life which exists outside of the 
house and home. The good man knows that it is 
difficult to purify it; the bad man does not wish to 
be disturbed in his prey upon society. 
If I could but give to all women the tenth part of 
my experience, they would see that this is true, and 
would see, besides, that only faith in ourselves and 
in each other is needed to work out a reformation. 
Let woman enter fully into business with its 
serious responsibilities and duties; let it be 30 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
made as honorable and as profitable to her as to 
men; let her have an equal opportunity for earning 
competence and comfort—and we shall need no 
other purification of society. Men are no more de- 
praved than women, or rather, the total depravity 
of mankind is a lie. 
From the time of my leaving school until I was 
fifteen years old, my life was passed as I have 
described, in doing housework, attending the sick 
with my mother, and reading a few books of a scien- 
tific and literary character. At the end of this time, 
a letter came from an aunt of my mother’s, who was 
ill and whose adopted daughter (who was my 
mother’s sister) was also an invalid, requesting me 
to visit and nurse them. I went there in the fall. 
This was probably the most decisive event of my 
life. My great-aunt had a cancer that was to be 
taken out. The other was suffering from a nervous 
affection which rendered her a confirmed invalid. 
She was a most peculiar woman, and a clairvoyant 
and somnambulist of the most decided kind. Though 
not ill-natured, she was full of caprices that would 
have exhausted the patience of the most enduring 
of mortals. 
This aunt of mine had been sick in bed for seven 
years with a nervous derangement which baffled the 
most skillful physicians who had visited her. Her 
senses were so acute that one morning she fell into 
convulsions from the effect of distant music which 
she heard. None of us could perceive it, and we 
fully believed that her imagination had produced 
this result. But she insisted upon it, telling us that 
the music was like that of the Bohemian miners THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
31 
who played nothing but polkas. I was determined 
to ascertain the truth, and really found that in a 
public garden one and a half miles from her house 
such a troop had played all the afternoon. No pub- 
lic music was permitted in the city because the 
magistrate had forbidden it on her account. 
She never was a Spiritualist, though she fre- 
quently went into what is now called a trance. 
She spoke, wrote, sang and had presentiments of 
the finest kind while in this condition, far better 
than I have ever seen here in America in the case 
of the most celebrated mediums. 
She even prescribed for herself with success, yet 
she was not a Spiritualist. She was a somnambu- 
list, and, though weak enough when awake, threat- 
ened several times to pull the house down by her 
violence while in this condition. She had strength 
like a lion and no man could manage her. I saw the 
same thing in the hospital later. 
This aunt is now healthy; not cured by her own 
prescriptions or the magnetic or infinitesimal doses 
of Dr. Arthur Lutze, but by a strong emotion which 
took possession of her at the time of my great- 
aunt’s death. She is not sorry that she has lost all 
these strange powers, but heartily glad of it. 
When she afterwards visited us in Berlin, she 
could speak calmly and quietly of the perversion to 
which the nervous system may become subject if 
managed wrongly; and she could not tell how glad 
she was to be rid of all the emotions and notions she 
had been compelled to dream out. Over-care and 
over-anxiety had brought this about, and the same 
causes could again bring on a condition which the 32 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
ancients deemed holy and which the psychologist 
treats as one bordering on insanity. 
The old aunt was extremely suspicious and ava- 
ricious. Eight weeks after my arrival, she submitted 
to an operation. The operating surgeon found me 
so good an assistant that he intrusted me often with 
the dressing of the wound. 
For six weeks, I was the sole nurse of the two, 
going from one room to the other both night and 
day, and attending to the household matters besides, 
with no other assistant than a woman who came 
every morning for an hour or two to do the rough 
work, while an uncle and a boy cousin were continu- 
ally troubling me with their torn buttons, etc. 
I learned in this time to be cheerful and light- 
hearted under all circumstances, going often into 
the anteroom to have a healthy, hearty laugh. My 
surroundings were certainly anything but inspiring. 
I had the sole responsibility of the two sick women 
—the one annoying me with her caprices, the other 
with her avarice. In one room, I heard fanciful 
forebodings; in the other, reproaches for having 
used a teaspoonful too much sugar. I always had 
to carry the key of the storeroom to the old aunt in 
order that she might be sure that I could not go in 
and eat bread when I chose. At the end of six weeks 
she died, and I put on mourning for the only time 
in my life, certainly not through grief. 
In connection with the illness of my aunt I have 
mentioned Dr. Arthur Lutze. He was a disciple of 
Hahnemann, and I think a doctor of philosophy— 
certainly not of medicine. Besides being an infini- 
tesimal homeopathist, this man was a devotee of THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
33 
mesmerism. He became very friendly towards me 
and supplied me with books, telling me that I would 
not only make a good homeopathic physician but 
also an excellent medium for mesmerism, magne- 
tism, etc. 
At all events, I was glad to get the books, which 
I read industriously, and he constantly supplied me 
with new ones so that I had quite a library when he 
left the place, which he did before my return. He, 
too, lived in Berlin, and inquired my residence, prom- 
ising to visit me there and to teach me the art he 
practiced. 
I remained with my aunt until late in the spring, 
when my health failed and I returned home. I was 
very ill for a time with brain fever, but at last re- 
covered and set to work industriously to search for 
information in respect to the human body. 
Dr. Lutze kept his word: he visited me at my 
home, gave me more books, and directed my course 
of reading. But my father, who had become recon- 
ciled to my inclination to assist my mother, was 
opposed to homeopathy and especially opposed to 
Dr. Arthur Lutze. He even threatened to turn him 
out of the house if I permitted him to visit me again, 
and burned all my books except one that I snatched 
from the flames. 
From this time, I was resolved to learn all that 
I could about the human system. I read all the 
books that I could get on the subject, and tried be- 
sides to educate myself in other branches. 
My father was satisfied with this disposition, and 
was glad to hear me propose to have a French 
teacher in the house, both for my sake and for that 34 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
of the other children. I studied in good earnest by 
myself; at the same time, going through the usual 
discipline of German girls. I learned plain sewing, 
dressmaking and the management of the household, 
but was allowed to use my leisure time as I pleased. 
When my sisters went skating, I remained at 
home to study; when they went to balls and theaters, 
I was thought the proper person to stay to watch 
the house. Having become so much older, I was 
now of great assistance to my mother in her busi- 
ness. No one complained any longer of my ugliness 
or my rudeness. I was always busy, and, when at 
liberty, always glad to do what I could for others; 
and though these years were full of hardships, I 
consider them among the happiest of my life. I 
was as free as it was possible for any German girl 
to be. CHAPTER VI 
Decides to qualify herself as midwife—Meets great dif- 
ficulties due to being unmarried and too young— 
Studies privately under Dr. Schmidt—History and 
organization of the School for Midwives: first school 
established through Justina Ditrichin (obstetric sur- 
geon and writer about 1735); after her death, owing 
to the opposition of medical men, educated women 
withdrew from the profession whieh then deterio- 
rated; it became legally standardized in 1818 ivith the 
present school, and women of the higher classes re- 
turned to the profession—Marie being refused for the 
third time, Dr. Schmidt obtains an order from the 
King for her admission to the school—Becomes assis- 
tant teacher under Dr. Schmidt—Receives diploma of 
highest degree, and the class which she taught makes 
the highest known record. (Eighteen to twenty-two 
years of age: 1847-1851.) 
My household duties, however, continued distaste- 
ful to me, much to the annoyance of my father who 
still contended that this was the only sphere for 
woman. From being so much with my mother, I 
had lost all taste for domestic life—anything out of 
doors was preferable to the monotonous routine of 
the household. 
I at length determined to follow my inclinations 
by studying, in order to fit myself to become a prac- 
titioner of midwifery, as is usual in Berlin. 
My father was satisfied and pleased with this 
idea, which opened the way to an independent, re- 
35 36 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
spectable livelihood, for he never really wished to 
have us seek this in marriage. 
My mother did not like my resolution at all. She 
practiced, not because she liked the profession, but 
because in this way she obtained the means of being 
independent and of aiding in the education of the 
children. 
I persisted, however, in my resolution, and imme- 
diately took measures to carry it into effect by going 
directly to Dr. Joseph Hermann Schmidt, the Pro- 
fessor of Midwifery in the University and the School 
for Midwives, and Director of the Royal Hospital 
Charite; while my father, who for several years 
held the position of a civil officer, made the applica- 
tion to the city magistrates for me to be admitted as 
a pupil to the School for Midwives, in which my 
mother had been educated. 
In order to show the importance of this step, it is 
necessary to explain more fully the history and 
organization of the school. 
About 1735, Justina Ditrichin (the wife of Siege- 
mund, a distinguished civil officer of Prussia) was 
afflicted with an internal disease which baffled the 
skill of the midwives, who had pronounced her preg- 
nant, and none of whom could define her disorder. 
After many months of suffering, she was visited by 
the wife of a poor soldier, wdio told her what ailed 
her; in consequence of which, she was cured by her 
physicians. 
This circumstance awakened in the mind of the 
lady an intense desire to study midwifery, which she 
did; and afterwards practiced it with such success 
that, in consequence of her extensive practice, she THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
37 
was obliged to confine herself solely to irregular 
cases. She performed all kinds of operations with 
masterly skill and wrote the first book on the sub- 
ject ever published in Germany by a woman. She 
was sent for from all parts of Germany, and was 
appointed body-physician to the Queen and ladies 
of the court of Prussia and Mark Brandenburg. 
Through her influence, schools were established 
in which women were instructed in the science and 
the art of obstetrics. She also taught many herself, 
and a very successful and respectable practice soon 
grew up among women. After her death, however, 
this was discountenanced by the physicians, who 
brought it into such disrepute by their ridicule that 
the educated class of women withdrew from the pro- 
fession. This left it in the hands of ignorant pre- 
tenders who continued to practice it until 1818. At 
this time, public attention was called to the subject 
and strict laws were enacted by which women were 
required to call in a male practitioner in every ir- 
regular case of confinement, under penalty of from 
one to twenty years of imprisonment and the for- 
feiture of the right to practice. 
These laws still continue in force. A remarkable 
case is recorded by Dr. Schmidt of a woman who, 
feeling her own competence to manage a case com- 
mitted to her care, did not send for a male physician 
as the law required. Although it was fully proved 
that she had done everything that could have been 
done in the case, her penalty was imprisonment for 
twenty years. Two other cases are quoted by Dr. 
Schmidt, in which male practitioners were sum- 
moned before a legal tribunal. It was proved that 38 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
they had not done that which was necessary, yet 
their penalty was no heavier than that inflicted on 
the woman who had done exactly what she onght. 
At this time (1818), it was also made illegal for 
any woman to practice who had not been educated. 
This brought the profession again into repute 
among women of the higher classes. A school for 
midwives, supported by the government, was estab- 
lished in Berlin, in which women have since con- 
tinued to be educated for practice in this city and 
in other parts of Prussia. Two midwives are elected 
each year, by a committee, from the applicants, to 
be educated for practice in Berlin. And as they 
have to study two years, there are always four of 
these students in the school, two graduating every 
year. The remainder of the students are from the 
provincial districts. 
To be admitted to this school is considered a 
stroke of good fortune, as there are generally more 
than a hundred applicants, many of whom have to 
wait eight or ten years before they are elected. 
There is, besides, a great deal of favoritism, those 
women being generally chosen who are the widows 
or wives of civil officers or physicians, to whom this 
chance of earning a livelihood is given in order that 
they may not become a burden on the government. 
Though educated apart from the male students 
while studying the theory of midwifery, they attend 
the accouchement ward together, and receive clini- 
cal or practical instruction in the same class from 
the same professor. 
The male students of medicine are admitted to the 
university at the age of eighteen, having first been THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
39 
required to go through a prescribed course of col- 
legiate study and to pass the requisite examination. 
Here they attend the lectures of various professors, 
often of four or five upon the same subject, in order 
to learn how it is treated from different points of 
view. Then, after having thus studied for a certain 
length of time, they present themselves for an ex- 
amination by the professors of the university, which 
confers upon them the title of M.D., without the 
right to practice. They are then obliged to prepare 
for what is called the State’s examination, before 
a Board of the most distinguished men in the pro- 
fession appointed to this place by the government; 
these also constitute the medical court. Of this 
number, Dr. Schmidt was one. 
Dr. Schmidt approved my resolution and ex- 
pressed himself warmly in favor of it. He also 
recommended to me a course of reading, to be com- 
menced at once as a kind of preliminary education. 
And although he had no influence with the commit- 
tee of the city government who examined and elected 
the pupils, he promised to call upon some of them 
and urge my election. But despite his recommenda- 
tion and my father’s position as civil officer, I re- 
ceived a refusal, on the grounds that I was much too 
young (being only eighteen) and that I was un- 
married. 
The latter fault I did not try to remove; the for- 
mer I corrected daily; and when I was nineteen, I 
repeated my application and received the same 
reply. 
During this time, Dr. Schmidt became more and 
more interested in me personally. He promised 40 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
that he would do all in his power to have me chosen 
the next year and urged me to read and study as 
much as possible in order to become fully acquainted 
with the subject. 
As usual, I continued to assist my mother in vis- 
iting her patients, and thus had a fine opportunity 
for explaining to myself many things which the mere 
study of books left in darkness. In fact, these years 
of preliminary practical study were more valuable 
to me than all the lectures that I ever listened to 
afterwards. Full of zeal and enthusiasm and stim- 
ulated by a friend whose position and personal ac- 
quirements inspired me with reverence and devo- 
tion, I thought of nothing else than how to prepare 
myself in such a way that I should not disap- 
point him nor those to whom he had commended 
me. 
Dr. Schmidt was consumptive and almost an in- 
valid, often having to lecture in a reclining position. 
The author of many valuable medical works and 
director of the largest hospital in Prussia (the 
Charite of Berlin), he found a most valuable as- 
sistant in his wife—one of the noblest women that 
ever lived. She was always with him except in 
the lecture room, and almost all of his works 
are said to have been written by her from his 
dictation. 
This had inspired him with the highest possible 
respect for women. He had the utmost faith in their 
powers when rightly developed, and always de- 
clared their intellectual capacity to be the same with 
that of men. This belief inspired him with the de- 
sire to give me an education superior to that of the THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
41 
common midwives; and at the same time, to reform 
the school of midwives by giving to it a professor 
of its own sex. 
To this position he had in his own mind already 
elected me. But before I could take it, I had to 
procure a legitimate election from the city to the 
school as pupil, and during my attendance, he had 
to convince the government of the necessity of such 
a reform, as well as to bring over the medical pro- 
fession. This last was not so easily done, for many 
men were already waiting for Dr. Schmidt’s death 
in order to obtain this very post which was consid- 
ered valuable. 
When I was twenty, I received my third refusal. 
Dr. Schmidt, whose health was failing rapidly, had 
exerted himself greatly to secure my admission. 
The medical part of the committee had promised 
him that they would give me their vote, but some 
theological influence was set to work to elect one of 
the deaconesses in my stead, so that she might be 
educated for the post of superintendent of the lying- 
in ward of the hospital which was under Dr. 
Schmidt’s care. She also was rejected in order not 
to offend Dr. Schmidt, but for this he would not 
thank them. 
No sooner had I carried him the letter of refusal 
than he ordered his carriage and, proceeding to 
the royal palace, obtained an audience with the 
king, to whom he related the refusal of the com- 
mittee to elect me on the ground that I was too 
young and unmarried, and entreated of him a cabi- 
net order which should compel the city to admit me 
to the school, adding that he saw no reason why 42 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Germany as well as France should not have and 
be proud of a Lachapelle. 
The king, who held Dr. Schmidt in high esteem, 
gave him at once the desired order, and I became 
legally the student of my friend. His praise, how- 
ever, procured me intense vexation, for my name 
was dropped entirely and I was only spoken of as 
Lachapelle the Second, which would by no means 
have been unpleasant had I earned the title, but to 
receive it sneeringly in advance before having been 
allowed to make my appearance publicly, was indeed 
unbearable. 
On the third day after his visit to the king, Dr. 
Schmidt received me into the class and introduced 
me to it as his future assistant teacher. This an- 
nouncement was as surprising to me as to the class, 
but I took it quietly, thinking that if Dr. Schmidt 
did not consider me fit for the place, he would not 
risk being attacked for it by the profession en masse, 
by whom he was watched closely. 
On the same day, a little incident occurred which 
I must mention. In the evening, instead of going 
alone to the class for practical instruction, I accom- 
panied Dr. Schmidt at his request. We entered the 
hall where his assistant, the chief physician, had 
already commenced his instructions. Dr. Schmidt 
introduced me to him as his private pupil to whom 
he wished him to give particular attention, ending 
by giving my name. The physician hurriedly came 
up to me and grasped my hand, exclaiming, “Why, 
this is my little blind doctor!” I looked at him and 
recognized the very Dr. Muller with whom I used 
to make the rounds of the hospital when I was THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
43 
twelve years old, and who had since risen to the 
position of chief physician. This rencontre and the 
interest that he manifested afterwards greatly re- 
lieved Dr. Schmidt who had feared that he would 
oppose me instead of giving me any special aid. 
During this winter’s study, I spent the most of 
the time in the hospital, being almost constantly at 
the side of Dr. Schmidt. I certainly made the most 
of every opportunity, and I scarcely believe it pos- 
sible for any student to learn more in so short a 
time than I did during this winter. I was continu- 
ally busy, acting even as nurse whenever I could 
learn anything by it. During the following sum- 
mer, I was obliged to reside wholly in the hospital, 
this being a part of the prescribed education. Here 
I became acquainted with all the different wards and 
had a tine opportunity to watch the cases by myself. 
In the meantime, Dr. Schmidt’s illness increased 
so rapidly that he feared he might die before his 
plans in respect to me had been carried out, es- 
pecially as the state of his health had compelled him 
to give up his position as Chief Director of the Hos- 
pital Charite. His intention was to make me chief 
accoucheuse in the hospital, and to surrender into 
my hands his position as professor in the School 
for Midwives, so that I might have the entire charge 
of the midwives’ education. 
The opposition to this plan was twofold. First, 
the theological influence that sought to place the 
deaconess (Sister Catherine) in the position of 
house-midwife; and, second, the younger part of the 
profession, many of whom were anxious for the 
post of professor in the School for Midwives, which 44 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
never would have been suffered to fall into the 
hands of Sister Catherine. Dr. Schmidt, however, 
was determined to yield to neither. Personal pride 
demanded that he should succeed in his plan, and 
several of the older and more influential members 
of the profession took his part, among whom were 
Johannes Muller, Busch, Muller, Kilian, etc. 
During the second winter, his lecturing in the 
‘class was only nominal, often nothing more than 
naming the heads of the subjects while I had to 
give the real instruction. His idea was to make 
me feel the full responsibility of such a position, 
and at the same time to give me a chance to do the 
work that he had declared me preeminently capable 
of doing. This was an intrigue, but he would not 
have it otherwise. He did not intend that I should 
perform his duty for his benefit, but for my own. 
He wished to show to the government the fact that 
I had done the work of a man like himself and had 
done it well; and that, if he had not told them of 
his withdrawal, no one would have recognized his 
absence from the result. 
At the close of this term, I was obliged to pass my 
examination at the same time with the fifty-six stu- 
dents who composed the class. Dr. Schmidt invited 
some of the most prominent medical men to be pres- 
ent, besides those appointed as the examining com- 
mittee. He informed me of this on the day before 
the examination, saying, “I want to convince them 
that you can do better than half of the young men at 
their examination.” 
The excitement of this day I can hardly describe. 
I had not only to appear before a body of strangers THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
45 
of whose manner of questioning I had no idea, but 
also before half a dozen authorities in the profes- 
sion, assembled especially for criticism. 
Picture to yourself my position: standing before 
the table at which were seated the three physicians 
composing the examining committee, who questioned 
in the most perplexing manner, while four other 
physicians of the highest standing were seated on 
each side, making eleven in all; Dr. Schmidt, a little 
way off, anxious that I should prove true all that 
he had said in praise of me, and the rest of the 
class in the background, filling up the large hall. 
It was terrible. The trifling honor of being consid- 
ered capable was rather dearly purchased. 
I went through the whole hour bravely, without 
missing a single question, until finally the clock 
struck twelve, when everything suddenly grew black 
before my eyes, and the last question sounded like 
a humming noise in my ear. I answered it—how, 
I know not—and was permitted to sit down and rest 
for fifteen minutes before I -was called to the prac- 
tical examination on the manikin. I gave satisfac- 
tion to all, and received the diploma of the first 
degree. 
This by no means ended the excitement. The 
students of the year were next examined. This 
examination continued for a week, after which the 
diplomas were announced, when it was found that 
never before had there been so many of the first 
degree and so few of the third. Dr. Schmidt then 
made it known that this was the result of my exer- 
tions, and I was pronounced a very capable woman. CHAPTER VII 
Dr. Schmidt urges Marie’s appointment as Chief of the 
School, including the surrender to her of his own 
position as professor—Violent medical and diplomatic 
opposition, becoming a controversy over “ Woman’s 
Rights”—Marie’s father refuses his consent and in- 
sists that she marry a man she has never even seen— 
Eventually, Dr. Schmidt wins and Marie receives her 
appointment—Triumph immediately turned to trag- 
edy by sudden death of Dr. Schmidt on the same day. 
(Twenty-two years of age: 1851-1852.) 
The acknowledgment that I was a very capable 
woman having been made by the medical men present 
at the examination, Dr. Schmidt thought it would be 
an easy matter to get me installed into the position 
for which I had proved myself capable. But such 
could not be the case in a government ruled by hy- 
pocrisy and intrigue. To acknowledge the capabil- 
ity of a woman did not by any means say that she 
was at liberty to hold a position in which she could 
exercise this capability. 
German men are educated to be slaves to the gov- 
ernment: positive freedom is comprehended only 
by a few. They generally struggle for a kind of 
negative freedom, namely, for themselves. For each 
man, however much he may be inclined to show his 
subserviency to those superior in rank, thinks him- 
self the lord of creation and, of course, regards 
woman only as his appendage. How can this lord 
46 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
47 
of creation, being a slave himself, look upon the 
free development and demand for recognition of 
his appendage otherwise than as a nonsense or a 
usurpation of his exclusive rights'? 
And among these lords of creation, I heartily dis- 
like that class which not only yield to the influence 
brought to bear upon them by the government but 
who also possess an infinite amount of narrowness 
and vanity united to an infinite servility to money 
and position. There is not ink and paper enough in 
all the world to write down the contempt I feel for 
men in whose power it is to be free in thought and 
noble in action, and who yet act to the contrary to 
feed their ambition or their purses. I have learned, 
perhaps, too much of their spirit for my own 
good. 
You can hardly believe what I experienced in re- 
spect to intrigue within the few months following 
my examination. All the members of the medical 
profession were unwilling that a woman should take 
her place on a level with them. 
All the diplomatists became fearful that Dr. 
Schmidt intended to advocate the question of 
“Woman’s Rights”; one of them exclaiming one 
evening, in the heat of discussion, “For Heaven’s 
sake! the Berlin women are already wiser than all 
the men of Prussia: what will become of us if we 
allow them to manifest it?” 
I was almost forgotten in the five months during 
which the question was debated: it became more 
than a matter of personal intrigue. The real ques- 
tion at stake was, “How shall women be educated, 
and what is their true sphere ? ’ ’ And this was dis- 48 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
cussed with more energy and spirit than ever has 
been done here in America. 
Scores of letters were written by Dr. Schmidt to 
convince the government that a woman could really 
be competent to hold the position in question, and 
that I had been pronounced so by the whole faculty. 
The next objection raised was that my father was 
known as holding revolutionary principles; and to 
conquer this cost a long discussion, with many in- 
terviews of the officials with my father and Dr. 
Schmidt. 
The next thing urged was that I was much too 
young; that it would be necessary, in the course of 
my duties, to instruct the young men also, and that 
there was danger in our thus being thrown together. 
In fact, this reason, read to me by Dr. Schmidt from 
one of the letters written at this time (all of which 
are still carefully preserved), runs thus, “To give 
this position to Miss M. E. Zakrzewska is dangerous. 
She is a prepossessing young lady, and from com- 
ing in contact with so many gentlemen must neces- 
sarily fall in love with some one of them, and thus 
end her career.” To this, I have only to reply that 
I am sorry that I could not have found one among 
them that could have made me follow the suggestion. 
This objection, however, seemed for a while the 
most difficult to be met, for it was well known that, 
when a student myself, I had stood on the most 
friendly terms with my fellow students. And that 
they had often taken my part in little disturbances 
that naturally came up in an establishment where 
no one was permitted to enter or to leave without 
giving a reason. Even my private patients were THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
49 
sometimes sent away at the door because I did not 
know of their coming and for this reason could not 
announce to the doorkeeper the name and residence 
of those who might possibly call. 
That this difficulty was finally conquered, I have 
to thank the students themselves. My relation with 
these young men was of the pleasantest kind. They 
never seemed to think that I was not of their sex, 
hut always treated me like one of themselves. I 
knew of their studies and their amusements; yes, 
even of the mischievous pranks that they were plan- 
ning both for college and for social life. They often 
made me their confidante in their private affairs, 
and were more anxious for my approval or forgive- 
ness than for that of their relatives. I learned dur- 
ing this time how great is the friendly influence of 
a woman even upon fast-living and licentious young 
men; and this has done more to convince me of the 
necessity that the two sexes should live together 
from infancy, than all the theories and arguments 
that are brought to convince the mass of this fact. 
As soon as it became known among the students 
that my youth was the new objection, they treated 
it in such a manner that the whole thing was trans- 
formed into a ridiculous bugbear, growing out of 
the imagination of the virtuous opposers. 
Nothing now seemed left in the way of my at- 
taining to the position, when suddenly it dawned 
upon the mind of some that I was irreligious, that 
neither my father nor my mother attended church, 
and that, under such circumstances, I could not of 
course be a church-goer. 
Fortunately, I had complied with the require- 50 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
ments of the law, and could therefore bring my cer- 
tificate of confirmation from one of the Protestant 
churches. By the advice of Dr. Schmidt, I com- 
menced to attend church regularly, and continued 
until a little incident happened which I must relate 
here. 
One Sunday, just after the sermon was over, I 
remembered that I had forgotten to give instruc- 
tions to the nurse in respect to a patient and I left 
the church without waiting for the end of the service. 
The next morning, I was summoned to answer to 
the charge of leaving the church at an improper 
time. The inquisitor (who was one of those who 
had accused me of irreligion), being vexed that I 
contradicted him by going to church regularly, was 
anxious to make me confess that I did not care for 
the service. But I saw through his policy as well 
as his hypocrisy, and simply told him the truth, 
namely, that I had forgotten important business 
and therefore thought it excusable to leave as soon 
as the sermon was over. 
Whether he sought to lure me on to further avow- 
als, I know not; but whatever was his motive, he 
asked me in reply whether I believed that he cared 
for the humdrum custom of church-going, and 
whether I thought him imbecile enough to consider 
this as anything more than the means by which to 
keep the masses in check, adding that it was the 
duty of the intelligent to make the affair respectable 
by setting the example of going themselves, and that 
he only wished me to act on this principle, when all 
accusations of irreligion would fall to the ground. 
I had always known that this man was not my THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
51 
friend, but when I heard this, I felt disenchanted 
with the whole world. I had never thought him more 
than a hypocrite, whereas I now found him the 
meanest of men both in theory and in practice. I 
was thoroughly indignant, the more so, since I felt 
guilty myself in going to church simply to please 
Dr. Schmidt. 
I do not remember what answer I gave, but I know 
that my manners and words made it evident that I 
considered him a villain. He never forgave me for 
this, as all his future acts proved to me. For, in 
his position of chief director of the hospital, he had 
it in his power, more than any one else, to annoy 
me, and that he did so you will presently see. 
The constant opposition and attendant excite- 
ment, together with the annoyances which my father, 
as civil officer, had to endure, made him resolve to 
present a declaration to the government that I 
should never, with his consent, enter the position. 
He had become so tired of my efforts to become a 
public character in my profession that he suddenly 
conceived the wish to have me married. 
Now, take for a moment into consideration the 
facts that I was but twenty-two years of age, full 
of sanguine enthusiasm for my vocation, and strong 
in the friendship of Dr. Schmidt. He had inspired 
me with the idea of a career different from the com- 
mon routine of domestic life. 
My mother, overcoming her repugnance to my 
entering my profession, had been my best friend, en- 
couraging me steadily; while my father, yielding to 
the troubles that it involved, had become disgusted 
with it, and wished me to abandon my career. He 52 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
was stern, and would not take back liis word. I 
could do nothing without his consent; while Dr. 
Schmidt had finally overcome all difficulties and had 
the prospect of victory if my father would but yield. 
A few weeks of this life were sufficient to drive 
one mad, and I am sure that I was near becoming 
so. I was resolved to run away from home or to 
kill myself, while my father was equally resolved 
to marry me to a man whom I had never seen. 
Matters finally came to a crisis through the illness 
of Dr. Schmidt, whose health failed so rapidly that 
it was thought dangerous to let him be longer ex- 
cited by the fear of not realizing his favorite scheme. 
Some of his medical advisers influenced the govern- 
ment to appeal to my father to withdraw his declara- 
tion, which, satisfied with the honor thus done him, 
he did on the 1st of May, 1852. 
On the 15th of May, I received my legal install- 
ment to the position for which Dr. Schmidt had 
designed me. The joy that I felt was great beyond 
expression. A youthful enthusiast of twenty-two, 
I stood at the height of my wishes and expectations. 
I had obtained what others could obtain only after 
the protracted labor of half a lifetime, and already 
I saw myself in imagination occupying the place of 
Dr. Schmidt’s aspirations—that of a German La- 
chapelle. 
No one who has not passed at the same age 
through the same excitement can comprehend the 
fullness of my rejoicing, which was not wholly sel- 
fish, for I knew that nothing in the world would 
please Dr. Schmidt so much as this victory. The 
wildest joy of an accepted suitor is a farce com- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
53 
pared to my feelings on the morning of that 15th of 
May. I was reconciled to my bitterest opponents, 
I could even have thanked them for their opposi- 
tion, since it had made the success so much the 
sweeter. 
Not the slightest feeling of triumph was in my 
heart; all was happiness and rejoicing. And it was 
in this condition of mind and heart that I put on 
my bonnet and shawl to carry the good news to Dr. 
Schmidt. Without waiting to be announced, I 
hastened to his parlor, where I found him sitting 
with his wife upon the sofa. I did not walk, but 
flew, towards them and threw the letter upon the 
table, exclaiming, “There is the victory!” 
Like a conflagration, my joy spread to Dr. Schmidt 
as well as to his wife, who thought that she saw in 
these tidings a cup of new life for her husband. I 
stayed only long enough to accept their congratula- 
tions. Dr. Schmidt told me to be sure to come the 
next morning to enter legally upon my duties at 
his side. He saw that I needed the open air, and 
felt that he too must have it to counteract his joy. 
I went to tell my father and several friends, and 
spent the day in blissful ignorance of the dreadful 
event that was transpiring. 
The next morning at seven o’clock, I left home to 
go to my residence in the hospital. I had not slept 
during the night; the youthful fire of enthusiasm 
burnt too violently to allow me any rest. 
The old doorkeeper opened the door for me, and 
gazed at me with an air of surprise. “What is the 
matter?” I asked. “I am astonished to see you so 
cheerful,” said he. “Why?” I asked with aston- 54 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
ishment. “Don’t yon know that Dr. Schmidt is 
dead?” was the answer. Dr. Schmidt dead! I 
trembled; I staggered; I fell upon a chair. 
The beautiful entrance hall, serving also as a 
greenhouse during the winter, filled in every place 
with flowers and tropical fruit, faded from my eyes; 
and in its stead I saw nothing but laughing faces, 
distorted with scorn and mockery. 
A flood of tears cooled the heat of my brain, and 
a calmness like that of death soon took possession 
of me. I had fallen from the topmost height of joy 
and happiness to the profoundest depth of disap- 
pointment and despair. If there was nothing else 
to prove the strength of my mind, the endurance of 
this sudden change would be sufficient. 
I went at once to Dr. Schmidt’s residence in the 
Hospital Park, where I met him again, not as I had 
expected an hour before ready to go with me to the 
hospital department which I was henceforth to 
superintend, but as a corpse. 
After I had left the day before, he had expressed 
a wish to go into the open air, his excitement nearly 
equaling mine. Mrs. Schmidt ordered the carriage, 
and they drove to the large park. He talked con- 
stantly and excitedly about the satisfaction he felt 
in this success until they arrived, when he wished 
to get out of the carriage and walk with his wife. 
Mrs. Schmidt consented, but they had taken only a 
few steps when he sank to the ground, and a gush 
of blood from his mouth terminated his existence. CHAPTER VIII 
Death of Dr. Schmidt opens doors for hosts of office-seek- 
ers and for Marie’s opponents—Hostilities of latter 
nullified by her methods, and by her continued pro- 
fessional success with patients and with both men and 
women students—After six months’ struggle with un- 
abated animosities and intrigue, she resigns her po- 
sition in the hospital. (Twenty-three years of age: 
1852.) 
I left Dr. Schmidt’s house, and entered alone into 
the wards, where I felt that I was without friendly 
encouragement and support. During the three days 
that intervened before the burial of Dr. Schmidt, I 
was hardly conscious of anything, but moved about 
mechanically like an automaton. 
The next few days were days of confusion, for the 
death of Dr. Schmidt had left so many places vacant 
that some fifty persons were struggling to obtain 
some one of his offices. The eagerness, servility and 
meanness which these educated men displayed in 
striving to conquer their rivals was more than dis- 
gusting. The serpents that lie in wait for their 
prey are endurable, for we know that it is their na- 
ture to be cunning and relentless; but to see men of 
intellect and education sly and snaky, ferocious yet 
servile to the utmost, makes one almost believe in 
total depravity. The most of these men got what 
they deserved, namely, nothing. The places were 
55 56 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
filled temporarily with others, and everything went 
on apparently as before. 
My position soon became very disagreeable. I 
had received my installment, not because I was 
wanted by the directors of the hospital, but because 
they had been commanded by the government to 
accept me, in the hope of thus prolonging the life 
of Dr. Schmidt. 
Young and inexperienced in petty intrigue, I had 
now to work without friendly encouragement and 
appreciation, in an establishment where three thou- 
sand people were constantly at war about each 
other’s affairs; with no one about me in whom I had 
a special interest, while every one was regretting 
that the installment had been given me before Dr. 
Schmidt’s death which might have happened just 
as well from some other excitement. I surveyed 
the whole arena, and saw very well that, unless I 
practiced meanness and dishonesty as well as the 
rest, I could not remain there for any length of 
time, for scores were ready to calumniate me when- 
ever there was the least thing to be gained by it. 
I was about to commence a new period of life. I 
had a solid structure as a foundation, but the super- 
structure had been built up in so short a time that 
a change of wind would suffice to cast it down. I re- 
solved, therefore, to tear it down myself and to be- 
gin to build another upon the carefully laid basis. 
I waited only for an opportunity to manifest my 
intention. This opportunity soon presented itself. 
Sister Catherine, the deaconess of whom I have 
spoken, who had been allowed to attend the School 
for Midwives after my election, through the influ- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
57 
ence of her theological friends upon Dr. Schmidt 
(the city magistrates having refused her because 
I was already the third accepted pupil), had as yet 
no position. These friends now sought to make her 
the second accoucheuse, I having the first position, 
with the additional title of Chief. 
This she would not accept. She, the experienced 
deaconess, who had been a Florence Nightingale 
in the typhus epidemic of Silesia, was unwilling to 
be under the supervision of a woman who had noth- 
ing to show but a thorough education, and who was 
besides eight years younger than herself. 
Her refusal made my enemies still more hostile. 
Why they were so anxious for her services I can 
only explain by supposing that the directors of the 
hospital wished to annoy Pastor Fliedner, the origi- 
nator of the Kaiserswerth Sisterhood. For, in plac- 
ing Sister Catherine in this position, they robbed 
him of one of the very best nurses that he had ever 
had in his institution. 
My desire to reconcile the government of the hos- 
pital, in order that I might have peace in my posi- 
tion to pursue my development and education so as 
to realize and manifest to the people the truth of 
what Dr. Schmidt had affirmed of me, induced me 
to go to one of the directors and propose that Sister 
Catherine should be installed on equal terms with 
me, offering to drop the title of Chief and to con- 
sent that the department should be divided into two. 
My proposition was accepted nominally, and Sis- 
ter Catherine was installed but with a third less 
salary than I received, while I had to give the daily 
reports, etc., and to take the chief responsibility of 58 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
the whole. Catherine was quite friendly to me, and 
I was happy in the thought that there was now one 
at least who would stand by me should any difficul- 
ties occur. How much I was mistaken in the human 
heart! This pious, sedate woman, towards whom my 
heart yearned with friendship, was my greatest 
enemy, though I did not know it until after my ar- 
rival in America. 
A few weeks afterwards, the city petitioned to 
have a number of women instructed in the prac- 
tice of midwifery. These women were all experi- 
enced nurses who had taken the liberty to practice 
this art to a greater or less extent from what they 
had learned of it while nursing; and to put an end 
to this unlawful practice, they had been summoned 
before an examining committee, and the youngest 
and best educated were chosen to be instructed as 
the law required. Dr. Muller, the pathologist, was 
appointed to superintend the theoretical, and Dr. 
Ebert, the practical, instruction. Dr. Muller, who 
never had given this kind of instruction before, and 
who was a special friend of mine, immediately sur- 
rendered the whole into my hands; while Dr. Ebert, 
whose time was almost wholly absorbed in the de- 
partment of the diseases of children, appointed me 
as his assistant. Both gentlemen gave me certifi- 
cates of this when I determined to emigrate to 
America. 
The marked preference for my wards that had al- 
ways been shown by the male students was shared 
by these women when they came. Sister Catherine 
was neither ambitious nor envious, yet she felt that 
she was the second in place. Drs. Muller and Ebert THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
59 
never addressed themselves to her; neither did they 
impress the nurses and the servants with the idea 
that she was anything more than the head nurse. 
All these things together made her a spy; and 
though nothing happened for which I could be re- 
proved, all that I said and did was watched and 
secretly reported. 
Under a despotic government, the spy is as neces- 
sary as the corporal. The annoyance of this re- 
porting is that the secrecy exists only for the one 
whom it concerns, while the subaltern officers and 
servants receive hints that such a person is kept 
under constant surveillance. 
When it was found that no occasion offered to find 
fault with me, our administrative inspector was re- 
moved and a surly old corporal put in his place, 
with the hint that the government of the hospital 
thought that the former inspector did not perform 
his duty rightly, since he never reported disturbance 
in a ward that had formerly been notorious as being 
the most disorderly. 
[Marie’s method in transforming this ward and 
consequently its reputation is evidently described in 
the ‘‘Introduction” written by Mrs. Dali for these 
earlier chapters. 
In the autumn of 1856, Marie was addressing a 
physiological institute in Boston. Mrs. Dali says: 
She spoke to them of her experience in the hos- 
pital at Berlin, and showed that the most sinning, 
suffering woman never passed beyond the reach of 
a woman’s sympathy and help. 60 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Mrs. Dali then quotes from the address: 
Soon after I entered the hospital [said Marie], 
the nurses called me to a ward where sixteen of the 
most forlorn objects had begun to fight with each 
other. The inspector and the young physician had 
been called to them, but dared not enter the melee. 
When I arrived, pillows, chairs, footstools and ves- 
sels had deserted their usual places; and one stout 
little woman, with rolling eyes and tangled hair, 
had lifted a vessel of slops which she threatened to 
throw all over me, as she exclaimed, “Don’t dare to 
come here, you green young thing!” 
I went quietly towards her, saying gently, “Be 
ashamed, my dear woman, of your fury.” 
Her hands dropped. Seizing me by the shoulder, 
she exclaimed, “You don’t mean that you look on 
me as a woman?” 
“How else?” I answered. She retreated to her 
bed while all the rest stood in the attitudes into 
which passion had thrown them. 
“Arrange your beds,” I said; “and in fifteen 
minutes, let me return and find everything right.” 
When I returned, all was as I had desired, every 
woman standing at her bedside. The short woman 
was missing, but bending on each a friendly glance 
I passed through the ward, which never gave me any 
more trouble. 
When, late at night, I entered my room, it was 
fragrant with violets. A green wreath surrounded 
an old Bible and a little bouquet rested on it. I did 
not pause to speculate over this sentimentality, but 
threw myself weary upon the bed when a light tap 
at the door startled me. The short woman entered 
and humbling herself on the floor, since she would 
not sit in my presence, entreated to be heard. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
61 
“You called me a woman,” she said, “and you 
pity us. Others call us by the name the world gives 
us. You would help us, if help were possible. All 
the girls love you and are ashamed before you; and 
therefore I hated you—no: I will not hate you any 
longer. There was a time when I might have been 
saved—I, and Joanna, and Margaret, and Louise. 
We were not bad. Listen to me. If you say there 
is any hope, I will yet be an honest woman.” 
She had had respectable parents; and, when 
twenty years old, was deserted by her lover who 
left her three months pregnant. Otherwise kind, 
her family perpetually reproached her with her dis- 
grace and threatened to send her away. At last, she 
fled to Berlin, keeping herself from utter starvation 
by needlework. In the hospital to which she went 
for confinement, she took the smallpox. When she 
came out, with her baby in her arms, her face was 
covered with red blotches. Not even the lowest 
refuge was open to her, her appearance was so 
frightful. With her baby dragging at her empty 
breast, she wandered through the streets. An old 
hag took pity on both, and carefully nursed till 
health returned, her good humor and native wit 
made those about her forget her ugly face. She 
was in a brothel, where she soon took the lead. Her 
child died, and she once more attempted to earn her 
living as a seamstress. She was saved from starva- 
tion only by her employer, who received her as his 
mistress. Now her luck changed. She suffered all 
that a woman could, handled poison and the fire- 
brand. “I thought of stealing,” she said, “only as 
an amusement; it was not exciting enough for a 
trade.” She found herself in prison, and was 
amused to be punished for a trifle, when nobody sus- 
pected her crime. It was horrible to listen to these 62 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
details; more horrible to witness her first repen- 
tance. 
When I thanked her for her violets, she kissed 
my hands, and promised to be good. 
While she remained in the hospital, I took her as 
my servant and trusted everything to her, and when 
finally discharged she went out to service. She 
wished to come with me to America. I could not 
bring her, but she followed, and when I was in 
Cleveland, inquired for me in New York.] 
The truth was that in my innocence of heart I 
had been striving to gain the respect and friendship 
of my enemies by doing my work better than any 
before me had done. To go to bed at night regu- 
larly was a thing unknown to me. Once, I was not 
undressed for twenty-one days and nights; superin- 
tending and giving instructions on six or eight con- 
finement cases in every twenty-four hours; lectur- 
ing three hours every afternoon to the class of mid- 
wives ; giving clinical lectures to them twice a week 
for an hour in the morning; superintending the case 
of some twenty infants who were epidemically at- 
tacked with purulent ophthalmia; and having, be- 
sides, the general supervision of the whole depart- 
ment. 
But all this could not overcome the hostility of 
my enemies, the chief cause of which lay in the 
mortification at having been vanquished by my ap- 
pointment. 
On the other hand, I was happy in the thought that 
Mrs. Schmidt continued to take the same interest in 
me as before, and was glad to hear of my partial 
success. The students, both male and female, were THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
63 
devoted to me, and manifested their gratitude 
openly and frankly. This was the greatest compen- 
sation that I received for my work. 
The women wished to show their appreciation by 
paying me for the extra labor that I performed in 
their instruction, not knowing the fact that I did it 
simply in order that they might pass an examina- 
tion which should again convince the committee that 
I was in the right place. I forbade all payment as I 
had refused it to the male students when they wished 
to pay me for their extra instruction on the manikin. 
But in a true womanly way, they managed to learn 
the date of my birthday, when two or three, instead 
of attending the lecture, took possession of my room 
which they decorated with flowers, while on the table 
they displayed presents to the amount of some hun- 
dred and twenty dollars which the fifty-six women 
of the class had collected among themselves. 
This was, of course, a great surprise to me and 
really made me feel sad, for I did not wish for things 
of this sort. I wished to prove that unselfishness 
was the real motive of my work, and thought that 
I should finally earn the crown of appreciation from 
my enemies for which I was striving. This gift 
crossed all my plans. I must accept it, if I would 
not wound the kindest of hearts, yet I felt that I 
lost my game by so doing. I quietly packed every- 
thing into a basket and put it out of sight under 
the bed, in order that I might not be reminded of 
my loss. 
Of course, all these things were at once reported. 
I saw in the faces of many that something was in 
agitation, and I waited a fortnight in constant ex- 64 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
pectation of its coming. But these people wished 
to crush me entirely. They knew well that a blow 
comes hardest when least expected, and they there- 
fore kept quiet week after week until I really be- 
gan to ask their pardon in my heart for having done 
them the wrong to expect them to act meanly about 
a thing that was natural and allowable. 
In a word, I became quiet and happy again in the 
performance of my duties; then suddenly, six weeks 
after my birthday, I was summoned to the presence 
of Director Horn (the same who had reprimanded me 
for leaving the church). He received me with a face 
as hard and stern as an avenging judge, and asked 
me whether I knew that it was against the law to 
receive any other payment than that given me by the 
hospital. Upon my avowing that I did, he went on 
to ask how it was then that I had accepted gifts on 
my birthday. 
This question fell upon me like a thunderbolt, for 
I had never thought of looking upon these as a pay- 
ment. If these women had paid me for the instruc- 
tion that I gave them beyond that which was pre- 
scribed, they ought each one to have given me the 
value of the presents. I told him this in reply and 
also how disagreeable the acceptance had been to 
me and how ready I was to return the whole at his 
command, since it had been my desire to prove not 
only my capability but my unselfishness in the work. 
The man was ashamed—I saw it in his face as he 
turned it away from me; yet he saw in me a proof 
that he had been vanquished in intrigue, and he was 
resolved that the occasion should end in my over- 
throw. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
65 
Much more was said about the presents and their 
significance, and I soon ceased to be the humble 
woman and spoke boldly what I thought, in defiance 
of his authority, as I had done at the time of the 
religious conversation (by the way, I never attended 
church again after that interview). 
The end was that I declared my readiness to leave 
the hospital. 
He wished to inflict direct punishment on me and 
forbade me to be present at the examination of the 
class which was to take place the next day. This 
was really a hard penalty to which he was forced 
for his own sake. For if I had been present, I 
should have told the whole affair to men of a nobler 
stamp who would have opposed, as they afterwards 
did, my leaving a place which I filled to their entire 
satisfaction. CHAPTER IX 
She begins private practice—Mrs. Schmidt and many 
physicians plan to establish a Maternity Hospital for 
her—Her father renews his insistence that she should 
marry—Recollections of a report of the Female Medi- 
cal College of Pennsylvania, located in Philadelphia, 
and of Dr. Schmidt’s comment on it, turn her thoughts 
to America, and she decides to emigrate—She re- 
ceives official acknowledgment of her work at the Hos- 
pital, together with a gift of money—Accompanied 
by a younger sister, she arrives in New York. (Twen- 
ty-four years of age: 1852-1853.) 
I made my preparations to leave the hospital on 
the 15th of November, 1852. What was I to do? I 
was not made to practice quietly, as is commonly 
done; my education and aspirations demanded more 
than this. For the time, I could do nothing more 
than inform my patients that I intended to practice 
independently. 
My father again wished that I should marry, and 
I began to ask myself whether marriage is an insti- 
tution to relieve parents from embarrassment. 
When troubled about the future of a son, parents 
are ready to give him to the army; when in fears 
of the destiny of a daughter, they induce her to be- 
come the slave of the marriage bond. I never 
doubted that it was more unendurable and unworthy 
to be a wife without love than a soldier without a 
special calling for that profession, and I never could 
66 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
67 
think of marriage as the means to procure a shelter 
and bread. I had so many schemes in my head that 
I would not listen to his words. Among these was 
especially the wish to emigrate to America. 
The Pennsylvania Female Medical College had 
sent its first report to Dr. Schmidt, who had informed 
me as well as his colleagues of it and had advocated 
the justice of such a reform. It was in March, 1852, 
that he spoke of this, saying to those present, “In 
America, women will now become physicians, like 
the men; this shows that only in a republic can it 
be proved that science has no sex.” 
This fact recurred to my memory, and I decided 
to go to America to join in a work open to woman- 
hood on a larger scale; and for the next two months, 
I did nothing but speculate how to carry out my 
design of emigration. 
I had lived rather expensively and lavishly, with- 
out thinking of laying up any money; and my whole 
fortune, when I left the Charite, consisted of sixty 
dollars. 
One thing happened in connection with my leav- 
ing the hospital which I must relate here. Director 
Horn was required to justify his conduct to the min- 
ister to whom the change had to be reported, and a 
committee was appointed to hear the accusation and 
to pass judgment upon the affair. As this was done 
in secrecy and not before a jury, and as the accuser 
was a man of high rank, I knew nothing of it until 
Christmas Eve when I received a document stating 
that, “as a gratification for my services for the bene- 
fit of the city of Berlin” in instructing the class of 68 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
midwives, a compensation was decreed me of fifty 
dollars. 
This was a large sum for Berlin, such as was given 
only on rare occasions. I was also informed that 
Director Horn was instructed to give me, should I 
ever demand it, a first-class certificate of what my 
position had been in the hospital, with the title of 
Chief attached. 
For whatever I had suffered from the injustice of 
my enemies, I was now fully recompensed. I in- 
quired who had taken my part so earnestly against 
Director Horn as to gain this action, and found 
that it was Dr. Muller the pathologist, backed by 
several other physicians. Director Horn, it was 
said, was greatly humiliated by the decision of Min- 
ister von Raumer, who could not see the least jus- 
tice in his conduct in this matter, and had I not left 
the hospital so readily, I should never have stood 
so firmly as after this secret trial. 
It was done, however, and. I confidently told my 
mother of my design to emigrate. Between my 
mother and myself there existed not merely the 
strongest relation of maternal and filial love, but 
also a professional sympathy and peculiar friend- 
ship, which was the result of two similar minds and 
hearts, and which made me stand even nearer to her 
than as a child I possibly could have done. She 
consented with heart and soul, encouraged me in 
all my plans and expectations, and asked me at once 
at what time I would leave. 
I next told my father and the rest of the family 
of my plan. My third sister (Anna), a beautiful, 
joyous young girl, exclaimed, “And I will go with THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
69 
you! ’ ’ My father, who would not listen to my going 
alone, at once consented to our going together. But 
I thought differently. In going alone, I risked only 
my own happiness; in going with her, I risked hers 
too, while I should be constantly restricted in my 
adventurous undertakings by having her, who knew 
nothing of the world save the happiness of a tran- 
quil family life, with me. 
The next day I told them that I had changed my 
mind and should not go away, but should establish 
myself in Berlin. Of course, I received a torrent 
of gibes on my fickleness, for they did not under- 
stand my feelings in respect to the responsibility 
that I feared to take for my younger sister. 
I began to establish myself in practice. Mrs. 
Schmidt, who was anxious to assist me in my new 
career, suggested to those physicians who were my 
friends the establishment of a private hospital which 
should be under my care. She found them strongly 
in favor of the plan, and had I not been constantly 
speculating about leaving for America, this scheme 
would have been realized. 
But Dr. Schmidt’s words after reading the first 
report of the Philadelphia Female Medical College 
recurred to me again and again. I had resolved to 
emigrate, and I took my measures accordingly. I 
went secretly to Drs. Muller and Ebert and procured 
certificates attesting my position in respect to them 
in the hospital. I then obtained the certificate from 
Director Horn, and I carried them all to the Ameri- 
can Charge d’Affaires (Theodore S. Fay) to have 
them legalized in English, so that they would be of 
service to me in America.2  A WOMAN’S QUEST 
70 
When I told Drs. Ebert and Muller and Mrs. 
Schmidt of my intention to emigrate, they pro- 
nounced me insane. They thought that I had the 
best field of activity open in Berlin and could not 
comprehend why I should seek greater freedom of 
person and of action. 
Little really is known in Berlin about America, 
and to go there is considered as great an undertak- 
ing as to seek the river Styx in order to go to Hades. 
The remark that I heard from almost every quarter 
was, “What! you wish to go to the land of barbar- 
ism, where they have negro slavery and where they 
do not know how to appreciate talent and genius ? ’ ’ 
But this could not prevent me from realizing my 
plans. I had idealized the freedom of America and 
especially the reform of the position of women, to 
such an extent that I would not listen to their argu- 
ments. After having been several years in America, 
very probably I would think twice before undertak- 
ing again to emigrate, for even the idealized free- 
dom has lost a great deal of its charm when I con- 
sider how much better it could be. 
Having put everything in order, I told my father of 
my conclusion to leave. He was surprised to hear of 
it the second time, but I showed him my papers in 
readiness for the journey and declared that I should 
go as soon as the ship was ready to sail, having a 
hundred dollars, just money enough to pay my pas- 
sage. 
He would not give his consent unless my sister 
Anna accompanied me, thinking her, I suppose, a 
counterpoise to any rash undertakings in which I 
might engage in a foreign land. If I wished to THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
71 
go, therefore, I was forced to have her company, 
of which I should have been very glad had I not 
feared the moral care and responsibility. 
We decided to go in a fortnight. My father paid 
her passage and gave her a hundred dollars in cash, 
just enough to enable us to spend a short time in 
New York, after which he expected either to send 
us more money or that we would return; and, in 
case we did this, an agreement was made with the 
shipping merchant that payment should be made 
on our arrival in Hamburg. 
On the 13th of March, 1853, we left the paternal 
roof, to which we should never return. My mother 
bade us adieu with tears in her eyes, saying, “ Au 
revoir in America!” She was determined to follow 
us. 
Here ends my Berlin and European life, and I 
can assure you that this was the hardest moment 
I ever knew. Upon my memory is forever imprinted 
the street, the house, the window behind which my 
mother stood waving her handkerchief. Not a tear 
did I suffer to mount to my eyes in order to make 
her believe that the departure was an easy one, but 
a heart beating convulsively within punished me 
for the restraint. 
My father and brothers accompanied us to the 
depot, where the cars received us for Hamburg. On 
our arrival there, we found that the ice had not left 
the Elbe and that the ship could not sail until the 
river was entirely free. So we were forced to re- 
main three weeks in Hamburg. 
We had taken staterooms in the clipper ship 
Deutschland. Besides ourselves, there were sixteen 72 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
passengers in the first cabin, people good enough 
in their way, but not sufficiently attractive to induce 
us to make their acquaintance. We observed a dead 
silence as to who we were, where we were going, or 
what was the motive of our emigrating to America. 
The only person that we ever spoke to was a Mr. 
B. from Hamburg, a youth of nineteen, who like 
ourselves had left a happy home in order to try his 
strength in a strange land. 
The voyage was of forty-seven days’ duration, 
excessively stormy but otherwise very dull, like 
all voyages of this kind, and had it not been for 
the expectations that filled our hearts, we should 
have died of ennui. As it was, the days passed 
slowly, made worse by the inevitable seasickness of 
our fellow-passengers, and we longed for the hour 
that should bring us in sight of the shores of the 
New World. 
And now commences my life in America. CHAPTER X 
First impressions of New York—Marie takes walk alone 
the next day—Experience with a white slave agent— 
Confronted with her ignorance of the English lan- 
guage, she postpones proceeding to Philadelphia—Be- 
gins housekeeping in a small apartment with her sis- 
ter Anna—Astounded by hearing that “female physi- 
cians” have no professional standing in New York, 
she puts out a sign and seeks private practice, as she 
did in Berlin—While waiting for patients, she builds 
up a business in making fancy worsted goods, Anna 
works for a dressmaker, and they soon become self- 
supporting. (Twenty-four years of age: 1853.) 
“Dear Marie, best Marie! make haste to come 
up on deck to see America! Oh, how pleasant it is 
to see the green trees again! How brightly the sun 
is gilding the land you are seeking—the land of 
freedom!” 
With such childlike exclamations of delight, my 
sister Anna burst into my cabin to hasten my ap- 
pearance on deck on the morning of the 22d of May, 
1853. The beautiful child of nineteen summers was 
only conscious of a heart overflowing with pleasure 
at the sight of the charming landscape that opened 
before her eyes after a tedious voyage of forty- 
seven days upon the ocean. 
We had reached the quarantine at Staten Island. 
The captain, the old pilot, every one, gazed at her 
as she danced joyously about the deck, with a 
73 74 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
mingled feeling of sadness and curiosity, for our 
reserve while on shipboard had surrounded us with 
a sort of mystery which none knew how to unravel. 
As soon as I had dressed for going on shore and 
had packed up the things that we had used on our 
voyage in order that they might not be stolen during 
this time of excitement, I obeyed the last call of 
my impatient sister to come at least to see the last 
rays of sunrise and went on deck, where I was at 
once riveted by the beautiful scene that was spread 
before my eyes. 
It was a warm, glorious day. And the green slop- 
ing lawns with which the white cottages formed 
such a cheerful contrast; the trees clad in their first 
foliage, and suggesting hope by their smiling blos- 
soms ; the placid cows feeding quietly in the fields; 
the domestic chickens just visible in the distance; 
and the friendly barking of a dog—all seemed to 
greet me with a first welcome to the shores of this 
strange country; while the sun shining brightly from 
an azure sky strewn with soft white clouds mellowed 
the whole landscape, and so deeply impressed my 
soul that tears sprang to my eyes and a feeling rose 
in my heart that I can call nothing else than devo- 
tional, for it bowed my knees beneath me and forced 
sounds from my lips that I could not translate into 
words for they were mysterious to myself. 
A stranger in a strange wide land, not knowing 
its habits and customs, not understanding its people, 
nor its workings and aims, yet my mind was not 
clouded with loneliness. I was happy. Had it not 
been my own wish that had made me leave the home 
of a kind father and of a mother beloved beyond all THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
75 
earthly beings. I had succeeded in safely reaching 
the shores of America. Life was again open before 
me. 
With these thoughts, I turned from the beautiful 
landscape and finding the captain, a noble-hearted 
sailor, inquired of him how long it would take us 
to reach the port of New York. “That is New 
York,” said he, pointing to a dark mass of buildings 
with here and there a spire towering in the air. “We 
shall reach there about eight o’clock, but it is Sun- 
day and you will have to stay on board till to-mor- 
row.” With this he turned away, calling his men 
to weigh anchor, as the physician whose duty it was 
to inspect the cargo of men, like cattle, had just left 
in his boat. 
On we went, my sister still dancing and singing for 
joy; and Mr. R. and myself sitting somewhat apart, 
he looking despondently into the water, and I with 
my head firmly raised in the air, happy in heart, but 
thoughtful in mind and trusting in my inward 
strength for the future. 
I took my breakfast on deck. No one seemed to 
have any appetite, and I felt somewhat reproved 
when I heard some one near me say, “She seems to 
have neither head nor heart—see how tranquilly she 
can eat at such a time as this! ’ ’ These words were 
spoken by one of the cabin passengers, a young man 
who was exceedingly curious to know why I was 
going to America and had several times tried to 
make the rest of the passengers believe that it must 
be in consequence of an unhappy love. The poor 
simpleton! he thought that women could enter into 
life only through the tragedy of a broken heart. 76 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
A bell sounded. We were opposite Trinity 
Church whose bell had just tolled eight. On our 
right were masses of brick houses and tall chimneys 
surrounded by a forest of masts; on our left were 
the romantic shores of New Jersey. Islands and 
projecting points of land, clad in the brilliant green 
of the fresh spring foliage, greeted the eye; ferry- 
boats, like monstrous white swans, glided to and fro 
from the shores; rowboats plied everywhere, the 
white or red shirts of the oarsmen giving a bright 
touch of color to the ever-changing panorama. Such 
was the scene which gave us our first impressions of 
this new country, seeming to proclaim as its welcome 
freedom and hospitality to all newcomers. 
This new civilization was utterly different from 
what we had been taught about the United States. 
Indeed, I think many of the passengers expected to 
see a half-civilized community who, under a rather 
anarchical state of government called a “republic,” 
did just as each individual pleased, and who would 
greet every newcomer with an enthusiastic joy, in- 
viting him to come and partake of all the good the 
country could offer. 
Such, or similar, were the vague ideas which many 
passengers of the good ship Deutschland entertained 
no matter whether in the cabin or steerage. The 
captain had done his best to rectify these false 
expectations but with very little success, I am 
sure. 
Therefore, the picture that unrolled itself as we 
approached slowly from the quarantine to the dock, 
while arousing the old enthusiasm that started the 
emigrants from their homes, brought also a kind of THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
77 
disappointment—a surprise to see a well-built and 
well-regulated “brick-house’’ city with all the ac- 
cessories of a large commercial port; a city, in fact, 
to all appearances not very much unlike European 
cities. But the admiration with which I had gazed 
upon Staten Island was gone as I stood before this 
beautiful scene; the appreciation of nature was mas- 
tered by another feeling, a feeling of activity that 
had become my ideal. 
I had come here for a purpose—to carry out the 
plan which a despotic government and its servile 
agents had prevented me from doing in my native 
city. I had to show to those men who had opposed 
me so strongly because I was a woman that, in this 
land of liberty, equality and fraternity, I could main- 
tain that position which they would not permit to me 
at home. My talents were in an unusual direction. 
I was a physician, and, as such, had for years moved 
in the most select circles of Berlin. Even my 
enemies had been forced to give me the highest 
testimonials, and these were the only treasure that 
I brought to this country, for I had given my last 
dollar to the sailor who brought me the first news 
that land was in sight. 
I looked again upon New York, but with a feeling 
that a great mystery was lying before my eyes—a 
feeling that was confirmed by the men who came 
off to the ship in small boats speaking a language 
that seemed like a chaos of sounds. 
Then, though standing before the promised land 
of freedom and in spite of all youthful enthusiasm 
and vigor, a sadness overcame me, especially one 
which bordered very closely on homesickness, even 78 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
before my foot had been once more planted on terra 
firma. 
As I turned, I saw my sister coming slowly up 
from the cabin with a changed air; and I asked her 
with surprise what was the matter. “0 Marie!” 
said she, “most of the passengers are called for. 
Mr. R. ’s brother has just come to take him on shore. 
He was so glad to see him (for he thought he was in 
New Orleans), that I think he will forget to say 
good-by. I am afraid that we shall have to stay 
here all alone, and ” “Are the Misses Zakrzew- 
ska on board?” called a voice from a little boat by 
the side of the ship. We looked down in surprise 
but did not recognize the man, who spoke as if he 
were an acquaintance. The captain answered, 
“Yes.” Upon which the same voice said, “Mr. G. 
requests them to wait; he will be here in a moment. ’9 
This announcement surprised us the more that it 
came from a totally unexpected quarter. An ac- 
quaintance of ours, who had emigrated to New York 
a few years before and had shortly after married 
a Mr. G. had heard from her brother in Berlin of 
our departure for America in the ship Deutschland, 
and these good people, thinking that they could be 
of use to us in a new country, had been watching for 
its arrival. 
No one on board dared ask a question as to who 
our friends were, so reserved had we been in regard 
to our plans. Only the young man who had accused 
me of having neither head nor heart said, half 
aside, “Ah ha! Now we know the reason why Miss 
Marie ate her breakfast so calmly, while her sister 
danced for joy. They had beaus who were expecting THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
79 
them.” “Simpleton!” thought I, “must women 
always have beaus in order to be calm about the 
future ff ’ 
Mr. G. came on board in a few minutes, bringing 
us from his wife an invitation of welcome to her 
house. I cannot express in words the emotion 
awakened in my heart by the really unselfish kind- 
ness that had impelled these people to greet us in 
this manner; and this was increased when we 
reached their very modest dwelling, consisting of a 
large shop in which Mr. G. carried on his business 
of manufacturing fringes and tassels, one sitting 
room, a bedroom and a small kitchen. My strength 
left me, and my composure dissolved in a flood of 
tears. The good people did all that they could to 
make us feel at home, and insisted that we should 
occupy the sitting room until we had decided what 
to do further. Of course, I determined that this 
should be for as short a time as possible, and that 
we would immediately look out for other lodgings. 
But for the moment, nothing but pleasure was in 
our hearts. Questions and answers concerning 
friends and relations at home filled every minute, 
and joy and thankfulness to be safe and sound on 
land quickened the heart beats. 
One-half of this first day was spent in talking 
about home; the other, in making an excursion to 
Hoboken. This visit we would gladly have dispensed 
with, so exhausted were we by the excitement that 
we had passed through since sunrise, but our friends 
were bent on entertaining us with stories and sights 
of the New AVorld, and we followed them rather re- 
luctantly. I have since been glad that I did so, for 80 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
my mind was in a state that rendered it far more 
impressible than usual and therefore better fitted 
to observe much that would have been lost to me in 
a less-excited condition. 
Here I first saw the type of common German life 
on Sunday in America, and I saw enough of it on 
that one Sunday afternoon to last a whole lifetime. 
My friends called on several of their acquaintances. 
Everywhere that we went, I noticed two peculiari- 
ties—comparative poverty in the surroundings and 
apparent extravagance in the manner of living. For 
in every house we found an abundance of wine, beer, 
cake, meat, salad, etc., although it was between the 
hours of meals; and every one was eating, although 
no one seemed hungry. At nine o’clock in the eve- 
ning, the visit was concluded by going to a hotel, 
where a rich supper was served up to us; and at 
eleven at night we returned home. 
My work in America had already commenced. Was 
it not necessary for a stranger in a new country to 
observe life in all its phases before entering upon 
it? It seemed so to me, and I had already planned 
while on shipboard to spend the first month in ob- 
servations of this kind. I had made a fair begin- 
ning, and when I saw many repetitions of this kind 
of life among my countrymen, I feared that this 
was their main purpose in this country and their 
consolation for the loss of the entertainments and 
recreations which their fatherland offered to them. 
But as soon as I got opportunity to make my ob- 
servations among the educated classes, I found my 
fear ungrounded; and I also found that the Ameri- 
cans had noticed the impulse for progress and higher THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
81 
development which animated these Germans. The 
German mind, so much honored in Europe for its 
scientific capacity, for its consistency regarding 
principles and for its correct criticism, is not dead 
here. But it has to struggle against difficulties too 
numerous to be detailed here, and therefore it is 
that the Americans do not know of its existence, and 
the chief obstacle is their different languages. A 
Humboldt must remain unknown here unless he 
chooses to Americanize himself in every respect— 
and could he do this without ceasing to be Humboldt, 
the cosmopolitan genius? 
It would be a great benefit to the development of 
this country if the German language were made a 
branch of education and not simply an accomplish- 
ment. Only then would the Americans appreciate 
how much has been done by the Germans to advance 
higher development and to diffuse the true princi- 
ples of freedom. It would serve both parties to 
learn how much the Germans aid in developing the 
reason and in supporting progress in every direction. 
The revolution of 1848 has been more serviceable to 
America than to Germany, for it has caused the 
emigration of thousands of men who would have been 
the pride of a free Germany. America has received 
the German freemen, whilst Germany has retained 
the subjects. 
The next morning, I determined to return to the 
ship to look after my baggage. As Mr. and Mrs. 
G. were busy in their shop, there was no one to ac- 
company me. I therefore had either to wait until 
they were at leisure or to go alone. I chose the lat- 
ter, and took my first walk in the city of New York 82 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
on my way to the North River where the ship was 
lying. The noise and bustle everywhere about me 
absorbed my attention to such a degree that instead 
of turning to the right, I went to the left and found 
myself at the East River, in the neighborhood of 
Peck Slip. Here I inquired after the German ship 
Deutschland and was directed, in my native tongue, 
down to the Battery and thence up to Pier 13, where 
I found the ship discharging the rest of her pas- 
sengers and their baggage. It was eleven o’clock 
when I reached the ship; I had, therefore, taken a 
three hours ’ walk. I had now to wait until the cus- 
tom-house officer had inspected my trunk, and after- 
wards for the arrival of Mr. G., who came at one 
o’clock with a cart to convey the baggage to his 
house. 
While standing amidst the crowd, a man in a light 
suit of clothes of no positive color and with a com- 
plexion of the same sort, came up to me and asked 
in German whether I had yet found a boarding-place. 
The man’s smooth face instinctively repelled me, 
yet the feeling that I was not independently estab- 
lished made me somewhat indefinite in my reply. 
On seeing this, he at once grew talkative and friendly 
and speaking of the necessity of finding a safe and 
comfortable home, said that he could recommend 
me to a hotel where I would be treated honestly; or 
that, if I chose to be in a private family, he knew 
of a very kind, motherly lady who kept a boarding 
house for ladies alone, not to make money but for 
the sake of her countrywomen. 
The familiarity that he mingled in his conversa- 
tion while trying to be friendly made me thoroughly THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
83 
indignant. I turned my back upon him, saying that 
I did not need his services. 
It was not long before I saw him besieging my 
sister Anna, who had come with Mr. Gr., being nerv- 
ous lest I might not have found the ship. What he 
said to her, I do not know. I only remember that 
she came to me, saying, “I am afraid of that man; 
I wish that we could go home soon.” 
This meeting with a man who makes friendly of- 
fers of service may seem a small matter to the mere 
looker-on, but it ceases to be so when one knows his 
motives. And since that time, I have had but too 
many opportunities to see for what end these offers 
are made. 
Many an educated girl comes from the Old World 
to find a position as governess or teacher who is 
taken up in this manner and is never heard from 
again or is found only in the most wretched condi- 
tion. It is shameful that the most effective arrange- 
ments should not be made for the safety of these 
helpless beings who come to these shores with the 
hope of finding a Canaan. 
To talk with our friends about the future and the 
cause of my arrival in New York became now a 
necessity. So I related how the information of 
1852, concerning a medical school for women, in 
Philadelphia, had inspired me to offer my assistance 
as a practical instructor and to assist in organizing 
a hospital. 
My good friends not only showed dismay in face 
and manner as I proceeded, but they expressed it in 
words, telling me that they had never heard of any 
“female physicians” except those of a very dis- 84 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
reputable character who advertised in all news- 
papers and carried on criminal practices. 
Confronted with my ignorance of the English lan- 
guage, as I now realized myself, I postponed start- 
ing for the medical school in Philadelphia, and, 
having letters of introduction to well-stationed peo- 
ple in New York, I decided to settle in a two-room 
home of my own as soon as this could be found, 
we having concluded to commence housekeeping on 
a small scale in order to be more independent and 
to save money. 
The week was mostly spent in looking for apart- 
ments. On our arrival, I had borrowed from my 
sister the hundred dollars which my father had given 
her on our departure from Berlin and which was to 
be my capital until I had established myself in busi- 
ness. I succeeded in finding a suite of rooms with 
windows facing the street, in the house of a grocer; 
and having put them in perfect order, we moved 
into them on the sixth of June, paying eleven dol- 
lars as our rent for two months in advance. 
My sister took charge of our first day’s house- 
keeping, while I went to deliver my letters of intro- 
duction. I went first to Dr. Reisig, in Fourteenth 
Street. My mother, who had employed him when he 
was a young man and we were small children, had 
spoken of him kindly, and for this reason I had 
confidence in him. I found him a very friendly man, 
but by no means a cordial one. 
He informed me that female physicians in this 
country were of the lowest rank and that they did 
not hold even the position of a good nurse. He said 
that he wished to be of service to me if I were will- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
85 
ing to serve as nurse, and as he was just then in 
need of a good one, he would recommend me for 
the position. I thanked him for his candor and 
kindness, but refused his offer as I could not con- 
descend to be patronized in this way. 
Depressed in hope but strengthened in will, I did 
not deliver any more of my letters, since they were 
all to physicians and I could not hope to be more 
successful in other quarters. I went home, there- 
fore, determined to commence practice as a stranger. 
The result of my experiment discouraged my sis- 
ter greatly. After meditating for some time, she 
suddenly said, “Marie, I read in the paper this 
morning of a dressmaker who wanted some one to 
sew for her. I know how to sew well; I shall go 
there, and you can attend to our little household. 
No one here knows me, and I do not think there 
is anything wrong in my trying to earn some 
money. ’ ’ 
She was determined, and went. I put up my sign, 
and spent my time in attending to the household 
duties and in reading in order to gain information 
of the country and of the people. Occasionally I 
took walks through different parts of the city to 
learn from the houses and their surroundings the 
character of life in New York. I am sure that, 
though perhaps I appeared idle, I was not so in 
reality, for during this time I learned the philosophy 
of American life. 
But our stock of money was becoming less and 
less. To furnish the rooms had cost us compara- 
tively little as we had brought a complete set of 
household furniture with us, but paying the rent 86 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
and completing the arrangements had not left us 
more than enough to live upon, in the most eco- 
nomical manner, until the first of August. 
My sister obtained the place at the dressmaker’s; 
and after working a week from seven in the morn- 
ing until twelve (when she came home to dinner), 
then from one in the afternoon until seven in the 
evening, she received two dollars and seventy-five 
cents as the best sewer of six. She brought home 
the hard-earned money with tears in her eyes, for 
she had expected at least three dollars for the week’s 
work. She had made each day a whole muslin dress, 
with the trimmings. And this was not all—the dress- 
maker often did not pay on Saturday nights, be- 
cause, as she said, people did not pay her punctually, 
and the poor girls received their wages by six or 
eight shillings at a time. For the last two weeks 
of my sister’s work, she received her payment seven 
weeks after she had left. 
We lived in this manner until the middle of July, 
when I lost patience, for practice did not come as 
readily as I wished nor was I in a position for mak- 
ing money in any other way. My sister, usually so 
cheerful and happy, grew grave from the unusual 
work and the close confinement. One of these nights 
on lying down to sleep, she burst into tears and told 
me of her doubts and fears for the future. I soothed 
her as well as I could, and she fell asleep. For my- 
self, I could not sleep but lay awake all night medi- 
tating what I could possibly do. Should I write 
home, requesting help from my father? He cer- 
tainly would have given it, for two weeks before we 
had received a letter offering us all desirable aid. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
87 
No! All my pride rebelled against it. “I must help 
myself,’’ I thought, “and that to-morrow.” 
The next morning my sister left me as usual. I 
went out and walked through the city to Broadway, 
turning into Canal Street, where I had formed an 
acquaintance with a very friendly German woman by 
purchasing little articles at various times at her 
store. I entered without any particular design and 
exchanged a few commonplaces with her about the 
weather. 
Her husband stood talking with a man about wor- 
sted goods, and their conversation caught my ear. 
The merchant was complaining because the manu- 
facturer did not supply him fast enough, upon which 
the man answered that it was very difficult to get 
good hands to work and that besides he had more 
orders than it was possible to fill, naming several 
merchants whose names I had seen in Broadway 
who were also complaining because he did not sup- 
ply them. 
After he had left, I asked carelessly what kind of 
articles were in demand and was shown a great 
variety of worsted fancy goods. A thought entered 
my brain. I left the store and, walking down Broad- 
way, asked at one of the stores that had been men- 
tioned for a certain article of worsted goods in order 
to learn the price. Finding this enormous, I did 
not buy it, and I returned home, calculating on my 
way how much it would cost to manufacture these 
articles and how much profit could be made in mak- 
ing them on a large scale. I found that two hundred 
per cent profit might be made by going to work in 
the right way. 88 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
My sister came home as usual to dinner. I sat 
down with her, but could not eat. She looked at me 
anxiously, and said, “I hope you are not sick again. 
Oh, dear! What shall we do if you get sick V* I had 
been ill for a week and she feared a relapse. I said 
nothing of my plan, but consoled her in respect to 
my health. 
As soon as she had left, I counted my money. But 
five dollars remained. If I had been dependent upon 
money for cheerfulness, I should certainly have 
been discouraged. I went to John Street and enter- 
ing a large worsted store, inquired of a cheerful- 
looking girl the wholesale price of the best Berlin 
wool, how many colors could be had in a pound, etc. 
The pleasant and ready answers that I received in 
my native tongue induced me to tell her frankly that 
I wanted but a small quantity at that time, that I 
intended to make an experiment in manufacturing 
worsted articles; and if successful, I would like to 
open a small credit, which she said they generally 
would do when security was given. 
I purchased four and a half dollars’ worth of 
worsted, so that fifty cents were left in my pocket 
when I quitted the store. I then went to the office 
of a German newspaper, where I paid twenty-five 
cents for advertising for girls who understood all 
kinds of knitting. 
When my sister came home at night, the worsted 
was all sorted on the table in parcels for the girls 
who would come the next morning, while I was busily 
engaged in the experiment of making little worsted 
tassels. I had never been skillful in knitting, but in THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
89 
this I succeeded so well that I could have made a 
hundred yards of tassels in one day. 
My sister turned pale on seeing all this, and hur- 
riedly asked, “How much money have you spent?” 
“All, my dear Anna,” answered I, “all, except 
twenty-five cents, which will be sufficient to buy a 
pound of beefsteak and potatoes for to-morrow’s 
dinner. Bread, tea and sugar, we have still in the 
house; and to-morrow night you will bring home 
your twenty-two shillings.” “May you succeed, 
Marie! That is all I have to say,” was her reply. 
She learned of me that evening how to make the 
tassels, and we worked till midnight, finishing a 
large number. 
The next day was Saturday, and some women 
really came to get work. I gave them just enough 
for one day, keeping one day’s work in reserve. The 
day was spent busily in arranging matters, so that 
on Monday morning, I might be able to carry a 
sample of the manufactured articles to those stores 
that I had heard mentioned as not being sufficiently 
supplied. 
In the evening, my sister came home without her 
money—the dressmaker had gone into the country 
in the afternoon without paying the girls. She was 
more than sad, and I felt a little uncomfortable, for 
what was I to do without money to provide for the 
next two days or to pay those girls on Monday with 
whose work I might not be satisfied? What was to 
be done? To go down to our landlord, the grocer, 
and ask him to advance us a few dollars? No! He 
was a stranger and had no means of knowing that 
we would return the money. Besides, I did not 90 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
wish the people in the house to know of our condi- 
tion. 
My resolution was taken. I proposed to my sister 
to go to the market with me to buy meat and fruit 
for the morrow. She looked at me with blank as- 
tonishment, but without heeding it I said calmly, 
taking from the bureau drawer the chain of my 
watch, “Anna, opposite the market there is a pawn- 
broker. No one knows us, and by giving a fictitious 
name we can get money without thanking any one 
for it. ” She was satisfied, and taking a little basket, 
we went on our errand. I asked six dollars of the 
pawnbroker under the name of Muller, and received 
the money, after which we made our purchases and 
went home in quite good spirits. 
On Monday morning, the knitters brought home 
their work. I paid them, and gave them enough for 
another day, after which I set about finishing each 
piece, completing the task about two in the after- 
noon. This done, I carried the articles to Broadway, 
and leaving a sample in a number of stores, received 
orders from them for several dozens. Here, I have 
to remark that not being able to speak English, I 
conducted my business at the different stores either 
in German or in French, as I easily found some em- 
ployees who could speak one of these languages. 
I then went to the worsted store in John Street, 
where I also obtained orders for the manufactured 
articles together with ten dollars ’ worth of worsted 
on credit, having first given my name and residence 
to the bookkeeper, with the names of the stores 
from which I had received orders. 
In the evening when my sister came home, I was, THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
91 
therefore, safely launched' into a manufacturing 
business. The news cheered her greatly, but she 
could not be induced to quit her sewing. The new 
business had sprung up so rapidly and pleasantly 
that she could not trust in the reality of its existence. CHAPTER XI 
Social relations largely limited to learning the lives of her 
employees and helping them by work, by sympathy and 
by friendliness, and sometimes by taking them into 
her house to tide over an emergency. (Twenty-four 
years of age: 1853.) 
I must tell yon here something of the social life 
that we led. We had brought a number of friendly 
letters with us from our acquaintances in Berlin to 
their friends and relatives in America; all of which 
upon our arrival we sent by post, with the exception 
of two—the one sent by a neighbor to his son, Al- 
bert C., the other to a young artist, both of whom 
called for their letters. 
About four weeks after we were settled in New 
York, we received a call from some young men whose 
sisters had been schoolmates of my sisters in Ber- 
lin, who came to inquire of us where to find Mr. C. 
We could give them no information, as we had not 
seen him since he called for his letter; neither did 
we now see anything of the G.’s. But the acquaint- 
ance thus formed with these young men was con- 
tinued, and our solitude was now and then enlivened 
by an hour’s call from them. Soon after I had com- 
menced my new business, they came one day in com- 
pany with Mr. C., whom they had met accidentally 
in the street, and, on his expressing a wish to see 
us, had taken the liberty to bring him to our house. 
92 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
93 
My business continued to prosper, and by con- 
stantly offering none but the best quality of goods 
for sale, in a very short time I had so much to do 
that my whole time in the day was occupied with 
out-door business, and I was forced to sit up at 
night with my sister to prepare work for the knit- 
ters. 
At one time, we had thirty girls constantly in our 
employ, and in this way I became acquainted with 
many of those unfortunates who had been misled 
and ruined on their arrival by persons pretending 
friendship. Two of these in particular interested 
me greatly. 
One, the granddaughter of a famous German and 
bearing his name, was the daughter of a physician. 
She had come to this country hoping to find a place 
as governess. Poor girl! She was a mere wreck 
when I found her, and all my efforts to raise her 
up were in vain. She was sick and in a terrible 
mental condition. We took her into our house, 
nursed her and cared for her. When she recovered, 
we supplied her with work for which we paid her so 
well that she always had three dollars a week, which 
paid for her board and washing. It was twice as 
much as she could earn, yet not enough to make her 
feel reconciled with life. 
At one time, she did not come to us for a whole 
week. I went to see her, and her landlady told me 
that she was melancholy. I persuaded her to come 
and stay with us for a few days, but in spite of all 
my friendly encouragement, I could not succeed in 
restoring her to cheerfulness. She owned that she 
could not work merely to live; she did not feel the 94 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
pangs of hunger, but she felt the want of comforts 
to which she had been accustomed and which in our 
days are regarded as necessities. 
She attempted to find a situation as governess, 
but her proficiency in music, French and drawing 
counted as nothing. She had no city references, 
and though having been two years in New York, 
dared not name the place to which she had been 
conducted on her arrival. She left us at last in 
despair after having been a week with us. She 
never called again and I could not learn from her 
landlady where she had gone. 
Three months afterwards, I heard from one of 
the girls in our employ that she had married a 
poor shoemaker in order to have a home, but I never 
learned whether this was true. About a year later, 
I met her in the Bowery, poorly but cleanly dressed. 
She hastily turned away her face on seeing me, 
and I only caught a glimpse of the crimson flush 
that overspread her countenance. 
The other girl that I referred to was a Miss 
Mary , who came with her mother to this coun- 
try, expecting to live with a brother. They found 
the brother married and unwilling to support his 
sister, while his wife was by no means friendly in 
her reception of his mother. The good girl deter- 
mined to earn support for her mother, and a pre- 
tended friend offered to take care of their things 
until she could find work and rent lodgings. After 
four weeks’ search, she found a little room and 
bedroom in a rear building in Elizabeth Street at 
five dollars a month, and was preparing to move 
when her “friend” presented a bill of forty dollars THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
95 
for his services. She could only satisfy his rapacity 
by selling everything that she could possibly spare, 
after which she commenced to work, and as she em- 
broidered a great deal besides working for me (for 
which I paid her six dollars a week), for a time she 
lived tolerably well. 
After some time, her mother fell ill, and she had 
to nurse her and attend to the household as well as 
to labor for their support. It was a trying time for 
the poor girl. She sought her brother, but he had 
moved to the West. I did all that I could for her, 
but this was not half enough. And after I had quit- 
ted the manufacturing business and left the city, my 
sister heard that she had drowned herself in the 
Hudson, because her mother’s corpse was lying in 
the house while she had not a cent to give it burial 
or to buy a piece of bread unless she sold herself 
to vice. 
Are not these two terrible romances of New York 
life! And many besides did I learn among these 
poor women, so many indeed that I forget the de- 
tails of them all. Stories of this kind are said to 
be without foundation, but I say that there are more 
of them in our midst than it is possible to imagine. 
Women of good education but without money are 
forced to earn their living. They determine to 
leave their home, either because false pride prevents 
their seeking work where they have been brought 
up as ladies, or because this work is so scarce that 
they cannot earn by it even a life of semi-starvation, 
while they are encouraged to believe that in this 
country they will readily find proper employment. 
They are too well educated to become domestics, 96 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
better educated indeed than half the teachers here, 
but modesty, and the habit of thinking that they 
must pass through the same legal ordeal as in Eu- 
rope, prevent them from seeking places in this ca- 
pacity. They all know how to embroider in the most 
beautiful manner, and knowing that this is well paid 
for in Europe, they seek to find employment of this 
kind in the stores. 
Not being able to speak English, they believe the 
stories of the clerks and proprietors, are made to 
work at low wages, and are often swindled out of 
their money. They feel homesick, forlorn and for- 
saken in the world. Their health at length fails 
them, and they cannot earn bread enough to keep 
themselves from starvation. They are too proud 
to beg, and the consequence is that they walk the 
streets or throw themselves into the river. 
I met scores of these friendless women. Some I 
took into my house; for others I found work and 
made myself a sort of guardian; while to others I 
gave friendship to keep them morally alive. It is 
a curious fact that these women are chiefly Ger- 
mans. The Irish resort at once to beggary or are 
inveigled into brothels as soon as they arrive, while 
the French are always intriguing enough either to 
put on a white cap and find a place as bonne, or to 
secure a private lover. 
I am often in despair about the helplessness of 
women, and the readiness of men to let them earn 
money in abundance by shame while they are ground 
down to the merest pittance for honorable work. 
Shame on society, that women are forced to sur- 
render themselves to an abandoned life and to death THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
97 
when so many are enjoying wealth and luxury in 
extravagance! I do not wish the rich to divide their 
estates with the poor—I am no friend to communism 
in any form. I only wish institutions that shall give 
to women an education from childhood that will en- 
able them, like young men, to earn their livelihood. 
These weak women are the last to come forth to aid 
in their emancipation from inefficient education. 
We cannot calculate upon these; we must educate 
the children for better positions, and leave the adults 
to their destiny. 
How many women marry only for a shelter or a 
home! How often have I been the confidante of 
girls who the day before, arrayed in satin, had 
given their hands to rich men before the altar, while 
their hearts were breaking with suppressed agony! 
And this, too, in America, this great free nation, 
which, notwithstanding, lets its women starve. 
It is but lately that a young woman said to me, 
“I thank Heaven, my dear doctor, that you are a 
woman, for now I can tell you the truth about my 
health. It is not my body that is sick, but my heart. 
These flounces and velvets cover a body that is sold 
—sold legally to a man who could pay my father’s 
debts.” 
Oh! I scorn men, sometimes, from the bottom of 
my heart. Still, this is wrong, for it is the fault of 
the woman—of the mother—in educating her daugh- 
ter to be merely a beautiful machine fit to ornament 
a fine establishment; not gaining this, there is noth- 
ing left but wretchedness of mind and body. 
Women, there is a connection between the Fifth 
Avenue and the Five Points! Both the rich and the 98 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
wretched are types of womanhood, both are linked 
together forming one great body, and both have the 
same part in good and evil. I can hardly leave this 
subject, though it may seem to have little to do with 
my American experience, but a word spoken from a 
full heart not only gives relief but may carry a mes- 
sage to at least one listening ear with far-reaching 
results. CHAPTER XII 
Her former rival (and later her successor), Sister Cather- 
ine, comes from Berlin to New York to ask her aid— 
Marie is joined also by a second sister and a brother 
—She is robbed of all her savings—The end of her 
first year in America finds her profoundly depressed 
because, though success fid in business, she has found 
no opening in her profession—Her hopes are suddenly 
renewed by hearing of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell upon 
whom she calls. (Twenty-four years of age: 1853- 
1854.) 
I must now return to my new enterprise. The 
business paid well, and, although I was often forced 
to work with my sister till the dawn of morning, we 
were happy, for we had all that we needed, and I 
could write home that the offered assistance was 
superfluous. 
Here I must say that I had resolved, on leaving 
Berlin, never to ask for aid, in order that I might 
be able with perfect freedom to carry out my plans 
independently of my family. How this was ever to 
be done, I did not yet see, though I had a good op- 
portunity to learn, from life and from the papers, 
what I had to expect here. But this mode of in- 
struction, though useful to one seeking to become a 
philosopher, was very unsatisfactory to me. 
The chief thing that I learned was that I must ac- 
quire English before I could undertake anything. 
And this was the most difficult point to overcome. 
99 100 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
I am not a linguist by nature; all that I learn of 
languages must be obtained by the greatest perse- 
verance and industry, and for this my business 
would not allow me time. 
Shortly after I had fairly established myself in 
the manufacturing business, I received news from 
Berlin that Sister Catherine had left the Hospital 
Charite and was intending to join me in America, 
in order to aid me in carrying out my plan for the 
establishment of a hospital for women in the New 
World. The parties interested in her had finally 
succeeded in placing her in the wished-for position, 
thus disconnecting her from the sisterhood. But, 
after my departure, the position became greatly 
modified in rank and inferior in character. Private 
reasons, besides, made it disagreeable for her to 
remain there any longer, and in this moment she 
remembered my friendship towards her. And in 
the unfortunate belief which she shared with many 
others that all that I designed to do I could do, she 
at once resolved to come to me and offer her assist- 
ance. 
She joined us on the 22d of August, and was not 
a little disappointed to find me in the tassel business 
instead of in the medical line. The astonishment 
with which her acquaintances in Berlin heard her 
announce her intention of going to seek help from 
a person to whom she had been less than a friend 
could not be expressed in words. And she told me 
that the annoyance they manifested was really the 
chief stimulus that decided her to come at last. She 
arrived without a cent. Having always found 
enough friends ready to supply her with money THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
101 
whenever she wished to establish a temporary hos- 
pital, it had never occurred to her that she should 
need any for private use beyond just enough to fur- 
nish the simple blue merino dress of the sisterhood, 
which had often been provided for her by the Kai- 
serswerth Institute. 
But here she was, and she very soon learned to 
understand the difficulties which must be overcome 
before I could enter again into my profession. She 
became satisfied, and lived with us, sharing equally 
in whatever we had ourselves. There is a peculiar 
satisfaction in showing kindness to a person who 
has injured us even though unconsciously, but in 
her case, she was not entirely unconscious of the 
harm she had done me. While in America she con- 
fessed to me that her acquaintance had been courted 
by all those who had opposed my appointment and 
that they sought every opportunity to annoy me. 
On the 18th of September, a sister, one year 
younger than myself, joined us, having been tempted 
by our favorable accounts to try a life of adven- 
ture. We were now four in family. 
But Catherine gradually grew discontented. Hav- 
ing been accustomed to the comforts afforded in 
large institutions and to receiving attentions from 
the most aristocratic families of Prussia, the mo- 
notonous life that we led was endurable to her only 
so long as the novelty lasted. This soon wore off, 
and she became anxious for a change. 
She had heard her fellow-passengers speak of a 
Pastor S., who had been sent to America as a mis- 
sionary, and she begged me to seek him out and 
take her to him that she might consult him as to 102 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
what she had best do. I did so, and she soon became 
acquainted with his family. Mr. S. exerted himself 
in her behalf and secured her a place as nurse in 
the Home for the Friendless, where she had charge 
of some thirty children. 
This was a heavy task, for though none was under 
a year old, she was constantly disturbed through the 
night and could get but a few consecutive hours of 
sleep. Besides, she could not become reconciled to 
washing under the hydrant in the morning and to 
being forced to mingle with the commonest Irish 
girls. She was in every respect a lady and had been 
accustomed to having a servant at her command, 
even in the midst of the typhus fever epidemic in 
the desolate districts of Silesia, while here she was 
not treated even with humanity. 
This soon grew unbearable, and she returned to 
us on the 16th of October, after having been only 
ten days in the institution. So eager was she to 
make her escape that she did not even ask for the 
two dollars that were due her for wages. But we 
could not receive her, for we had taken another 
woman in her place who was as friendless and as 
penniless as she. 
Besides, a misfortune had just fallen upon us. 
During the night before, our doors had been un- 
locked, our bureau drawers inspected, and all our 
money, amounting to fifty-two dollars, carried off. 
And when Catherine arrived, we were so poor that 
we had to borrow the bread and milk for our break- 
fast. Fortunately, the day before, I had refused 
the payment due me for a large bill of goods, and 
this came now in a very good time. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
103 
I did not feel justified, however, in increasing the 
family to five after our loss, nor did she claim our 
assistance, but went again to Pastor S. who had in- 
vited her to visit his family. With his assistance, 
she obtained some private nursing, which main- 
tained her until the congregation had collected 
money enough to enable her to return to Berlin, 
which she did on the 2d of December. Having many 
friends in the best circles of that city, she immedi- 
ately found a good practice again and she is now, 
as she says, enjoying life in a civilized manner. 
We moved at once from the scene of the robbery 
and took & part of a house in Monroe Street, for 
which we paid two hundred dollars a year. Our 
business continued good, and I had some prospect 
of getting into practice. But with the spring (1854), 
the demand for worsted goods ceased, and as my 
practice brought me work but no money, I was 
forced to look for something else to do. 
By accident, I saw in a store a coiffure made of 
silk in imitation of hair, which I bought. But I 
found on examination that I could not manufacture 
it as it was machine work. I went, therefore, to Mr. 
G. and proposed to him the establishment of a busi- 
ness in which he should manufacture these coiffures, 
while I would sell them by wholesale to the mer- 
chants with whom I was acquainted. 
Mr. G. had completely ruined himself during the 
winter by neglecting his business and meddling with 
Tammany Hall politics, which had wasted his money 
and his time. He had not a single workman in his 
shop when I called, and he was too much discour- 
aged to think of any new enterprise; but on my tell- 104 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
ing him that I would be responsible for the first out- 
lay, he engaged hands and in less than a month had 
forty-eight persons busily employed. In this way, 
I earned money during the spring and freed myself 
from the obligations which his kindness in receiv- 
ing us the spring before had laid upon us. 
My chief business now was to sell the goods manu- 
factured by Mr. G. Our worsted business wras very 
small, and the prospect was that it would cease en- 
tirely, and also that the coiffure that we made would 
not long continue in fashion. Some other business, 
therefore, had to be found, especially as it was im- 
possible for us to lay up money. 
Our family now consisted of myself and two sis- 
ters, the friend that was staying with us, and a 
brother, nineteen years of age, who had just joined 
us during the winter and who, though an engineer 
and in good business, was, like most young men, 
thoughtless and more likely to increase than to 
lighten our burdens. Our friend Mr. C., who had 
become our constant visitor, planned at this time a 
journey to Europe, so that our social life seemed 
also about to come to an end. 
On the 13th of May, 1854, as I was riding down 
to the stores on my usual business, reveries of the 
past took possession of my mind. Almost a year in 
America, and not one step advanced towards my 
purpose in coming hither! It was true that I had 
a comfortable home, with enough to live on, and 
had repaid to my sister the money that I had bor- 
rowed from her on our arrival; yet what kind of 
life was it that I was leading, in a business foreign 
both to my nature and to my inclinations, and with- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
105 
out even the prospect of enlarging this? These re- 
flections made me so sad that when I reached the 
store, the bookkeeper, noticing my dejection, told 
me by way of cheering me that he had another order 
for a hundred dollars’ worth of goods, etc., but this 
did not relieve me. 
I entered the omnibus again, speculating con- 
stantly on what I should do next. Everywhere, my 
inquiries about women physicians were received 
with a pitiful shrug of the shoulders, and I could 
obtain no information concerning the Philadelphia 
Female Medical College whose report I had read in 
Berlin. I had finally consulted the newspapers in 
spite of all the warnings against so doing, and I was 
almost at the point of calling upon a Mr. and Mrs. 
B. who advertised their private lying-in hospital 
(Mrs. B., after becoming a widow, resumed the name 
of her first husband and became the originator of 
the homeopathic medical college for women), when 
a thought suddenly dawned upon me. 
Might not the people in the Home for the Friend- 
less be able to give me advice? I had hardly con- 
ceived the idea, when I determined to ride directly 
up there instead of stopping at the street in which 
I lived. I thought, besides, that some employment 
might be found for my sister Anna where she could 
learn the English language for which she had 
evinced some talent, although I had decided that I 
could never become master of it. 
I had once seen the matron, Miss Goodrich, when 
I had called there on Catherine S. She had a hu- 
mane face, and I was persuaded that I should find 
a friend in her. I was not mistaken. I told her of 106 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
my plans in coming here and of our present mode 
of life and prospects, and confided to her my disap- 
pointment and dejection as well as my determination 
to persevere courageously. She seemed to under- 
stand and to enter into my feelings and promised 
to see Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, whom she advised 
me to call upon at once. 
I went home full of the hope and inspiration of a 
new life—the happiness of that morning can hardly 
be comprehended. I was not suffering, it is true, 
for the necessaries of life, but what was far worse, 
I suffered from the feeling that I lived for no pur- 
pose but to eat and to drink. I had no friends who 
were interested in the pursuits towards which my 
nature inclined, and I saw crowds of arrogant people 
about me to whom I could not prove that I was their 
equal in spite of their money. My sisters had not 
seen me so cheerful since our arrival in America 
and they thought that I had surely discovered the 
philosophers’ stone. I told them of what I had 
done and received their approbation, CHAPTER XIII 
Learns that Dr. Blackwell is working for the same purvose 
that brought her (Marie) to America, that is, to estab- 
lish a Hospital for Women; and that she (Dr. Black- 
well) has already progressed as far as opening a dis- 
pensary (the New York Infirmary for Indigent 
Women and Children)—Dr. Blackwell invites Marie 
to assist her in the dispensary, gives her lessons in 
English, and urges her to acquire the degree of M.D. 
—Elizabeth Blackwell first English-speaking woman 
to receive such degree—Italian, German and French 
women her only predecessors in this respect—Since be- 
ginning of the race, women have instinctively practiced 
obstetrics and general medicine but their education 
has been opposed—Marie’s business goes out of fash- 
ion—She substitutes a new one which pays very poorly 
and is complicated by frequent suggestions for irregu- 
lar sex life with employers—Refusal leads to loss of 
work—She is compelled to draw on her savings—In 
the autumn with a balance of fifty dollars, she sets 
out for Cleveland to enter the Medical Department 
of the Western Reserve College. (Twenty-five years 
of age: 1854.) 
On the morning of the 15th of May, 1854—the an- 
niversary of the death of Dr. Schmidt, the day of 
my greatest joy and my greatest misery—we re- 
ceived a call from Miss Goodrich who told us that 
she had seen Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, and that she 
thought she had also procured a suitable place for 
my sister. She gave us the addresses of Dr. Black- 
well and of Miss Catherine Sedgwick. 
107 108 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
We called first upon the latter, who was extremely 
kind, and although she had quite misunderstood our 
wishes—having exerted herself to procure a place 
for my sister in a way that manifested the belief 
that we had neither a home nor the means to live— 
yet her friendliness and readiness to assist us made 
us forever grateful to her. At that time we did not 
know her standing in society and looked upon her 
merely as a benevolent and wealthy woman. We 
soon learned more of her, however, for though un- 
successful in her first efforts, she shortly after sent 
for my sister, having secured for her a place in Mr. 
Theodore Sedgwick’s family, which was acceptable 
inasmuch as it placed her above the level of the ser- 
vants. She remained there for seven weeks and 
then returned home. 
On the same morning, I saw Dr. Elizabeth Black- 
well—and from this call of the 15th of May, 1854, 
I date my new life in America. She spoke a little 
German and understood me perfectly when I talked. 
I gave her all my certificates for inspection, but said 
nothing to her of my plans in coming to America. It 
would have seemed too ludicrous for me in my posi- 
tion to tell her that I entertained the idea of inter- 
esting the people in the establishment of a hospital 
for women. I hardly know what I told her, indeed, 
for I had no other plan of which to speak, and there- 
fore talked confusedly like an adventurer. I only 
know that I said that I would even take the position 
of nurse if I could enter one of the large hospitals, 
in order to learn the manner in which they were 
managed in this country. 
I cannot comprehend how Dr. Blackwell could THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
109 
ever have taken so deep an interest in me as she 
manifested that morning, for I never in my life was 
so little myself. Yet she did take this interest, for 
she gave me a sketch of her own experience in ac- 
quiring a medical education and explained the re- 
quirements for such in this country and the obstacles 
that are thrown in the way of women who seek to 
become physicians. 
She told me of her plan of founding a hospital— 
the long-cherished idea of my life—and said that 
she had opened a little dispensary on the 1st of 
May, two weeks before (the New York Infirmary 
for Indigent "Women and Children), which was de- 
signed to be the nucleus for this hospital, and she 
invited me to come and assist her. 
She insisted that first of all I should learn Eng- 
lish, and she offered to give me lessons twice a week 
and also to make efforts to enable me to enter a col- 
lege to acquire the title of “M.D.,” which I had not 
the right to attach to my name. I left her after 
several hours’ conversation, and we parted friends. 
[Dr. Blackwell, in her autobiography, tells of writ- 
ing to her sister, Dr. Emily, giving her impression 
of this interview: “I have at last found a student 
in whom I can take a great deal of interest, Marie 
Zakrzewska, a German about twenty-six. . . . There 
is true stuff in her, and I shall do my best to bring 
it out. . . . She must obtain a medical degree.”] 
I found Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell a rather short 
but stately lady, blonde with wavy hair, very dig- 
nified, kindly in speech, and very deliberate and 
wise in her remarks. 
The cordiality with which she welcomed me as a 110 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
co-worker, I can never describe nor forget. It 
aroused all my sunken hopes and energies and di- 
rected them again to the field of work which I had 
cultivated and which I had almost given up in de- 
spair. Now, I was finding the welcome and the 
beginning of which I had dreamed, and all the many 
days of disappointment were instantly forgotten. 
I met in Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell no eccentric per- 
son who wanted to bring about the millennium for 
women, for I soon learned from her of the great ob- 
stacles which were to be overcome in the social 
stratum. Soon, indeed, I learned that social preju- 
dices, habits and customs can be as strong barriers 
to intellectual development as those placed in the 
way of reform by a despotic German government. 
However, behind this social barrier, a number of 
high-minded and intellectually advanced women 
were ready to enter upon a struggle for greater 
freedom of action. They were especially inspired 
by the Anti-Slavery movement, which was then fully 
established and which appealed so strongly to the 
emotional nature of women. The paths these women 
trod were full of thorns and thistles yet they bore 
everything patiently, for, knowing their country 
and its people, they foresaw all the possibilities for 
good which could be achieved. 
Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, while not the first woman 
practitioner of medicine even in America, was yet 
the pioneer in the movement which insisted that 
medical women should be educated so as to stand 
equal with men physicians in medical knowledge and 
in legalized position. Hence, she began her medical 
life not by practicing her art but by working for THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
111 
the degree of ‘ ‘ M.D. ’ ’ from one of the regularly con- 
stituted medical colleges, this meaning at that time 
a medical college established exclusively for men. 
In this course, she followed the example of at least 
three Italian women who had, near the end of the 
eighteenth century and in the beginning of the nine- 
teenth, taken the medical degree at the Universities 
of Florence and Bologna. But her autobiography 
is well entitled, Pioneer Work in Opening the Medi- 
cal Profession to Women, because nothing of this 
kind had been undertaken by an English-speaking 
woman. Exceptionally, women have, here and there, 
received the same training as men, as evidenced by 
ancient histories. And early in this nineteenth cen- 
tury, two German women had received the medical 
degree at the University of Giessen. And the 
French obstetrician, Madame Boivin, had the med- 
ical degree conferred on her by the University of 
Marburg before she died in 1841. 
From the earliest history of the human race, 
women have been the practitioners of obstetrics, 
and thence, naturally, the practitioners in the dis- 
eases of women and children. 
But even such women suffered from the subjec- 
tion which was inflicted upon all their sex. Hence, 
as the science of medicine became organized, and as 
systematized instruction in both the science and the 
art became established, opportunities for study and 
advanced practice were more and more monopolized 
by men; and women were more and more hindered 
from exercising and developing their instinctive 
tendencies in these directions. 
But the monopoly has never been secure. Always, 112 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
large numbers of people, especially of women, have 
persisted in the desire to be advised medically by 
women; and always, a certain number of women 
have responded to their instincts and have prepared 
themselves as best they could to give medical advice 
and help, especially to women and children. 
Thus even at this date all over the world large 
numbers of women continued to practice obstetrics, 
largely as “midwives. ” But a considerable num- 
ber of women also practiced general medicine, es- 
pecially where they did not come in conflict with 
medical or civil laws, which were designed to ex- 
clude all except the practitioners of the dominant 
medical group. The passage of laws regulating the 
practice of medicine is undoubtedly actuated by a 
sincere desire to raise the standard of medical prac- 
tice throughout the community, but only too fre- 
quently these laws give power to a group of medical 
oligarchs, a fact which I was many times to observe 
later. 
The best known of the last class of women just 
described is Dr. Harriot K. Hunt, who was at this 
date preparing for publication her autobiography 
which appeared under the title of Glances and 
Glimpses. 
Dr. Blackwell was graduated from the Geneva 
(New York) Medical College, in 1849, and she then 
went to Europe to obtain the clinical experience 
which was denied to women in America, returning 
to see her sister Emily also become a regular M.D. 
(1854). 
The two sisters procured a charter from the New 
York Legislature to establish the New York Infir- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
113 
mary for Indigent Women and Children, both feel- 
ing the absolute necessity for continued clinical ex- 
perience before offering their services to suffering 
humanity at large. Dr. Emily then went to Europe 
for special clinical study and she was still there. 
Dr. Blackwell said to me, “My sister has just gone 
to Europe to finish what she began here, and you 
have come here to finish what you began in Europe.” 
And here I am obliged to give a short statement 
of the mode of study in the medical profession at 
that time. 
The young student had to find a “preceptor,” a 
physician of good standing, with whom he studied 
the preliminaries necessary for entering a medical 
college or school. He also visited patients with 
this preceptor and assisted the latter in every way 
possible. The student thus became familiar with 
the details of practice even before matriculating 
regularly in a medical college. I have met young 
men who had been for years such assistants to phy- 
sicians, and who later entered college merely to be- 
come legally qualified. 
Any student who could bring certificates from an 
acceptable preceptor could easily procure a diploma 
by attending the medical school of any college for 
two short successive winter sessions, often of only 
sixteen weeks9 duration. 
This method of clinical experience in private prac- 
tice made hospital attendance by the student seem 
almost unnecessary. Even opportunities for at- 
tendance at dispensaries, when such existed in the 
larger cities, were not much sought after by the 
young men, they feeling that they could gain all 114 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
the required knowledge by attaching themselves to 
preceptors. 
Society, and indeed civilization in general, was in 
a primitive stage of development, in spite of mate- 
rial elegance, yes, even of luxury and refined man- 
ners. It would take a long time to describe the great 
change which has taken place in the educational and 
intellectual development of the people in the United 
States and the increased facilities which they have 
for the higher and deeper studies. 
The time which it would take with a monarchically 
limited people to advance any social improvement 
or reform would require generations, while under 
free, unlimited social laws, months instead of years 
will serve to bring about the desired evolution. 
Under these conditions, I became the student of 
Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, she assuming the role of 
medical preceptor, as well as most patient instructor 
in the English language. 
In consequence of her having obtained a charter 
for a hospital, a few high-minded and progressive 
friends had contributed sufficient money to open one 
room for dispensary purposes in a very poor quar- 
ter of the East Side of New York. Here poor 
women and children came three afternoons a week, 
from three to five o’clock, for medical advice and 
such simple medicines as Dr. Blackwell could dis- 
pense without assistance, until I became her pupil. 
The beneficiaries were by no means always grate- 
ful; on the contrary, they often considered them- 
selves as important patrons of the women doctors. 
An incident will illustrate this. 
One day, in the hall of the Dispensary, the few THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
115 
settees were filled with patients waiting for our ar- 
rival, and two old and decrepit women had taken 
seats on the curbstone of the sidewalk, also waiting 
for us. It unavoidably happened that we were 
fifteen minutes behind the regular time for opening 
the Dispensary. 
As these two old women saw us turning around 
the corner of Second Avenue, one of them called 
to those within hearing in the hall, “There come 
the Dispensary women now! ’ ’ 
And to us, she said, reproachfully, “Those ladies 
in the hall have been waiting a whole hour already. ’ ’ 
I continued my work at home, going regularly to 
Dr. Blackwell to receive lessons in English and to 
assist her in the Dispensary. As we grew better 
acquainted, I disclosed more to her of the fact that 
I had a fixed plan in coming to this country, which 
increased her interest in me. 
She wrote in my behalf to the different colleges, 
and at length succeeded in obtaining admission for 
me to the Cleveland Medical College (Western Re- 
serve) on the most favorable terms, credit being 
given me on the lecture fees for an indefinite time. 
Here I must stop to tell you why this credit was 
necessary. The articles that I had manufactured 
had gone out of fashion in May, and I could not in- 
vent anything new, partly because I no longer felt 
the same interest as before, knowing that I should 
soon go to a medical college, and partly because 
the articles then in fashion were cheaper when im- 
ported. 
We had to live for a little while on the money that 
we had laid up, until I procured a commission for 116 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
embroidering caps. It is perfectly wonderful into 
what kinds of business I was forced, all foreign to 
my taste. 
And here let me tell you some secrets of this kind 
of business, in which hundreds of women starve and 
hundreds more go down to a life of infamy. 
Cap-making (the great business of Water Street 
of New York) gives employment to thousands of 
unfortunates. For embroidering caps, the whole- 
sale dealer pays seven cents each; and for making 
up, three cents. To make a dozen a day, one must 
work for sixteen hours. 
The embroidering is done in this wise: I received 
the cut cloth from the wholesale dealer; drew the 
pattern upon each cap; gave them with three cents9 
worth of silk to the embroiderer, who received three 
cents for her work; then pressed and returned them; 
thus making one cent on each for myself. 
By working steadily for sixteen hours, a girl could 
embroider fifteen in a day. I gave out about six 
dozen daily, earning like the rest fifty cents a day; 
unless I chose to do the stamping and pressing at 
night and to embroider a dozen during the day, in 
which case I earned a dollar. One can live in this 
way for a little while until health fails or the mer- 
chant says that the work has come to an end. 
You will think this terrible again. Oh, no! This 
is not terrible. The good men provide another way. 
They tell every woman of a prepossessing appear- 
ance that it is wrong in her to work so hard, that 
many a man would be glad to care for her, and that 
many women live quite comfortably with the help 
of a “friend.” They say, further, that it is lonely THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
117 
to live without ever going to church, to the concert 
and theater, and that if these women would only per- 
mit the speakers to visit them and to attend them 
to any of these places, they would soon find that 
they would no longer be obliged to work so hard. 
This is the polished talk of gentlemen who enjoy 
the reputation of piety and respectability and who 
think it a bad speculation to pay women liberally 
for their work. So it would be, in truth, for these 
poor creatures would not be so willing to abandon 
themselves to a disreputable life if they could pro- 
cure bread in any other way. 
During the summer of 1854, I took work on com- 
mission from men of this sort. While in Berlin, I 
had learned from the prostitutes in the hospital in 
what manner educated women often became what 
they then were. 
The average story was always the same. Love, 
even the purest, made them weak; their lover de- 
ceived and deserted them; their family cast them off 
by way of punishment. In their disgrace, they went 
to bury themselves in large cities, where the work 
that they could find scarcely gave them their daily 
bread. Their employers, attracted by their personal 
appearance and the refinements of their speech and 
manners, offered them assistance in another way, 
in which they could earn money without work. In 
despair, they accepted the proposals and sank grad- 
ually step by step to the depths of degradation, as 
depicted by Hogarth in the Harlot’s Progress. 
In New York, I was thrown continually among 
men who were of the stamp that I described before, 
and I can say, even from my own experience, that 118 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
no man is ever more polite, more friendly or more 
kind than one who has impure wishes in his heart. 
It is really so dangerous for a woman of refined 
nature to go to such stores that I never suffered 
my sister to visit them; not because I feared that 
she would listen to these men, but because I could 
not endure the thought that so innocent and beauti- 
ful a girl should come in contact with them or even 
breathe the same atmosphere. 
When fathers are unwilling that their daughters 
shall enter life as physicians, lawyers, merchants, 
or in any other public capacity, it is simply because 
they belong to the class that so contaminates the air 
that none can breathe it but themselves; or because, 
from being thrown constantly in contact with such 
men, they arrive at the same point at which I then 
stood, and say to themselves, “I can afford to meet 
such men. I am steeled by my knowledge of man- 
kind and supported by the philosophy that I have 
learned during years of trial. It cannot hurt me; 
but by all means, spare the young and beautiful the 
same experience!” 
I dealt somewhat haughtily with the merchants 
whom I have described, in a manner that at once 
convinced them of my position. But the consequence 
was that the embroidery commission which had 
commenced so favorably, suddenly ceased, “ because 
the Southern trade had failed ’ ’; in truth, because I 
would not allow any of these men to say any more 
to me than was absolutely necessary in our business. 
My income became less and less, and we were 
forced to live upon the money that we had laid up 
during the year. I did not look for any new sources THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
119 
of employment for I was intending to go to Cleve- 
land in October. My next sister had business of 
her own, and Anna was engaged to be married to 
our friend Mr. C. My brother was also with them, 
and my mother ’s brother, whom she had adopted as 
a child, was on his way to America. 
After having settled our affairs, fifty dollars re- 
mained as my share, and with this sum I set out 
for Cleveland, on the 16th of October, 1854. Dr. 
Elizabeth Blackwell had supplied me with the neces- 
sary medical textbooks, so that I had no other ex- 
penses than those of my journey and the matricula- 
tion fees which together amounted to twenty dol- 
lars, leaving thirty dollars in my possession. CHAPTER XIV 
Attends the medical course at Cleveland, learning English 
at the same time—Is befriended by the Dean, Dr. 
John J. Delamater, and by Mrs. Caroline M. Sever- 
ance—Some professors and students object to women 
as students—Students petition faculty to exclude 
women—Petition by Harvard medical students against 
admission of Dr. Harriot K. Hunt to lecures in 1851— 
No minister would offer prayer at early Commence- 
ments of Female Medical College of Pennsylvania— 
Philadelphia County Medical Society not only refused 
to admit women as members but issued an edict of 
excommunication against any of its members who 
should teach in the woman's medical college, or who 
should consult with women physicians or even with the 
male teachers of the medical women—Edict approved 
by Pennsylvania State Medical Society—Mrs. Mary 
A. Livermore witnesses on Chestnut St., Philadelphia, 
male students mobbing women students and pelting 
them with mud—Similar mobbing and pelting with 
mud of women medical students at the gates of the 
University of Edinburgh—Dr. Blackwell writes she is 
obliged to close her dispensary for lack of funds and 
assistance—Marie and her roommate ostracized at the 
table and in the parlor by the other boarders. (Twen- 
ty-five years of age: 1854.) 
I do not believe that many begin the study of med- 
icine with so light a purse and so heavy a heart as 
did I. My heart was heavy for the reason that I did 
not know a single sentence of English. All of my 
120 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
121 
study with Dr. Blackwell had been like raindrops 
falling upon stone; I had profited nothing. 
The lectures I did not care for, since there was 
more need of my studying English than medicine, 
but the subjects were well known to me, and I there- 
fore reasoned that by hearing familiar things treated 
of in English, I must learn the language—and the 
logic held good. 
I have already told you that the faculty had agreed 
to give me credit for my lecture fees. Dr. Black- 
well had written also to a lady in Cleveland, wdio 
had called upon her some time before in the capacity 
of president of a Physiological Society which, among 
other good things, had established a small fund for 
the assistance of women desirous of studying medi- 
cine. This lady (Mrs. Caroline M. Severance) re- 
plied in the most friendly manner, saying that I 
might come directly to her house, and that she would 
see that my board for the winter was secured by 
the Physiological Society over which she presided. 
The journey to Cleveland was a silent but a pleas- 
ant one. Through a mishap, I arrived on Saturday 
night instead of in the morning, and being unwilling 
to disturb Mrs. Severance at so late an hour, I went 
first to a hotel. But what trials I had there! No 
one could understand me, until at last I wrote on a 
slate my own name and that of Mrs. Severance, with 
the words, “A carriage” and “to-morrow.” From 
this, the people inferred that I wished to stay at 
the hotel all night and to have a carriage to take me 
to Mrs. Severance’s the next day, as was the case. 
A waiter took my carpet-bag and conducted me to 
a room. I could not understand his directions to 122 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
the supper-room, neither could I make him under- 
stand that I wanted some supper in my own room; 
and the consequence was that I went to bed hungry, 
having eaten nothing all day but a little bread and 
an apple for luncheon. 
As soon as I was dressed the next morning, I rang 
the bell furiously, and on the appearance of the 
waiter, exclaimed, “Beefsteak!” This time he com- 
prehended me, and went laughingly away to bring 
me a good breakfast. I often saw the same waiter 
afterwards at the hotel, and he never saw me with- 
out laughing and exclaiming, “Beefsteak!” 
In the course of the forenoon, I was taken in a 
carriage to the house of Mrs. Severance, but the 
family was not at home. I returned to the hotel 
somewhat disheartened and disappointed. Although 
I should have supposed that death was not far off 
if some disappointment had not happened to me 
when I least expected it, yet this persistent going 
wrong of everything in Cleveland was really rather 
dispiriting. But a bright star soon broke through 
the clouds in the shape of Mr. Severance, who came 
into the parlor directly after dinner, calling for me 
in so easy and so cordial a manner that I forgot 
everything and was perfectly happy. 
This feeling, however, lasted only until I reached 
the house. I found four fine children, all full of 
childish curiosity to hear me talk, but who, as soon 
as they found that I could not make myself under- 
stood by them, looked on me with that sort of con- 
tempt peculiar to children when they discover that 
a person cannot do as much as they themselves can. 
Mr. Severance, too, was expecting to find me accom- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
123 
plished in music “like all Germans,” and had to 
learn that I had neither voice nor ear for the art. 
Mrs. Severance understood a little German, yet not 
half enough to gain any idea of how much or how 
little I was capable of doing, and therefore looked 
upon me with a sort of uncertainty as to what was 
my real capacity. This position was more provok- 
ing than painful—there was even something ludi- 
crous in it, and when not annoyed, I often went into 
my room to indulge in a hearty laugh by myself. 
[Mrs. Severance tells of this first meeting: 
I had gone to take her to our home in response 
to a letter from Dr. Blackwell commending her to 
our care. The letter had come late the night before, 
and I had not realized the forlornness to her of 
being in a hotel over night in a strange city. 
How condemned I felt for this thoughtlessness as 
I looked into the tearful eyes of the lonely foreigner 
who did not feel at home in English, and who had 
found no one to greet her in her own language until 
I ventured my crude German! Her eyes kindled 
into smiles at that and our years of close friendship 
were begun.] 
I met with a most cordial reception in the college. 
The dean (Dr. John J. Delamater) received me like 
a father, and from the first day I felt perfectly at 
home. All was going on well. I had a home at Mrs. 
Severance’s, and despite my mutilated English I 
found many friends in the college, when suddenly 
circumstances changed everything. 
Some changes occurred in Mr. Severance’s busi- 
ness and he was forced in consequence to give up 124 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
housekeeping. At that time I did not know that the 
Physiological Society was ready to lend me money, 
and I was therefore in great distress. 
I never experienced so bitter a day as that on 
which Mrs. Severance told me that I could stay with 
her no longer. It was but five weeks after my ar- 
rival, and I was not able to make myself understood 
in the English language, which was like chaos to me. 
On the same day I well remember that for the first 
time in my life I made an unsuccessful attempt to 
borrow money; and because it was the first and the 
last time, it was the more painful to me to be re- 
fused. I envied the dog that lived and was happy 
without troubling his brain; I envied the kitchen- 
maid who did her work mechanically and seemed to 
enjoy life far more than those fitted by nature for 
something higher. 
Mrs. Severance secured a boarding place for me 
for the rest of the winter and paid my board, amount- 
ing to thirty-three dollars, from the funds of the 
society. I lived quietly by myself; studied six hours 
daily at home, with four dictionaries by me; attended 
six lectures a day, and went in the evening for three 
hours to the dissecting rooms. 
[Dr. Blackwell, again writing to her sister Emily 
on November 13th, says: A pleasant circumstance 
occurred to my German, Dr. Zakrzewska. I ar- 
ranged a Cleveland course for her, and she entered 
two weeks ago. She met a very friendly reception, 
and found that Dr. Kirtland is in correspondence 
with Professor Muller of Berlin, and he had men- 
tioned her in some of his letters in such high terms 
that the faculty told her that if she would qualify THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
125 
herself for examination in surgery and chemistry 
and write an English thesis, they would graduate 
her at the end of this term. Of course, she is study- 
ing with might and main, and will, I have no doubt, 
succeed; so we may reckon on a little group of three 
next year. That will be quite encouraging.] 
I never conversed with any one at the boarding 
house, nor even asked for anything at the table, 
but was supplied like a mute. This silence was 
fruitful to me. About New Year, I ventured to 
make my English audible; when, lo! every one un- 
derstood me perfectly. From this time forward, 
I sought to make acquaintances, to the especial de- 
light of good old Dr. Delamater who had firmly be- 
lieved that I was committing gradual suicide. 
My stay in that congenial family, the Severances, 
was meant to be only temporary, until a suitable 
boarding house could be obtained. Alas, nobody 
wanted to take a “female medical student!” For 
several weeks, Mrs. Severance hunted for such a 
place until she found a New England woman, Mrs. 
Shepard, who was willing to brave the criticism of 
neighborhood and church connections and take me 
and another female medical student who was in the 
same dilemma to board for the winter, the Associa- 
tion mentioned making themselves responsible for 
the expense.3 
Being now well-housed, we trotted unconcernedly 
by neighbors staring from behind half-shut blinds, 
twice a day, to and from our college. And there 
being four women among a couple of hundred young 
men, we had our box seat to ourselves, unmolested 
by the tobacco-chewing and spitting iEsculapians 126 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
in embryo. My three companions were Mrs. Chad- 
wick who was my roommate, Miss Cordelia A. 
Greene, now practicing in her own institution in 
Castile, N. Y., and Miss Elizabeth Grissell, now a 
practicing physician in Salem, Ohio.4 
In the college, we had nothing of which we could 
complain; the young men did not like our presence; 
some of the professors acted as if we did not exist, 
while others favored us in many ways; and one, 
the most eminent, Dr. Delamater, offered to be 
my preceptor and gave me good practical advan- 
tages. 
On the whole, life was made quite pleasant in the 
college, although we were told that a strong peti- 
tion was circulated by the male students to exclude 
women after that winter’s term. The faculty re- 
fused to consent to this request because they had 
given the four women the promise of an opportunity 
to graduate. However, the assurance was given to 
the men that the college would not again admit 
women, especially as the faculty considered that the 
little Pennsylvania Medical College for "Women was 
prospering and giving fully as good an education 
as the Western Reserve Medical College. 
We did not see a copy of the petition of the men 
students, but as there was never any variety in the 
objections made to the study of medicine by women, 
it was undoubtedly similar to the one which the 
medical students at Harvard College presented 
against the admission of Dr. Harriot K. Hunt, in 
1850, and which she published in Glances and 
Glimpses. 
As it is interesting because showing the weakness THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
127 
of the forces which everywhere opposed us, I will 
cite it here. 
After quoting a communication which approved 
of her conduct and disapproved of that of the men 
students, and which appeared in the Boston Evening 
Transcript, July 5, 1851, Dr. Hunt adds: “This 
article brought out the resolutions of the students 
which I had endeavored to obtain in vain. ’ ’ 
The Female Medical Pupil.—Mr. Editor: As an 
article, in some respects imaginative, appeared in 
the Transcript on Wednesday evening over the sig- 
nature of E. D. L., who professes to be “well in- 
formed” respecting the application of a female to 
the Medical Lectures, and the “insubordination” 
with which the intelligence was received by the 
students, allow me to correct any erroneous impres- 
sion by claiming space for an insertion of the fol- 
lowing series of resolutions passed at a meeting 
of the medical class with but one dissenting vote, and 
afterwards respectfully presented to the Faculty 
of the Medical College. 
Whereas, it has been ascertained that permission 
has been granted to a female to attend the Medical 
Lectures of the present winter, therefore, 
jResolved, That we deem it proper both to testify 
our disapprobation of said measure, and to take 
such action thereon as may be necessary to pre- 
serve the dignity of the school, and our own self- 
respect. 
Resolved, That no woman of true delicacy would 
be willing in the presence of men to listen to the 
discussion of the subjects that necessarily come 
under the consideration of the student of medicine. 
Resolved, That we object to having the company 128 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
of any female forced upon us, who is disposed to 
unsex herself, and to sacrifice her modesty, by ap- 
pearing with men in the medical lecture room. 
Resolved, That we are not opposed to allowing 
woman her rights, but do protest against her ap- 
pearing in places where her presence is calculated 
to destroy our respect for the modesty and delicacy 
of her sex. 
Resolved, That the medical professors be, and 
hereby are, respectfully entreated to do away forth- 
with with an innovation expressly at variance with 
the spirit of the introductory lecture, with our own 
feelings, and detrimental to the prosperity, if not to 
the very existence of the school. 
Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be 
presented to the Medical Faculty. 
Scalpel.. 
We women in Cleveland were fortunate that we 
had to contend only with ostracism and petitions, 
for in Philadelphia and in Edinburgh, women medi- 
cal students suffered grievously at the hands of the 
male medical students, as well as from other groups 
in the community. 
For instance, at the commencement exercises of 
the Pennsylvania Female Medical College, prayer 
was offered by a layman because no minister in 
Philadelphia could be found who would take part 
in the services.6 
And the Philadelphia County Medical Society not 
only refused to admit women physicians as members, 
but, in 1859, it pronounced an edict of excommunica- 
tion against any of its members who should teach 
in the Pennsylvania Female Medical College, or 
who should consult with women physicians or with THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
129 
the male teachers of the women. And this edict of 
excommunication was approved, in 1860, by the 
Pennsylvania State Medical Society. As a leading 
member of both societies, Dr. Atlee, expressed it, 
“By the rules of our medical association, I dare 
not consult with the most highly educated female 
physician, and yet I may consult with the most 
ignorant masculine ass in the medical profession.” 
Again, in The Business Folio, Boston, March, 
1895, Mrs. Mary A. Livermore tells of a personal 
observation which she made during the earlier days 
of this college. Speaking to a relative, she says: 
Before you were born, and you are now nearly 
twenty-eight years old, my husband and myself went 
to Philadelphia to make your father and mother a 
visit. 
One day, we were walking up Chestnut Street 
when suddenly we became aware that something un- 
usual was the matter. Before us was a group of 
women hurrying along in great confusion; they were 
well dressed, but their clothing was then in a very 
dilapidated condition. 
We wondered what had happened, and as we 
looked this way and that a chunk of mud flew by, 
perilously near my face, and hit one of the women 
who was then not far from us. 
With a startled cry, the woman with the others 
ran into the wide-open doors of a large store. They 
were followed by a company of young men seemingly 
intent only upon reaching them. The proprietor and 
clerks sprang to the rescue of the young women, and, 
with the help of my husband and his brother, grabbed 
the unmannerly cubs by the napes of their necks and 
threw them into the street. 130 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
We then learned that the company of young women 
had entered one of the medical colleges in Phila- 
delphia, and these young men from another college 
in another part of the city had determined that if 
they could prevent it no women should study medi- 
cine. 
This Philadelphia episode suggests the mobbing 
and pelting with mud which Sophia Jex-Blake and 
her fellow women students received from the male 
medical students at the gates of the University of 
Edinburgh as late as 1870, but it lacks the compen- 
sating feature of the Edinburgh occurrence when 
“the decent male medical students” came to the 
rescue of the women and formed a protecting and 
chivalrous escort for them, continuing this gentle- 
manly course till the “rowdies” accepted the pres- 
ence of women students. Though this “presence” 
was only short-lived.14 
Meanwhile, I exchanged letters pretty regularly 
with Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, telling her the details 
of my college life, and she telling me that she was 
obliged to close the little dispensary. One reason 
for this was the lack of funds to meet the expense, 
while another was the lack of such assistance as I 
had rendered, Dr. Emily Blackwell being in Europe, 
studying, and there being no other medical woman 
to avail herself of the opportunity for such practice. 
She also wrote me that the practice she sought in- 
creased but slowly while expenses were high, so she 
had decided to enter upon the new speculation of 
buying a house on Fifteenth Street and reducing her 
own expenses by sharing its rooms with friends. 
The first three months of college life were rather THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
131 
dull for me, as my imperfect knowledge of the 
English language excluded me from taking part in 
the comradeship of the few male students who 
rather enjoyed the presence of the women, and who 
had taken no part in the petition of objection to us. 
After college hours, my roommate and I spent our 
time chiefly in our room as the other boarders would 
retire as soon as we entered the parlor; and at table 
would politely but decidedly manifest their intention 
to ignore us. On Sundays, we went to “Meeting,” 
as it was called, sometimes under the auspices of 
our good hostess, Mrs. Shepard, who was a strict 
orthodox Presbyterian. More often, however, I went 
to a hall where a small society known as that of the 
Liberal Christians was addressed by Rev. A. D. 
Mayo. He was a humanitarian and belonged in the 
ranks of the Abolitionists. He was also interested 
in various other social reforms, among which was 
the Woman’s Rights movement. CHAPTER XV 
Marie’s contact with “transcendentalism” and the Know- 
Nothing movement—Meets Dr. Harriot K. Hunt, of 
Boston—Why Harriot and her sister began to study 
medicine in 1830—In 1847, Harriot applies to Harvard 
for permission to attend medical lectures and is refused 
—In 1850, she renews her application and receives per- 
mission—Harvard medical students send two petitions 
of protest to the faculty: one against admission of 
negro men students; one against admission of women 
students—The faculty requests Harriot to withdraw 
her application—Marie’s father opposes her study of 
medicine, denounces her leaving “woman’s sphere” 
and demands her return to New York or to Germany. 
(Twenty-five years of age: 1854-1855.) 
Retracing these later steps for a moment, I wish 
to add that the years 1840 to 1860 form the period of 
what is now called the “transcendentalism of New 
England.” What has given rise to this mode of 
thinking and acting of the people has been explained 
by many an able writer. I, arriving in America in 
1853, experienced the effect of this phase of spiritual 
life when it was on the wane; when phalansteries 
had been tried and had failed; when social reforms 
were discussed in all parts of the country by those 
who led the van from Boston, New York, Phila- 
delphia, and Cleveland. 
Groups of reformers existed in the churches and 
schools as well as in political and social circles. 
132 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
133 
Women, still timid and under the pressure of social 
propriety, hailed every one who dared to give ex- 
pression to their wishes and longings for a sphere 
beyond that of domesticity. 
The broader religious preaching of William El- 
lery Channing and of Theodore Parker encouraged 
many to join these men in their efforts, while tran- 
scendental thinking and reading had prepared their 
minds to accept any new theory of life and its aims, 
for the individual woman as well as for the whole 
sex. 
The first impressions received from the few ac- 
quaintances I had, after arriving, were depressing 
in the highest degree; for I found that the life of 
the New World had not only confirmed my country- 
men in their Old World prejudices but it had even 
a reactionary result upon their mode of thinking, 
leading them to ridicule the American ways and 
modes in social, religious and political forms of life. 
The Know-Nothing party had just been estab- 
lished ; and those immigrants who were exiled after 
the revolutionary efforts of the years following 1848, 
created a prejudice among themselves against the 
English-speaking people of New York, especially 
against all reformers, which included the Know- 
Nothings. 
And, yet, it was through the accidental acquaint- 
ance of these Know-Nothings that I was introduced 
to the so-called reformers; and, strange to say, the 
family giving firm adherence to the Know-Nothing 
principles was of German birth, their parents having 
emigrated after the year 1830, when exiled follow- 
ing the student revolt. 134 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
This family opened the path to the first acquaint- 
ance to whom I could show my credentials, verified 
by letters from the American Secretary of Legation 
at Berlin, Theodore S. Fay.2 
A new world seemed to appear before my eyes 
when I was first introduced to the different circles 
of reformers. It seemed to me then as if the whole 
social and religious life was undermined, and that 
a labyrinth of ways ran confusedly in all sorts of 
directions. All that education, habit and custom had 
nurtured in my perception of life seemed to crumble 
into pieces. 
That negro slavery was still in full force I soon 
learned, and that women declared their incapability 
to speak freely and openly against it shocked me 
beyond comprehension. On the other hand, I was 
shocked that a Mrs. Wright and others had demanded 
the emancipation of women. That a Woman’s 
Rights Convention was held in New York State 
seemed to me so ridiculous that I found the expres- 
sion in one of the New York papers, “The hens 
which want to crow,” quite appropriate. 
However, I had tried to crow as hard as any of 
these women without realizing it, for I had been 
quite enthusiastic when I received the news that 
ways and means had been found through the efforts 
of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell for me to enter the 
medical school of the Western Reserve College, at 
Cleveland. It was not a week after my arrival when 
through a visit from Dr. Harriot Kezia Hunt to the 
house of my hostess and protector, Mrs. Caroline 
M. Severance, I learned to my great astonishment 
that the “crowing hens” of Cleveland had taken THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
135 
me under their wings to shelter me and to promote 
my efforts.6 
[As Marie became better acquainted with the 
“woman’s rights” question her logical mind was 
impressed by the arguments in favor of the move- 
ment, and she eventually accepted it and became 
associated with its ardent advocates, though never 
herself taking the position of a militant suffragist.] 
A few details regarding Dr. Hunt will be of in- 
terest here. Harriot Kezia Hunt and her sister, 
Sarah Augusta, had their minds withdrawn from 
their profession of teaching and turned towards 
medicine, in 1830, by the prolonged illness of Sarah 
and her ineffective treatment by the regular medical 
profession. “After forty-one weeks of sickness and 
one hundred and six professional calls, my sister was 
roused to more thought on this subject. We talked 
it over together; she obtained some medical works; 
and finally, she came to the conclusion that her 
case was not understood.” 
The sisters continued the study of medicine by 
themselves, and Harriot first thought of woman as 
a physician when, in 1833, Mrs. Mott and her hus- 
band, two irregular practitioners who had come to 
Boston from England, were called to see if they 
could in any way help Sarah. As Harriot writes: 
“ ... it did not occur to us that to die under regu- 
lar practice, and with medical etiquette, was better 
than any other way.” 
Sarah soon began to improve and Harriot then 
decided to become a physician, giving up her teach- 
ing so that she might have more time to study. 
Sarah’s new treatment eliminated the rather drastic 136 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
use of drugs then prevalent in medical practice, and 
confined itself principally to attention to the some- 
what neglected laws of hygiene, combined with 
cheering assurances of a cure. As her health be- 
came established, Sarah joined in the study, and in 
October, 1835, the two sisters formally began prac- 
tice by advertising the fact in the daily papers. 
Sarah later married and became the mother of six 
children, gradually withdrawing from the practice 
which Harriot continued alone. 
Harriot persevered in her studies while building 
up a very successful practice in Boston, and, in 1847, 
she applied to Harvard College for permission to 
attend medical lectures but was refused. In 1850, 
she renewed her application and this time she re- 
ceived the desired permission, five of the seven mem- 
bers of the Faculty voting in the affirmative. 
Of the two men who voted in the negative (Drs. 
James Jackson and Jacob Bigelow), it was Dr. 
Jackson who had introduced into Boston the mid- 
wife, Mrs. Janet Alexander. “Thus,” comments 
Dr. Putnam-Jacobi, “it would seem that his objec- 
tion was not to women but to educated women who 
might aspire to rank among regularly educated men 
physicians. ’ ’ 
But again Dr. Hunt’s hopes met disappointment 
for, as noted in a previous chapter, the men students 
sent to the Faculty two petitions of remonstrance 
—one against the admission of negro men students, 
and one against the admission of women students. 
The Faculty referred these petitions to a com- 
mittee of which Dr. Jacob Bigelow (one of the two 
members originally voting against Dr. Hunt’s ad- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
137 
mission) was chairman. This committee reported 
the following votes regarding the petition against 
women students (and this report was accepted): 
Voted, that the Faculty are at all times anxious to 
promote the gratification and welfare of the mem- 
bers of the medical class so far as their duty and 
the great interests of medical education permit. 
Voted, that the female student who had applied 
for liberty to attend the lectures having by advice 
of the Faculty withdrawn her petition, no further 
action on this subject is necessary. 
In 1853, Dr. Hunt received the honorary degree of 
M.D. from the Female Medical College of Pennsyl- 
vania, in Philadelphia. 
I found among those whom Mrs. Severance had in- 
terested in my behalf, kind and intelligent as well 
as sympathizing friends who were willing to assist 
me even financially in my studies. These good peo- 
ple, I saw well, pitied my benightedness concerning 
the emancipation of women, without trying to prose- 
lyte, but leaving me in good faith that I would work 
out my own salvation and see the righteousness of 
their demands for a larger sphere for women. 
Another tie of sympathy soon became apparent, 
namely, the religious tendency which was prevail- 
ing in the Severance circle of acquaintances. Mr. 
and Mrs. Severance were the leading spirits of a 
small Universalist congregation who held their meet- 
ings in the only public hall which Cleveland then 
possessed. This assembly was inspired by Rev. 
A. D. Mayo who had recently been called by them. 
They were adverse to Calvinism as well as to Epis- 138 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
copalianism, yet they felt the want and need of some 
form of church union. 
This congregation was the most heterogeneous 
imaginable. Most of the people were in a transition 
stage from the darkest orthodoxy to atheism, neither 
of these extremes satisfying their ideals. There 
were also reformers in other directions dissatisfied 
with all existing codes of religion and law who 
sought refuge in the companionship of malcontents. 
Thus, we had not only Unitarians and Universalists 
to meet, but also Spiritualists, Magnetists, Fourier- 
ists, Freelovers, Women’s Rights advocates, Aboli- 
tionists—in fact, followers of all kinds of isms then 
existing. 
Every theory had its representatives and advo- 
cates when a couple of dozen men and women gath- 
ered in alternate houses, socially or for discussing 
problems in general. A woman medical student 
was a new element and was welcomed by all the 
factions. Fortunately, I could not speak the English 
language, so I belonged to the class of patient listen- 
ers. I thus received attention from all groups, 
learning a great deal of what was agitating the in- 
telligent and thinking ones, and being befriended 
by many in the expectation of swelling their num- 
bers by one more in support of their specific beliefs 
or theories. 
However, as these people seemed to be the only 
group of human beings who were not afraid of fe- 
male medical students, I decided to avail myself 
of the customary opportunity of calling on New 
Year’s Hay, 1855, at the house of Mr. Mayo, Mrs. 
Severance having inspired me with the courage to THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
139 
do so. To my great surprise, after arriving there 
I found that I could speak English well enough to 
be understood. 
[At a later date Mr. Mayo writes of this call: 
Among my visitors at my home in Cleveland, at 
the New Year’s reception of 1855, was a young 
woman whose face I recognized as a bright presence 
in the Sunday congregations that waited on my min- 
istry. 
Despite her impossible Polish name and her pic- 
turesque pronunciation of the English language, she 
became at once the notable guest of the evening. 
Her cheerful voice, reinforced by her magnetic 
womanhood, sent every sentence to the right place 
and won our hearts.] 
My roommate and fellow student, Mrs. Chadwick, 
refused to accompany me on this New Year’s call. 
Mr. Mayo was too liberal for her. Such is the in- 
consistency of human nature; she herself did not 
hesitate to don the robe of a reformer as medical 
student, yet she did not dare to speculate on new 
theories in the realm of thought. 
Thus the new year began very promisingly, as it 
opened to me the chance of entering somewhat into 
social relations which to my nature were absolutely 
necessary in order to keep up my hopes and aspira- 
tions. Besides, this connection gave me the oppor- 
tunity to observe the habits and customs of this new 
life, both in the intellectual and the domestic spheres, 
during the little time that I could spare from my 
studies. 
In the autumn of 1854, after deciding to go to 140 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Cleveland to resume my medical studies, I wrote to 
my parents to tell them of my hopes and aims. These 
letters were not received with the same pleasure 
with which they had been written. 
My father, who had encouraged me before my 
entrance upon a public career, was not only grieved 
by my return to my old mode of life but greatly op- 
posed to it, and manifested this in the strongest 
words in the next letter that I received from him. 
My mother, on the contrary, who had not been at all 
enthusiastic in the beginning, was rather glad to 
receive the news. 
As I had left many good friends among the phy- 
sicians of Berlin, my letters were always circulated, 
after their arrival, by one of their number who stood 
high in the profession; and, though I did not re- 
ceive my father’s approbation, he sent me several 
letters from strangers who approved my conduct, 
and who, after hearing my letters, had sent him 
congratulations upon my doings in America. 
How he received the respect thus manifested to 
him, you can judge from a passage in one of his 
letters, which I will quote to you: 
I am proud of you, my daughter; yet you give me 
more grief than any other of my children. If 
you were a young man, I could not find words in 
which to express my satisfaction and pride in re- 
spect to your acts; for I know that all you accomplish 
you owe to yourself: but you are a.woman, a weak 
woman; and all that I can do for you now is to grieve 
and to weep. 0 my daughter! return from this un- 
happy path. Believe me, the temptation of living THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
141 
for humanity en masse, magnificent as it may appear 
in its aim, will lead you only to learn that all is 
vanity; while the ingratitude of the mass for whom 
you choose to work will be your compensation. 
Letters of this sort poured upon me; and when 
my father learned that neither his reasoning nor his 
prayers could turn me from a work which I had be- 
gun with such enthusiasm, he began to threaten; 
telling me that I must not expect any pecuniary 
assistance from him; that I would contract debts in 
Cleveland which I should never be able to pay, and 
which would certainly undermine my prospects; 
with more of this sort. 
My good father did not know that I had vowed 
to myself, on my arrival in America, that I would 
never ask his aid; and besides, he never imagined 
that I could go for five months with a single cent 
in my pocket. Oh, how small all these difficulties 
appeared to me, especially at a time when I began 
to speak English! I felt so rich that I never thought 
money could not be had whenever I wanted it in good 
earnest. 
But with the closing of the term, which occurred 
early in March, the financial assistance in paying 
for my board ceased, and further provision had to 
be made for my support. 
Shortly before this period, a letter was received 
from my father denouncing my leaving my sisters, 
my despising the sphere of woman, and my entering 
upon a field which so entirely belonged to men; he 
demanded my return to New York or to Germany 142 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
and he utterly refused me any financial aid. After 
reading this letter to Mrs. Severance and asking 
her counsel, I retired to my room almost in despair. 
That same evening, I attended a meeting which 
had been announced from all the pulpits and which 
was being held for the purpose of discussing how 
to aid the Cherokee Indians. Representatives of 
this tribe were sojourning in Cleveland on the way 
to Washington in order to see the Great White 
Father and to implore his help in their troubles. 
During this meeting, I resolved to follow my 
father’s advice and give up man’s sphere, and offer 
myself as one of the missionaries to the Indians for 
which the leader pleaded as so necessary to civilize 
the squaws. Thus would I carry the working out 
of woman’s sphere to the wilderness of the Indian 
Territory. The next morning I told my decision to 
Mrs. Shepard, to my fellow students and to Mr. 
Mayo; and in the evening I began a letter to my 
sisters who were now well established, my sister 
Anna having married a very estimable young man 
whose parents were friends and neighbors of ours 
in Berlin. 
If I had not been visited in the morning of the 
next day by Dr. Seelye, a friend of my fellow stu- 
dent, Miss Greene, and an hour later by Mrs. Sever- 
ance, my fate as an Indian missionary would have 
been decided by the arrival of the afternoon hour 
appointed for the meeting of all those interested 
in the Indian troubles. However, these two friends 
not only dissuaded me from any such change, but 
promised to provide in some way or other, means 
for my continuing my studies. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
143 
Dr. Seelye insisted on my first writing to Dr. 
Elizabeth Blackwell, showing me that I was under 
special obligation to her. The Indians had to leave 
before I received her reply. She was indignant at 
my proposition and requested me to return to New 
York immediately after my graduation the middle 
of the next March. CHAPTER XVI 
During vacation months, Marie teaches German—Becomes 
working guest m family of Rev. A. D. Mayo—Meets 
many noted men and women—Her mother dies on the 
voyage to New York and is buried at sea—Marie re- 
turns to New York, visits Dr. Blackwell, and finds the 
Infirmary is still closed—She goes to Boston to visit 
Dr. Hunt—Meets the Grimke sisters—Learns of the 
New England Female Medical College—Meets William 
Lloyd Garrison, Theodore Parker, Wendell Phillips, 
and other noted people—Returns to Cleveland and 
becomes the guest of Mrs. C. Vaughan for her closing 
term at college—Meets Lyceum speakers, professors, 
political and social leaders, and literary men and 
women from various parts of the country. (Twenty-six 
years of age: 1855.) 
Within a few days, there were found some pupils 
to whom I might teach German. There also came a 
proposition from Mrs. Mayo who was expecting her 
first baby within a very short time. The proposition 
was that I should become a general member of the 
family, attending to her needs as well as aiding in 
the housekeeping, etc., till the arrival of her mother 
later in the spring. 
In April, I removed my possessions into that hos- 
pitable house which offered its little to me who had 
less. Both Mr. and Mrs. Mayo were really nervous 
invalids, and the troubles and trials of their posi- 
tion as anti-slavery advocates and religious reform- 
ers bore heavily upon them and kept their purse 
144 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
145 
lean. However, I had no personal needs further 
than my board, as my clothing was still good in 
spite of my two years in America. 
I found many dear and valued friends during my 
residence in Cleveland, but none to whom I am bound 
in lasting gratitude as to Mr. Mayo, who offered 
me his assistance when he learned that I was in 
need, my extra expenses having swallowed up the 
little money that I had brought with me, so that 
I had not even enough to return to my sisters in 
New York. As the minister of a small congregation 
advocating Liberal ideas, he had a hard position in 
Cleveland, both socially and pecuniarily, yet he 
offered to share his little with me. I was forced 
to accept it, and I am now, and have always been, 
glad that I did so. 
No one that has not had the experience can ap- 
preciate the happiness that comes wTith the feeling 
that a rich man has not cast a fragment of his 
superfluity towards you (and here let me remark 
that it is next to impossible to find wealth and 
generosity go together in friendship), but that the 
help comes from one who must work for it as well 
as the recipient. It proves the existence of the mu- 
tual appreciation that is known by the name of 
4 4 friendship. ’ ’ The apple given by a friend is worth 
ten times more than a whole orchard bestowed in 
such a way as to make you feel that the gift is but 
the superfluity of the donor. 
Now I was in my element: superintending a very 
inferior servant girl; providing wholesome simple 
meals for the invalids; going three mornings a week 
to an apothecary shop where a friendly man per- 146 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
mitted me to assist him in his work, thus acquir- 
ing a knowledge of drugs and their preparation; go- 
ing two mornings a week to my preceptor’s office to 
recite in the usual manner; giving German lessons 
two afternoons a week; spending one evening a week 
at meetings in houses of different parishioners for 
discussions on theological subjects, especially Uni- 
tarian and Universalist themes; assisting Mr. Mayo 
on Sundays at the Sunday school, especially in or- 
ganizing the same and in substituting for absent 
teachers; and, after the arrival of the baby girl, 
taking exclusive charge of the delicate little being, 
trying to bring it up by hand. 
During this summer, I had the pleasure of getting 
acquainted with Mr. and Mrs. Leander Lippincott 
(Grace Greenwood, a sister of Mrs. Mayo). And 
later I met a great many renowned ministers and 
lecturers from the East who either called when pass- 
ing through Cleveland or exchanged pulpits with 
Mr. Mayo, being our guests in either case. All these 
gentlemen were highly interesting, especially when 
talking on politics, the Free Soil movement and anti- 
slavery. My knowledge of American civilization 
was in this way greatly increased and my powers of 
observation and meditation received full satisfac- 
tion. 
This quiet yet useful existence was broken by a 
letter from my father, bringing the news of his 
having sent my mother and the youngest two sisters 
to New York for a visit to us, with the intention of 
following them himself as soon as he could obtain a 
year’s furlough with full salary. All this was meant 
to see for himself whether I could not be brought THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
147 
back to my senses and persuaded to return to the 
proper sphere of woman. 
Perhaps it may be of interest here to state that 
my only brother had arrived in New York just be- 
fore I left for Cleveland and had found a good posi- 
tion as mechanical engineer. And a half-brother of 
my mother, whom my father had adopted, had ar- 
rived after my departure. My father wanted to 
rescue these two from the fate of being soldiers in 
Germany, so he expatriated them, sending them to 
America. But in their new country, the former be- 
came a captain in the militia, while later, during the 
war of the rebellion, the latter became a captain in 
the regular United States Army. 
Shall I attempt to describe the feeling that over- 
powered me on the receipt of these tidings? If I 
did, you never could feel it with me, for I could 
not picture in words the joy I felt at the prospect of 
beholding again the mother whom I loved beyond 
all expression, and who was my friend besides; for 
we really never thought of each other in our relation 
of mother and child, but as two who were bound 
together as friends in thought and in feeling. 
No, I cannot give you a description of this, espe- 
cially as it was mingled with the fear that I might 
not have the means to go to greet her in New York 
before another ten months were over. Day and 
night, night and day, she was in my mind; and from 
the time that I had a right to expect her arrival, 
I counted the hours from morning until noon, and 
from noon until night, when the telegraph office 
would be closed. 
At length, on the eighteenth of September, the 148 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
despatch came—not to me but to my friend Mr. 
Mayo—bearing the words, 
Tell Marie that she must calmly and quietly re- 
ceive the news that our good mother sleeps at the 
bottom of the ocean, which serves as her monument 
and her grave. 
This is the most trying passage that I have to 
write in this sketch of my life, and you must not 
think me weak that tears blot the words as I write. 
My mother fell a victim to seasickness which brought 
on a violent hemorrhage that exhausted the sources 
of life. She died three weeks before the vessel 
reached the port, and my two sisters (the one seven- 
teen, and the other nine years of age) chose rather 
to have her lowered on the Banks of Newfoundland 
than bring to us a corpse instead of the living. They 
were right, and the great ocean seems to me her 
fitting monument. 
This news almost paralyzed me. It was impos- 
sible for me to remain in Cleveland, I longed so to 
be with my sisters in New York. Availing myself of 
the cheapness of an excursion to the eastern cities, 
I hastened to them, they being nicely established all 
in one house headed by my brother-in-law, Mr. 
A. C. 
After the first shock of our mother’s loss had 
passed, I called upon my friend, Dr. Elizabeth 
Blackwell, who, though well established in her 
newly acquired house, in East Fifteenth Street, 
could not speak very encouragingly as to practice. 
For entirely social reasons, people were afraid to 
employ a woman physician openly, although de- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
149 
sirous and ready to consult her privately. Yet even 
this unsatisfactory practice had prevented her 
from continuing the little dispensary regularly and 
it was still closed. 
But, during my absence, she had been trying to 
interest some wealthy friends in the collection of 
money to enable us after my return in the spring 
to commence again upon a little larger scale. To 
effect this, she proposed to hold a Fair during the 
winter after my return, and we concluded that the 
first meeting for this purpose should be held dur- 
ing my visit in New York. She succeeded in calling 
together a few friends at her house, who determined 
to form a nucleus for a Fair Association for the 
purpose of raising money for the New York In- 
firmary. 
Dr. Blackwell’s experience was so contradictory 
to Dr. Harriot K. Hunt’s statements of the Boston 
public (in which city a regularly graduated medical 
woman from Cleveland, Dr. Nancy E. Clark, had 
also settled) that I decided to avail myself of the 
fact that my excursion ticket included Boston and 
to accept Dr. Hunt’s invitation for a visit of a few 
days in order to learn more of the opportunities 
of that city. 
Arriving early one morning, I was conducted 
through winding streets from Exeter Place to Green 
Street to Dr. Hunt’s house, where I stayed, and 
where Mrs. Theodore Weld and Miss Sarah Grimke 
were engaged in editing Dr. Hunt’s autobiography, 
Glances and Glimpses, then in the press. 
I was shown into a room in the third story, and 
as I was descending the stairway soon afterward, my 150 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
foot caught in the carpet in such a way that I fell 
head foremost down the stairs, striking against the 
door at the foot of the flight. The noise caused by 
this fall brought the inmates of the room to the door 
where I lay unconscious. My period of unconscious- 
ness was short, and on opening my eyes I saw a 
queerly shaped scarlet leg on each side of my head, 
and above these a short drapery of the same bright 
color but with large flowers printed upon it, while 
from a beautiful, gentle and kind face encircled by 
soft white curls, came the words, ‘‘Are you hurt, 
my dear?” It was Mrs. Angelina Weld, in a bloomer 
dress of calico, and beside her was Miss Sarah 
Grimke, in a Quakerlike costume, trying to disen- 
tangle me from the position which I had assumed. 
The picture made by the ladies was so amusing 
that a burst of mirthful laughter brought me at 
once to my senses and to my feet, to the delight of 
these two charming ladies who became from that 
moment dear and intimate friends of mine. 
Dr. Hunt introduced me to many fine people who 
consulted her professionally, and also to Dr. Nancy 
Clark, then established as a physician in Boston. I 
observed that prejudice against women physicians 
was by no means as strong as in New York or 
Cleveland. 
A school established in 1850, for the education and 
training of “midwives,” had been supported by 
Boston’s liberal-minded men and women. Some of 
the graduates of this school practiced very suc- 
cessfully as midwives. This school developed later 
into a medical school for women (New England Fe- 
male Medical College), and was now giving legal THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
151 
diplomas of “Doctor of Medicine.” The medical 
school was a small but very respectably lodged con- 
cern, with correct and kind men for teachers, and 
with substantial prospects for getting a larger 
building and greater advantages for study within a 
year or two. 
However, the greatest event of my three days’ 
sojourn in Boston was my introduction (through 
Mr. Mayo) to Mr. Theodore Parker, on Sunday eve- 
ning, I having attended the morning’s service in 
Music Hall. Through Mr. Parker, I met Mr. William 
Lloyd Garrison and Mr. Wendell Phillips, as well 
as a number of other prominent men and women. 
These three men who were pictured so often in 
Cleveland as three ferocious lions, I found gentle 
in manners, humanitarian in thought and word and 
earnest in purpose, possessors of great souls, feel- 
ing hearts and sincere patriotism. I was cordially 
welcomed by them and kept up this relation until 
the close of their lives, holding even a very honoring 
relation as professional adviser in their families. 
It was a genial circle of friends, at the home of 
Mr. and Mrs. Parker, who in their easy, informal 
manner of enjoying each other, impressed me as 
so utterly different from what I had heard of them, 
they having been represented by word of mouth as 
well as in print as the most dangerous and violent 
revolutionists. 
I remember the delicate and graceful figure of 
Miss Matilda Goddard, the cordial Miss Hannah 
Stevens, Dr. William F. Channing and Mr. W. L. 
Garrison, as the center of groups in the spacious 
parlors, when the talk was of religious and anti- 152 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
slavery themes, with a frequent easy and cordial 
laugh at the expense of nobody. 
Before returning to Cleveland, I received letters 
from Mrs. C. Vaughan, a member of Mr. Mayo’s 
congregation, who was shocked to learn of our great 
bereavement in the death of our mother. She of- 
fered me a home for the winter, with the kindest 
assurance that financial help might be gained by 
forming German conversational classes for the eve- 
nings. 
Thus, on my return, I removed from Mrs. Mayo’s 
home, where my assistance had become unnecessary, 
owing to the death of the little baby, to the hospi- 
table mansion occupied by the Vaughan family and 
the daughter, Mrs. G. Willey, and her husband. 
A few words as to the social and educational 
standing of this family will be pardonable, especially 
as they were of so rare an occurrence at the time. 
Southerners by birth, they were yet opposed to 
slavery, having set their slaves free by bringing 
them to Cincinnati. Highly cultivated and talented 
as well as financially well-to-do, they unconcernedly 
became true reformers in many ways. The daugh- 
ter, Mrs. Willey, wrote good Free Soil poetry, then 
needed by that movement; other members of the 
family developed their special talents as writers or 
musicians, while Mrs. Vaughan used her advantages 
for making propaganda by encouraging Lyceum lec- 
tures, which system was then in its infancy. And 
she invited nearly all prominent speakers to stay 
at her house while in Cleveland. 
I thus saw and heard Dr. Harriot Kezia Hunt; 
Mr. and Mrs. George Hildreth; Mrs. George Brad- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
153 
burn; Grace Greenwood; Rev. Henry Bond; Rev. 
Mr. Mumford; Rev. Mr. Chapin; Ralph Waldo Em- 
erson; Dr. W. Elder; Bayard Taylor; James Mur- 
dock, the actor; Frederick Douglass; Mr. John 
Giles, of the Lyceum lecture system; Rev. Starr 
King; prominent professors of the Western Re- 
serve College; and a number of leading literati of 
those times as well as men distinguished in poli- 
tics, such as Speaker Colfax, leader of the Free Soil 
party, and Secretary Salmon Chase, who were hold- 
ing political meetings. All these acquaintances were 
of incalculable use to me in this educational period. 
Although not able to converse with them, I could 
observe and learn much that was of greatest impor- 
tance to my future. 
Discussions pro and con on all kinds of subjects 
agitated the people, and more than once did I hear 
the “Boston Trio”—William Lloyd Garrison, Wen- 
dell Phillips and Theodore Parker—denounced as 
disturbers of Law and Order. 
To Mrs. Vaughan’s untiring patience do I owe 
my acquiring the English language as well as I was 
then capable of doing. I had to write two essays 
that winter, one being for an association formed 
by the medical students, and one being my thesis. 
After having assisted me in correcting the gram- 
mar, Mrs. Vaughan made me read over each one 
four times, from ten to half-past eleven o’clock, for 
fifty evenings, until I got a good English pronun- 
ciation of which I was very proud. 
My German conservatism was not a little startled 
when I found that here also the so-called Woman’s 
Rights movement (the political enfranchisement of 154 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
women) was heartily indorsed. Yet, in all the fam- 
ilies whose acquaintance I made from this social 
center, and who were so different from those in the 
circles of Mrs. Severance and Mr. Mayo, I soon 
recognized the same prejudice existing against all 
women who attempted to step out of the domestic 
sphere. In spite of their cultivation in literature 
and music and the fine arts generally, after the com- 
pletion of school life the women preferred a mere 
social activity in their own surroundings and a 
Lady Bountiful attitude among the poor belonging 
to their respective churches. 
I perceived so many contradictions meeting 
with these evidently superiorly educated women. 
For instance, they abhorred the female medical stu- 
dent and would not dare be seen with one of them 
in the streets, and they considered themselves heroic 
for including me when inviting any of the Vaughan 
family to tea or to an evening gathering; yet, in 
discussing matters of politics, as Free Soilers or 
sympathizers with anti-slavery, they manifested an 
independence of speech which showed that they 
were well acquainted with the subject they discussed. 
It was so, also, in spiritual and religious matters, 
in school affairs and in regard to pauperism. The 
women, young and old, held firmly to their intellec- 
tual convictions, and these might be for or against 
their fathers, brothers or husbands. 
It astonished me to see how absolutely quietly and 
calmly discussions were carried on, without bitter- 
ness or excitement, between opponents, and how 
respectfully men would listen to each other and to THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
155 
the women in particular, even when directly con- 
tradicted in their own views of the case. 
It was a great educational opportunity for me, 
broadening my whole nature which had been nar- 
rowed by the German school training of being a 
subject, first to the Government and next to Man. 
I was often taken by surprise when, on the brink 
of forgetting that these manifestations of indepen- 
dence could exist side by side with the most ludi- 
crous prejudice against me and my medical compan- 
ions, I would be seriously questioned, “Do you want 
to turn women into men!” 
And when appearing in a church or meeting, we 
always noticed a significant withdrawal of all pres- 
ent so that we medical students could walk or sit 
conspicuously by ourselves. This isolation which 
bordered on ostracism when exposed to a limited 
multitude was very painful to bear, especially as we 
were young and at the time of life when the amour 
propre of the individual would seek obscurity rather 
than notoriety. 
Elizabeth Blackwell only wished to open “legally” 
to women a field of labor which was successfully cul- 
tivated by them “illegally,” because we find that 
women were numerously employed to relieve pain 
and to combat disease. 
They appear, it is true, in the capacity of nurses 
only, but in this vocation their usefulness increased 
to such an extent that the name “Doctresses” was 
given to them, and their advice and help were sought 
by the educated and the ignorant, the rich and the 
poor, from far and near. 
Legally, their position was not recognized. They 156 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
maintained it either through their evident integrity 
of purpose or through shrewdness, making them- 
selves as useful and as honored as the men physi- 
cians, who in reality were often superior to them 
only because the position of the men was made se- 
cure by political laws made by the men and for the 
men. 
Thus when, in the later forties, a woman claimed 
the right of gaining intellectual power, it appeared 
as if she stepped out of her sphere. And this claim, 
so simple and natural, was perverted by a hostile 
spirit into the claim that she wished “to become a 
man. ’ ’ 
Under the influence of this perverting and con- 
taminating spirit, the sensitive were shocked by her 
demands; the indolent were vexed; and the wildest 
apprehensions were excited among both men and 
women. 
I can recall by name even, persons who went to 
see Miss Blackwell at the college where she studied, 
really expecting to behold a woman on whom a beard 
had developed, but who were surprised to find a 
most womanly woman, delicate in size and figure, 
timid and reserved in manners, and modest in 
speech. 
Agreeably disappointed in her, proud of her abil- 
ity, and anxiously wishing her success in all her 
desires and enterprises, they yet did not dare to 
invite her to their houses or to request an introduc- 
tion to her, from fear that they might meet her on 
the streets and be forced to recognize her in the 
presence of others. 
To associate with or to employ a “doctress” fa- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
157 
mous merely for common sense, was perfectly re- 
spectable and honorable, but to seek the acquaintance 
of a woman who wished to enter “legally” upon 
the same work which these doctresses performed 
was considered of very doubtful respectability. 
The consequence was that my three fellow stu- 
dents withdrew entirely into their own abodes and 
devoted themselves to their professional work. This 
I could not possibly do. I had to persevere and get 
acquainted with all phases of American life in order 
to become what I had always hoped to be, an assis- 
tant organizer in the development of the medical 
education of women. 
1 ‘ The Emancipated Woman! ’ ’ That was the hor- 
ror of the day, in social life as well as in the press. 
And woe to those women who perhaps through lack 
of physical beauty, or through want of taste in 
dress, or through a too profound seriousness, did 
not observe all social graces in detail. They be- 
came objects of criticism in private and in public. 
Exaggerated descriptions and accounts of their 
every word and act, as well as impertinent and ridic- 
ulous delineations, came forth in speech and in 
print for the amusement of all those who wished 
to stagnate progress. 
Nobody could or would believe that in so few 
years the admission of the right of women, as 
“human beings,” to do that for which they felt 
best fitted would lead to the acceptance of the pres- 
ence of women in all branches of human activity; 
and not only this, but that these women would be 
respected and honored, and appointed to positions 
of responsibility hitherto filled only by men. And, 158 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
again, that the number of positions calling for them 
would be greater than the number of women avail- 
able, thus proving that there is no danger that all 
women will desert their natural sphere as wives and 
mothers. CHAPTER XVII 
Interesting adventure leading to acquaintance with Ralph 
Waldo Emerson—Marie receives the degree of M.D.— 
The faculty presents her, as a gift, with the note which 
she had given in payment for her lecture fees—Re- 
flections: direct benefit which the men students de- 
rived from co-education; tribute to her college teach- 
ers, especially Drs. Delamater and Kirtland. (Twen- 
ty-six years of age: 1856.) 
This second year of my stay in Cleveland was 
therefore a most valuable episode of my life, turn- 
ing all my views topsy-turvy, uprooting me, so to 
say, from all German conservatism and throwing 
me into this chaotic medley of contradictions. 
However, the one straight aim of preparing my- 
self for the examinations leading to a medical di- 
ploma kept me from any alarming detour in my 
progress of evolution, and the year closed without 
any other than the usual events in the course of life, 
as, for instance, the birth of a nephew which arrived 
in December and which I superintended, my brother- 
in-law defraying my expenses to and from New 
York. 
But I did have one very interesting adventure. 
And one daughter, Virginia Vaughan, who had been 
really the means of my being asked to become the 
guest of the house, was the leader in this. Mr. 
Ralph Waldo Emerson had lectured in Cleveland 
159 160 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
and he was as usual a guest of Mrs. Vaughan; she 
had been his pupil when a young lady and at school 
in Boston and quite an intimacy existed between 
them. From Cleveland, Mr. Emerson went to Hud- 
son, ten miles away, the real seat of the Western 
Reserve College, and he was advertised to lecture 
there at six in the evening. 
Virginia, anxious to hear Mr. Emerson again, came 
to the medical college which closed at four in the 
afternoon, and proposed our going to Hudson on 
the half-past four o’clock train to return on the 
one leaving there at nine. On arriving at the Hud- 
son lecture hall, we found a notice posted on the 
door informing the public that the lecture would 
be at seven o’clock. 
We went back to the station intending to return 
to Cleveland and there we found there was no train 
until the one at nine o’clock. The station was a 
crude, cold room, having only an insignificant little 
stove, so Virginia proposed that we find Mr. Emer- 
son who, she knew, was at the house of his cousin, 
Professor Emerson, a member of the college faculty. 
It was a cold, bitter day with plenty of snow every- 
where, so we could do nothing better than seek the 
house of the Professor. There we were made so cor- 
dially welcome by Mrs. Emerson that we forgot 
even our very improper appearance in our common 
everyday working attire. These kind hosts would 
not allow us to return in that last train but tele- 
graphed to the family in Cleveland of our where- 
abouts, insisting that we remain with them over 
Sunday, there being no trains till Monday morning 
at eight o’clock. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
161 
That evening, after returning from the lecture 
and while partaking of a cup of hot tea, we noticed 
a bright rosy light upon the parlor windows. Think- 
ing it was an exhibition of “northern lights,” we 
all started for the door. Alas! it was a great con- 
flagration of magnificent hues of dark red flame. 
We went to see the spectacle from a little hill 
between the house and the fire where hundreds of 
people were already assembled, all of whom were 
warmed and pleased by the wonderful flames, with- 
out any one making any effort to extinguish them 
or to try to prevent their spreading from the burn- 
ing cheese storehouse to the adjacent factory. Mr. 
Ralph Waldo Emerson asked in astonishment of 
the men standing nearest, “Why don’t you try to 
extinguish the fire?” One replied in a very phleg- 
matic way, “Because we have no firemen or ma- 
chines.” While another added, “Even if we had, 
there would be no use for them as we have no 
water.” The little town of Hudson, with its pretty 
streets and with a college aspiring to become soon 
a university, was without water. This seemed im- 
possible to believe, yet it was true, as Professor 
Emerson assured us. 
This night will always remain a memorable one, 
for independently of that glorious illumination of 
the snow-covered city and landscape which was so 
fearful and yet so wondrously beautiful, it gave 
me an opportunity to get acquainted with one of the 
greatest philosophers of our times. This oppor- 
tunity was well used during the Sunday morning 
when all but Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson and my- 
self went to church, I having no suitable clothes 162 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
for such attendance. This short acquaintance gave 
rise to the many kind and pleasant words to people 
with which Mr. Emerson favored me in later years, 
and to a very interesting friendship with members 
of Professor Emerson’s family residing in New 
York and Boston. 
During the winter of 1855-1856, my life in Cleve- 
land became doubly interesting because I began to 
speak English and thus was able to manifest my 
appreciation of the delightful impressions which I 
received, directly and indirectly, through the chan- 
nels outside of my medical studies. 
How often was I surprised by the doubts of these 
more or less radical reformers concerning the suc- 
cess of women as medical practitioners. Only Ralph 
Waldo Emerson spoke rationally about the innova- 
tion of women physicians; yet he doubted that 
women would enter upon any other profession ex- 
cept that of teaching. 
Having spent Christmas in New York with my 
sisters and the family, who enjoyed the newly ar- 
rived baby as only the first one can be enjoyed, I 
returned to my college life with new zest, and I now 
had the extra task to perform of writing my thesis 
for examination. 
New Year’s Day, 1856, was cold and windy and 
brought a snowstorm. The lake opposite the house 
presented a sad and terrible aspect in the presence 
of an icebound schooner with several dead sailors 
covered with ice and hanging in its rigging. At- 
tempts to reach the vessel in small boats had failed, 
and a number of sturdy, sympathizing men were 
standing on the shore discussing plans for relief that THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
163 
still might be given to some unseen fellow beings 
on board. 
As the day was no holiday, I, of course, had to go 
to college. But it was a bitter day. I thought my 
first winter in Cleveland was a severe one, but 
this was cruelly so and it continued till late in 
March. 
The first ten weeks of the year were spent very 
industriously by me in preparing to pass my exami- 
nations, after my thesis was accepted. The latter 
was considered exceptionally good, and was the 
cause of my not failing as a candidate for a diploma, 
because I received only mediocre marks in all the 
branches of study, even falling below the passing 
mark in one branch. 
I wish to make a statement of this fact here for 
many good reasons. One is, that it shows the utter 
absurdity of giving marks or numbers at all, for 
independently of my being still very awkward in 
English expressions, I was, and still am, very slow 
in thinking out any subject and I have a very poor 
mechanical memory. 
Among my three companions I was very much 
liked when discussing or reasoning out problems of 
our studies, often systematizing what seemed to us 
chaotic on a first reading. They often made me the 
“quizzer,” and I was not a little ashamed to hear 
with what readiness they gave names and relations 
of organs, knowing how impossible it would be for 
me to do the same. 
But when it came to practical deductions or appli- 
cations they always relied upon me. I enjoyed the 
confidence of those professors with whom I had 164 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
practical instruction, and I had always out-patients 
on hand to look after. For this latter, my compan- 
ions felt they had no time, sitting and committing 
to memory their lessons, and only one of them had 
had any practical work in that she had lived in a 
‘ ‘ water-cure ’9 establishment. 
I envied my three friends not a little when I 
found they graduated with full marks and high 
honors. However, the desired diploma of “M.D.” 
was also awarded to me. I felt grateful for it, in- 
tending to make the most conscientious use of the 
power thus given to me and which I felt I fully de- 
served, as I could not help judging my medical 
knowledge to be as complete as that of any one of 
the forty-two graduates. 
And it is for this reason, also, that I condemn 
the method of judging of the ability or competence 
of any student simply from questions and answers. 
So much knowledge can be acquired by storing the 
memory with all sorts of details, without making 
one’s self fit to digest what is learned and to assimi- 
late even a part of it. But how necessary is this 
latter when one is called upon to help all sorts of 
conditions in people who seek advice for physical, 
mental or moral ailments. And a physician, in the 
full sense of the word, must be qualified to help 
human nature from these three points of view. The 
mere studying and learning by heart of the symp- 
toms of diseases, and of the origin, preparation and 
doses of drugs, ought to be the last chapter to be 
examined upon. 
My private studies in which examinations would 
have given much more satisfactory results, were THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
165 
“biology,” “cellular anatomy” and “comparative 
anatomy,” in none of which subjects had we any 
instruction in the college. And it is my opinion 
that the medical profession will not, and cannot, 
make medicine a science as long as these branches 
(in both their physiological and pathological forms) 
are not studied profoundly and made a foundation 
upon which to build methods for averting or con- 
trolling disease. So long as physicians are taught 
to talk of “curing disease,” so long will the whole 
profession wander in the realm of empiricism, if 
not outright quackery. 
It may be excusable that I thus use myself in 
illustrating what I think is so pernicious, namely, 
cramming the memory with learning isolated facts 
and filling the brain to its fullest capacity with the 
names of authors and their opinions, leaving no 
room for individual reasoning or research or for 
the power of making original deductions and appli- 
cations. 
After this apparent digression, I must return to 
my theme, namely, the last few weeks of my student 
life in Cleveland. As I have already stated how 
distrustful the so-called “good society” was con- 
cerning female medical students and how ready the 
so-called “reformers” were to seek them, I must 
here mention a peculiar aberration which had taken 
hold of the whole community. I refer to what was 
then called Mesmerism. The individual thinking 
and theorizing on this subject assumed with many 
persons a perfectly preposterous form. The views 
held were based on no scientific research or study 
but simply on memorizing what was published (often 166 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
after the most superficial observation) regarding 
hysterical or somnambulistic manifestations. 
The faith with which statements of so-called 
“cures” in all sorts of illnesses were received was 
just as widespread as that which later accepted 
Clairvoyance, Hypnotism and Christian Science. 
These, one after the other, followed the Mesmerism 
and Magnetism waves; but they are all precisely the 
same thing, under other names, and they are all 
more or less influenced by what is called Spiritual- 
ism. And the countless “miracle” workers, under a 
host of names, are all of the same class. 
The desire for the assistance of superrational in- 
fluences is one of the greatest obstacles which the 
human mind has to overcome. It will take centuries 
of education before the majority of thinking beings 
will learn that a cell will produce only its like, that 
modifications of the cell are produced only after a 
time of slow and, as yet, imperceptible changes, and 
not suddenly by prayer or personal magnetism. 
One of the most perplexing phenomena which I 
observed was that educated men themselves became 
victims of these delusions. For instance, I knew 
a professor of botany who was so completely ab- 
sorbed in the phenomena of Spiritualism and Mag- 
netism that he submitted himself to treatment by 
these uneducated pretenders for an ailment pro- 
duced by malaria. It is sometimes almost discour- 
aging to see that even education will not prevent 
faith in the superrational or supernatural. 
But the Earth has billions and billions of years 
to live, and at the rate of mental development as we 
have observed it, I have no doubt that the human THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
167 
intellect will grow out of its present infantile con- 
dition into a maturity of which even the present gen- 
erations have no conception, although, uncon- 
sciously, we all assist in nursing the embryo of in- 
telligence which we call “knowledge” and “science.” 
One may dream of the greatness of the human 
mind when all the inhabitants of the earth will be 
as well-developed mentally as the few out of the 
billions are to-day. One may imagine that the low- 
est of the Pygmies in mid-Africa or the stupidest 
Esquimaux near the North Pole will be able to 
think, to reason and to enjoy, as much as I do now; 
and that the then great minds will work and struggle 
to bring up in the scale such poor ignorant mortals 
as those of my present level, these then existing by 
the billions as we have the billions of illiterate ex- 
isting to-day. 
[Walt Whitman had a similar thought, and it is 
interesting to compare her and his expression of it, 
remembering the difference between prose and po- 
etry, and the obstruction to expression caused by a 
foreign tongue which never became easy to her. 
In “Leaves of Grass,” he says: 
This day before dawn I ascended a hill and looked 
at the crowded heaven, 
And I said to my Spirit, When we become the enfold- 
ers of those orbs, and the pleasure and knowl- 
edge of everything in them, shall we be filled 
and satisfied then? 
And my Spirit said, No, we but level that lift to 
pass and continue beyond.] 
In March, 1856, the great event took place. On 168 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Commencement Day, forty-two students, four of 
whom were women, received the degree of “M.D.” 
The hall in which the exercises took place was 
crowded, not only with friends of the graduates 
but with a goodly number of the curious of the city 
who had come to get a look at the women doctors. 
A deep silence prevailed after the president had 
alluded to the female portion of the students, and 
the dropping of a pin might have been heard when 
one after the other, according to alphabetical ar- 
rangement, they stepped up to the platform, each to 
receive her roll of parchment. No sign for or 
against them was made and all went home in a dull, 
somber mood. 
The doors of the college had closed behind us, and 
the words of advice to “go out and do honor to 
your chosen profession” with which the whole event 
had concluded, rang in my ears, though I had not 
the slightest idea how to realize them. 
Shortly after Commencement, the dean of the col- 
lege (Dr. Delamater) called upon me. A call from 
this venerable gentleman was a thing so unusual 
that numberless conjectures as to what this visit 
might mean flitted through my brain on my way to 
the parlor. He received me, as usual, paternally, 
wished me a thousand blessings, and handed back 
to me the note for one hundred and twenty dollars, 
payable in two years, which I had given for the lec- 
ture fees. He told me that in the meeting of the 
faculty after graduation day, it was proposed by 
one of the professors to return the note to me as 
a gift. To this, those present cheerfully gave a 
unanimous vote, adding their wishes for my success THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
169 
and appointing Dr. Delamater as their delegate to 
inform me of the proceedings. 
This was a glorious beginning, for which I am 
more than thankful, and for which I was especially 
so at that time when I had barely money enough to 
return to New York, with very small prospects of 
getting means wherewith to commence practice. The 
mention of this fact might be thought indiscreet by 
the faculty in Cleveland were they still so organized 
as to admit women, which I am sorry to say is no 
longer the case, though they give as their reason 
that women at present have their own medical col- 
leges and, consequently, no longer have need of 
theirs. 
Before I quit the subject of the Cleveland Col- 
lege, I must mention a fact which may serve as an 
argument against the belief that the sexes cannot 
study together without exerting an injurious effect 
upon each other. During the last winter of my 
study, there was such emulation in respect to the 
graduating honors among the candidates for gradu- 
ation, comprising thirty-eight male and four female 
students, that all studied more closely than they had 
ever done before—the men not wishing to be ex- 
celled by the women, nor the women by the men. 
One of the professors afterwards told me that 
whereas it was usually a difficult thing to decide 
upon the best three theses to be read publicly at the 
Commencement, since all were more or less indif- 
ferently written, this year the theses were all so 
good that it was necessary, to avoid doing absolute 
injustice, to select thirteen from which parts should 
be read. 170 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Does not this prove that the stimulus of the one 
sex upon the other would act favorably rather than 
otherwise upon the profession? And would not the 
very best tonic that could be given to the individual 
be to pique his amour propre by the danger of being 
excelled by one of the opposite sex? Is not this 
natural, and would not this be the best and the sur- 
est reformation of humanity and its social condition, 
if left free to work out its own development? 
On the day following the visit of Dr. Delamater, 
I received a letter from my brother-in-law in which 
he told me that his business compelled him to go 
to Europe for half a year, and that he had, there- 
fore, made arrangements for me to procure money, 
in case that I should need it to commence my prac- 
tice. He said that he intended to assist me after- 
wards, hut that as he thought it best for my sister 
(his wife) to live out of New York during his ab- 
sence, he was willing to lend me as much money as 
I required until his return. I accepted his offer 
with infinite pleasure, for it was another instance 
of real friendship. He was by no means a rich man 
but was simply in the employ of a large importing 
house. 
By giving lessons in German, I had earned a 
little money that served to cover my most neces- 
sary expenses. For the last months that I spent 
in Cleveland, I carried in my purse one solitary 
cent as a sort of talisman, firmly believing that some 
day it would turn into gold; but this did not happen, 
and on the day that I was expecting the receipt of 
the last eighteen dollars for my lessons, which were 
designed to bear my expenses to New York, I gave THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
171 
it to a poor woman in the street who begged me 
for a cent, and it doubtless ere long found its way 
into a ginshop. 
The twenty months that I spent in Cleveland were 
chiefly devoted to the study of medicine in the Eng- 
lish language, and in this I was assisted by most 
noble-hearted men. Dr. Delamater’s office became 
a pleasant spot and its occupants a necessity to me. 
On the days that I did not meet them, my spirits 
fell below zero. 
In spite of the pecuniary distress from which I 
constantly suffered, I was happier in Cleveland than 
ever before or since. I lived in my element, having 
a fixed purpose in view and enjoying the warmest 
tokens of real friendship. I was liked in college, 
and though the students often found it impossible 
to repress a hearty laugh at my ridiculous blunders 
in English, they always showed me respect and fel- 
lowship in the highest sense of the terms. 
After receiving the degree of “M.D.” and leav- 
ing the college behind me, it seems quite right to 
stop for a few moments and cast a retrospective 
glance at my own situation, objectively. I wonder 
whether any one can justly claim that one has al- 
ways followed a well-laid plan in life, or whether 
conditions and environment do not mold our actions, 
sustain our firmness and fortify our persistence in 
following or working towards a positive aim. 
I do not think that in youth the individual shapes 
the modus operandi of any undertaking. In spite 
of having a vague idea, or even a strong desire to 
carry into effect such an idea, environment as well 
as outside influences must come to the aid, in order 172 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
to keep alive and to nourish the hope that his pre- 
conceived idea or desire can ever be realized. With- 
out such assistance, the young aspirant can easily 
be diverted and led into spheres of action not in- 
tended or desired in the first instance. 
After we become older, we may honestly imagine 
that we followed a regularly planned course in life, 
when we really lived simply according to whatever 
chances from time to time molded or influenced our 
activity. 
During the years from 1850 to March, 1856, it 
now seems to me that no definite plan determined 
my action, and that all that guided me was the strong 
desire to make for myself “an independent liveli- 
hood” and to assist all persons who felt that same 
strong desire. 
Several times I was tempted to change my field of 
work so as to obtain this independence. For in- 
stance, in Berlin, after leaving the Charite Hospital, 
offers were made to me by eminent physicians to 
take charge of private hospitals which were then 
beginning to be started, especially for surgery. I 
did not accept these offers, partly because they again 
placed me in dependence and partly because surgery 
had been distasteful to me as it was then practiced, 
without anesthetics, the use of neither ether nor 
chloroform having become general. 
So, as we reason from the concrete to the abstract, 
I doubt that any one, man or woman, can stand up 
and declare that one has achieved exactly what one 
hoped to achieve when entering upon the battlefield 
of active life. There is no doubt that an intrinsic 
fitness for a certain kind of activity guides us THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
173 
towards such influences as we need to develop this 
fitness, but that is all. 
It is for this reason, perhaps, that I never mar- 
ried, although educated and trained with the idea 
that the true sphere of woman is to be a wife and 
mother. Also, I was very sentimentally inclined 
towards men, to moonlight walks and to the ex- 
change of friendly letters; but I always grew tired 
of it all in a very short time and decided that none 
of these attachments was the right one, proving that 
my desire for independence was innate. So, happy 
the man who got released from me and happy was 
I to remain free. 
Again, after arriving in New York, I might just 
as well have become a manufacturer, as I had begun 
to be, if I had become familiar with the English 
language. I was quite happy in that branch of work 
and was able to assist many a woman in various 
ways. But the impossibility of acquiring the lan- 
guage in that limited sphere prevented the enlarge- 
ment of my knowledge and connections necessary in 
that branch of activity. 
Then later came, last but not least, the tempta- 
tion to go as missionary to the Cherokee Indians. I 
have not a doubt that in that direction I could have 
developed my independence and have been extremely 
useful, had I not been influenced by people in whose 
judgment I had full confidence—a rare thing in 
young, impulsive, enthusiastic natures, to accept the 
advice of others. I was bridled and held in check, 
not by a clear vision but by influences which over- 
powered me as the magnet does the iron which it 
attracts. 174 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Also, do I consider it fair and right and not out 
of place to speak of the lecturers and teachers con- 
nected with the medical department of the Western 
Reserve College. At the time as well as in the fol- 
lowing years, I often heard depreciatory remarks 
about our professors and their methods of instruc- 
tion. 
There was no doubt that a very few of the students 
in attendance had a collegiate education superior to 
that which some of the professors might have had 
in their younger days, for instance, Dr. John J. 
Delamater, then over seventy years old, and Dr. 
J. B. Kirtland, not far from seventy, both of them 
the kindest of men, true philanthropists and men 
of a natural genius who had attained a high posi- 
tion among their fellow men. 
They had had, perhaps, less advantages in book- 
learning when young, yet they had the power of in- 
spiring youth to a higher and more thorough study, 
and their influence in developing the thinking pow- 
ers of the students was something remarkable. 
Originality of thought, reasoning and deduction was 
the example given to us by them. And the form 
of their teachings was not so much memorizing 
prescribed methods as the teaching of the students 
how to observe closely all the phenomena of the 
case of illness in question and how to study the 
smallest details, physical, mental and moral, in or- 
der to find the primary cause. Such instruction can 
never be gained from books, although medical liter- 
ature has now begun to attempt it. Many of the 
students ridiculed the hints and directions given, 
while to others they were the inspiration for THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
175 
deeper study even after the degree was obtained. 
I know it was so in my case, and works like Kol- 
liker’s Comparative Anatomy, later Virchow’s 
Cellular Pathology, and works on biology, embry- 
ology and histology became really the foundation 
upon which I built my practice, taking little heed 
of recommendations of how to treat cases or how 
to administer doses of this or that old or new rem- 
edy or system of remedies. I did my own reason- 
ing, I made my own deductions, in as logical a 
method as possible as the cases revealed themselves 
to my understanding through physical or psychical 
symptoms. Originality and spontaneity of mental 
action are injured by unthinking cramming of mind 
and memory with booklearning. 
It is for these reasons that I love to think, with 
gratitude and a deep feeling of honor, of the men 
who then constituted the medical faculty, although 
two of them were greatly annoyed by the presence 
of the four women students and did not hesitate to 
manifest their feelings in word and deed, without 
being offensive. 
Indeed, even this feeling that our presence was 
objectionable was of use in our training, as it gave 
us a strong foretaste of the prejudice which we 
were to meet in our professional lives. And it 
helped us in many ways to develop the courage 
which we were to need in meeting the offensive be- 
havior of many physicians and students with whom 
we were obliged to come in contact when trying to 
seek fellowship in private practice, or to increase 
our knowledge, or to gain admittance to public in- 
stitutions. CHAPTER XVIII 
Returns to New York to begin practice as an M.D.— 
Insuperable difficulties encountered by a woman 
physician in finding an office to rent in New York— 
Dr. Zakrzewska opens her office in one of Dr. Black- 
welVs parlors—No admission for women to dispen- 
saries or hospitals—Infirmary remains closed for lack 
of money—Dr. Zakrzewska meets Mary L. Booth who 
informs the newspapers and social circles of the 
medical women—In desperation, she goes to Boston 
to visit Mrs. Severance and to seek contributions for 
the Infirmary—Meets Mr. Samuel E. Sewall and his 
daughter Lucy—Her campaign in Boston is success- 
fid—Its extension to Portland, Maine, is unsuccess- 
ful—She goes to Philadelphia for the same purpose 
but succeeds only in convincing the Female Medical 
College there that it must build a hospital for itself— 
A second visit to Boston to ask help for the long- 
delayed Infirmary Fair—Meets Mrs. Ednah D. Cheney 
—Extends campaign to smaller towns around Boston 
with no success. (Twenty-six years of age: 1856.) 
With regret, I made ready to depart from Cleve- 
land. I dreaded the obstacles which I saw and felt 
were before me and which I must conquer. I fully 
felt the isolated social position which wTe four women 
medical students had occupied in Cleveland. My 
three companions, belonging to the orthodox church 
and disapproving of each and every subject dis- 
cussed in Mr. Mayo’s congregation, had absolutely 
no outside recreation, “even of the body,” and were 
176 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
177 
shunned even in the boarding house by the inmates 
there, where we had found an otherwise comfortable 
home during the first winter, in 1854. 
I realized the opposition to women physicians still 
more after I had learned to speak English. Strange 
to say, this was far stronger among women than 
among men in and outside of the profession. My 
discouragement grew the stronger the nearer the 
end of my stay in Cleveland approached. 
Following Commencement Day, a tremendous 
snowstorm was the first event which blockaded my 
next movements; for days no trains could pass the 
roads; the last quarter of my lessons in German had 
ended on March 1; my packing made little demand 
on my time and it was finished. I had no special 
interests to keep me longer in Cleveland, and I be- 
gan to consider this calamity of snow a bad omen 
when Mr. Willey brought home the news that, in a 
roundabout way and by changing trains four times, 
I might be able to reach New York in thirty-six 
hours. 
So I started off and I had really a most tedious 
journey, suffering greatly from the cold before I 
reached my family, after forty hours in trains, and 
finding New York just getting free from the snow 
blockades of the streets. 
The welcome at my sisters’ was cordial. The 
one next in age to me had taken a position in a large 
wholesale millinery establishment, receiving a good 
salary, while the next younger one superintended 
the household, and the youngest attended school. 
We were all hoping that our father would get his 
furlough for a visit and counsel as to what to do 178 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
next with the family. Both brothers had gone to 
the Far West, seeking their own fortunes as broth- 
ers usually do. 
Although our father sent financial aid to the two 
younger sisters, eighteen and eleven years old, I 
had no hope of such assistance from him, and I 
could not settle down with the family because they 
resided in Hoboken, New Jersey. 
This was too far distant from Dr. Elizabeth Black- 
well as well as from the center of the poor among 
whom it was necessary to seek patients. I felt the 
necessity of familiarizing myself with general prac- 
tice in which I had had but very slight training. No 
clinical instruction was attempted in college, all 
students depending upon the private practice of 
their preceptors for this kind of teaching. We 
women students had received scarcely any such 
opportunities, as even our kind and beloved Dr. 
Delamater could not often venture upon such an in- 
novation as to take a female student with him, even 
when visiting the poorest patients. 
My good brother-in-law, who did not have my 
father’s prejudices and his distrust in my eventual 
success as a practitioner, offered me financial aid, 
promising to give guaranties to the people from 
whom I would hire rooms where I might begin prac- 
tice. 
Immediately after my arrival in New York, I be- 
gan to look out for a suitable office, consulting Dr. 
Elizabeth Blackwell, with whom I had maintained 
a constant correspondence, in regard to location. 
My fears concerning the opposition to women 
physicians were fully realized. I found no well- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
179 
regulated household would rent rooms to me. I in- 
vestigated everywhere, in all respectable parts of 
New York wherever signs announced “Parlor to 
let for a physician ” or where I was sent by agents. 
But as soon as it was learned that it was a woman 
physician who desired the office, I was denied the 
opportunity of even looking at the advertised rooms. 
Thus days and weeks were spent. I even began to 
explain and to remonstrate with those who sought 
tenants, but it was all in vain. 
Some were afraid to let an office to a female physi- 
cian lest she might turn out a spiritual medium, 
clairvoyant, hydropathist, etc. Others, who believed 
me when I told them that I had a diploma from a 
regular school and should never practice contrary 
to its requirements, inquired to what religious de- 
nomination I belonged, and whether I had a private 
fortune or intended to support myself by my prac- 
tice. While the third class, who asked no questions 
at all, demanded three dollars a day for a back par- 
lor alone, without the privilege of putting a sign 
on the house or the door. 
Now all this may be very exasperating when it is 
absolutely necessary that one should have a place 
upon which to put a sign to let the world know that 
she is ready to try her skill upon suffering human- 
ity ; but it has such a strongly ludicrous side that I 
could not be provoked in spite of all the fatigue and 
disappointment of wandering over the city when, 
with aching limbs, I commenced the search afresh 
each morning, with the same prospect of success. 
Finally, in a moderate-sized house, I was admitted 
by an introductory letter from an agent. The lady 180 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
was kind and pleasant, entered into conversation 
with me and informed me that a cousin of hers had 
drawn her attention to the fact that women studied 
medicine in Cleveland. On further talk, she spoke 
of one who was especially liked by her cousin 
through the interest which Ralph Waldo Emerson 
took in her. And thus I found that this lady was 
a cousin of Mrs. Emerson, of Hudson, Ohio. 
Of course, my heart was delighted to find a cul- 
tured woman not only interested in me and my pro- 
fession but who was also willing to have me become 
a member of her household, if—her husband agreed 
to such an arrangement. Alas! in a few days came 
a letter in which she regretted that her husband 
could not reconcile himself to a woman doctor. He 
feared all sorts of annoyances should he take such 
a step as to have a woman doctor go in and out of 
his house. At any rate, he could not bear the thought 
of having the sign of a woman physician on his 
house. 
Such was the horror that beset every one, that 
woman would disgrace decency and undertake ab- 
horred practice. The name of “Madame Restelle” 
was on every one’s tongue as typifying the “female 
physician.” She was then the leading abortionist, 
of whom a prominent lawyer said, when Dr. Black- 
well and I called upon him to see if something could 
not be done to stop her in her vile career, “She is 
a social necessity, and she will be protected by rich 
and influential personages.” However, I may here 
remark that after many years of agitation, her in- 
famous business succeeded in placing her and some 
of her disciples in prison, and, eventually, she killed THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
181 
herself by drowning in the spacious bathtub of the 
extravagantly luxurious house on Fifth Avenue, 
where she resided under her real name. 
Thus time passed, and I could find no abode. My 
lack of success was similar to that of Dr. Blackwell 
who had finally been obliged to rent a house, and 
she now proposed that I should join her at her home, 
she letting me have the back parlor for office pur- 
poses. Thus I was able to arrange for office work 
as well as for general practice. Arrangements were 
concluded and, on April 17, I established myself 
with her, yet independent of her, in business. 
Still, small as was Dr. Blackwell’s practice, this 
association was of great benefit to me. Her house- 
hold consisted of her relatives and was headed by 
an older sister and her mother, a fine, cultivated 
lady. Antoinette Brown Blackwell and her husband 
joined us just before their oldest daughter was ex- 
pected, and there also came Lucy Stone and her hus- 
band, Henry Blackwell. In fact we were a delight- 
ful family, suffering more or less from social os- 
tracism but happy in spirit, and feeling far above 
the ordinary run of mankind in the belief of our 
superiority in thought and aim. 
I love to remember the friendship which developed 
between Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell and myself when, 
wearied and disappointed in waiting for patients 
who seldom appeared, we renewed our courage by 
getting temporarily away from the field of struggle. 
On Sundays, we took long, long walks in Staten 
Island, in Jersey Heights, yes, even as far as Hack- 
ensack, watching the budding trees, the inspiring 
scenery and the glorious sunsets, and renewing our  A WOMAN’S QUEST 
182 
faith in our calling as physicians. And we dis- 
cussed all kinds of plans as to how to become of use 
to our fellow men and to ourselves. 
[These must have been memorable walks, for Dr. 
Blackwell refers to them again and again in later life 
in her letters from England to Dr. Zakrzewska, re- 
calling ‘ ‘ the picture which is hung up in memory, the 
dark-haired young physician with whom I used to 
walk on Weehawken Heights.”] 
Alas! money was wanting. To resume even the 
little dispensary work of two years previous was 
impossible, for the reestablishment of that called 
for a sum of five hundred dollars and this we could 
not raise. Meanwhile, we tried to get opportunities 
to improve our practical knowledge by endeavoring 
to get admission into dispensaries or hospitals. 
Everywhere we met objections, and everywhere we 
found denial. 
Many high-stationed professors and physicians to 
whom Dr. Blackwell had applied were willing, but the 
general practitioners objected, just as remains the 
situation at present in most instances. The fear that 
women doctors would diminish their practice was the 
real cause of their objection; although the denials 
were usually expressed as the moral conviction that 
women could not take any serious responsibility, or, 
if they did, that they would unsex themselves. How- 
ever, a German physician, Dr. Aigner, and a Scotch 
physician, Dr. McCready, occasionally allowed me 
to accompany them to their respective hospital and 
dispensary. 
Meanwhile, I had regularly attended the Fair 
meetings which were held every Thursday, wonder- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
183 
ing how persons could afford to meet to so little pur- 
pose. There was scarcely any life in these gather- 
ings, and when I saw ladies come week after week 
to resume the knitting of a baby’s stocking (which 
was always laid aside again in an hour or two, with- 
out any marked progress), I began to doubt whether 
the sale of these articles would ever bring ten thou- 
sand cents instead of the ten thousand dollars which 
it was proposed at the first meeting to raise in order 
to buy a house. I used to say on Wednesday, ‘‘To- 
morrow we have our Fair meeting. I wonder 
whether there will be, as usual, two and a half per- 
sons present or three and three-quarters.” 
After weeks of this idle waiting, for the few pa- 
tients who came through acquaintances did not fill 
much of my time, I began to feel desperate, espe- 
cially as social life also was so utterly closed against 
us, and this latter was such a necessity to my tem- 
perament. I then proposed to go canvassing with 
circulars giving information of our previous experi- 
ment, to try to collect money for the establishment 
of a dispensary. 
The idea occurred xo me to go from house to house 
and ask for a dime at each, which, if given, would 
amount to ten dollars a day; and, with the money 
thus collected daily for half a year, to establish a 
nucleus hospital which, as a fixed fact, should stim- 
ulate its friends to further assistance. 
I took my notebook and wrote out the whole plan, 
and also calculated the expenses of such a miniature 
hospital as I proposed, including furniture, beds, 
household utensils, everything, in short, that was 
necessary in such an institution. With this book 184 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
which I still have in my possession, I went one eve- 
ning into Dr. Blackwell’s parlor and, seating my- 
self, told her that I could not work any longer for 
the Fair in the way that the ladies were doing; and 
then read my plan to her, which I advocated long 
and earnestly. 
She finally agreed with me that it would he better 
speedily to establish a small hospital than to wait 
for the large sum that had been proposed, though 
she did not approve of the scheme of the dime col- 
lection, fearing that I would not only meet with 
great annoyances but would also injure my health 
in the effort. At that time, after some discussion, 
I agreed with her. Now I think that this plan would 
have been better than that which I afterwards fol- 
lowed. On the same evening I proposed, and we 
agreed, that on a year from that day (the 1st of 
May, 1857), the New York Infirmary should be 
opened. 
I went to rest with a light heart, but rose sorrow- 
fully in the morning. “In one year from to-day, the 
Infirmary must be opened,” said I to myself, “and 
the funds towards it are two pairs of half-knit 
babies’ stockings.” The days passed in thinking 
what was the next best scheme to raise money for 
its foundation, when an accidental visit from Mary 
L. Booth to Dr. Blackwell turned the tide in another 
direction. Miss Booth was serving her apprentice- 
ship as a journalist through the kindness of the 
editor of the New York Times? Her sister who was 
a patient of Dr. Blackwell had interested both Mary 
and him in the idea of women doctors, so Mary came 
to interview us concerning our practical progress. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
185 
This interview led to the disclosure of our wishes 
and plans regarding the dispensary, and Miss Booth, 
taking up the idea, made our wishes known in the 
Times, very guardedly, of course, but decidedly. 
The effect of this little notice was remarkable, and 
it gave both Dr. Blackwell and myself new hope and 
also the courage to ask for similar remarks in other 
papers. 
At the same time, my social circle became a little 
widened through this acquaintance with Miss Booth 
which I developed when I found that she also was 
a beginner in her career and had obstacles to over- 
come; as, for instance, hiding her sex by signing 
only her initials to whatever she wrote, or not sign- 
ing at all. 
.Thus a few new friends were obtained for our 
cause, and a few of Dr. Blackwell’s patients who 
belonged to the sect of Quakers, and who had sus- 
tained the former dispensary, came forward prom- 
ising small subscriptions towards a new effort. Yet 
no sum was large enough to warrant the expenditure 
of five hundred dollars, the amount absolutely 
needed to open this charity for the poor and the 
chance for us to gain practical experience. 
About this time, Dr. Harriot K. Hunt, of Boston, 
sent a patient of hers to Dr. Blackwell. This pa- 
tient was accompanied by Dr. W. H. Channing, who 
was not in practice but who attended this patient 
with Dr. Blackwell. Becoming acquainted with Dr. 
Channing, I disclosed to him our financial, profes- 
sional and social position, enlarging upon the dif- 
ficulty of obtaining that practical experience in 186 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
clinics which is so absolutely necessary to the young 
physician. 
Then as I told him of the plan of establishing a 
dispensary which could have a small number of in- 
door patients, in fact, the nucleus of a hospital for 
which Dr. Blackwell had already obtained a charter 
from the Legislature, his enthusiasm created not 
only hope but courage. 
He spoke so ardently of Boston as being liberal 
and “the hothouse of all reforms” that I proposed 
visiting that noble city in the interest of our plans 
and asked him for introductions, as I knew only 
Dr. Harriot K. Hunt and Mrs. Severance, the latter 
recently removed to Boston from Cleveland. He 
gave me a list of names of Boston ladies—Miss Lucy 
Goddard, Miss Mary Jane Parkman, Miss Abby May 
and Mrs. E. D. Cheney. 
When I look over my diary and see that the time 
of my receiving my degree and leaving Cleveland 
was in March and that this proposition to go to 
Boston was only three months later, it seems a fact 
impossible to believe. For the restlessness caused 
by the want of opportunity to further our desires 
seemed to turn days into weeks and weeks into 
months. I find in one of my notes the words, “It 
seems an impossibility to find friends for our cause; 
nobody seems to feel the need of hospital or dis- 
pensary for the practical training of women physi- 
cians. Even our gentlemen friends in the profes- 
sion say women must find this training for them- 
selves among the poor.” 
I may here remark, perhaps, a fact which amused 
me greatly. So far, I had had but very little op- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
187 
portunity to write prescriptions, but whenever I 
gave any I added my initials, M. E. Z., as signature, 
thus proving my responsibility. Every time such 
a prescription was received by an American apothe- 
cary, a messenger called to inquire the meaning of 
those mystical signs. And when I explained that it 
was my name which was too long to write in full, 
I was told that signatures to prescriptions were not 
customary or needed. However, I continued to sign 
mine, for I felt from the very outset that I must 
establish the position of being responsible for all 
I did, so that in case of trouble from either patient 
or apothecary I could protect myself. So I never 
followed the then prevailing custom of giving pre- 
scriptions without indicating for whom they were 
intended and by whom they were issued. Perhaps 
I may add that my practice by the end of the year 
had brought me one hundred and twenty dollars. 
The earnestness with which Dr. Blackwell advo- 
cated not only the necessity of having women as 
physicians but also their thorough education and 
training for practice was convincing to a few friends, 
who promised to assist with subscriptions as soon 
as the idea had taken shape and had materialized 
itself in a building in which the experiment could 
be tried. 
Nobody has fathomed the depth of Dr. Elizabeth 
Blackwell’s soul as I have had the opportunity to 
do. On our delightful long walks she was the 
speaker, and her reasoning was so sound, her de- 
termination so firm, her love for humanity so true, 
that she seemed to me a prophet of no ordinary in- 
sight and foresight. Even now, when doubts arise 188 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
in me whether women will develop fully all the 
chances provided for their higher scientific educa- 
tion, I recall her words and quiet my doubts, remem- 
bering that what one woman has done, thousands 
can do and will do. To me she was, and is, not pre- 
eminently the physician but the philanthropic phi- 
losopher, the standard bearer of a higher woman- 
hood. 
To such a nature, it is given to inspire others with 
an idea or an ideal but not the faculty of execution 
or organization. I was able to supply these latter 
qualities, and, encouraged by the description of Bos- 
ton’s liberal element, I proposed to Dr. Blackwell 
to search for a house which would suit our pur- 
poses and to get an estimate of the rent and the 
expense of furnishing it, so as to have a definite 
sum for which to beg, since simple statements were 
not sufficient. 
[Dr. Blackwell refers to such complementary rela- 
tions in a letter to Dr. Zakrzewska, written in later 
years, in which she alludes to the days here described 
and says: 
“I work chiefly in Principles, and you in putting 
them into practical use; and one is essential to the 
other in this complex life of ours.” 
Again she refers to these days, “as we sat in 
Fifteenth Street planning those everlasting ba- 
zaars, ’ ’ and she writes: 
“You are a natural doctor, and your best work 
will always be in the full exercise of direct medical 
work. . . . You know I am different from you in THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
189 
not being a natural doctor; so, naturally, I do not 
confine myself to practice. 
“I am never without some patients but my 
thought, and active interest, is chiefly given to some 
of those moral ends—for which ends I took up the 
study of medicine.”] 
The house was found in Bleecker Street close by 
the poor quarters, at an annual rental of one thou- 
sand, three hundred dollars, and an estimate was 
made of another five hundred dollars for furnish- 
ing, as well as an outlay of one hundred dollars for 
fuel. My proposition was now to go to Boston and 
try to get half of the rent pledged for a three years’ 
lease, Dr. Blackwell to raise the other half of the 
three years’ rent from friends in New York, and 
then to hold a Sale or Fair to raise the remaining 
six hundred dollars. 
On the next day, the regular Fair meeting was 
held at Dr. Blackwell’s. The new plan was brought 
forward, and, although it was as yet nothing but a 
plan, it acted like a warm, soft rain upon a field after 
a long drought. The knitting and sewing (for which 
I have a private horror under all conditions) were 
laid aside, to my great relief. And the project was 
talked of with so much enthusiasm that I already 
saw myself in imagination making my evening visits 
to the patients in the New York Infirmary; while 
all the members present (and there were unusually 
many—I think, six or seven) discussed the question 
the next day among their circles of friends whether 
Henry Ward Beecher or a physician of high stand- 
ing should make the opening speech in the institu- 
tion. 190 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
This excitement increased the interest exceed- 
ingly, and the succeeding meetings were quite en- 
thusiastic. The babies’ stockings were never again 
resumed (don’t think that because I detested those 
stockings so much I am cruel enough to wish the 
little creatures to go barefoot), but plans were made 
for raising money in New York and for getting ar- 
ticles for sale on a larger scale. 
Thus it happened that I went to Boston for the 
second time in the beginning of July, visiting Mrs. 
C. M. Severance and using my introductions to be- 
gin a regular, systematized campaign “to beg for an 
institution for American women.” For myself I 
could never have begged; I would sooner have 
drowned myself. Now I determined to beg money 
from Americans to establish an institution for their 
own benefit. Dr. Blackwell agreed to this plan, as 
there was nothing risked in it, I taking the whole 
responsibility. 
In spite of finding the women of Boston quite 
ready to listen to me, it was not an easy task to get 
a three years ’ promise of six hundred and fifty dol- 
lars. The first question put to me was always, “Can 
you not raise this small sum in rich New York?” 
The explanation had to be repeated over and over 
that only a very few women in social life dared to 
connect themselves openly with “such radical re- 
formers” as we appeared to them. To turn upon 
“the sphere of woman” and declare openly that she 
can take the whole responsibility of managing a 
public institution, as well as the care as a physician 
of sick women and children, seemed so monstrous THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
191 
to most men and women that in New York money 
was intrusted to us only with incredulity. 
The second and more important question was as 
to “why we needed and wanted a dispensary and 
a hospital for women physicians.” Nobody at this 
present time would or could believe that this need 
then had to most people a preposterous sound. 
And here I may tell you an episode which occurred 
to me in Philadelphia, to which city I went after re- 
turning from Boston with my six hundred and fifty 
dollars pledged. In Philadelphia, the first medical 
college for women (the Female Medical College of 
Pennsylvania), had been established in 1850, and 
it was housed in extremely modest quarters in a 
rear building on Arch Street. I was introduced 
through Dr. Ann Preston, one of the first graduates 
of this college and now one of its professors. And 
I spoke to the friends of this enterprise at a gather- 
ing of both men and women, explaining the need 
of a practical professional training after a merely 
theoretical course of instruction. I tried to make 
plain the greater difficulties which beset the intro- 
duction of the young women students to the private 
patients of their preceptors even though these pa- 
tients were ever so poor, and I illustrated the situa- 
tion by quoting Dr. Ann Preston’s conscientious 
refusal to practice under such circumstances, she 
simply teaching physiology in the college. I also 
spoke of others going to Europe to seek this clin- 
ical instruction from foreign physicians and mater- 
nity hospitals. 
After having exhausted the subject, as well as 
myself, one of the ladies present said—it was in the 192 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
parlors of Lucretia Mott— ‘ ‘ Then thee thinks 
that a hospital must be connected with the college ? ’ ’ 
I replied, “Yes.” “Then thee thinks that practical 
training cannot be got by the young physician among 
the poor?” I said, “No.” “We thank thee for 
thy coming to tell us so, and we promise thee that 
we shall exert ourselves at once to get a hospital of 
our own.” 
Thus ended my efforts in that noble city. But the 
Philadelphia Woman’s Hospital was established 
there within the five years following my visit. 
In Portland, Maine, where I went by the advice 
of Mr. Samuel E. Sewall and his aunt, Miss , I 
also met with no success for the Infirmary. Here, 
in spite of my being the guest of some of their rela- 
tives, none dared to expose themselves to the ridi- 
cule of asking acquaintances to see or hear a woman 
doctor. To illustrate again something of the feel- 
ing regarding a woman doctor, I must tell an inci- 
dent which in after years caused us great amuse- 
ment. 
Dr. Harriot K. Hunt had introduced me, in Bos- 
ton, to Mr. Joseph Sewall, and we had been invited 
to meet Mr. Samuel E. Sewall, Miss Lucy E. Sewrall 
and Miss , their aunt. While sitting in the par- 
lor waiting for the dinner hour, Lucy Sewall went 
upstairs and, as she told me in later years, examined 
my cloak, bonnet and gloves in order to find out 
whether they were neat and respectable, she feeling 
a great uncertainty as to whether a regularly gradu- 
ated and practicing woman physician could attend 
to the minor details of proper habiliments. Dr. 
Hunt was accepted by them as a curiosity but she THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
193 
had never been a regular student in a college. How- 
ever, all this company became our truest friends, 
as the history of the New England Hospital for 
Women and Children testifies. 
The season being July, it was not favorable for 
doing any more than securing signatures, guaran- 
teeing for the New York Infirmary for Indigent 
Women and Children six hundred and fifty dollars, 
for half the rent annually for three years. But 
friendly invitations to revisit Boston caused me to 
return in early October. 
The encouragement which I brought back to New 
York from the Boston friends rendered it easy for 
Dr. Blackwell to secure among her friends the other 
half of the rent. However, we also needed money 
to furnish and to prepare the house as a hospital 
and dispensary. But we hoped to obtain this addi- 
tional money from the Fair which had been so long- 
in preparation, and it was in connection with this 
that I again appeared in Boston. 
It was then that I made the most valuable ac- 
quaintance of Mrs. E. D. Cheney who has ever since 
been a true and devoted friend of the medical edu- 
cation of women. 
This visit was rich in experience as I was intro- 
duced by my acquaintances made in July to a great 
number of the leading women in the anti-slavery 
cause. From these I learned how the anti-slavery 
bazaars were managed, and I obtained a promise 
to provide a table at our New York fair in De- 
cember, as well as the names of several ladies who 
would superintend it, so that accommodations for 
their sojourn in New York might be made. Another 194 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
table was promised by Dr. Blackwell’s English 
friends to whom she had appealed by letters. 
I also visited a number of the smaller towns 
around Boston for the same purpose but without 
success. A list of the Boston people in whose houses 
I spoke, creating enthusiasm, and who subscribed 
towards the half of the Infirmary rent as well as 
towards the table for the Fair, is still in my pos- 
session and I will here copy the names: 
Miss Lucy Goddard 
Miss Abby May 
Miss Mary Jane 
Parkman 
Mrs. George Hildreth 
Mrs. George Hilliard 
Miss Anna Lowell 
Mrs. Mary G. Shaw 
Mrs. Sarah S. Russell 
Mrs. W. L. Garrison 
Mrs. E. D. Cheney 
Miss Sarah Clarke 
Mrs. James Freeman 
Clarke 
Mr. George W. Bond 
Mr. Samuel E. Sewall 
besides a goodly number of others not so prominent 
in benevolent and advanced work for women. CHAPTER XIX 
Boston’s help for the Infirmary stimulates New York, 
sometimes to unconscious humor—Meeting with Fanny 
Kemble—Dr. Zakrzewska obtains entree into the va- 
riety of social (< circles” then existing—The Cary 
sisters—Women of the Press—The educational circle— 
The esthetic group—The so-called Free Lovers—The 
artistic circle—Mrs. Z.’s social circle—The philan- 
thropic circle—The Fourierites—The demonstrating 
Spiritualists—Woman’s Bights meetings—Dr. Zakr- 
zewska and Horace Greeley opposing speakers in dis- 
cussion on (e Divorce”—Dr. Emily urges Dr. Blackwell 
to give up New York for London, opposition there be- 
ing lessened by Florence Nightingale’s work—The 
Fair finally materializes and is successful—Dr. Emily 
Blackwell returns from Europe, making the third phy- 
sician working upon the Infirmary plans. (Twenty- 
seven years of age: 1856.) 
Meanwhile, the letters from Dr. Emily Blackwell, 
who was completing her medical studies in England, 
urged Dr. Blackwell to give up her life in America 
and come to England as a more promising field for 
developing the introduction of medical women into 
practice. 
But Dr. Blackwell held fast to the fact that in 
America the first Woman’s Medical College (Phila- 
delphia) had been in existence for several years, and 
she felt that it would be unwise to desert this be- 
ginning. 
The struggles of this little college were so great 
195 196 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
because all aids to foster its growth were so hard to 
acquire; and also because many a student withdrew 
from the school after a few months of attendance 
upon learning what great obstacles were to be over- 
come in acquiring medical knowledge and how great 
was the social prejudice against female medical stu- 
dents. Hence, only the brave, the courageous, the 
determined, and the financially equipped women 
could remain and weather the stormy days of their 
student life. 
Thus it was felt best that the realization of the 
New York Infirmary should be carried on; and Dr. 
Emily promised to interest her English friends to 
contribute to the English table. Dr. Blackwell’s 
friends and well-wishers began with great zeal to 
arrange sewing circles, while new friends were ac- 
quired wTho were willing to assist in the charity 
even if not inclined to the “reformers,” as we were 
called. 
An old lady, Mrs. T , residing on Fifth Ave- 
nue, was one of the newly acquired friends. She also 
wished to assist us by introducing us into her circle 
and she invited me to her reception days which were 
held from eleven to one—the fashionable hours at 
that time. 
The difficulty was not in my name, for it was very 
fashionable at that time to introduce exiles and their 
friends into society, but what should be my title? 
She said that I wTas too young to be called “Ma- 
dame”; and “Miss” would not sound well with my 
unpronounceable name while “Doctor”—oh! no! 
she could not call me that; and “Doctress” was not 
reputable. So, what? THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
197 
Then, what would I talk about? “Hospitals,’’ of 
course. Yes, of course—and then she added, toler- 
antly, “Well, if you must talk on hospitals, do not 
mention women doctors but say for the purpose of 
‘training nurses,’ which is now so fashionable 
in England through Miss Nightingale’s training at 
Kaiserswerth, Germany. ’ ’ 
Another lady invited me to dine with her. And 
she remarked, “I shall be all alone and we can talk 
your plans over without being disturbed or ridi- 
culed by my husband and sons. You see,” she 
added, “my daughters are married and we hold by 
our fortune a position which would equal that of a 
duchess in your country, so we must be very careful 
not to offend good taste by inviting reformers with- 
out a thorough knowledge of their plans.” When 
I replied that my ancestry was about as good as her 
money as we dated our name back to 911, she was 
quite relieved and asked permission to tell this 
fact to her friends in order to explain her interest 
in me. 
Then there was the little incident which I never 
can forget, so ludicrous did it appear to me, when 
Dr. Blackwell and I called upon Fanny Kemble, 
and she most tragically exclaimed, “Women doctors ! 
NEVER!” 
During the summer months, Dr. Blackwell gained 
a number of new acquaintances who, being inclined 
towards the elevation of woman’s education, were 
sent to us by Dr. Harriot K. Hunt, of Boston. 
Among these were Miss Elizabeth Peabody and Miss 
Anne Whitney (the latter then known simply as a 
poet, now also as a sculptor) who interested them- 198 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
selves deeply in our projects. And through them 
we became acquainted with Mrs. Angelina Grimke 
Weld and her sister, Miss Sarah Grimke, and Mrs. 
Spring, all these being our neighbors across the 
Hudson, residing at Eagleswood. Other valuable 
aid came through Mrs. Lucy Stone and Mrs. Antoi- 
nette Brown Blackwell who, sharing the home with 
us, formed strong links with all the liberally in- 
clined members of the anti-slavery movement. My 
friend, Mary L. Booth, became of great assistance 
to me, and I joined an association of women, called 
the Alpha, of which she was secretary. 
There was a quiet revolution going on in all strata 
of social life. The present generation can form only 
an approximate idea of the spirit of the time in 
those years. New England transcendentalism had 
influenced all intelligent people throughout the 
country. It was a real Sturm und Drang period 
which pervaded men and women alike. Abolition- 
ism was at its height. Everywhere, the pros and 
cons of the means to abolish slavery was the topic 
of conversations and discussions. And transcen- 
dentalism was interpreted into all kinds of isms be- 
cause nobody could define its meaning. Thus it hap- 
pened that there arose a great many circles and 
cliques in which one or more theories were nurtured. 
One of the pleasantest of these circles was that 
formed by the sisters, Alice and Phoebe Cary, who 
kept open house every Sunday evening from eight 
to eleven o’clock These were not the fashionable, 
senseless receptions of the present day, but real 
social gatherings where everybody came regularly 
and often took up the conversation where it was THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
199 
left unfinished the week before, or brought the new 
events of the week for discussion. All was informal; 
no sitting down, the little parlor often holding fifty 
or sixty guests, many representing the press or poli- 
tics ; no refreshments except a pitcher of cold water 
and glasses in the hall. Eminent men were always 
the center at these gatherings—the names of Gree- 
ley, Colfax, Eipley, Garrison, and a host of similar 
leaders were never wanting. 
This description answers very well for all the 
other circles. The charm of all these gatherings 
consisted in the fact that they were not receptions 
but places where everybody came regularly when 
disengaged otherwise, or while in New York if not 
resident. No refreshments were served but a lib- 
eral supply of ice water, with plenty of glasses, stood 
in a little room or in the hall, while conversation or 
discussion or music or even dancing formed the at- 
traction. 
One circle was the promoter of women in the 
press, and this was headed by Mrs. Elizabeth Oakes 
Smith. She held open house on Thursday evenings, 
and here all the then-known press women, musicians 
and artists met in the most liberal spirit. 
In the educational field were Mrs. Kirtland and 
Miss Haynes, who each had the best school for young 
ladies but to whose houses invitations were needed. 
The esthetic group, representing those who as- 
pired to the cultivation of the fine arts, and including 
exiles of renown, gathered at evening receptions un- 
der the leadership of Mrs. X. In her elegant parlors 
every one who was introduced by those already ac- 
cepted was welcomed and entertained with music, 200 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
conversation and card playing. Mr. and Mrs. 
George Hildreth could be found there week after 
week, as well as the then most-renowned musicians 
and actors. 
Another very prominent circle was that of the 
Free Lovers, then so called. Mrs. Grosvenor was 
called by Mr. Alcott, whom I first met at her eve- 
nings, the “high priestess of free love.” This circle 
was most frequented by all persons who repre- 
sented any ism. Mr. Alcott held his conversations 
often in this house. Messrs. Eipley, Greeley, Al- 
bert Brisbane; the pianist, Gottschalk; the advocate 
of Spiritualism, Andrew Jackson Davis; the com- 
munist, Stephen Pearl Andrews; representatives of 
legislatures and of Congress; as well as literary 
women and artists—all could here find people who 
were intellectually congenial to them in this field of 
speculation. 
A purely artistic circle gathered at Miss Free- 
man’s studio apartments. She being then the most 
prominent illustrator of books, drew around her 
delightful aspirants in art and music. In her par- 
lor, I met Miss Charlotte Cushman, who kindly pat- 
ronized me and my internes and students after the 
New York Infirmary was established, by sending 
us tickets to her performances. 
An important social circle gathered around Mrs. 
Z., the leader of taste and fashion, who entertained 
in her elegant and spacious parlors. Here also 
whist playing was cultivated under the leadership 
of Mr. George Hildreth, who patiently taught me 
whenever I could join his table. 
The philanthropic circle was the smallest. Its THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
201 
leaders were Mr. Charles Brace of “Five Points” 
fame, Mr. Peter Cooper, Miss Elizabeth P. Peabody, 
and the Sedgwick family, of which Miss Catherine 
Sedgwick was the most prominent member. I at- 
tended meetings of this circle through Dr. Elizabeth 
Blackwell. 
Another important and active influence was ex- 
erted by the admirers of the socialist Fourier. A 
movement was initiated similar to the Brook Farm 
movement, in Boston. Mr. Marcus Spring had 
erected a phalanstery, in Eagleswood, New Jersey, 
where ideal housekeeping, education, the cultiva- 
tion of literature and high-grade amusement were 
the objects pursued. To this phase of social life, 
I was introduced through Mrs. Theodore Weld, Miss 
Sarah Grimke, Miss Elizabeth P. Peabody and Mrs. 
Horace Mann. Menial labor was abhorred, in con- 
tradistinction to Brook Farm ideas; the culture of 
mind and of body was preeminent, and Mr. Theo- 
dore Weld was the High Priest. 
A strange center was that of the demonstrating 
Spiritualists, who were held together by Mrs. Cleve- 
land and her sister, Mrs. Horace Greeley. Here, as 
it happened, abolitionists appeared most promi- 
nently, and general invitations to the house were ex- 
tended only during the “Convention Week” in May. 
The Fox Sisters have been said to perform wonder- 
ful feats on such occasions. I never witnessed any, 
as each time that I happened to be present disturb- 
ing elements were said to prevent the materializa- 
tion of the spirits. Soon after this, the Fox Sisters 
joined the Poman Catholic Church and were said 202 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
to have confessed that all their performances were 
well-arranged deceptions. 
Thus I became acquainted with the leading minds 
who agitated the public, and who helped to advance 
our plans for the establishment of a hospital where 
women physicians could prove their capacity and 
skill by attending sick women and children. 
Unfortunately, Dr. Blackwell was not in general 
harmony with these different phases of social de- 
velopment; on the contrary, she often felt repelled 
by the theories advanced by them. And I was not 
only interested and instructed in the various ways 
of freedom of thought and speech, but also greatly 
amused by the frequent extravaganzas and oddi- 
ties of persons and occurrences, especially at the 
Anti-Slavery meetings and, later, at the so-called 
Woman’s Bights conventions. 
For instance, on one occasion Mrs. Ernestine L. 
Bose was speaking, when a mob of men was de- 
termined to quiet her by making unseemly noises. 
A handsome, delicate little woman, she stood silent 
on the platform listening to the roaring of these 
men. All at once they became quiet, impressed by 
her statuelike dignity, and one of the disturbers 
called out, “Go on, old steamboat!” to which she 
calmly replied, “As soon as you have done.” She 
then spoke for a whole hour without further inter- 
ruption. 
Similar interruptions can be related by Lucy 
Stone and Antoinette Brown Blackwell. Both of 
these ladies at that time formed part of Dr. Eliza- 
beth Blackwell’s family, in New York, which was THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
203 
presided over by the most genial, kind and efficient 
old lady, Mrs. Blackwell, the mother. 
A great misfortune for us was that the compo- 
nents of these circles, while not exactly poor, were 
certainly not rich. All the assistance which they 
could give us was in good will and good wishes. 
Yet these were of great help after all, for they 
opened channels which led us to the well-to-do. 
These latter were influenced by motives of philan- 
thropy and also by the general awakening of the 
spirit which began to demand nobler fields of action 
than the providing of mere physical comforts. They 
also opened the way for us to friends such as Mr. 
George W. Curtis, Rev. O. B. Frothingham (then 
in Newark), Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, Drs. Mc- 
Cready, Kissam and Porter, Rev. Mr. Bellows, Rev. 
Mr. Chapin, Dr. Tuthill (one of the editors of the 
New York Times) and his wife and sister; Mrs. 
R. G. Shaw (mother of Col. Robert Shaw), Mrs. 
Marcus Spring, the Misses Sedgwick, Mrs. Howland 
and many others, who came to our assistance and 
turned the social scale somewhat in our favor. 
I might here record an experience which I had as 
a member of what we would now call a “Woman’s 
Club,” and which was named the “Alpha.” This 
association was composed of women who were striv- 
ing for the advancement of women. Its leader and 
president was Mrs. Lyons, Miss Mary L. Booth was 
secretary, and Miss Sarah Tuthill was treasurer. 
Its meetings were held alternately at the houses of 
Mrs. Lyons and Miss Booth. It also held social gath- 
erings several times during the year, and to these 
gentlemen were invited and asked to take part in 204 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
the discussions. Among these latter were Horace 
Greeley and George Ripley, but there were also all 
persons well known in literary or professional life. 
At one of these latter meetings the divorce ques- 
tion was made the subject for discussion, and Mr. 
Horace Greeley was appointed to take the negative 
side and I the affirmative. As I was with and in 
the spirit of the times in discussing the subject, it 
was decided by the judges that I had the better of 
the argument. 
Mr. Greeley was so excited and provoked that he 
said, “Then, Madam, I understand that a man has 
the right to say to his wife on Sunday morning when 
he finds that a button is missing on his shirt, ‘Wife, 
I demand that we get divorced!’ ” 
All were rather confounded by his argument and 
looked dubiously at me. Fortunately, my wits were 
previously rather excited, and so I replied: 
“Mr. Greeley, the sooner such a man seeks a 
divorce from his wife, the better for her, because 
if he considers such a trifle as he mentions a cause 
for divorce, he is not married in the sense he ought 
to be.” 
This incident he related soon afterward in the 
Tribune, with the addition of pointing out the 
danger to which the 11 thinking ’’ of women will lead. 
And he markedly ignored me whenever by chance 
we met afterward. 
All these experiences were of great interest and 
advantage to me personally, and I developed all 
these opportunities for forwarding my plans and 
gaining friends, little by little, for the idea of em- 
ploying women physicians. But the main object THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
205 
at that time was to gain friends for the proposed 
Fair in December. 
As I now look back on that time when a little pin- 
cushion or mat was presented for this enterprise 
and think how joyful we were, as we saw in every 
little gift the desired dollar, or even fifty cents, and 
then compare that state of affairs with the present, 
when we calmly announce that ten thousand dollars 
must be raised by a Fair, I cannot hope to describe 
the happy emotion which I then felt over the gift 
of fifty cents. 
It is not the size of the gift or the amount of 
money which it represents which swells our breast 
with thankfulness and happiness. It is, after all, 
the sympathy which the gift conveys which makes 
its value, and this value is greatest when such sym- 
pathy is most needed. 
Oh! the golden time of Youth and Hope! How 
little we improve the chances in our later years to 
assist the young in their aspirations! And thus do 
we deprive both them and ourselves of that which 
means true happiness, namely, sympathetic rela- 
tions between on the one hand, those who keep the 
world and its interests moving by their aspirations; 
and, on the other hand, those who have retired, often 
with disappointment, because of the little they could 
effect individually. 
It is youth and the superior wisdom of the young, 
no matter whether they have it in reality or only 
in their imagination, which leads humanity onward 
toward the millennium. Humanity is, and must re- 
main, young; and no olden times are worthy of being 
held up as an example. 206 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Meanwhile, letters from Dr. Emily Blackwell, 
who was continuing her studies in England, came 
cheeringly with promises of help towards the Fair. 
But she also continued to urge the abandonment of 
the work in the United States and its transference 
to London, where a desire to promote the education 
of medical women had begun to manifest itself after 
Miss Florence Nightingale had so successfully shown 
the necessity of educating nurses in their profes- 
sion. 
One of the great advantages in such transference 
to England urged upon Dr. Blackwell was that we 
would not there have to live down or fight the ne- 
farious and criminal practice which was being car- 
ried on chiefly in New York City, but also more or 
less in smaller places, and which by its advertising 
in the newspapers had created such a strong preju- 
dice against “Doctresses,” as its practitioners were 
styled. 
We were obliged to place the intention of training 
nurses in the foreground when appealing for sym- 
pathy or assistance in our work, in order to get any 
kind of hearing among the philanthropists, or in 
sending articles to the newspapers. 
Finally, in November, we saw the result of our 
efforts becoming substantiated in boxes, in baskets, 
in trunks and in the closets, so that we now were 
ready to decide upon a locality where we might offer 
our treasures to the benevolent of New York City. 
Dr. Blackwell called a meeting in her parlors of 
all the ladies who had interested themselves during 
the summer, and we discussed halls, as well as ves- 
tries, which might prove attractive to the public, THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
207 
and a committee was appointed to visit the different 
places and to seek interviews with those in control 
of them. 
I was, of course, one of the members of the com- 
mittee, and we decided to go to the places in groups 
of two or three and to report the result at the end 
of a week. In less than three days, however, the 
chairman called a meeting of the committee because 
of the experiences of the three groups who had spent 
two days from morning till evening visiting the 
agents of the different desirable, and even unde- 
sirable, locations. Everywhere they had received 
the same answer, namely, “We don’t want to have 
anything to do with women doctors or irresponsible 
ladies wishing to hold a Fair in our place.” 
Not the proposition to pay in advance nor the 
promise that we should not advertise the fact that 
it was intended to furnish a hospital for female 
physicians, as they were then called, could soften 
the hearts of these men, who simply closed all dis- 
cussion by saying, “It is not our custom to deal with 
ladies.” Even the kind words of Dr. Bellows could 
not induce the men of his church to allow us the 
use of their vestry. What was to be done? 
A general meeting was again called, and the hus- 
band of one of the committee, Mrs. Haydock, sug- 
gested that we hire a large loft in a building, in 
the business quarters, of which he had control. This 
was an unfinished room with a bare floor of un- 
planed boards with numerous knot holes and pro- 
truding nails. It had no fixtures for lighting and 
no ornaments overhead but rough beams and raf- 
ters. Another lady of the committee proposed to 208 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
send her parlor chandeliers to be connected with the 
gas pipes; while a friend of Dr. Blackwell made a 
drawing showing how to cover bare, rough walls 
with evergreens and wreaths. Others loaned rugs 
for the floor and draperies for the walls, and we 
used evergreens to conceal the bareness above. 
The necessity to have a place at all caused us to 
accept these propositions and, in spite of three long 
rough flights of stairs, we advertised our Fair 
largely and also the motive for holding it, praising 
its arrangements and enlarging upon its novelty as 
well as upon its choice goods. We charged ten cents 
admission and we drew a good attendance for four 
days, realizing six hundred dollars net profit. And 
what an immense sum this seemed to us all! CHAPTER XX 
Opening of the New York Infirmary, both dispensary and 
hospital—Details of its arrangement and furnishing 
—Dr. Zakrzewska is resident physician and instructor 
to the students, and also superintendent and house- 
keeper, while carrying on her private practice and 
consulting in the Out-Practice—Sample record of one 
day’s work—Four resident students from the Phila- 
delphia medical college—Incidents in practice—Mob- 
bing of the Infirmary following death of a patient. 
(Twenty-eight years of age: 1856-1857.) 
We at once entered into negotiation for the house 
we had in view and obtained the refusal of it for the 
1st of March, 1857. We also ordered the twenty- 
four iron bedsteads needed, for the sum of one hun- 
dred dollars, and all the ladies went to work begging 
and preparing house linen, so that when the year 
closed we held a most joyful New Year’s Day, and 
received so many congratulations that we actually 
thought ourselves in the command of thousands of 
dollars. 
The house was an old-fashioned mansion of the 
Dutch style, at the corner of Bleecker and Crosby 
Streets, just at the outer end of what was called the 
“Five Points,” fully respectable on the Bleecker 
Street side, and full of patients and misery on the 
other side and at the rear. And we spent the few 
weeks which elapsed before we could begin to ar- 
range it in getting the good will of editors, min- 
209 210 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
isters and business men, in order that we might 
procure the means for carrying on a charity for 
which we had nothing but an empty purse. 
Dr. Blackwell’s influence among the Quakers, 
many of them rich, and Miss Mary L. Booth’s inde- 
fatigable notices in the newspapers, opened to us 
the ways of procuring the necessary materials for 
the dispensary, which occupied the lower front room. 
It contained a consulting desk, an examination table 
behind a large screen, shelves for medicines and a 
table for preparing the ingredients of prescriptions. 
The front entrance hall was comfortably arranged 
with settees for the patients to wait their turn. Do- 
nations from several wholesale druggists were re- 
ceived, and second-hand furniture suitable for our 
purposes was cheaply acquired. 
A door was put in to separate the back hall from 
the front hall, and in this back hall was placed a 
large stove which heated the stairways, there being 
no furnace in the house. This back hall also served 
as a dining room for the officers, while the large 
kitchen opening into it was ample for all culinary 
purposes and also allowed space for the servants’ 
dining table. 
The second floor was arranged for two wards, 
each containing six beds; while the third floor was 
made into a maternity department, the little hall 
room serving as a sitting room for the physicians. 
Open grate coal fires provided the only heat through- 
out the house. 
The fourth, or attic, floor contained four rooms— 
two large ones and two small ones, with a square 
hall in the center. The two large rooms served as THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
211 
sleeping rooms, one for four students and the other, 
for three servants. One of the small rooms served 
a similar purpose for the resident physician and 
one student, while the other was the much needed 
store and trunk room. As the attic was rather low 
studded, the doors were all kept open, and the sky- 
light of the center hall was kept lifted except during 
a storm. 
These apartments were furnished with such ma- 
terial as benevolence provided. It was the most 
curious mixture of elegant old furniture and cheap 
stands and chairs, without any comfort or system, 
each of us doing the best we could with our belong- 
ings as the house was almost entirely devoid of 
closet room. 
Into this primitive, first true “Woman’s Hospi- 
tal ’ ’ in the world, I moved in March, superintending 
all its arrangements, with the kind assistance of a 
few ladies appointed by the now organized board of 
directors. We ventured to hire one servant to clean, 
wash and do general work, as I was the only in- 
mate until the house was regularly and formally 
opened on May 1, 1857. 
Dr. Blackwell was aided in procuring speakers 
by Dr. Emily who had returned from Europe a few 
weeks before this memorable event. Henry Ward 
Beecher, Dr. William Elder from Philadelphia and 
Dr. Kissam, a prominent New York physician who 
was in favor of our experiment, carried out the 
program and solemnized the undertaking, while the 
audience, seated among the snowy white little beds, 
felt proud of having accomplished so much. 
But even here my proposition to have one of the 212 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Drs. Blackwell also speak and explain our inten- 
tions was refused by our patrons, because it was 
feared that she might speak “like a Woman’s 
Rights woman.” So we remained in the back- 
ground, in the most elated spirits yet modest in ap- 
pearance. 
A sign on the front door told the purpose of the 
house, and very soon our old patrons of the Tomp- 
kins Square Dispensary found their way to the now 
comparatively speaking, quite stylish place. And 
before a month had passed, we had our beds filled 
with patients and a daily attendance of thirty and 
more dispensary patients. Drs. Elizabeth and 
Emily Blackwell and myself each attended the dis- 
pensary two mornings in the week, from nine to 
twelve, while four students from the Philadelphia 
college came to live in the hospital in the capacity of 
internes, apothecaries and pupils of nursing. 
The students spent thus their summer months 
between their lecture terms in Philadelphia, grate- 
ful to have at last an opportunity to see actual prac- 
tice. Of course, they had to pay for this opportu- 
nity, three dollars a week for board, as the establish- 
ment could not afford to feed them. 
We also had two nurses, one for the general wards 
and one for the maternity department. They were 
both unskilled and considered the training as more 
than sufficient equivalent for their services, receiv- 
ing simply an allowance of two dollars per week 
for their necessary clothing. Thus we kept true to 
our promise to begin at once a system for training 
nurses, although the time specified for that purpose 
was only six months. However, one woman re- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
213 
mained with us for several years, and in the course 
of time she became invaluable as head nurse. 
As for myself, I occupied a peculiar position. I 
was resident physician, superintendent, housekeeper 
and instructor to the students of whom none was 
graduated, so that I had the full responsibility of 
all their activities, both inside and outside the little 
hospital. In order to give an idea of the situation, 
I want to relate from my notes the record of one 
day of my work. 
At 5:30 A. M., I started in an omnibus for the 
wholesale market, purchasing provisions for a week, 
and at 8:00,1 was back to breakfast. This consisted, 
for all inmates except patients, of tea, bread and 
butter, Indian meal mush and syrup, every morning 
except Sundays when coffee and breakfast bacon 
were added. 
After breakfast, I made my visit to the patients 
in the house with two of the students, while the 
other two students attended upon Dr. Blackwell in 
the dispensary. Then a confinement case arrived 
and I attended to her, giving orders to students and 
nurses. After this, I descended into the kitchen 
department, as the provisions had arrived, and 
with the assistance of the cook I arranged all these 
so as to preserve the materials, and I settled the 
diet for all as far as possible. 
I then took another omnibus ride to the wholesale 
druggist, begging and buying needed articles for 
the dispensary and the hospital, arriving home at 
1:00 P. M. for dinner. This consisted every day 
of a good soup, the soup meat, potatoes, one kind of 
well-prepared vegetable, with fruit for dessert. On 214 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Sundays, we had a roast or a steak, while in the 
winter we occasionally had poultry when this was 
sent in as a donation and when the amount was more 
than was needed for the patients. 
After dinner, I usually went out to see my private 
patients, because receiving no compensation I de- 
pended upon my earnings for personal needs. On 
this day, however, I was detained by the confine- 
ment case mentioned and could not go out till 5:00 
P. M., returning at 7:00 P. M. for tea. This always 
consisted of bread and butter, tea and sauce or 
cheese or fresh gingerbread. After again making 
the rounds of the patients in the house, it was 9:00 
o ’clock. 
Then the students assembled with me in the little 
hall room, I cutting out towels or pillow cases or 
other needed articles for the house or the patients, 
while the students folded or even basted the articles 
for the sewing machine as they recited their various 
lessons for the day. After their recital, I gave them 
verbal instruction in midwifery. We finished the 
work of the day by 11:30, as I never allowed any 
one to be out of bed after midnight unless detained 
by a patient. 
This day is a fair illustration of our life. If I 
had not food to provide, it was something else; if 
not drugs, it was drygoods; and if neither, I at- 
tended the dispensary at least two forenoons, and 
if either of the Drs. Blackwell was prevented by 
private business from attending her regular fore- 
noon, I attended in her place. 
The strain upon us all, added to the very meager 
diet, was immense, and it became a necessity to THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
215 
provide relaxations. So I arranged that during the 
summer, once a month, we all went on a picnic dur- 
ing an afternoon in the hills across the Hudson; and 
in the winter, once a month, we went to a good the- 
ater which was near by, and where we often saw 
Joseph Jefferson, Laura Keene, Karl Formes or 
Brignoli. These entertainments were highly re- 
freshing, and, what was very important, they were 
cheap; theater prices were then very moderate and 
simple picnics were furnished at low rates. 
Oh! how delightful were those days, in their youth- 
ful enthusiasm and filled with hopes. They were 
full of hard work, both day and night, for our out- 
door poor practice increased almost faster than 
the dispensary morning clinics, but a few leisure 
hours once in a while were enjoyed as we had never 
before in our lives enjoyed the most desirable events 
or festivities. 
Also, we were patronized by those families who, 
in favor of our medical work as reformers, often 
invited us to their receptions where we enjoyed in- 
tellectual diversion. Among others already men- 
tioned were the Sunday evenings at the house of 
the sisters, Alice and Phoebe Cary, where distin- 
guished men and women filled the homelike parlors 
and partook of plenty of ice water as refreshment. 
Another house open to us was that of Mrs. Oakes 
Smith, where art and literature were represented. 
Another was that of the leading lady of fashion, 
Mrs. Cole, where whist and music formed the enter- 
taining pleasures. Here I felt especially at home 
with Mr. George Hildreth as whist partner, his being 
almost deaf giving me a fine opportunity to be di- 216 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
verted without exertion when too tired even to talk. 
To he seen and noticed in these circles was an 
advantage to medical women and to our little hos- 
pital, for, in spite of our very simple diet and the 
plain living of the patients, we were always in debt; 
and we had to make great efforts to raise money, 
holding even a little Sale again before Christmas. 
This Sale was held in our own wards, the patients 
being removed for a whole week, but we raised the 
two thousand, six hundred dollars which was the 
cost of our first year’s experiment, not including 
the rent which was pledged, as already told. 
It was a great oversight and much to be regretted, 
that we considered this hospital experiment and our- 
selves of so little importance in themselves that no 
printed report had been preserved until the year 
1868, that is, eleven years from the time we opened 
the Infirmary. 
I have also only very imperfect private notes, but 
I find that the expense, all in all, including the board 
of the students, was a little over two thousand, six 
hundred dollars, from May 1, 1857, to May 1, 1858; 
and that the average morning dispensary attend- 
ance was thirty; while the in-door patients were 
about one hundred during the year. But we had a 
very large out-door practice, one of the four stu- 
dents alone, Dr. Mary E. Breed, attending fourteen 
cases of childbed in one month; while I was often 
sent for in the night to assist them with advice when 
their knowledge was not sufficient. 
The practical gain to these young women was so 
great that they were not only devoted, hardworking 
and conscientious in their professional duties, but THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
217 
they were more than willing to bear great physical 
discomfort, as well as the ridicule which they en- 
countered when they attempted to demand the recog- 
nition and the respect due to their calling. Every- 
where among the better situated people, they met 
with discouraging remarks and questions, giving 
evidence that the opinion was that the practice of 
medicine by women would, in the course of time, 
be impossible, even if the present few were received 
as exceptions, or as the novelties of a fad. And the 
greatest tact was called for in accommodating our- 
selves and our work to the need of even the poorest 
people. 
I may here describe one picture which memory 
recalls. Dr. Breed had been attending a difficult 
case of childbirth, in a negro quarter, and she called 
on me for consultation and assistance. 
I entered a room which seemed tilled with people 
of all sizes, and with faces shading from pitch black 
through all colors to what seemed pure Caucasian. 
This latter was the woman in the corner, near the 
table on which stood the lamp, and she was just 
being delivered of a mulatto baby by the doctor. 
The rest of the swarm were both male and female, 
of whom the woman in the corner claimed eight or 
more. We did not concern ourselves with the re- 
lationship of the remainder, as they all seemed per- 
fectly healthy and did not require our attention. It 
seems to me that there must have been about twenty- 
four persons in that room, to judge from the num- 
ber of beds and the air. 
We medical women all went home together at 
about one o’clock in the morning. It is strange to 218 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
say but we had no fear about going to these squalid 
places, and there really was no need of fear either. 
The greatest politeness and attention was given 
to our students when they were once accepted and, 
as in this case, the young doctor had to be nurse 
and comforter during the whole day, as well as doc- 
tor at the moment of crisis. 
She felt quite safe during her stay and was pro- 
vided with fresh milk—which she drank from the 
tin can of the store in which it was bought; and she 
ate the pie from the paper in which it was wrapped. 
She felt strong and at ease, and happy to have the 
opportunity to exercise her best influence during the 
twenty hours of her stay—which may or may not 
have sowed some seed for the better. 
At any rate, gratefulness was gained in more than 
one way, for this kind of people being more or less 
under the control of the police and of missionaries 
at large, did much to spread a good reputation for 
us and for our work. In this way, women physicians 
became known and sought by just the class in whom 
they were interested and among whom they desired 
to work. 
The need for the friendliness of the police towards 
us I can illustrate here also. A woman died in the 
hospital after childbirth. We had informed the 
many relations whom the poor and forsaken usually 
possess of the seriousness of the case. There was 
always one woman of the kinship at the bedside of 
the patient for about sixty hours before the death, 
which took place in the forenoon. 
It was not an hour after this sad occurrence be- 
fore all the cousins who had relieved each other at THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
219 
the bedside appeared, with their male cousins or 
husbands in working attire and with pickaxes and 
shovels, before our street door, demanding admis- 
sion and shouting that the female physicians who 
resided within were killing women in childbirth with 
cold water. 
Of course, an immense crowd collected, filling the 
block between us and Broadway, hooting and yelling 
and trying to push in the doors, both on the street 
and in the yard; so that we were beleaguered in such 
a way that no communication with the outside was 
possible. We could not call to the people who were 
looking out of the windows in the neighboring 
houses, our voices being drowned by the noise of the 
mob. 
At this juncture the policeman who had charge 
of Bleecker Street and the one from Broadway came 
running up to the scene. On learning the complaint 
of the men, they commanded silence and ordered the 
crowd to disperse, telling them that they knew the 
doctors in that hospital treated the patients in the 
best possible way, and that no doctor could keep 
everybody from dying some time. CHAPTER XXI 
Social success—Growth of private practice—Professional 
recognition—Consulting staff of leading medical men 
for Infirmary—Occasional opening of some dispen- 
sary clinics to women students who there introduce 
a needed reform—Incident of Dr. J. Marion Sims, 
and why a woman was not appointed assistant surgeon 
in the New York Woman’s Hospital of which he was 
chief—Second mobbing of the Infirmary following 
death of a patient—Definite beginning of training of 
nurses—Trying experience of two fires in neighbor- 
hood—Dr. Zakrzewska’s health begins to show effects 
of overstrain—Inquiring visitors from all parts of 
the United States and even from England. (Twenty- 
nine years of age: 1857-1859.) 
During the winter of 1857-1858, our entrance into 
the social circles already mentioned was an immense 
help to the spreading of the idea of women physi- 
cians through our meeting what was then called the 
“higher kind of Bohemians,” among whom were 
preeminently women artists, aspiring journalists 
and dramatic students. Although we medical women 
were not cordially accepted, as only a few of them 
dared to make our acquaintance, our repeated 
weekly appearances (as one or more of us made it 
a point to attend these receptions, no matter how 
tired we were) familiarized these small publics with 
the thought that women doctors are as good as any- 
body. 
220 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
221 
The fashion then was to attend these “socials” 
regularly; and social they became. They were not 
stiff and meaningless as is the present fashion, 
where one goes once or twice during the whole sea- 
son, shakes hands with the hosts, says some noth- 
ings, meets friends and foes and says more noth- 
ings, shakes many hands without knowing why, and 
takes some refreshment in thimble cups, which is 
no refreshment so scanty is it in quantity and so 
poor in quality, mere elegant nothings only pretty 
to look upon. No; in those years, receptions meant 
intellectual recognition, social grace, conversation, 
and enjoyment in whatever suited the different 
tastes, whether a song, or some music, or a quiet 
game of whist in a retired corner; and no “refresh- 
ment” to make a show of pretense, but simply 
plenty of good ice water. 
Among these good people, of whom many have 
since become of eminence in literature and in art, 
we gradually developed professionally a small cli- 
entele who, if not paying in lucre, paid with grate- 
ful remembrance in speaking of us, spreading the 
idea of us and occasionally writing little articles 
concerning the New York Infirmary for the leading 
papers and journals. 
I much regret not to be in possession of any of 
these writings for, as I remember them now, they 
seem to me so juvenile, so absolutely simple in their 
tenor, that it might appeal to our sense of humor 
to read them in the present altered position of 
women physicians. 
For instance, the public was assured that none 
of us wore short hair like men, but dressed grace- 222 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
fully within the fashion; that we appeared neat in 
costume, nothing extraordinary indicating our call- 
ing, etc., etc. The only disagreeable thing which 
they found in us was that we objected to being called 
“Doctress,” but insisted upon the neutral appella- 
tion of “Doctor of Medicine.” This led even to 
lengthy discussions as to “whether the English 
language would conform to such a title for a 
woman. ’ ’ 
However, this publicity helped “the Cause” and, 
strange to say, men were the first who took to the 
innovation of employing a woman physician by 
advising their daughters and wives to avail them- 
selves of our services. 
Thus, at the end of the year 1857, I had quite a 
comfortable private practice established. And I 
took great pains to assure those to whose families 
I ministered that, year by year, an increase of bet- 
ter women doctors would be the consequence of 
widening their practical experience and giving them 
equality of opportunity with the men physicians. 
Here my notes read very sanguine, as some of the 
men highest in professional standing were exceed- 
ingly friendly, both professionally and privately; 
and it is with deep gratitude that I mention the 
names of Drs. Kissam, Willard Parker, McCready, 
Aigner and Buck, who gave us their most cordial 
assistance. 
Dr. Kissam, a prominent obstetrician, was on our 
consulting staff and he became quite friendly to our 
students, though still believing that Dr. Blackwell 
and I were exceptions to all womankind. Dr. Mc- 
Cready, attending physician at Bellevue Hospital, THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
223 
was another one who had put aside prejudice. The 
influence of these men procured for our students at- 
tendance at some of the larger dispensaries. In 
one, the Eastern Dispensary, Dr. Aigner, one of the 
Austrian exiles and a man of high education, took 
a sincere interest in the whole movement. 
When our students expressed their surprise that 
no books of patients were kept in these large and 
rich institutions, no records of cases or prescrip- 
tions retained, in fact, that no methodical system 
was followed, these men inquired into our doings 
and came and looked through our system, by means 
of which every patient could be traced—the name, 
residence, diagnosis, treatment and subsequent 
course. This was a revelation to them; as it was 
further when I told them that I never allowed in 
out-door practice any student to give a prescrip- 
tion without signing her name to it. Thus, in case 
of any question being raised as to mistake in the 
prescription or mistake by the druggist (who was 
by no means in those years always a professional 
person in that line, but often a mere business man 
who opened an apothecary store), this signature 
would always tell where to place the responsibility 
for the writing of the prescription. 
At that time I did not realize, as I do now, that 
these men, like all those whose position is fully es- 
tablished both professionally and financially, could 
afford to step outside the pale of professional cus- 
tom and take up what was not recognized in the 
strict sense of common daily life. 
It is the insecure, struggling physician who is 
hostile to the woman innovator, actually fearing for 224 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
his bread and butter much more than for any al- 
leged inferiority of intellect or of professional skill 
in the woman, although these latter have always 
been used as the war cry against women doctors. 
The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, Feb. 
16, 1853, expresses this point of view in an editorial 
on female physicians, apropos of Dr. Hunt’s receiv- 
ing an honorary degree of M.D. from the Female 
Medical College of Pennsylvania. It says: 
It is not a matter to be laughed down as readily 
as was at first anticipated. The serious inroads 
made by female physicians in obstetrical business, 
one of the essential branches of income to a major- 
ity of well-established practitioners, makes it natu- 
ral enough to inquire what course it is best to pur- 
sue. 
Among the young men at that time, Dr. J. Marion 
Sims played such a peculiar role and one which is 
so characteristic that I must relate it here. Dr. 
Sims had come from the South to New York in 1853, 
poor and unknown. He had perfected an important 
operation which was based on a German theory, 
but for which no material to practice on could be 
found either in Europe or America, until he was 
able to utilize the negro slave women. Dr. Sims 
quotes “the great Wurtzer, of Germany”; and he 
told me by word of mouth that he had operated one 
hundred and eleven times before he had the first 
success. This first success followed the performance 
of the thirtieth operation upon one of the six or 
seven slave women upon whom he had unlimited 
freedom for experimentation. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
225 
As it happened, Dr. Sims was introduced into the 
same social circle in which we were acquainted, and 
learning from certain members that they were en- 
thusiastically interested in women physicians, he 
advanced in a year’s time in such a friendly man- 
ner that he had hard work to live down his friendly 
advances when he later learned from his profes- 
sional brethren, as well as from a wider public, that 
women physicians were by no means popular and 
could in no way forward his plans. However, he 
remained outwardly polite to the Drs. Blackwell and 
myself, inviting us to his operations in the then 
small beginning of the Woman’s Hospital, but ex- 
cusing himself from further assistance to medical 
women as a hindrance to the philanthropic enter- 
prise of enlarging the above-mentioned institution. 
Dr. Sims stood on common ground with the women 
physicians in that he also found the medical profes- 
sion unfriendly, and realized that his only hope of 
establishing himself was to open a hospital for him- 
self. He says in his autobiography, which was pub- 
lished under the title of The Story of My Life, “I 
said to myself, ‘I am a lost man unless I can get 
somebody to create a place in which I can show the 
world what I am capable of doing.’ This was the 
inception of the idea of a woman’s hospital. . . . 
If the profession had received me kindly in New 
York and had acted honorably and gentlemanly and 
generously towards me, I would not have thought of 
building a woman’s hospital. . . . When I left Ala- 
bama for New York, I had no idea of the sort in the 
world. I came simply for a purpose the most un- 
selfish in the world—that of prolonging my fife.” 226 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
While no more fortunate than the women physi- 
cians in enlisting the cooperation of the medical pro- 
fession, Dr. Sims had greater success with some 
prominent and wealthy women, who eventually es- 
tablished the hospital for him. The work of Dr. 
Blackwell and the movement in favor of women 
physicians had evidently made an impression upon 
these women also, because they adopted a by-law 
providing that “the assistant surgeon should be a 
woman”; and Dr. Blackwell and her sister, Dr. 
Emily, both well-qualified by their added clinical 
training in Europe, were the logical candidates for 
this position. 
Dr. Sims cynically refers to this by-law as fol- 
lows : 1 ‘ One clause of the by-laws provided that the 
assistant surgeon should be a woman. I appointed 
Mrs. Browne, a widowed sister of my friend, Henri 
L. Stuart, who had been so efficient in organizing 
the hospital. She was matron and general superin- 
tendent. ’ ’ 
Six months later, he told the board of lady man- 
agers that he must have an assistant. He then offered 
this position, successively, to two young men who 
had just been graduated and who declined it. His 
third choice was made because the man had married 
a young Southern friend of his youth! 
Returning to the friendly physicians mentioned 
above, they dared to introduce our students into 
their dispensary clinics, and they gave clinical in- 
struction to us at the Infirmary, thus helping on 
gratuitously the few women who were struggling 
faithfully to fit themselves for their responsible 
calling. It was the more estimable in these men THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
227 
that their audience was a small one whenever they 
came to our hospital during the winter evenings, 
the largest number never exceeding six. And they 
were always ready to come in consultation, even if 
they were requested to attend the same case re- 
peatedly. 
My heart is still full of joy when I think how 
kind and helpful these men were in protecting us in 
this way; and even, also, against brutal assault, as, 
for instance, in a case of appendicitis to which Dr. 
Kissam had been every other day in consultation 
and which ended in death. His advice had been the 
application of cold water compresses, which were 
in vogue at that time. 
On the morning following the day on which the 
patient died, a number of men appeared before the 
Infirmary, demanding entrance and creating within 
ten minutes a large mob to whom they were talking 
loudly, declaring that this was an institution of 
some cranky women who killed people with cold 
water. I had found means for sending a messenger 
from the back door to Dr. Kissam, and it was 
through his presence that no harm was done to the 
institution. He addressed the mob and advised the 
disturbed people to have a coroner sent for to make 
an examination in the presence of twelve of them- 
selves as a jury. It was a sight to behold—these 
poor distraught men in overalls, with dirty hands, 
disheveled hair and grim faces, standing by during 
the autopsy, and at its close, declaring their satis- 
faction that death had been an unavoidable conse- 
quence of the disease. 
New Year’s Day, 1858, was one of the brightest 228 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
and pleasantest winter days we ever enjoyed. A 
friend to women physicians had placed money in 
my hands for gifts to onr faithful servants; and an- 
other friend sold to me at half price a whole piece 
of thibet, so that I was able to present each one of 
my hardworking women with a dress, as well as 
with some sweetmeats, all of which were duly ap- 
preciated. 
Perhaps nobody, nowadays, can understand the 
willingness and devotion of the women who assisted 
me in carrying on this primitive little hospital: who 
were willing to work hard, in and out of hours; who 
fared extremely plainly and lodged almost to un- 
comfortableness ; yet who felt that a good work was 
being accomplished for all womankind. And this 
was true of all—students, nurses and domestic 
help. 
The eight months of experiment had stimulated 
us all with great hope for the future, and we now 
began to make more positive plans for the educa- 
tion and training of nurses. The first two who 
presented themselves for this training were supe- 
rior women, one a German, the other an American, 
but neither was willing to give a longer time than 
four months, during which they received no com- 
pensation except their keeping and one weekly les- 
son from me on the different branches of nursing. 
After these left, it was again a German woman 
who presented herself, and who, after four months ’ 
training, remained as head nurse for several years. 
The second pupil nurse was sometimes of American, 
sometimes of Irish, descent and nothing remarkable. 
This whole year had nothing special to note ex- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
229 
cept that the press began to take a little more fav- 
orable notice of our doings and was ready to speak 
in favor of a Fair which again was arranged for 
at the end of the year; and this publicity spread 
the idea of women’s competency to take care of 
sick people. 
We had constant applications from students to 
share in the experience of practice which we offered, 
and who were willing to live outside in order to 
attend the dispensary; while the number of patients 
in daily attendance at this latter increased so rapidly 
that we had to establish the rule of locking the door 
against admission after a certain hour. 
Among the applicants were all sorts of extremists 
—such as women in very short Bloomer costume, 
with hair cut also very short, to whom the patients 
objected most strenuously; others were training as 
practitioners in a water-cure establishment, and 
wished to avail themselves of our out-door practice 
in order to introduce their theories and methods of 
healing. In fact, we were overrun with advisers and 
helpers whom we had to refuse. Popular prejudices 
could be overcome only in the most careful and con- 
servative manner; and even our most ardent friends 
and supporters shared to a certain degree in the 
feeling of uncertainty as to the success of our ex- 
periment. 
Personally, I received during this year great com- 
fort in the acquaintances and lifelong friendships 
gained. And the recollection of these friends calls 
forth such a deep feeling of gratitude for their de- 
votion in our work of love, and for their trust in 
me, and of admiration for their high purpose to 230 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
serve humanity, that I consider it worth while to 
have lived if for no other reason than to realize 
through them the goodness of womankind. 
So the year closed upon us as one which had 
brought great satisfaction in all we expected to 
gain, professionally and as bearers of a new idea. 
Youth was with us all, and our hopes of success 
knew no limit. We were the happiest, even if ma- 
terially the poorest, of a group of women which 
included friends engaged in different lines of work, 
such as journalism, art and music. Of these, none 
identified herself so closely with us as Mary L. 
Booth, later editor of Harper’s Bazar, who spent 
every Sunday with us, and who often shared my 
room and bed when she was out at night as reporter 
of the New York Times too late to return to her 
home in Williamsburg. 
Oh! happy days! Springtime of life! It was the 
“ May ” which never returns to the human being, and 
the beauty of which we realize only long after it has 
passed. Memories of these glorious days keep with 
us and reconcile us to the many sad, dark, anxious 
and trying hours through which we all have to pass 
in one form or another. These latter make us wiser, 
perhaps, but certainly not happier, even though we 
have struggled successfully through the years and 
feel that we should be contented with what we have 
accomplished. 
Still, there was a dark side to my experience dur- 
ing that year. The sick headaches, to which I had 
been subject off and on since childhood, came upon 
me quite often and very unexpectedly, evidently due 
to the overstraining of all my forces, physical and THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
231 
mental, and I was quite often obliged to relinquish 
some very important duties. 
Before leaving this year’s record, I must add a 
few remarks concerning our work, that is, mine and 
that of the ten or twelve students who had been 
connected with the Infirmary now for twenty months. 
The prejudice against women physicians was by 
no means confined to that stratum of society where 
education and wealth nurtured the young. We found 
it just as strong, through habit and custom, among 
the working people and among the very poorest of 
the poor. Their coming to our dispensary was not 
a 'priori appreciation of the woman physician, but 
was the result of faith in the extraordinary, just as 
now faith-curers with other claims are sought and 
consulted in illness. 
Our work was that of real missionaries. Even 
among the well-to-do and intelligent, little or nothing 
was known of hygiene. If “a goneness in the 
stomach ’ ’ was felt, whisky, brandy or a strong tonic 
was resorted to for relief. Diet, rest and the sensi- 
ble use of water were never considered. 
So among the poor we found everywhere bad air, 
filth and utter disregard of food. And sponges, as 
well as soap, were carried in the satchels of our 
young medical women along with the necessary im- 
plements of the physician. And the former were 
given to the patients’ friends, after showing them 
the use of water and soap in fever cases as well as 
in ordinary illness. It was an innovation in the 
minds of the people, the teaching that sick people 
must be bathed and kept clean, and that fresh air 
was not killing. 232 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
The good results obtained by the addition of these 
sanitary auxiliaries whose use was permitted only 
through our persuasion, created almost a super- 
stitious faith in us and resulted in sending to us 
patients from a distance of ten and twelve miles 
from Bleecker Street. This made increased de- 
mands on our physical and nervous powers, for we 
made it a point not to refuse any person if it were 
at all possible to see her. 
Thus we placed foundation stones here and there 
all over Manhattan Island upon which to build our 
superstructure of medical practice by women. In 
this respect, as in all solid production in nature and 
in civilization, a sound foundation must be created 
first. No reform, no culture can be successful if 
we limit ourselves to the higher intellects. We must 
under all conditions be careful not to speak over the 
heads of the mentally mediocre crowd. 
The soil in which the seed is sown must be ex- 
amined, then prepared, and then cultivated in the 
most prudent and careful manner—only then can 
we expect to have the seed take root and grow. 
The gaining of confidence is not obtained by show- 
ing your own superiority; nay, it is by hiding this 
latter and allowing the persons whom you want to 
benefit to think well of themselves, yet continuing 
to lead them, indirectly, to the idea that there is a 
possibility of their bettering themselves. Only by 
such a proceeding is it possible to bring about con- 
fidence; then an attachment follows and, finally, a 
dependence upon your higher wisdom which will 
always end in admiration and gratitude. Whenever 
this is not the case, it shows failure in our having been THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
233 
wise, or kind, or comprehending of the situation; in 
short, it is the fault of the would-be benefactor. 
We had two strange accidents in the neighbor- 
hood during that year. Our backyard and outbuild- 
ings faced the rear of a livery stable containing more 
than forty horses. This stable took fire one after- 
noon about five o’clock. I was just coming home, 
and I felt so sure of the solidity of our own buildings 
that I was able to control the excitement of all our in- 
mates who, in bed and out of bed, were perfectly 
quiet and remained in their rooms in spite of the 
smoke and noise and all the confusion which a large 
fire causes. 
A few months later at four o’clock in the morning, 
I was just retiring to my room after having at- 
tended a patient below when I heard the cry of 
‘ ‘ Fire! ’ ’ And looking out of my window, I saw that 
a man had upset a fluid lamp, filling the whole room 
with flames, while he with his night shirt on fire 
was seeking to escape through the door which he 
could not find, thus burning to death before my 
eyes. It was an appalling spectacle, and before I 
could really comprehend the situation, firemen ap- 
peared and worked hard, for the conflagration soon 
included several buildings. 
Again, I could control my patients and the other 
inmates, although our students and servants dressed 
hastily and were ready to obey commands in case 
of need. Fortunately for us, the wind blew the 
flames in the opposite direction from our house, and 
I trusted in this fact. Had I had the experience of 
the Chicago and Boston conflagrations, I would not 
have trusted to the wind nor perhaps have been  A WOMAN’S QUEST 
234 
able to control a family of nearly forty heads. Such 
is the blessing of youthful inexperience! But the 
strain of anxiety on these two occasions was tre- 
mendous, and I was laid up each time for a couple 
of days with a severe sick headache. 
Visitors interested in women physicians came from 
all parts of the United States as well as from 
England, but especially from Boston. I was often 
at the same time amused and pained when disap- 
pointment was expressed over the smallness of our 
hospital, and we had to take great pains to explain 
our out-door department work. 
From the very beginning, I had instituted record 
books in which the name, age, residence, occupation, 
diagnosis and treatment of every individual case 
were written—of those who were in the hospital, 
those who came to the dispensary clinics, and those 
who were attended at their homes. 
These books revealed to the visitors our activity, 
and they were admired also by our professional 
brethren. No such records then existed in their dis- 
pensaries but were introduced after our example, 
primitive as it was in those years. However, having 
such records saved us a great deal of annoyance in 
many ways, as we offered them for inspection to all 
whom they concerned; and they protected us 
against any accusation of carelessness, ignorance 
or malpractice of any kind. 
It was the same with the prescriptions given when 
the medicines were not provided by us. I insisted 
that every one who wrote a prescription should sign 
her name, if not also the name of the patient. As 
my name was so long, I have always signed M. E. Z. CHAPTER XXII 
Dr. Blackwell goes io England for vacation—Dr. Zakrzew- 
ska’s health suffers under increased strain—Goes to 
Boston for vacation—Is there urged to become pro- 
fessor of obstetrics in the New England Female Medi- 
cal College, and to establish a hospital for this college 
—Accepts offer and removes to Boston. (Twenty-nine 
years of age: 1859.) 
New Year’s Day, 1859, was a very cold one, bleak 
winds prevailing after a snowstorm. A number of 
invitations were extended to us by friends, who did 
not simply array their houses for callers bringing 
their congratulations in Dutch fashion and receiving 
the customary refreshments. I decided to accept 
the hospitality of Mrs. and Mr. Booth in Williams- 
burg, the home of our friend and companion, Mary 
L. Booth, while the rest of the household was treated 
to a dinner of roast goose which kind patrons had 
provided. We never could have thought of such 
luxuries ourselves, nor on Thanksgiving Day nor 
Christmas, either. However, we never suffered for 
the want of them—they always appeared in due time 
on these holidays. 
This furnishes proof that it is a pleasure to be 
kind and that there are more good people in the 
world than we may realize. If only one half of 
humanity could be brought into absolute contact in- 
dividually with the other half which is neglected, 
235 236 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
degraded and discouraged, there is no doubt that we 
would witness the same equalization in the large 
cities as that which prevails in the country towns 
and villages. Not that there is no difference of 
subsistence in these latter, but the absolute poverty 
is not to be found in them as we find it in the former. 
Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell now went to England for 
a vacation and to visit old friends. Her absence 
caused an increase in work and responsibility, as 
Dr. Emily and myself had to divide the work which 
she had done in the dispensary. This increase was 
just the little more which I could not bear, and the 
sick headaches returned so often and with such 
violence that I had to relinquish a good deal of su- 
pervision to my head nurse, and finally I was 
obliged to keep to my bed for a whole week. 
When they were visiting the Infirmary, the Bos- 
ton friends of woman’s medical education, of whom 
I have spoken, had kindly asked me to visit them. 
So I concluded to take a short vacation in February, 
placing my senior students in charge of the medical 
work, under the supervision of Dr. Emily Black- 
well. 
My visit to Boston, towards the last of February, 
was exceedingly interesting. I found that Mr. Sam- 
uel E. Sewall, as well as his associate directors of 
the New England Female Medical College, had been 
anxious to add a clinical department to their purely 
theoretical school. 
And outside friends, who had become interested 
in me personally as well as in my plans to aid the 
education of medical women by training them in 
practical work, also were anxious that I should THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
237 
change my place of residence from New York to 
Boston and accept the position of organizer of this 
clinical department. 
The impression which I received when first visit- 
ing Boston in 1856 was deepened. And it was ex- 
ceedingly favorable as to the earnestness of all the 
women with whom I came in contact, and as to their 
desire to elevate the education of womankind in 
general and in medicine especially. I felt that a 
larger field for my efforts might be opened there in 
connection with a medical school rather than in New 
York where the two Drs. Blackwell controlled the 
direction of efforts towards what seemed to them 
wisest and best. 
Besides, the financial condition of the Infirmary 
was improving so steadily that the services which 
I had been rendering gratuitously could now be 
hired; while the medical applicants were of an un- 
usual talent and more and more willing to make 
arrangements for a longer period of service with 
increased responsibilities, although they still had 
to pay their expenses. 
Also, my private practice had increased to such 
an extent that I was free from debt, having re- 
paid all loans advanced to me during my studies 
save the two hundred dollars which the Cleveland 
society had expended towards my first year. This, 
I could not now repay as the society had dissolved. 
But I kept this amount to loan to poor students, 
without note or interest. Some repaid the lean of 
fifty dollars or one hundred dollars from time to 
time; others, not able perhaps to do so, are still 
holding it, and I am unable to say positively who 238 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
they are as I did not record the names. I am only 
sure that these amounts, and some more, are in 
their hands. The first one to whom I loaned the 
whole two hundred dollars was Dr. Susan Dimock, 
when she was going to Europe to study, she repay- 
ing it before she made that fatal trip abroad in 
1875. 
All these considerations influenced me when Bos- 
ton’s liberal friends of women, or of “the Cause,” 
as it was styled, offered me the position of organizer 
and head of the clinical department which they were 
ready to establish. And the directors of the medi- 
cal college offered me the chair of obstetrics in that 
school, which being my specialty had great attrac- 
tion for me. 
After hesitating for a long time as to what course 
to pursue, I went to Boston in the spring to define 
in a public address my views and position in respect 
to the study of medicine. I found so great a desire 
prevailing for the elevation of the medical college 
for women to the standard of the male medical 
colleges and such enthusiasm in respect to the pro- 
posed hospital, that I felt a great desire to make the 
new hospital department as useful to the public and 
to the students as the New York Infirmary had 
become. 
The chance of being able to carry out my own 
plans of work instead of being simply assistant to 
the Drs. Blackwell was a final temptation, and after 
inquiries and consultations with Dr. Emily I de- 
cided in May to accept the offered position and to 
remove at once to Boston. My decision was aided 
by two facts: the first, that Dr. Blackwell’s absence THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
239 
had proved that the Infirmary could be sustained by 
two doctors, not only without loss but with a con- 
tinuance of its steady increase, this latter being 
the consequence of the good already done to the com- 
munity through its ministrations. And the second 
was that my health was becoming uncertain under 
the strain of the work which, by virtue of necessity 
as well as of habit, would remain my share in New 
York. 
Having fulfilled my promise of contribution to 
the Infirmary of two years’ gratuitous services and 
having put everything in order and divided the duties 
which I had been discharging, I left the Infirmary 
on June 1,1859, taking a short vacation in New York 
but arriving in Boston on the sixth, as I found to 
my great disappointment that no short vacation 
would bring back the strength which I had wasted in 
my zeal to advance “the Cause” more rapidly than 
the law of evolution permits. 
Thus ended my New York career. I left feeling 
that I could be spared, although the breaking up of 
several true friendships saddened the departure. Of 
all the friends, Mary L. Booth was the dearest to 
me. It is not through blood kinship that we feel 
the strongest; nay, we may even feel no affinity 
at all towards the sisters and brothers we so love, 
while the few kindred spirits we meet fill our souls 
with life and inspiration. 
The few friends to whom I was thus sincerely at- 
tached remained such for life, and the professional 
affinities stand to-day in the same relation to me 
as when we were young, while a few non-professional 
New York friends find time and opportunity to meet 240 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
me occasionally to exchange reminiscences of the 
golden days of our youth. 
About this date, there were already a goodly num- 
ber of women upon whom the degree of M.D. had 
been legally conferred, but the minds of those who 
understood the conditions which prevailed were far 
from being satisfied with results. 
Becognition in the profession and opportunities 
for a good education for others who wished to culti- 
vate this field of labor were our aims. And so we 
labored on, the Drs. Blackwell and myself in New 
York and Dr. Ann Preston in Philadelphia—the lat- 
ter for the “college,” and all the former for the 
“hospital” education of female students. 
Meanwhile, a number of spurious institutions pro- 
claiming the same aim had sprung up like weeds 
which threatened to choke the wheat in the field. 
After the interest of a few high-minded male phy- 
sicians had been secured, the battle with and against 
these institutions had to be fought—and it is still 
to be fought. 
The best of these secondary institutions existed 
in Boston, and it was thither that I was going with 
the hopefulness which befits the missionary spirit. 
[As has been elsewhere stated, most of the preced- 
ing chapters were written by Dr. Zakrzewska in a 
letter to her friend, Miss Mary L. Booth, in New 
York. And she closes this letter with the para- 
graphs which follow.] 
... I could not refrain from writing fully of this 
part of my life which has been the object of all my 
undertakings, and for which I have borne trials and THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
241 
overcome difficulties which would have crushed nine 
out of ten in my position. I do not expect that this 
will be the end of my usefulness; but I do expect that 
I shall not have to write to you any more of my 
doings. It was simply in order that you, my friend, 
should understand me fully, and because you have so 
often expressed a wish to know my life before we 
met, that I finished this letter. Now you have me 
externally and internally, past and present. And, 
although there have been many influences besides 
which have made their impressions on my peculiar 
development, yet they are not of a nature to be 
spoken of as facts, as, for instance, your friendship 
for me. 
On looking back upon my past life, I may say that 
I am like a fine ship that, launched upon high seas, 
is tossed about by the winds and waves and steered 
against contrary currents until finally stranded upon 
the shore. There, from the materials a small boat 
is built, just strong enough to reach the port into 
which the ship had expected to enter with proudly 
swelling sails. But this ambition is entirely gone 
and I care now very little whether or not people 
recognize what is in me, so long as the object for 
which I have lived becomes a reality. 
And now, my good friend, I must add one wish 
before I send these last few pages to you, namely, 
that I may be enabled some day to go with you to 
Berlin to show you the scenes in which my child- 
hood and youth were passed, and to teach you on the 
spot the difference between Europe and America. 
All other inducements to return have vanished. 
Nearly all the men who aided in promoting my 
wishes have passed away, and the only stimulus that 
now remains to make me want to revisit the home of 
my youth, is the wish to wander about there with 242 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
you and perhaps with two or three other of my 
American friends. Until this can be accomplished, 
I hope to continue my present work in the New 
England Female Medical College which, though by 
no means yet what we wish it to be, is deserving of 
every effort to raise it to the position that it ought 
to take among the medical institutions of America. CHAPTER XXIII 
Details of the College building—Dr. Zakrzewska meets 
many men and women leaders in advanced thought 
in Boston—Differences between Boston and New York 
with regard to the question of “woman’s sphere”— 
History of the New England Female Medical College 
—She finds the educational standards of the College 
low, and she meets opposition in her attempts to ele- 
vate them—She establishes the hospital (Clinical De- 
partment) along lines similar to those she had 
developed in the New York Infirmary—Several lead- 
ing men in the profession acknowledge her qualifica- 
tions but refuse to act as consultants for the hospital, 
or to countenance the College—Letters from Dr. John 
Ware—Hardships of the Out-Practice. (Thirty years 
of age: 1859-1860.) 
The New England Female Medical College had its 
home in Springfield Street, in the building erected 
for the Boston Lying-In Hospital and later occupied 
by the Home for Aged Men. Here the lectures were 
held, the officers had their rooms and the directors, 
their meetings; and yet, not half of the building was 
occupied. So I had there my office and bedroom, fur- 
nished by the lady managers of the college. 
I assigned the basement rooms to the dispensary, 
while the rest of the lower rooms served for do- 
mestic purposes inclusive of servants’ rooms. The 
middle story was taken for the indoor clinical de- 
partment, or hospital; while the upper floor, or 
attic, was arranged for students’ chambers, and for 
243 244 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
these we received rent and pay for board from 
those actively serving in the hospital department. 
This whole affair, however, had to be organized 
and superintended, and as I felt unequal to added 
medical responsibilities I devoted myself during 
the whole summer (1859) to arranging this depart- 
ment and getting it in working order, taking every 
now and then a whole week’s vacation at the sea- 
shore or in the country. 
New friends in the form of a board of lady 
managers were added to the college because in- 
creased funds were needed to carry on the new de- 
partment, the most noted name on this board being 
that of Harriet Beecher Stowe. And the ladies and 
gentlemen who favored my plans when I came, 
three years earlier, pleading for the New York In- 
firmary, now bravely advanced and provided the 
means for this new enterprise. 
Through all of my former acquaintances I at once 
found warm friends and protectors here in our 
beloved city of Boston. I may mention the names of 
Theodore Parker, Wendell Phillips, William Lloyd 
Garrison, Samuel E. Sewall, F. W. G. May, Francis 
Jackson, Bev. William E. Channing, Dr. W. F. 
Channing, Dr. Samuel Cabot, Dr. E. H. Clark, Mrs. 
Sarah S. Russell, Miss Abby G. May, Miss Lucy 
Goddard, Rev. and Mrs. James F. Clarke, Mr. and 
Mrs. Bond, Miss Mary J. Parkman, Mrs. R. G. Shaw, 
Mrs. Ednah D. Cheney, Mrs. F. Fenno Tudor, Miss 
Susan Carey—and there were a host of others, both 
men and women. 
I wish I could mention all of the noble minds, pio- 
neers of a new era in the broadening of thought. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
245 
No specialism was represented, except perhaps that 
of Abolitionism and the Advancement of Women. 
Free scope of the intellect was admitted, and every 
one who promoted culture of mind and body was 
welcomed. Scores of able women sought instruction, 
demanding to know what was objectionable in wo- 
man’s aspirations. 
These and other activities were evidences of the 
smoldering volcano which burst forth into active 
conflagration in the outbreak of the Civil War, in 
1861, and which gave birth to a new type of Wo- 
man—as Minerva was said to have issued forth 
from the head of Zeus fully armed with weapons of 
force and intellect. 
The names of Lucy Goddard, Abby May, Ednah 
D. Cheney, Sarah Shaw Russell and Anna Lowell 
should be engraved on plates of gold for remem- 
brance by those who will come after, for they took 
a stand which made history in life, and especially in 
the life of women. 
For, let it be understood, the impression of the 
great liberality of Boston society, which I had cher- 
ished and fostered as a belief, was not as well- 
founded as I thought, and upon closer acquaintance 
I was soon convinced that here also it required a 
great deal of courage to advocate a new era in 
woman’s sphere. 
Although I found much less tendency to ridicule, 
to treat with contempt, or to prophesy failure than 
we had met in New York, yet the fear of losing social 
caste was strong here also. Declarations that the 
study of medicine would unsex girls or break down 
health and beauty prevailed throughout the com- 246 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
munity, and newspaper remarks were discouraging 
rather than otherwise. 
In short, I had to go over the same ground as in 
New York, explaining the possibility of a woman 
physician’s being able to do precisely the same work 
as the average man physician. The only difference 
I found in the two cities was that in spite of doubt 
and prejudice against woman “leaving her sphere,” 
as it was called, intelligent men and women in Bos- 
ton were ready to listen to and to discuss all pos- 
sible chances. 
The fact that this small medical college for women 
had now lived for nearly ten years induced the lib- 
eral-minded to go a step farther and to begin to 
employ women, especially in midwifery cases. 
One of the graduates of this school was still prac- 
ticing in Boston as midwife on July 1,1889, she hav- 
ing by that time attended five thousand confinement 
cases. Although she was never sought by the well- 
paying portion of the Boston community, she held a 
very reputable position among her patients and 
among such of the profession as had business rela- 
tions with her. Her name, Mrs. Hassenfuss, has 
been mentioned to me quite often by the best of men 
physicians. Therefore, honor to whom it belongs. 
This good, sensible woman, the mother of eleven 
children, has done her share in overcoming preju- 
dice against women physicians. 
Several other ladies who had graduated from this 
school tried to practice in Boston although as they 
told me with very little financial result. They were 
obliged during the first years after establishing 
themselves to seek practical experience among the THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
247 
poor, either as assistant to a friendly man physician 
or on their own responsibility. In either case, they 
appeared to the people’s minds more like well- 
trained nurses than physicians who assume an au- 
thority which creates confidence. Their position was 
by no means an enviable one, and only the self- 
assurance produced by the American education 
could hold them up socially. 
Here it should be said that the graduates of this 
school labored under disadvantages produced by 
obscurities in the minds of those who controlled it. 
Ever since the men physicians began to organize 
themselves into a compact body or guild, their en- 
deavor has been not to educate the women whom 
they everywhere found called to be the natural ob- 
stetricians, but to drive them entirely out of such 
practice and to monopolize it for themselves. This 
struggle continues everywhere, all over the world. 
And it is a struggle which will continue until both 
men and women are educated equally well, so that 
the individual patient may exercise her choice of 
the “trained doctor” of either sex. 
A public agitation begun in Boston in the summer 
of 1847 culminated in 1848 in a revulsion of feeling 
among the laity against this attempt of the male 
physicians to monopolize the practice of obstetrics, 
and in favor of the restoration of at least a part 
of such practice to the hands of women. And this 
revolt was countenanced by a large number of the 
leading citizens of Boston as well as of the rest of 
New England. 
As a result of this agitation, the Boston Female 
Medical School was opened on November 1, 1848, 248 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
with twelve pupils. And to aid this School, the Fe- 
male Medical Education Society was organized on 
November 23, 1848, with six members. This mem- 
bership increased to a thousand or more during the 
following year, its larger part consisting of men of 
prominence in all walks of life. And in the follow- 
ing year, 1850, this society was incorporated “for 
the purpose of providing for the education of Mid- 
wives, Nurses, and Female Physicians.” 
In the earliest printed report of the Boston Fe- 
male Medical School (1851), most stress is laid upon 
the course of study for Midwives, which is as fol- 
lows : 
Candidates for Diplomas as Practitioners in Mid- 
wifery, must be at least twenty years of age, and 
must present testimonials of good moral character; 
they must have studied at least one year, including 
the Lecture terms; must have attended two full 
courses of Lectures, one of which must have been 
in this institution: and must pass a satisfactory ex- 
amination before the Board of Examiners, in 
Anatomy and Physiology, in Obstetrics and the dis- 
eases peculiar to Women. 
Nurses are referred to in the statement that: 
Courses of Lectures and Instruction will be given 
to Nurses in reference to their important and re- 
sponsible vocation of attending the sick. 
And Female Physicians are considered in the 
paragraph: 
The candidates for full Medical Diplomas must THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
249 
have pursued a course of Education equivalent to 
that required in other medical institutions; and at 
least two terms of their instruction must have been 
in this School. 
While all groups are urged to seek to prepare 
themselves, “Persons intending to become members 
of the School will do well to study, in advance, some 
elementary work on Anatomy and Physiology— 
Cutter, Jarvis, etc.,” closing with the naive state- 
ment whose wisdom cannot be gainsaid, “And any 
other preparatory knowledge will be useful.” 
Thus we see that the Boston Female Medical 
School aimed as high as any of the male medical 
schools of the day. Eeally, its aim was higher, in 
that from the beginning it planned to have a Hos- 
pital and to make “practical” instruction in ob- 
stetrics and the diseases of women an integral part 
of its course. In advocating this latter procedure, 
it claims superiority for itself, making the state- 
ment that “the Harvard Medical School furnishes 
no facilities in the way of ‘practice’ in a Maternity 
Hospital—the most important part of an obstetric 
education. ’ ’ 
But, presumably, this school found itself prac- 
tically confined to the education of midwives and 
nurses—groups whose qualifications were appar- 
ently not regulated by strict legal enactment. Be- 
cause, in 1856, an act of legislature was passed 
changing the name of the Female Medical Educa- 
tion Society to that of the New England Female 
Medical College, and giving this latter body power 
to “appoint Professors, who shall constitute a Medi- 
cal Faculty; and to confer the usual degree of Doc- 250 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
tor of Medicine,” provision for these latter legal 
necessities having evidently been overlooked in the 
earlier incorporation of 1850. 
The New England Female Medical College says 
nothing in its reports about midwives, but speaks 
only of medical students, of nurses, of female phy- 
sicians, and of its purpose to have “a part of the 
Faculty consist of female Professors.” But it lists 
its medical alumnae from 1854. 
Thus becoming acquainted during the summer 
with the new field for my activity, I found still an 
added difficulty among the few women who pos- 
sessed a medical diploma, namely, that not being 
accustomed to work with one another on a common 
plane, they rather feared any one whose standpoint 
differed from their own and who brought new views 
of the subject in question. 
“What is, or was, sufficient for me ought to be 
sufficient for all who come after me,” was the com- 
mon human principle on which they based their in- 
difference towards improving or enlarging their 
stock of knowledge. Medicine was then taught, 
even in the best of colleges, not as a scientific voca- 
tion but as a practical business. 
For instance, after having been connected with 
the New England Female Medical College for a 
year, I ventured to express my surprise that no 
microscope was in the college, and to say that I 
wished for one because much that it was necessary 
to explain could only be done with such an instru- 
ment. 
My petition for one was refused. And Mr. Sewall 
informed me that one of the gentlemen who was a THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
251 
leader in the college, after having listened to my 
written petition, said, ‘ ‘ That is another one of those 
new-fangled European notions which she tries to 
introduce. It is my opinion that we need a doctor 
in our medical department who knows when a patient 
has fever, or what ails her, without a microscope. 
We need practical persons in our American life.” 
This man is long dead, yet I feel sorry that he could 
not have lived longer in order to see that we teach 
the new-fangled notion of the use of a microscope 
even in our public schools. 
It can easily be understood that my position, both 
as professor of midwifery and as head of the clin- 
ical department, was not very agreeable, with such 
opponents among the directors of the school and 
having to meet the indifference of the established 
women doctors of Boston; and also, I am deeply 
sorry to say, receiving only limited support from 
the men physicians with whom I was associated in 
the college. 
Although in favor of the school, the students were 
regarded by these physicians more in the light of 
trained nurses who were to become their handmaids 
in practice. This fact revealed itself to me when, 
feeling the need of consultants, I tried to reorgan- 
ize the hospital staff. I found that none of the 
prominent Boston physicians was willing to give 
me his name, and the excuse was that the standard 
of the school was below par. On the other hand, 
the physicians connected with the school thought 
they were teaching all that a woman doctor ought 
to know. 
Here I want to anticipate a little by telling of my 252 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
first examination of students for the degree of M.D. 
This was to be carried on by the professors of the 
school, in the presence of a committee of three from 
the directors, but only one of the latter appeared. 
Several of the candidates who presented themselves 
for their examination were possessed of such ele- 
mentary education that they had no other recom- 
mendation to the examiners than that they had at- 
tended two courses of medical lectures of twenty 
weeks each, and had studied with a preceptor to 
make up three years of reading medicine, but whom 
I had never seen in our clinical department. 
I objected, of course, to these students as unfit for 
a position of the gravest responsibility. While all 
the rest reluctantly took my side, they added, “No- 
body in Boston would employ a woman doctor in 
serious cases, anyhow!” However, I prevailed, and 
I did not have to place my name on the diploma of 
women who, excellent as nurses, were unfit to take 
the position of physicians. 
By October 1, 1859, I considered myself strong 
enough to begin regular daily work. The house- 
keeping cares which I had hitherto assumed were 
divided with a competent woman. Financial diffi- 
culties, however, were not so easily overcome, and 
we had to charge a board payment of three dollars 
a week to such students as wished to avail them- 
selves of residence within the building. 
This arrangement added a good deal of care to 
me as superintendent, for, in spite of exercising the 
greatest impartiality between the resident students 
and those from outside, a feeling naturally grew up 
among the students that favoritism was practiced. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
253 
What really happened was that, as a consequence 
of constant presence, the internes appeared better 
equipped to render assistance than the externes. 
A few of these latter, however, gave me credit by 
word and deed that, if anything, I favored the ex- 
ternes rather than the internes and these few be- 
came real and true friends in later years, often 
calling upon me or writing for advice, as well as 
giving me their sincere friendship. 
To be appreciated as just, conscientious and un- 
selfish has always been my ambition—other honors, 
or wealth, I have never sought nor received. Even 
at this moment, when age has come to me and health 
has failed, my small income from my savings gives 
me greater satisfaction than if I had accumulated a 
large competency. Though I should still like to 
have this latter in order that I might help many a 
struggling woman to whom I have to refuse aid 
because I am poor myself. 
Among the resident students, were Lucy E. 
Sewall, my private pupil and devoted friend and 
co-worker during her life; Anita E. Tyng, a woman 
of talent, at present living in California; Mary H. 
Thompson, who became famous by establishing the 
Woman’s Hospital in Chicago, reestablishing the 
same after it was burned during the great conflagra- 
tion; Helen Morton, my associate in practice after 
her return from Paris in 1867, and still residing in 
Boston; Lucy Abbott, who became resident physi- 
cian at the New York Infirmary; and others who 
became of more or less importance in after years. 
Again our household assumed more of the con- 
dition of a family circle like that of the New York 254 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Infirmary, having a similar intimacy. This was 
due to the fact that, although women physicians were 
more tolerated in Boston society, they had not yet 
conquered all doubt or prejudice among the women 
of Boston, while the profession at large would not 
recognize any of them at all. 
However, I made the attempt to call upon a few 
prominent men. For instance, I saw Dr. Henry E. 
Clark, who had visited the Hospital Charite in Ber- 
lin when I held the position of Accoucheuse en chef 
in the Maternity Department of that institution. 
And I had the opportunity of being very helpful to 
him in all he wished to gain as a young doctor seek- 
ing experience in a foreign land. He received me 
with kind politeness, but told me frankly that he 
could not sanction the study of medicine by women. 
He yielded so far as to pronounce me “an excep- 
tion” to my sex, and he promised to assist me in 
private practice should I require consultation. Also, 
in the course of the winter, he sent me several pa- 
tients, and he spoke with recommendation to those 
who inquired of him about me and my former posi- 
tion in Berlin. 
Another one, Dr. John Ware, accepted me as an 
exceptional woman, and fatherly and kind as he was, 
he laughed heartily when I told him that the excep- 
tions would multiply by the hundred. 
[Dr. Ware writes, under date of February 11, 
1860: 
My dear Madam : 
I ought before now to have acknowledged your 
kindness in sending me a copy of your Lecture. I THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
255 
have read it with much satisfaction, and wish most 
heartily that every one of my professional brethren 
entertained views as just and elevated of the nature 
of their calling, and were as conscientious in regard 
to its responsibilities as you would have all be who 
assume them. 
I take the liberty of sending in return a few pub- 
lications of my own, relating in part to the same 
topic. You will find on the 24th page of one of the 
Lectures—that on “Success in the Medical Profes- 
sion’ ’—a brief expression of my opinions on the 
subject of Female practitioners, which, altho’ you 
may not agree with them, I hope you will find no 
reason otherwise to disapprove. 
I am, with sincere respect and regards, 
Yrs. 
John Ware 
To Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D. 
Again, referring to the earlier chapters of this 
autobiography, he writes, on December 13, 1860: 
My dear Miss Zakrzewska: 
I received yesterday a volume which I supposed, 
certainly I hoped, came from you. I read it at once, 
and with the deepest interest. I have a right, there- 
fore, whether it came from you or not, to thank you 
for it. Neither can I let the opportunity escape of 
expressing the admiration and sympathy with which 
I followed you in the long struggle you endured, and 
which you maintained with so much of that energy, 
courage, perseverance and fortitude, which we are 
apt to call manly—as if they were our peculiar pos- 
session—and yet without any infringement of that 
womanly delicacy, which we certainly cannot claim. 256 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
You know perhaps my doubts about the medical 
education of women. It is not because I do not 
think well enough of women that I entertain these 
doubts, but rather, I suspect because I think too 
well of them, to be willing they should go through 
with a medical education, or endure a medical prac- 
tice. I have put it to myself whether I could be 
willing that one of my daughters should go through 
the discipline and lead the life that I have done my- 
self. The idea is intolerable. That you have ac- 
complished what you have with success and honor 
does not satisfy my doubts—how few of either sex 
could do the same. 
I may be mistaken, for it is very hard to be sure 
that we are not influenced by early impressions and 
the prejudices of society, and I am quite willing to 
find myself in the wrong, for I have the most earnest 
desire that every possible avenue should be opened 
for the admission of women, not only to places for 
labour, but of honor and profit. I sympathize not 
only with every attempt to enforce “Woman’s Right 
to Labour”—but to think, speak, act and enjoy. 
With sincere regard, I am your friend, 
John Ware 
To Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D.] 
Drs. Henry T. Bowditch and Samuel Cabot regret- 
ted to refuse all aid so long as I was connected with 
such an inferior school as they considered the New 
England Female Medical College to be. 
Dr. Cotting, of Roxbury, was the most cordial; 
he expressed himself as favorable to having women 
physicians as auxiliaries to the professional men. 
He sent me more patients than any one, and they 
were rich as well as poor. The latter were the most THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
257 
desirable, as our dispensary practice was small, 
lacking material for the benefit of the students. 
This was the great difference between New York 
and Boston. Within three months after opening the 
New York Infirmary dispensary, we were obliged 
to close the doors for admission after a certain hour, 
so full became our reception hall; while in Boston 
we kept open all the forenoon without getting all the 
patients we wanted, and we even attended to them 
the whole day. 
This may have been due to the fact that the col- 
lege and hospital were located in what was then a 
demi-fashionable quarter of the city, the South End, 
where not many poor lived; and distance was not 
then annihilated by street cars, of which none ex- 
isted. But it was also due to a greater prosperity 
among the poor of Boston, this creating a prejudice 
against free dispensaries in general, and women 
physicians in special. 
To all these reasons was due the very hard work 
which we had to do, because if a family in the dis- 
tant poor quarters inclined to favor us with their 
patronage, we had to rejoice. And the disadvan- 
tage of such events because of walks of two or three 
miles in the midst of winter nights was overcome 
by the enthusiasm of having gained another foot- 
hold among the poorest of the poor. Thus we had 
our clientele not only, though chiefly, at the North 
End of the city but also in the suburbs, where not 
even omnibus travel was possible, there being none 
to South Boston, Dorchester, Roxbury, Jamaica 
Plain and other outlying districts. 
What would life be without the enthusiasm of the 258 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
young! And how much or how little would he ac- 
complished in the evolution of reforms and progress, 
if the young were not ready and happy to live up 
to the fullest inspiration of this enthusiasm! Rea- 
sonable or unreasonable, let us not stint or discour- 
age any enthusiastic young person in the ways and 
means of living up to its fullest extent! Youth will 
always meet with more or less success in realizing 
its ambition, and even if premature death should 
he the consequence of such efforts, it does pay to 
have favored and encouraged the activity of such 
aspirations. 
The happiness which is enjoyed by enthusiastic 
workers is impossible to describe in words, for, 
though ever so little be gained from the opposition, 
or by perseverance, this gain gives moments of joy 
which cannot be outweighed by many a disappoint- 
ment or by any amount of fatigue. Oh! the single 
hour of happiness which victory brings! Even in 
humble aspirations, it is worth living for. It is not 
the quantity of anything which satisfies a noble 
heart—it is the quality, and the feeling of conscious 
satisfaction that the best of which the person was 
capable has been done. CHAPTER XXIV 
Formal opening of the College term—Professor Zakrzew- 
ska delivers the Introductory Lecture—Father dis- 
approves of her removal to Boston—This increases the 
shock of news of his death. (Thirty years of age: 
1859.) 
The term of 1859-1860 of the college opened well. 
A goodly number of students had registered, among 
them the fine women already mentioned who assisted 
much in giving a high tone to our work, and I felt 
greatly supported by their earnestness and zeal. 
[According to the college announcement, this term 
opened on November 21, 1859, with the “Introduc- 
tory Lecture by Professor Zakrzewska.” A few ex- 
tracts from this formal address will help still fur- 
ther in developing the portrait of the speaker.] 
The study of medicine is so great and comprehen- 
sive a field that within its horizon we find included 
the whole moral world. It comprises mankind in 
all its conditions, in all its changes of opinions and 
in all its modes of society. It has been subject to the 
highest wisdom in existence, to the greatest folly 
and mysticism which superstition could produce and, 
in our days, to the most profound learning and scien- 
tific speculation. And though I am now addressing 
a miscellaneous audience of which only a few are 
physicians or students of medicine, every one is in 
some way connected with the profession, be it only 
259 260 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
as a patient. Every one receives this liability as an 
inheritance from nature and, therefore, ought to 
be interested in a science which occupies itself with 
mankind. 
The only motives that this profession permits to 
its votaries are the clear and decided conviction of 
an inborn taste and talent for the practice of medi- 
cine and an earnest desire for, and love of, scientific 
investigations concerning the human being—its con- 
struction, its condition of health and disease, and 
all its relations with the surrounding world. 
It is a positive fact, acknowledged among all na- 
tions and at all times, that there is in the mass a 
growth of the human mind from generation to gen- 
eration similar to that in the different periods of 
individual existence. And to these varying stages 
of mental growth we must ascribe the different 
forms through which the practice of medicine has 
passed. 
Disease is as old as mankind. The first sore finger 
made the first patient, and the first physician was 
the one who bound it up or who inquired how it was 
doing. Pain awakens the instinct to relieve, one 
following the other, and this must have existed from 
the creation of mankind. 
The practice of medicine dates back, therefore, to 
the morning of life; the shadows of a hoary an- 
tiquity gather around its cradle. The annals of his- 
tory do not reach back of it, but only open the por- 
tals of fable in whose shadowy domain it is supposed 
to dwell. iEsculapius was the grandson of Zeus, 
whose father was Time himself. 
Gradually we see it emerging from this hazy at- 
mosphere in the form of a mysterious science, as- 
sisted and appropriated by the mysticism of the 
oracles and astrologers, until it found its devotees THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
261 
in the priesthood who pursued the practice upon 
the body in connection with their duties as priests 
for the soul. 
It is only since medicine has ceased to stand iso- 
lated from the other sciences that the erroneous 
belief that disease was produced by supernatural 
agency has waned. Nothing has more retarded the 
progress of medicine in becoming really scientific 
than its separation from general learning; and noth- 
ing could favor empiricism and superstition more 
than the promotion of this separation. 
That this separation produced an apparently in- 
extricable confusion was very natural, just as it was 
natural that medical sects should have been formed 
of which the one renounced this, the other that, and 
the third something else—each individual sect being 
distinguished by its one-sidedness. The only sect— 
if we may thus term the regular physicians—which 
at no time could be accused of one-sidedness in its 
proclamations was that based upon the principles 
of Hippocrates and the Alexandrian School—these 
advising practical, experimenting science, a course 
of reasoning which Lord Bacon in his works has 
approved with such justice. And how necessary it 
was to follow this recommendation continually and 
in every particular is best illustrated by showing 
how one branch of medical practice could fall almost 
into oblivion by neglect to pursue it as an experi- 
mental science. 
For instance, in the history of Obstetrics, we find 
that very little was done to promote its elevation 
from the times of Hippocrates and Celsus until 
within the last one hundred and twenty years, when 
Pareus, Mauriceau, De la Motte, Deventer, and 
Justina Siegesmundin and others began to investi- 
gate it and to raise it to its proper place as a science. 262 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Until this time, the obstetric art was so entirely 
neglected that it was considered beneath the dignity 
of an honorable man. Low and uneducated persons 
appropriated this practice to themselves, even in 
cases of the greatest emergency. The degradation 
of this branch alone proves the need of the introduc- 
tion of new ideas formed by constant observation 
in science at large; it also proves that we cannot 
abandon speculations and experiments on the nat- 
ural laws which pervade all organizations; and that 
it is a matter of great necessity that every student 
of medicine should be provided with ample oppor- 
tunities for so doing. And how successful and benefi- 
cent, although difficult, such reforms are, I shall 
illustrate by speaking again of the resurrection of 
obstetrical science. 
New life had to be introduced into it before new 
light could be thrown upon this field; and this new 
life was finally introduced when the persons just 
named entered upon the study. They found that 
midwifery as it was then practiced must be reorgan- 
ized. Observations on nature needed to be made and 
these were to be followed by scientific analysis, and 
the results introduced into practice. 
A new era for the studious was opened, and many 
young and brilliant minds now found their attention 
directed towards this branch of learning which be- 
fore they had considered as a subject beneath their 
dignity. Very soon after the first attempt for im- 
provement, an ardent enthusiasm was created in the 
subject, since in it a field for new investigations, 
and consequently for new honors, became apparent 
to the eyes of the ambitious or the learned. In a 
very short time, the practice of obstetrics was regu- 
lated in such a manner that not only had the horror 
towards the persons engaged in it entirely disap- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
263 
peared, but the terrible operations often practiced 
had also become lessened to an insignificant num- 
ber, these latter belonging to the class of unavoid- 
ables. 
Every country produced authorities. England 
boasted her John Burns and Hunter, while France 
raised up her Baudeloque, her Madame Lachapelle, 
Madame Boivin and many others. But no country 
gave to the profession such thoroughly scientific in- 
vestigators as did Germany, and of these a woman 
took the lead. Justina Siegesmundin was the 
pioneer of this great reform, and her work, written 
upon the subject in 1741, came upon Europe like a 
thunderbolt. In every country, minds which had 
been preoccupied with a thousand other things, for- 
getting the most important, were awakened to an 
activity which would but a short time before have 
been deemed impossible. In Germany, therefore, 
the subject of obstetrics is still considered as of 
momentous importance, the foundation almost of 
all other practice . . . and the statistics prove that 
in this branch of practice less loss of life occurs 
there than in any other country, though its propor- 
tion of difficult cases is the greatest of any. 
Reformations similar to this will be constantly 
demanded in all the different branches of medical 
science. . . . Every day brings results of new re- 
searches which are throwing fresh light upon sub- 
jects not yet understood. 
And this is the position which a physician must 
assume to-day, and for which those who are enter- 
ing upon this field of study should fit themselves. 
To be an honorable acquisition to the profession, a 
consoler to those who require assistance in over- 
coming disease, a public instructor in the art of 
preserving health, a reformer from the artificial to 264 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
the natural—these are the aspirations which must 
animate every one who dares attempt to step for- 
ward to the platform of the benefactors of mankind. 
This is the aim which the beginner must have in 
her mind, and if she falls short of attaining it, she 
must be able to say that it was neither through 
indolence nor indifference, but through absolute 
powerlessness. If you doubt this to be the position 
which the student should take, then look around and 
ask yourself what you want of your physician. 
If you are educated, you want your physician to 
be still more so; if you possess perception of condi- 
tions and circumstances, you demand this of your 
physician still more. You want of him that he shall 
not only perceive and penetrate into the secret rela- 
tions and conditions of the body physically and 
psychically, but that he shall also explain to you 
those phenomena which are incomprehensible to 
you in spite of your great perceptive faculties. 
You further demand of your physician that he 
shall know everything belonging to medical science. 
If you understand physiology well, you demand that 
your physician shall explain in a moment every fact 
that is dark to you, while a lifetime may not be suffi- 
cient to prove a hypothesis. If you are at home in 
chemistry, you will certainly be greatly surprised if 
your physician makes a mistake in some combina- 
tions, and you will be ready to say that he is stupid. 
If you have great skill in nursing, you will expect 
your physician to teach you how to improve; if you 
are kind and agreeable and amiable, you demand the 
same qualities in him; if you are irritable, fretful 
and capricious so that you have been designated by 
your neighborhood as a fury, you want at least that 
your physician should comprehend your subtle na- 
ture. And in addition to all this, your physician THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
265 
must be sociable, entertaining*, wise in every word, 
overflowing with great thoughts, and uttering new 
truths whenever you invite him to your table. 
All this is really demanded of the physician, but 
how far it may be justifiable, I leave it to the think- 
ing ones to decide. But of this we may be sure— 
the physician of the present day occupies a higher 
station than ever before and greater qualifications 
for the study of medicine are increasingly demanded. 
I mentioned in the beginning that the motives for 
the study of medicine must be the right ones; now I 
have to add that these alone will not suffice to make 
a good physician such as we want to-day. These 
motives must be accompanied by certain qualifica- 
tions. The latter are twofold, and may be divided 
into those belonging to the intellect, and those be- 
longing to our personal and affectional nature. 
It is of infinite importance that the intellect should 
have been previously developed by a course of study 
which shall train the student in logic and reasoning 
and familiarize him with natural as well as with 
moral and mental philosophy. Observation and ex- 
periment are the two great auxiliaries to medical 
study. Those who possess the first as a natural 
gift and who have judgment enough to apply it 
whenever they have an opportunity will take the 
lead; but those in whom both must be developed 
will always limp behind unless they study most in- 
dustriously and perseveringly. 
Foremost among the second group of qualifica- 
tions stands the matter of age. The student ought 
to be mature enough to think and to reason, but not 
advanced beyond the time when the mind is natu- 
rally predisposed to acquiring knowledge. Physical 
health and prepossessing appearance are of the 
next importance; while cultivated manners and 266 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
agreeable behavior, as well as talent in adapting 
himself or herself to all conditions, all circumstances 
and all persons, are by no means the last to be con- 
sidered. 
In addition there are some qualifications yet to be 
mentioned which form a part of our affectional na- 
ture and without which no practitioner can succeed. 
Of these, the most essential is sympathy—not sen- 
timentalizing sympathy, but the sympathy which 
never betrays weakness or timidity and which is 
firm and persevering, controlling every action that 
it may not become rashness. Modesty and reticence, 
sobriety and unselfishness are other virtues much 
desired in the practitioner. And I add here a word 
of warning against temptations into which physi- 
cians are constantly led because I know how often 
pecuniary gain or social position can be obtained 
by being untrue to one’s best self. I have also had 
occasion to see the consequences in those who have 
yielded to the temptation to abandon their prin- 
ciples. 
No greater misery can perhaps be imagined than 
contempt for one’s self; no greater punishment can 
be endured than the consciousness of having acted 
meanly and despicably. A man who when alone in 
his chamber is forced to blush for himself carries 
hell within him—the loss of a clear conscience is 
the source of much despair. Conscientiousness, so 
important for every man of whatever station in life, 
is still more important in a physician. To be scru- 
pulously honest, to satisfy his own conscience even 
at the cost of material profit, is absolutely essential 
for him. 
It is human life—that most divine element in cre- 
ation and irreplaceable when once lost, for which the 
practitioner is responsible; and no regrets, no peni- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
267 
tence, no despair will be accepted by those who 
mourn or will reconcile them to their bereavement. 
The loss of a beloved wife and mother perhaps 
brings another life to the grave, or it may fix the 
unhappy fate of a dozen human beings of whom 
she was the guardian angel, and who now are left 
alone. 
Pause and think for a moment, and try to ap- 
preciate the weight of misery which in lonely hours 
such a picture reveals to the mind of one who in a 
critical moment was made responsible for life and 
death, and who must confess that such victims fell 
a sacrifice to the ambition which prevented him 
from owning his inability for the work intrusted to 
his hands. 
I must leave the subject here and allow you to 
decide if I have pictured clearly enough what we 
want in a physician of to-day. If I have succeeded, 
you will certainly join with me in giving voice to 
your convictions that not only the very best method 
for instruction should be provided, but that every 
facility should be offered to the student to make him 
or her acquainted with the past history of medicine. 
Only those who are familiar with all that occurred 
before they stepped on the platform as public in- 
structors or practitioners will thoroughly compre- 
hend their duty. Great deeds stimulate to greater 
ones, and so much has already been done in the pro- 
fession that in order to understand his or her own 
position the newcomer needs to have knowledge not 
only of to-day and yesterday but of all times. 
[The foregoing definition of the medical profes- 
sion paints a picture far removed from that of Dr. 
Johnson, as quoted in one place by the speaker— 
“The profession of physic is a melancholy attend- 268 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
ance on misery, a mean submission to peevishness 
and a continued interruption of pleasure.”] 
The men professors, of whom there were four, 
and the other woman professor (teaching physi- 
ology) were in apparent harmony with my plans. 
These were to devote my teaching—which was three- 
fold, namely, obstetrics, diseases of women and dis- 
eases of children—to only one of these subjects at 
a time instead of giving two lessons a week on each. 
This seemed to work very well; but as it left only 
four weeks for treating the diseases of children, 
while obstetrical teaching ran through the winter, 
the students of less intelligence began to be dissatis- 
fied and my college troubles had already begun be- 
fore the winter session had ended. 
Meanwhile, I was not happy in my relations with 
my father, whose letters disapproved of my having 
left New York, where he felt that I was under the 
supervision of the Drs. Blackwell with whom all 
responsibilities for the hospital enterprise rested. 
He now became really distressing to me because his 
conviction was that whether I succeeded or not I 
was disgracing the family, and German womanhood 
in general, by accepting a position which caused 
my name to come prominently before the public. 
I finally felt that I must write a strong and de- 
cided letter to him, requesting him either to stop 
writing to me altogether or else to preserve silence 
as to his judgment of me and my actions. This let- 
ter arrived in Berlin at a time when he was ill in 
bed and he died a few days later. 
I received the news of his death in November from 
his wife, he having married again. But I never THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
269 
knew whether he read my letter or not. The shock 
was very great and it upset my nerves, not only as 
the loss of so near a relative naturally would but 
also from the fact that I had written a letter which 
I had for several years hesitated to write, not wish- 
ing to place myself in a hostile position to a father 
who, after all, had been kind and had done the best 
he knew how to do for his children. 
This news also added another care and responsi- 
bility, as my father left two younger sisters un- 
provided for. Being a salaried civil officer in the 
government, he had no opportunity to accumulate 
money, and both these sisters were above the age 
when government pensions are allowed to children. 
Although my sisters who were married and lived 
in New York and Washington gladly joined in this 
financial care yet their own family interests could 
not be sacrificed. 
Thus ended the year 1859, and Christmas time 
was a rather triste one, especially as that cheerful 
festival was not then celebrated in New England, 
and schools and colleges continued in session as 
usual. 
In looking back upon it, it seems to me that that 
year was one of the most delightful as well as the 
most tragic, and one of the most peaceful yet most 
conflicting, in emotion, in judgment and in making 
decisions. 
Often have I meditated how differently would we 
act if we clearly saw events a little before they 
occurred. And how utterly tales of fiction fail 
when they describe how rightly instinctive wisdom 
decides at a moment when emotions and intelligence 270 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
oppose each other, always leading the hero to do 
the right thing. The calm reasoning of the author 
knows what aim he has in view and what will be the 
end. In real life it is quite a different affair, and 
no one can judge the result when in a condition of 
conflict between heart and head. CHAPTER XXV 
As part of her struggle to elevate the College standards, 
she insists the students must he tramed practically as 
well as theoretically—Confirmation of her views by 
experience of Dr. J. Marion Sims—Persistence in her 
convictions and refusal to pass students whose work 
is below her standards make many enemies for her— 
Private practice increases—She applies for admission 
to the Massachusetts Medical Society—Is refused be- 
cause she is a woman—Militant ostracism of women 
by the Philadelphia County Medical Society—Sketch 
of the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania—Ap- 
palled by the death rate among babies, Dr. Zakrzewska 
establishes a temporary asylum for infants—Continu- 
ing unable to elevate the standards of the College, 
she decides to resign—Her resignation is accepted, 
with the request that she relinquish her last year’s 
salary—The occurrence causes a split in the College, 
many of the men professors and trustees also resign- 
ing—The hospital is discontinued, and its furniture 
is bought by friends of Dr. Zakrzewska. (Thirty* 
two years of age: 1860-1862.) 
If the Christmastide were prosaic, the New Year’s 
Day (1860) was not the less so. Business went on 
everywhere just the same, only that every one 
shouted to each other without any kind of feeling, 
“Happy New Year!” 
As the year progressed, lectures and dispensary 
work, as well as the hospital department, went on; 
private practice increased, adding to my income, 
which was small. As professor, I received three 
271 272 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
hundred dollars, and as superintendent of the clin- 
ical department, an additional three hundred dol- 
lars. Each of the gentlemen professors also re- 
ceived three hundred dollars while the lady profes- 
sor of physiology had the benefit of an endowment 
of that chair and received five hundred dollars. 
From this it must be admitted that it was not money 
that induced these people to work hard every day, 
five times weekly, to instruct the students, but a 
real interest in the cause of educating professional 
women. 
Had the originator of the school (Samuel Greg- 
ory), an ambitious man, originally a missionary, 
been a man of higher education and broader views, 
the school might have been taken up by the men 
standing highest in the profession. The prevailing 
sentiment among these men seemed to be that if 
women wanted to become physicians, the trial should 
be made by giving them the same advantages as were 
offered to men students. 
But in a monograph which had been published by 
this originator to promote his plans, under the title 
of Man-Midwifery, he not only challenged the pre- 
vailing method of practice but abused even the best 
of physicians by intimating the grossest indelicacy, 
yes, even criminality, in their relations with their 
patients. This was the reason why no physician in 
Boston would openly acknowledge me as long as I 
remained in connection with the New England Fe- 
male Medical College. 
Besides this handicap, the non-professional por- 
tion of the trustees exercised a very fatal policy in 
trying to increase the number of students regard- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
273 
less of their preparatory education, so that there 
existed a great contrast among the students. Some 
had the best of education, while others fell far be- 
low a proper standard in their preparatory studies, 
to say nothing of the age of some of them. Thus, 
we had a number of students over forty—one was 
fifty-six years old. 
I admired the courage and persistency of these 
middle-aged women in studying their lessons, often 
mechanically without understanding their depth, yet 
I could not conscientiously consider them fit sub- 
jects to enter upon the practice of a profession which 
requires so much knowledge in various scientific di- 
rections as well as a broad education, so as to enable 
one to comprehend the effects of all kinds of environ- 
ment upon the individual patient. 
How absolutely necessary it is to cultivate in the 
student not only the scientist but also the philan- 
thropist, the humanitarian, yes, even the philoso- 
pher, in order that one shall be fair and just in all 
situations when consulted by persons morally, men- 
tally or physically afflicted. 
I constantly taught that the treatment of patients 
cannot be learned from books but must be studied 
practically. This was a principle which only a few 
of the students would admit. The idea which I em- 
phasized, that any other view of treating patients 
belongs in the realm of quackery, was considered 
by these ignorant students as an insult when I tried 
to explain it to them. 
But it must be remembered that at this date such 
was the prevailing custom in even the best medical 
schools for, as I have already explained, students 274 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
were expected to procure their practical training at 
the hands of their private preceptors. 
That this training was liable to be a will-o’-the- 
wisp even with male students who had no difficulty 
in finding preceptors has been well shown by the 
personal experiences related by Dr. J. Marion Sims 
in his autobiography called The Story of My Life. 
Nowhere have I seen the consistent results of such 
a method of medical education as everywhere pre- 
vailed even at this time, so clearly described as in 
this book which was published in 1884. 
Dr. Sims had a preceptor and he was graduated 
from the Jefferson Medical College, in Philadelphia, 
in March, 1835. He states that his preceptor was a 
very great surgeon who was often unfitted for his 
professional work by the habit of drinking. He also 
states that he was very glad when he was able to 
leave the office of this preceptor and attend medical 
lectures. 
About two or three weeks after Dr. Sims opened 
his own office he was called to his first patient, “a 
baby about eighteen months old who had what we 
would call the summer complaint or chronic diar- 
rhea.” He continues his story, saying, “I examined 
the child minutely from head to foot. I looked at 
its gums and, as I always carried a lancet with me 
and had surgical propensities, as soon as I saw some 
swelling of the gums I at once took out my lancet 
and cut the gums down to the teeth . . . but when 
it came to making up a prescription I had no more 
idea what ailed the child or what to do for it than 
if I had never studied medicine.” 
Telling the mother to send to his office for medi- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
275 
cine, he continues, ‘‘I hurried back to my office and 
took out one of my seven volumes of Eberle, which 
comprised my library . . . and turned quickly to 
the subject of Cholera Infantum and read it through, 
over and over again. ... I knew no more what to 
prescribe for the sick babe than if I had not read it 
all. But it was my only resource. I had nobody to 
consult but Eberle. ... He had a peculiar way of 
filling his book with prescriptions, which was a very 
good thing for a young doctor. ... At the begin- 
ning of his article of twenty or thirty pages there 
was a prescription. ... So I compounded, it as 
quickly as I knew how and had everything in readi- 
ness for the arrival of Jennie.” 
Speaking of his next visit, he continues: “As the 
medicine had done no good, it was necessary to 
change it. ’ ’ He once more returned to his office and 
“turned to Eberle again and to a new leaf. I gave 
the baby a prescription from the next chapter. Suf- 
fice it to say that I changed leaves and prescriptions 
as often as once or twice a day. The baby continued 
to grow weaker and weaker. ’ ’ And in a short time 
it died, although Dr. Sims says, “I never dreamed 
that it could die! ’ ’ 
About two weeks later, he was called to his second 
patient, another baby which was ailing similarly to 
the first one. He writes, “I was nonplussed. I 
had no authority to consult but Eberle; so I took 
up Eberle again, and this time I read him back- 
ward. I thought I would reverse the treatment I 
had instituted with the Mayer baby. So, instead of 
beginning at the first of the chapter, I began at the 
last of the chapter, and turned backward, and turned 276 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
the leaves the same way, and reversed the prescrip- 
tions. The baby got no better from the very first. 
And soon this baby died.” 
Dr. Sims was so disheartened, he decided to leave 
that town, and he did so. But it is just to him to 
add that he further wrote, “Being obliged to con- 
tinue in the profession that I had started in, I was 
determined to make up my deficiency by hard work; 
and this was not to come from reading books, but 
from observation and from diligent attention to 
the sick.” 
Thus it happened at the New England Female 
Medical College that, feeling as strongly as I did as 
to the necessity for clinical training, I made but 
few friends among my listeners, and I felt out of 
place except with those few who had had superior 
educational training. This difference in education 
naturally divided the students, and the feeling of 
favoritism grew stronger with the majority, while 
my interest in this majority naturally grew weaker. 
The clinical department was frequented only by the 
few, as no rule of compulsion demanded of the stu- 
dents a regular attendance. 
My position became tedious in its teaching duties 
and unendurable in its relation to the students, yet 
I had nothing to complain of which could be cor- 
rected without changing the whole policy of the 
school and eliminating the most active directors, in 
fact, starting a college on college foundations. 
My male co-workers, men of education and experi- 
ence, fully agreed with me and told me that in- 
dorsing my election, they had hoped I would pre- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
277 
vail upon the founders to elevate the standard of 
the school. 
I, a foreigner who, as such, was not greeted with 
a cordial welcome by two thirds of the directors! 
And the Know-Nothing spirit prevailing strongly 
during those years in all strata of the community! 
Besides, I did not feel called upon to condemn and 
to reform the part of their enterprise which had 
been justly praised in speech and in print, and 
which had been sustained for years by the efforts 
of regular physicians in the capacity of professors 
and private preceptors. 
So, when my first college year closed, in March, 
1860, and I flatly refused to agree to the bestowal 
of the degree of M.D. upon several women who 
presented themselves, I had laid the foundation of 
a hatred which rendered my work extremely trying 
and hard, and which to a certain extent prevented 
the growth of our out-door dispensary practice. 
However, my private practice steadily increased, 
and in it I had the good will, as well as the assistance 
when in need, of the most prominent physicians in 
Boston. Among these were Drs. S. Cotting, Walter 
Channing, H. I. Bowditch, E. H. Clark and S. Cabot. 
These men advised me to attempt to gain admis- 
sion into the Massachusetts Medical Society, of 
which they were prominent members. After pre- 
paring for the necessary examination, I presented 
my claim but was refused because I was a woman, 
their charter allowing only male candidates for the 
examination. 
This refusal on the ground of sex decided these 
men not to break the rules of the Massachusetts 278 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Medical Society by consulting with me or by assist- 
ing me when advising patients to seek my attend- 
ance. 
To be sure, their friendliness had not been withal 
an admission of the principle that women ought to 
be, or could be, physicians. On the contrary, I was 
informed in private conversation by some of these 
men that I was considered an “exception’' to my 
sex; that such exceptions had existed in ancient 
times and were honored, and that during all the 
centuries such exceptions had continued to occur. 
Only one famous old physician, Dr. James Jackson, 
told me frankly and politely and in the kindest 
manner that it would be impossible for him to rec- 
ognize as a lady any woman wTho was outside “her 
sphere. ’ ’ 
A similar ostracism was practiced by the Phila- 
delphia County Medical Society against the other 
medical college for women, the Female Medical Col- 
lege of Pennsylvania, which had been opened in 
1850, two years after the New England Female 
Medical College began under the name of the Bos- 
ton Female Medical School. But the Philadelphia 
college had taken the precaution from the beginning 
to obtain the same legal authority as the male medi- 
cal colleges for conferring the medical degree. 
Nevertheless, it led a precarious existence and 
had to be closed for the session of 1861-1862, and 
Dr. Ann Preston feared that the institution to which 
she had given so much time and strength was 
doomed to succumb to the weight of opposition and 
the absolute refusal of the male physicians to meet 
the women physicians in consultation. However, THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
279 
a few of the ablest men disregarded the rules of 
their society and stood by the women who had just 
then succeeded in opening their little hospital for 
women and children. 
It was not until 1867 that the Philadelphia College 
could be considered as on a firm basis, but within 
ten years from that time it produced the first woman 
ovariotomist in America, Dr. Emeline H. Cleveland, 
who was resident physician of the Woman’s Hos- 
pital after her return from study in Europe, prin- 
cipally in the Maternite in Paris. 
Thus for me the year of 1860 ended. The college 
course which began in October had not varied in 
kind from that of the previous year, though I could 
note increased personal success in practice as well 
as in social connections. 
The year of 1861 began for me in no way differ- 
ently from the first in Boston. The dispensary prac- 
tice increased in numbers of patients and also in 
greater variety and interest. 
There was an especially large increase in the prac- 
tice among children and infants, which gave me an 
insight into the neglect which the latter had to 
endure when boarded out among ignorant, and often 
indifferent, families, where the small sum received 
for the maintenance of these little unfortunate be- 
ings was of more consequence than their health and 
existence. 
The frequency with which we were required to 
sign death certificates of infants whom we had seen 
but a day or two before, and who were then in an 
almost dying condition, was out of all relation with 280 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
the number who applied in the early stages of what 
was then called “cholera infantum.” 
This led me to inquire how far the law protected 
such little beings, and how far institutions gave re- 
lief either to poor mothers by boarding their off- 
spring, or to foundlings. This brought me in contact 
with one of the greatest philanthropists to these lit- 
tle creatures, namely, Miss Matilda Goddard, who 
had at that time provided good homes for about 
eight hundred infants, keeping a record as well as 
an oversight of them all. No public provision ex- 
isted save a few places in connection with a Roman 
Catholic institution. 
I therefore proposed to a few friends of mine the 
establishment of a temporary asylum for infants, 
and an apartment for this purpose was secured at 
the corner of Washington and Oak streets. Small 
as was this beginning, we having about eight babies, 
it drew the attention of a large number of philan- 
thropists to the need of looking after these poor 
beings. And then the Massachusetts Infant Asylum, 
as well as other provisions for these dependents 
upon the Commonwealth, were called into existence. 
The result was the saving of many a valuable life 
and the directing of the attention of the benevolent 
to the absolute need of watchfulness over those help- 
less beings who are at the mercy of strangers during 
the first days or years of their lives. 
The work at the college continued to be unsatis- 
factory to me, and the year 1862, which was to be- 
come of such great importance to womankind in 
general and to me in special, opened in the usual THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
281 
prosaic custom then prevailing, namely, with every 
day filled with routine work. 
However, I felt very excited, as well as very uncer- 
tain how to shape my plans and prospects, for I had 
decided to leave the college and its little hospital 
at the close of the term in March. I had communi- 
cated my intention to the directors of the college at 
the close of the year of my engagement, in June, 
1861. 
One of the most interested of the directors was 
Mr. Samuel E. Sewall. He asked me what my reasons 
were for giving up the position, and I replied in a 
letter to him of which I here make a copy: 
About two years have passed since I became con- 
nected with the New England Female Medical Col- 
lege. Twice I have signed the diplomas of the 
graduating class, both times with reluctance and 
under protest. 
My work as teacher in the college and as physician 
in the medical department has not been performed 
with that ease which is the result of a mutual under- 
standing of all engaged in the same purpose, nor 
has it given me satisfaction. 
Not one of my expectations for a thorough medi- 
cal education for women has been realized; indeed, 
I could not even do what has been in my power here- 
tofore, namely, discountenance as physicians those 
women who do not deserve that name. On the con- 
trary, I am obliged by the resolve of the majority to 
put my name to diplomas which justify the holders 
in presenting themselves to the community as fitted 
to practice. 
If it were the intention of the trustees to supply 
the country with underbred, ill-educated women 282 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
under the name of physicians in order to force the 
regular schools of medicine to open their doors for 
the few fitted to study, so as to bring an end to an 
institution from which are poured forth indiscrimi- 
nately “Doctors of Medicine,” I think the New 
England Female Medical College is on the right 
track. 
Allow me to say a few words about the school in 
justification of this. To a critical observer, it will 
soon become apparent that the majority of the class 
of students could be made to be only good nurses; 
whilst some might become respectable midwives; 
and a very few, physicians. Yet we have to give the 
diploma of “Doctor of Medicine” to all, after they 
have passed the legal time in study. 
After the first year of my work here had expired, 
I hoped to effect a change by remonstrating in the 
faculty meeting against the admission of all sorts 
of women, old and young, with and without common 
sense, and the distribution of diplomas to them all. 
But I found very little support, and I was told that 
it would be hard to disappoint some women who had 
perseveringly labored for a diploma. According to 
my ideas, which agree, I know, with the ideas of 
the profession generally, perseverance alone does 
not entitle persons to receive a diploma. Even 
should a disappointment prove to be a deathblow 
to the student, it is better that one should die rather 
than receive permission to kill many. 
It will be perceived by you that these circum- 
stances are not such as to make success possible, 
and consequently they cannot make me contented in 
my position. I therefore ask you to accept my 
resignation as soon as the time expires for which 
I agreed to remain. 
Knowing well how difficult it is to find a suitable THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
283 
professor for a college for women, I thought it well 
to inform you of my intention a full year in advance. 
Yet should you find a desirable person to fill my place 
before that time, I wish you to remember that I shall 
be thankful to be released from duties which are 
burdensome and unsatisfactory in result. 
I hope that you will not consider this an impulsive 
or rash step, and in order to convince you of the 
deliberation with which I have made this decision, 
and my firm determination not to alter it, I hope 
that you will allow me an opportunity to state to you 
personally, more fully, my views of the condition of 
the school under your patronage. 
Respectfully, 
Marie E. Zakrzewska 
Mr. Sewall gave me this opportunity, especially 
because as a lawyer he wished to explain to me that 
this letter could not be presented to the directors 
and trustees of the college, as it suggested many 
points which would necessarily lead to legal investi- 
gations and which would involve us all in a notoriety 
absolutely fatal to the whole cause. 
Yet I felt that no malicious intent was in me to 
injure the school or any one. I simply expressed 
my opinion and the opinion of professional men out- 
side the college, who would not countenance the 
school nor assist me personally so long as my con- 
nection with it lasted. 
But in consequence of Mr. Sewall’s opinion, I 
resigned at the end of the college term without giv- 
ing any other reason than that I felt not contented in 
my position. 
This led to many meetings of the trustees as a 284 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
number of them were anxious to retain my services, 
especially as the hospital department depended so 
largely upon my superintendence. On the other 
hand, a number, under the leadership of the sec- 
retary, Samuel Gregory (who had already pro- 
nounced against such innovations as microscope, 
thermometer, test tubes, etc., as proof of incapacity 
to recognize the ailments of patients), tried to con- 
vince the others that “ foreigner s’’ are not fit for 
American institutions, as they invariably are pedants 
and too rude to treat the free American woman with 
that courtesy to which she is accustomed. 
Mr. Gregory brought proof of this declaration 
by calling before the meetings several of the women 
students who were opposed to me because I had 
frankly told them that they might in time become 
good nurses. 
He also tried to convince the directors, who were 
in great financial straits, that the school had existed 
for ten years without such an expensive experiment 
as a hospital department, and that, by my leaving, 
this would be discontinued as a matter of course. 
Thus my resignation was finally accepted, with 
the request that I relinquish my last year’s salary of 
three hundred dollars, as the treasury was empty. 
I therefore became a benefactor to the college for 
that sum, though the treasurer did not acknowledge 
it in his report. 
Besides this, an agreement was entered into be- 
tween the college directors and my friends (who 
now more than ever wished to establish a hospital 
for women, managed by women physicians, and for 
the training of women as physicians and nurses) that THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
285 
all the furniture and fittings of the hospital depart- 
ment of the New England Female Medical College 
should become the property of these friends of mine 
for the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars. 
[The Annual Reports of the New England Female 
Medical College during Dr. Zakrzewska’s connection 
with it, from September, 1860, to September, 1862, 
show total expenses for the Clinical Department of 
$5,362.97, and total receipts for the same depart- 
ment of $5,024.13, making a total deficit of $338.84. 
But it must be remembered that Dr. Zakrzewska’s 
connection with the department ended six months 
before the date of the last report. 
Dr. Zakrzewska’s forced “donation” of her salary 
for her third and last year, of three hundred dollars, 
brought the deficit down to $38.84; and the receipt 
of one hundred and fifty dollars from her friends 
as purchase price of the furniture left a net profit 
in the hands of the college of $111.16. 
The last Annual Report contains not only the in- 
teresting omission of acknowledgment of Dr. Zakr- 
zewska’s donation of her three hundred dollars sal- 
ary, but also the interesting acknowledgment of 
“donations” of one hundred dollars each from the 
two men professors who retired from the faculty 
at the same time.] 
The whole occurrence brought about a split in 
the college and the most intelligent men, among 
whom was the Hon. S. E. Sewall and some of the 
men professors, also resigned. This was the be- 
ginning of the end of the college which, in 1874, 
was merged into the Boston University Medical Col- 
lege by an act of legislation which preserved to 286 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
women as full rights as students as if they were in 
a college by themselves. 
Thus it came about that Boston had a medical 
school for both sexes, though this then became a 
homeopathic school. 
Dr. James R. Chadwick, in an article (“The Study 
and Practice of Medicine by Women”), in the In- 
ternational Review, October, 1879, states that 
“in 1874, while the proposition to transfer the 
New England Female Medical College to Har- 
vard University was under consideration by that 
corporation, the trustees suddenly merged the 
college in the School of Medicine of Boston Uni- 
versity, which is under the exclusive control 
of homeopaths.” 
And he adds the following comment: 
While this act may have involved no betrayal of 
trust in a legal sense on the part of the trustees, it 
certainly was an indefensible breach of trust toward 
those who had contributed funds to enable women to 
obtain a medical education in accordance with the 
tenets of the regular school. 
During the three years of my life in Boston, from 
June, 1859, to 1862, it was necessary to educate the 
laity to consider a woman doctor a necessity in 
family life; to teach it that a woman can have the 
endurance and fortitude of body and mind to meet 
the demands of the profession, night or day, winter 
or summer, rain or shine. Also, to get the profession 
accustomed to the thought that women will study THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
287 
and practice medicine honorably and systematically. 
The attainment of these ends was the real satisfac- 
tion of these first years. 
Fortunately, the eyes of the laity were fully upon 
us and criticism was not wanting. With watchful 
eagerness to grasp at the least mistake or failure, 
this kind public kept us at the work. PABT II 
(1862—1902) CHAPTER XX vH 
A third American beginning—Founding of the New Eng- 
land Hospital for Women and Children—Incorpora- 
tion for threefold object, to aid women as physicians, 
nurses and patients—Dr. Zakrzewska is resident, at- 
tending and dispensary physician, and in charge of the 
out-practice—Later, with the aid of paying guests, 
she is able to establish her home separate from the 
Hospital—The charitable policy of the Hospital. 
(1862-1863.) 
The quest approaches its goal. But the seeker 
knew it not, for she writes: 
In 1862, after disconnecting myself from the New 
England Female Medical College in Boston, I stood 
alone once more, now for the third time, and still 
at the beginning of my life’s work, as it appeared 
to me. I was no longer needed in New York, yet 
nothing could I show as the result of my eight 
years’ labor. 
Standing there alone as she felt herself, her soul 
filled only with the vision and her movements di- 
rected only towards following the gleam, she was all 
unknowingly already bound to Boston by constrain- 
ing bands, the weaving of which she had shared with 
Clotho who spins, and with Lachesis who allots. And 
around her was gathering the atmosphere towards 
which her spirit had been yearning, an atmosphere 
291 292 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
made by kindred souls who needed her for their 
life’s satisfaction as she needed them for hers. 
Many men and women had upheld the New Eng- 
land Female Medical College because they felt 
called to assist in the evolution of medicine as a 
field for human endeavor rather than one forbidden 
to all but male workers. When Marie E. Zakrzew- 
ska appeared, some of these men and women realized 
that they had mistaken the light of the torchbearers 
for the chariot radiance, and when she concluded to 
leave the college they decided to go with her and to 
uphold the determination which she expressed when 
she said: 
“I decided to work again on the old plan, namely, 
to establish the education of female students on 
sound principles, that is, to educate them in hos- 
pitals.” 
She continues: 
Whoever is acquainted with the miraculous prog- 
ress of medical science made in Europe, and espe- 
cially in Germany, will know how far behind medical 
education in America had remained. This was 
chiefly owing to the want of well-organized hospitals. 
Clinical training and practical study can be had 
only at the bedside and in the deadhouse. No 
pathological or physiological discovery can be made 
in a college, behind the cathedra—it can only be 
proclaimed from this place. 
Therefore the lecture room for the study of medi- 
cine had become secondary to the hospital all over 
the continent of Europe, and our best-educated 
young men and women were all longing to go to 
that Eldorado of medical research and knowledge. 
It was the lack of this method in all medical THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
293 
schools here which we felt when starting the New 
York Infirmary, especially as the few existing hos- 
pitals remained—and still remain for the most part 
—closed to women students. It was our perception 
of this true method for educating a physician that 
determined us to establish a hospital prior to a 
college. We women decided to start from a sound 
and correct foundation, and to this principle we 
owe the great success so far attained, although it 
may appear small to those who now enter upon the 
work. 
Here let me remark that we willingly allow the 
newcomers to make their criticisms of the present 
conditions; we admit the truth when it is spoken, 
but we expect the newcomers to work as hard and 
to strive as untiringly and perseveringly as we 
pioneers have done, to improve and to complete what 
has been undertaken. 
A few friends—Mr. George William Bond, Mrs. 
Ednah D. Cheney, and Miss Lucy Goddard—true, 
firm friends of the education of women, stood beside 
me, with no other ready means than some remnants 
of hospital furniture, valued at one hundred and 
fifty dollars, which remained from our experiment 
in connection with the New England Female Medi- 
cal College. On June 22, 1862, we hired, on our 
own responsibility, a sunny, airy house with a large 
yard, located at No. 60, Pleasant Street, corner of 
Porter Street, at a rent of six hundred dollars, and 
here we commenced operations. 
And thus was born the New England Hospital for 
Women and Children, which began its work on July 
1, 1862, a few men physicians being willing to aid 
us by giving us their names as consultants. 
Other friends of women’s education soon joined 
us and became directors. Among these Samuel E. 294 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Sewall, the old friend of the college, and F. W. G. 
May, the ever-hopeful treasurer of a then empty 
purse, gave us their indefatigable aid and unremit- 
ting interest.8 
Thus in the midst of the Civil War we started our 
work. And many a soldier’s family thanked us for 
so doing, for just then the darkest days of the 
struggle gave us special opportunity to advise and 
comfort. 
A Provisional Committee managed the new insti- 
tution. Four of the committee became responsible 
for the rent, and each of the ladies pledged herself 
to obtain her proportion of the expenses from month 
to month. As an example of the faith and courage 
of these supporters of Dr. Zakrzewska, it is related 
that Mr. Bond met Mr. Abraham A. Call and told 
him that a house on Pleasant Street had been rented 
for a hospital but there was not a penny to pay the 
rent, whereupon Mr. Call handed him a contribu- 
tion of five dollars for that purpose and later became 
a director of the Hospital, his daughter, Dr. Emma 
L. Call,21 becoming in time one of its leading phy- 
sicians. 
Meantime, Dr. Zakrzewska repeated the super- 
human work which she had already done at the New 
York Infirmary and again at the Clinical Depart- 
ment of the New England Female Medical College— 
organizing the details of the Hospital and Dis- 
pensary, serving as resident and attending phy- 
sician and responding to all calls in both out-patient 
and private practice.9 
The new institution began at once to grow and on 
March of the following year (1863), it was incorpo- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
295 
rated, Miss Lucy Goddard and Mrs. Ednah D. 
Cheney joining her as legal sponsors for the under- 
taking. 
The name, the New England Hospital for Women 
and Children, was chosen because Boston was con- 
sidered as the center of this cluster of States which 
seemed to have so generally the sentiments and re- 
lations of a family group within the larger Union. 
But common usage has always been to shorten the 
longer, detailed title and to call the institution simply 
the New England Hospital, and by this latter title 
it has become known all over the world. 
The objects of the Hospital, as stated in the first 
by-laws, were declared to be three: 
1. To provide for women medical aid by compe- 
tent physicians of their own sex. 
2. To assist educated women in the practical study 
of medicine. 
3. To train nurses for the care of the sick. 
During the first transitional year, 1862-1863, Dr. 
Zakrzewska’s duties were again increased by the 
resignation of Dr. Breed as resident physician, and 
this added care continued till September, 1863, when 
Dr. Lucy E. Sewall returned from study in Europe 
and became the new resident physician. As this 
year progressed the need for an attending surgeon 
was felt and, as there appeared to be no sufficiently 
qualified woman available, Dr. Horatio R. Storer 
was appointed. 
This latter is the only instance in which a male 
physician has been appointed on the attending staff 
of the New England Hospital. And this cutting 296 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
of the Gordian knot, which was made necessary by 
the lack of opportunity for surgical training for 
women, is characteristic of Dr. Zakrzewska’s atti- 
tude of mind. While her greatest interest was di- 
rected toward developing women she was profoundly 
interested in all forms of human activity, and she 
believed a balanced life required everywhere the 
presence of both men and women. The New England 
Hospital was forced to be limited to women physi- 
cians because all other hospitals denied them en- 
trance. Even when they were, later, grudgingly 
admitted to some of these latter, it was only to the 
lower positions, and opportunities for advancement 
were never, and are not to this day, equalized. 
When the appointment of a resident physician no 
longer made it necessary for her to live in the Hos- 
pital, though retaining her office there, she rented 
a house in Roxburv and once more had the joy of 
possessing a home of her own, sharing this with two 
of her sisters. These were the youngest, who had 
been sent to her after her father’s death, and 
another whom she was educating for self-support 
as a teacher. 
However, as her financial condition was very pre- 
carious, she was obliged to admit to her house- 
hold as paying guests some friends and patients. 
She thus found herself the head of quite an estab- 
lishment, and over this she presided with that ex- 
ecutive ability and that atmosphere of elder-sister- 
liness which we have already seen her manifest in 
her first New York home. 
The most notable members of this family circle 
were undoubtedly Miss Julia A. Sprague, who be- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
297 
came her faithful friend and home companion for 
life, and Mr. and Mrs. Karl Heinzen. It is easy 
to understand how such a personality as that of 
Karl Heinzen10 would appeal to her, especially as 
his name had been a household word in her home 
in Berlin. She writes: 
From early childhood I had heard of Karl Heinzen 
as the pioneer of republicanism in Germany, whose 
writings my father read in secret. He was very poor 
and he published a paper which was unpopular, as 
it advocated not only the abolition of slavery but 
also “woman’s rights.” Our friendship was, there- 
fore, based not simply on affinity by nature but also 
on principle; and we pledged ourselves to devote 
our strength and our means to furthering the realiza- 
tion of our convictions. 
This friendship lasted as long as Karl Heinzen 
lived (he died in November, 1880) and its influence 
on both of these independent thinkers was profound 
and far-reaching. 
In addition to her other work she increased the 
Hospital funds by lecturing to the public; some of 
her private patients furnished greatly needed as- 
sistance by holding a Fair in Roxbury; and an espe- 
cial service was rendered by Miss Sprague who gave 
three months of her time to serve as matron of the 
Hospital. 
An item of interest is the contribution given by the 
trustees of the Boston Lying-In Hospital who had 
at that time no hospital of their own. During the 
years of 1861 and 1862 this body gave to the New 
England Female Medical College donations of twenty 298 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
dollars and fifty-one dollars, respectively, these do- 
nations being contributions for the care of obstetric 
patients in the Clinical Department under Dr. Zakr- 
zewska’s management. During this first year of the 
existence of the New England Hospital (now become 
the only lying-in hospital in the city) the donation 
was made to this hospital, and it reached the sum 
of two hundred dollars. 
Striking evidence of the growth of her work and 
of the faith of her supporters is shown in the forma- 
tion, already in this first year of the life of the New 
England Hospital, of a Building Committee and the 
beginning of a Permanent Fund, the birth of this 
latter being marked by a donation of three thousand 
dollars from Mrs. George G. Lee and by one of one 
thousand dollars from a friend of Samuel E. Sewall. 
The charitable policy of the Hospital was one 
which presented great practical difficulties of ad- 
ministration, difficulties which have always fallen 
to the lot of every one who has attempted any philan- 
thropic work. The point of view adopted by Dr. 
Zakrzewska and her director associates is admirably 
shown in the first annual report (1863) and its ap- 
pendices. It is especially to be noted here because of 
attacks which were later made upon it, as we shall 
presently see. CHAPTER XXVII 
Extracts from letters to her first Boston student, Dr. Lucy 
E. Sewall, now studying in Europe—Lectures to public 
on “Hospitals: their history, designs and needs.” 
(1863.) 
The daughter of Samuel E. Sewall became an 
enthusiastic admirer of Dr. Zakrzewska during one 
of the visits which the latter made to Boston in the 
interest of the New York Infirmary, and a close 
friendship between them resulted. An amusing in- 
cident of their first meeting has been related in an 
earlier chapter. 
This friendship led to Lucy E. Sewall Js decision 
to study medicine and she entered the New England 
Female Medical College as soon as Dr. Zakrzewska 
became connected with it, in 1859. She remained 
a student there during the entire three years that 
Dr. Zakrzewska continued on the faculty, being as- 
sistant student in the Clinical Department, and be- 
ing graduated in March, 1862. Following the advice 
of Dr. Zakrzewska, she then went to Europe for 
clinical study and for the practical training which 
was denied her in her own country. 
From the correspondence which ensued many in- 
teresting sidelights are thrown on Dr. Zakrzewska’s 
personality and activities during these days. Thus, 
she writes: 
299 300 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
October 16, 1862. 
Deak Lucy: 
I suppose you want long letters and in order to 
meet this want I will write as often as I find time, so 
as to fill the sheet as I go along. After that forlorn 
day yesterday, I am established again as usual this 
morning at the table writing. 
Now let me tell you that I consider you one of the 
greatest intriguants possible. You thought, I sup- 
pose, that you could catch two flies in one beating by 
providing me with inkstand and pens. Of course, I 
have to write if I have the materials; while the 
things will not get used up in so doing, and will even 
be ornamental next year after you have returned 
and we have an office together! But wait till you do 
come home, and then see whether your speculation 
turns out as you calculated. 
I gave the match box and tumbler to Mr. and Mrs. 
Heinzen who were greatly pleased with the little 
memento. Now this is all for one morning, only let 
me assure you that you sha’n’t leave me again be- 
hind you; or if you desire to do so, you shall not 
see me when you start. 
October 21. , 
I have had two letters now from Dr. Morton, the 
one I told you about and one other, dated September 
24, in which she spoke of her safe arrival and of her 
terrible homesickness. She calls Paris a cold city. 
She likes England very much and wants to hear 
from you, all about yourself and your experiences. 
. . . Minna writes pleasantly about her life and 
wants to hear from you, too. I suppose I will have 
to send her your letter when you send me one that 
I can send about. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
301 
. . . Dr. Cabot called here the other day. He was 
very pleasant and accepted all as very good—ar- 
rangements as well as physicians and students. I 
asked him about consultation in forceps cases. He 
said it was not necessary to call him for such cases, 
as forceps when skillfully applied were without dan- 
ger to either mother or child. You see, he rightly 
supposes we use the forceps ‘ ‘ skillfully. ’ ’ 
The student, Miss Cook, has left for the Phila- 
delphia college. I really don’t know what else to 
write to you unless I tell you some of my domestic 
affairs, namely, that I got, all in all, eight barrels 
of pears and seven of apples; and I have any quan- 
tity of tomatoes pickled and barberry jelly 
made. . . . On the 12th of November, we shall have 
the Dress Party, which will be given by Miss Nich- 
ols in honor of Miss Sprague’s birthday. 
Boston, Pleasant Street, 
Saturday, November 29, at 9 P. M. 
I am in Miss G.’s (the matron of the hospital) 
room, which is my present abode during the nights. 
I have just arrived from the depot where I left 
Mrs. (one of her home patients) and Mrs. 
Heinzen, who are going to New York. The first goes 
to see her son who is going to the war, and the latter 
accompanies her for safety’s sake. They both re- 
turn day after to-morrow. 
Before starting for Roxbury, I read your letter 
to the whole company there. They all send love to 
you and say that it is Holiday when your letters ar- 
rive. ... We read all your letters, even those to 
your father, and I assure you they are all much too 
short. 
. . . Why don’t you tell me more about Miss B.’s 302 
A WOMANS QUEST 
nephew, or have you decided on a compromise1? You 
remember that I don’t want you to marry a German, 
and your uncle forbids an Englishman; so you must 
try to find one who combines all the good points of 
German, English and American. 
... I was very much amused at your descrip- 
tions of the English doctors. I hope they will be 
of use to you. What you say about Dr. and 
Dr. is, I am afraid, correct, for they have at 
times a special faculty for being haughty and mak- 
ing themselves as disagreeable as anybody can do. 
I should like to hear more about it because, from 
Mrs. *s expressions, I inferred the same. I 
am very sorry that she has left London. I know 
her; she spent an evening with me at the Infirmary 
and my acquaintance with her was interrupted by 
another matter which took my attention. 
. . . What kind of a bonnet did you buy? And 
why did you not complete the last page of your 
letter by giving a description of it? 
. . . There is no need to tell me not to forget to 
miss you. I am sure I never missed any person 
more than I do you. I almost had it in my heart 
to wish that you may not succeed in London and 
that you then make a visit to Paris during the rest 
of the winter, and then go along the River Seine and 
come home in June. I feel almost wicked to make 
you homesick yet certainly I do feel provoked when 
you say that you are not so; for I am homesick for 
you. 
It is very strange how you have grown yourself 
into my heart. I never before have felt such strong 
attachment for a woman, that is, so “tenderly’1 
strong. I have always appreciated and loved women 
more intellectually. But you are my child. And I THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
303 
am going to have the first grandbaby all to myself 
as my well-deserved property. 
You see, I am not so very selfish. I want you to 
enjoy all happiness that exists for us poor mortals— 
which is by no means in the single life. 
Roxbury, Attic Room, Southeast Corner, 
Sunday Night, 10:30. 
I hope this is dated explanatorily enough to need 
no comments. But where under this wet heavens 
are you? We have plenty of water from above, have 
you still the same below you? I would almost envy 
you were I not so cosily covered. 
Henceforth, I fear we will have to pity you on 
Sundays in that pious England. I can appreciate 
your loneliness, for I often have a taste of it here 
on Sabbath evenings. For in spite of all the liber- 
ality of our inmates, we have to be stupid Sunday 
nights to please them, and I am always thankful 
when the day is over. 
Mr. Heinzen said to-day that I am a great talker, 
and he is not so very wrong, for it distresses me to 
see a whole company sitting together doing nothing, 
saying nothing, and thinking nothing, because it is 
Sunday and they can’t go to church, in order to hear 
nothing—but words and phrases. 
I often think I will make these latter myself, using 
innocent subjects for the sake of conversation. The 
presence of people disturbs me and prevents my 
thinking deeply, so I talk out what comes along. 
Have you ever found me so very talkative—unless I 
am with people who don’t interest me very much 
above a certain degree, say one above zero? 
I hope this letter and the one I wrote to Miss 
Morton will not be called belonging to this class. 304 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Still, I am writing to-night chiefly to let out some 
steam. Some people will not do this and there- 
fore often burst when least desirable. 
. . . My finger which became infected during the 
treatment of that little Mrs. is now progressing 
so that I do not fear future trouble. It has been the 
most curious development of pathological changes 
that you can imagine. I am sorry that you could not 
watch nature in a small trouble and see her action 
in repairing damages. 
Be careful of yourself for you know that at the 
time when my finger became infected, it was ap- 
parently perfectly sound, yet there must have been 
some point of entrance for the infection which fol- 
lowed. I am glad that it proved to be so slight. 
I have not been to see your father as I was so very 
busy, but I shall go there to-morrow unless the storm 
continues too severely. 
Roxbury, December 28, 1862. 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I shall 
not tell you any more that I miss you at any time, 
for I don’t, not a bit. On the contrary, I am glad 
that you are gone. 
I just read this paragraph to our parlor assembly 
and they wanted to tear it up. Now, don’t you think 
that is quite a despotical sign of our regiment here? 
I am sure I don’t want to write anything else, for 
you shall not get too vain about yourself. 
We, that is, myself and Mrs. and Miss 
Sprague, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Heinzen, feel quite 
proud of our little doctor in England, only we feel 
as if that little M.D. should write a little oftener. 
. . . Mrs. W has a splendid little girl of nine 
and one-half pounds. She had a very hard time, THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
305 
thirty-six hours’ labor, and I finally delivered her 
with forceps, Miss Tyng officiating as assistant. 
Mother and child are doing well and send love to you. 
Christmas was a very pleasant day and evening 
with us. We had the parlors trimmed beautifully 
with laurel and holly, and when I came home in 
the evening, I covered the chandeliers with wreaths. 
Then we placed white cloths on the front parlor 
center table and on another small one, and set plates 
on them with German gingerbread and apples and 
nuts. 
Returning from supper, we found large baskets 
and bundles which Santa Claus had brought to the 
room and left for me to distribute. 
So after each one had appropriated a plate, I 
called out the names, and lots of handsome little 
things came out of the brown and white papers, by 
and by covering the tables completely, so that the 
room looked like a charming little fair, and we had 
ever so much fun, and many funny things, and I 
only wish that you had been here, too. 
Now, tell me how you are getting on in London, 
how your health is, how much you are learning and 
how you spent Christmas. 
I have been nonsensically busy, so much so that 
I am completely worn out, and to-day I proposed 
that I go to London to bring you back for the pur- 
pose of getting rested. Everything goes the same 
old, old way. Miss is with me but she stays in 
the same old place and, although I like her very 
much, yet there is no mutual sympathy between us. 
Lucy, never marry a man with whom you do not 
agree on all points! I feel it more and more, the 
older I grow, that love grows stronger only towards 
those with whom we sympathize; and that we become 
more and more a burden to each other if we do not 306 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
agree well. And although we may avoid quarreling 
yet coldness is sometimes harder to bear than an 
absolute quarrel. I feel all this with Miss , and 
yet she is far more agreeable to me than a good 
many other of my acquaintances. I really feel an 
attachment for her, perhaps for the very reason 
that I feel we will not be obliged to be always to- 
gether. 
Miss charged me with a great deal of love for 
you, and you may help yourself to as much as you 
want. ... On the 20th, I am giving a lecture for our 
Hospital, at Chickering Hall, on the subject of “Hos- 
pitals.” I shall let you know how it comes off. . . . 
Write soon and put yourself into the letter, and I 
will send you back by the next mail. 
Roxbury, January 25, 1863. 
It is Sunday morning, and I am tired and worn 
out. I felt miserable all last week, so miserable that 
I had to give up my work and my lessons for the 
last three days and rest. Yesterday afternoon we 
all went to the minstrels, and I am the only one 
who got used up by it. 
I have had a great deal of practice this winter, 
more than is good for me, yet I did not make so 
much money. People are all poor, everything be- 
ing now so dear. 
Nevertheless, I am satisfied with my affairs if I 
can only keep strong under the strain. My sister 
Anna is again quite sick, and Rosalie will therefore 
come to live with me in April. Minna had every- 
thing arranged to go to Paris in April or May, but 
now that gold gets higher every day, she thinks she 
must give it up for another year. Would it not be 
nice if she could arrive in Paris when you do! THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
307 
I wish gold would come down again so that could 
come about. 
Now, a few words as to the talk in England about 
a medical college for women. Elizabeth Blackwell 
wrote to me about this as follows: “She may get 
a great deal of valuable knowledge there, but I can 
judge far better than she can of the value of their 
speeches. What they mean by a ‘college’ is a school 
for a better class of midwives. To the broad, true 
ground of admitting women to an equality in the 
profession, they are stubbornly opposed; and they 
hold the power of exclusion entirely in their own 
hands. The law in England makes medicine and 
surgery a close corporation, very different from 
the freedom here.” 
Miss Garrett seems to verify all this, and more. 
I know, myself, that the same talk and the same 
help would be extended to you should you go to 
Berlin. But all that means a different thing from 
native women taking the same work, as a general 
thing. There are some liberal men, to be sure, but 
they are so much in the minority that their voices 
cannot even be heard. 
The work for us is in America, and nowhere else. 
I therefore feel extremely glad to find that some 
of the most prominent men in New York have taken 
up the matter; they have published a circular ask- 
ing the public to give fifty thousand dollars which is 
to be invested, and the interest of which is to go 
for scholarships in one of the great New York medi- 
cal schools, for the use of such women as are able 
to meet all the demands for a preparatory educa- 
tion. 
This is the best plan after all, both here and 
abroad, and the best you can do is to learn all you 
can so as to come home well prepared to enter the 308 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
ranks as a practitioner. Every well-educated woman 
works more for the cause of her fellow beings by 
doing well herself rather than by meddling and try- 
ing constantly to help others. For the next few 
years, I shall make this my working principle and 
after that, I shall see what is best to be done next. 
. . . You are very much mistaken if you think 
Vienna or Berlin better than the Paris Maternite 
for real knowledge. For instance, in Berlin, no 
student, not even a male, is permitted to perform 
“version” or do anything in the way of an opera- 
tion. In Paris, every midwife gets her case of 
“version.” 
In Vienna, only the male students get “versions.” 
And both there and in Berlin the men take the places 
close to the beds and the women have to stand on 
the outskirts; while in Paris no man stands in the 
woman’s way. 
. . . I felt very sorry that you were so homesick 
during the holidays. I really missed you more than 
I ever missed anybody before. I hope you will be 
at home next Christmas. 
... I sent Miss on Christmas Eve a little 
ivory bookmark, beautifully cut, Swiss work; it can 
be used also as a paper cutter though it is very weak. 
... I am not seeing Miss since she came 
home. I think my friendship, or rather hers, is over, 
since she cannot convert me. 
Roxbury, February 20, 1863. 
It seems to me an eternity since I wrote to you 
last, and the cause of it is that I was very sick and 
unnaturally busy. I delivered my lecture on Janu- 
ary 20th. and the Hospital got some fifty dollars 
profit. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
309 
I had been extraordinarily busy and had the house 
full of patients in Roxbury. Besides, I was short 
of help at the Hospital which worried me very much. 
The consequence was that I got really sick, gave up 
practice entirely for a week, and when I did not get 
better, I packed my bundle and went to New York 
on a “spree.” Now, is it not curious that what 
we wanted to do for so long, namely, to take a journey 
together, was realized with Miss . She vol- 
unteered to take care of me, and consequently went 
with me and we had a real good time, at least as far 
as I could have it, being really sick and blue. 
Since then I am a little better, but not very well, 
and so busy that I have had to disappoint Aunt 
Hannah three evenings, after I had appointed the 
day to take tea with her and to spend a lively hour. 
Yet I could not help it. 
So much for myself! Next thing is the Hospital. 
Dr. Breed has resigned her position, and I am 
therefore without a resident physician. Miss Tyng 
takes charge in my absence, while Miss Abbott 
stands second. She is resident student and also aids 
in the nursing. Miss Tyng is splendid in all me- 
chanical work, and together they are very helpful 
to me. 
As to a resident physician, I am authorized, and 
appointed a committee, to ask “you” whether you 
will be willing to fill this post after your return. In 
case you accept, we shall go on as at present, and 
wait for you. Write me, therefore, at once what 
you think about it. 
My great desire is that we shall have an office to- 
gether. Now, I do not like Pleasant Street at all, 
although it would not make any difference to you 
where you begin practice. Perhaps we can find a 
more suitable house for next fall. Ours is too small 310 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
anyhow. However, this must be left to the future. 
So far, we are doing very well at the Hospital. 
And yesterday, Dr. H. R. Storer called upon me and 
invited me to call upon him, as he is anxious to ex- 
tend colleague-ship to me. He was a student of 
Simpson, in Edinburgh, and a classmate of Priestley, 
and he studied with Dr. B. Brown. By the way, 
you must get certificates from all these men that 
you studied with them, or that you visited their 
respective hospitals. If it is nothing more than a 
simple recommendation, it will help you amazingly 
over here, and also do good to the general cause of 
women studying abroad. Therefore, try to get 
something written. 
I shall go to see Dr. Storer next week and show 
him some of your letters. I am sure you will find a 
good reception here, as I am preparing the way for 
you somewhat among the physicians. I also read 
some extracts from your letters in my lectures, read- 
ing especially loudly the one where Dr. Brown in- 
troduced you as “Dr. Sewall from America.” 
... I will send you a Philadelphia catalogue next 
week, but I would advise you not to encourage any 
students coming here at present. Dr. Blackwell is 
trying very hard to make arrangements for women 
to enter the New York University of Medicine. If 
she succeeds, it would be much better for any woman 
to go there rather than to Philadelphia. 
[The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania was 
still struggling for existence against the bitter op- 
position of the men, and especially of the Phila- 
delphia Medical Society. It had at this time just 
reopened after being obliged to close for the session 
of 1861-1862.] THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
311 
Rather, let the English women tight their way in 
England. Don’t get too much interested in the estab- 
lishment of a woman’s college in London. Dr. 
Blackwell is correct in her statement as to the posi- 
tion women would occupy there in case they study 
separately from the men. 
... I have not yet seen either your father or the 
books as I can hardly find time for anything except 
my practice. 
Roxbury, May 7,1863. 
... I received your first letter from Paris on 
Saturday, May 2d. I am very glad to hear of your 
success and hope you will profit by it. We are go- 
ing on beautifully here with our Hospital if only 
we had more money. 
... We had five days of incessant storm, and 
now it pours down like a deluge. Spring has been 
very forward this season. Our cherries were in 
bloom and we sat on the hill on April 13th. What 
did you do on your birthday? We celebrated it by 
being out of doors all the morning and wishing for 
you. ... I went to New York again for about four 
days. . . . My health is tolerably good again, I think 
better than last spring. . . . Miss Sprague is now 
in Minna’s place, and she heads the Roxbury house 
beautifully. I like her very much in this position, 
she takes such an interest in the whole affair. 
Rosalie is with me now and acts quite nicely as 
nurse. 
I don’t mean to have many patients this sum- 
mer ; everything is so dear, and besides it is a great 
burden. I would rather live by myself and pay 
more for the comfort of having a free home than 
to make a little profit. 312 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
... In the Hospital we are so busy that the back 
parlor is turned into a ward for four beds. 
... We have a fine Dispensary now—about one 
thousand patients this year and an interesting Hos- 
pital. Next week we shall have one great opera- 
tion, and probably a second one. 
Don’t be alarmed about my health. I am as well 
as usual, and I think a little better than last spring. 
There are a good many things that worry and 
trouble me besides my work, things which I cannot 
control, and which have a good deal to do with my 
running down in health. At present I feel quiet and 
happy. ... I got a fresh supply of young chickens 
this morning. . . . What buttons did you buy? I 
want to send you the money very much. 
Elsewhere Dr. Zakrzewska, in speaking of her lec- 
ture mentioned in one of the preceding letters, says 
that the founding of the New England Hospital had 
given rise to so many inquiries as to the need for 
hospitals that she was requested to give a lecture 
on the “History, designs and needs of hospitals” in 
general and of special hospitals in particular. She 
also corrects the figures for receipts, later returns 
showing a net profit of one hundred dollars, although 
the admission fee was only twenty-five cents. She 
continues: 
It is surprising how at that time hospitals were 
considered as places for merely the poor and the 
wretched, or for the victims of accidents in public 
streets or roads. 
We had to cultivate the feeling that such enter- 
prises were something necessary and desirable, espe- 
cially since the use of anesthetics and the great im- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
313 
provement in surgical antisepsis have tended to 
make the hospital the regular place for surgical 
treatment of the rich as well as of the poor. 
We had also to show the wisdom of isolation by 
the removal, even from the houses of the rich, of 
the patient afflicted with a contagious disease, in 
order to save the rest of the family as well as to 
offer a greater chance of recovery to the patient. CHAPTER XXVIII 
By resignation of the resident physician, Dr. Zakrzewska 
is obliged to resume entire charge of Hospital and 
Dispensary and she again shows symptoms of over- 
fatigue and strain while awaiting Dr. Sewall’s return 
from Europe to fill the vacant position—Illustrations 
of the application of Dr. Zahrzewska’s humanitarian 
instincts and intellectual convictions to the treatment 
of her patients, in addition to technical medical care— 
“A Lesson”—“Another True Story.” (1863.) 
As Dr. Sewall accepted the offer of the position 
of resident physician at the Hospital, to take effect 
on her return from Europe in September, Dr. Zakr- 
zewska continued to fill the duties of this position 
both at the Hospital and on the two added days in 
the Dispensary. 
The most robust health and endurance have their 
limits, and she has already been noted as giving 
many symptoms which showed that she had been 
presuming on hers ever since the over-strenuous 
days of establishing the New York Infirmary. Re- 
peated notes of overfatigue and strain creep into 
these letters to Dr. Sewall. 
Specializing largely, as she did, in that branch of 
medicine (obstetrics) which is most regardless of 
convenience and most inconsiderate as to sleeping 
hours, she worked literally day and night. And 
feeling the whole burden of responding to the de- 
mand for the trained woman physician which she 
314 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
315 
had so largely helped in awakening, she refused no 
patients. 
Her humanitarian instincts and her admirable 
ability to enter into the feelings of her patients, and 
to recognize their limitations and their struggles, 
prompted her to send no bills until they were asked 
for. She writes: 
If you could see my office day after day full of 
school-teachers, dressmakers, mill operatives and 
domestics, all too proud to go to the dispensary and 
yet not rich enough to pay a large fee, you would 
agree with me that the prescription for good meat, 
wine or beer would be a farce if I took the money 
with which they ought to buy these instead of tak- 
ing the small fee which allows them to keep their 
self-respect. 
Not content with reducing her fees to a minimum 
or to zero, she always added the constructive work 
which from her point of view belonged within the 
province of her profession. This was not done by 
giving charity regarding which she had definite and 
very modern views. She writes: 
It is not Charity which we must cultivate and 
practice: it is Justice to one another. Charity is 
what an opiate is to a patient: it soothes for the 
time but the same bad consequences result as follow 
the drug. We must teach ourselves that the Golden 
Rule must be actually practiced in order to reach 
and raise those who need to be helped. 
And again she emphasizes: 316 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
The Golden Rule must be practiced every day 
and not merely formulated as a pious recital on 
Sunday. 
Investigating the routine of the patient’s life, she 
would help her to reorganize it along the lines of 
hygiene, of economics, and of a balanced perspec- 
tive ; and then would follow a reeducation not only 
of the patient but of the patient’s family and even 
friends. In this way, her influence extended to the 
men of the family and of the community. And these 
vied with the women in acknowledging their in- 
debtedness to what they called her “common sense.” 
She depicts this aspect of her work so clearly in 
a couple of sketches written in later years that they 
are inserted here to add to the definiteness of the 
outlines of this phase of her history. The first of 
these (Souvenir of the New England Hospital Fair, 
1896) is: 
A Lesson 
I will a round unvarnished tale deliver. 
—Shakespeare. 
Mary was the third child of five in a family m 
humble circumstances. The father, an industrious 
journeyman carpenter, aided by the thrifty mother, 
managed to keep all the children in attendance at 
the free public schools of Boston until they grad- 
uated at the age of about fifteen years. Soon after 
leaving school, Mary obtained a situation as child’s 
nurse in the house of a rich family, with whom she 
remained nine years in the varying capacity of 
nursemaid, chambermaid and seamstress. She then THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
317 
married a journeyman plumber twenty-six years of 
age, he being thus two years her senior. He had 
laid by from his earnings a sum of money about 
equal to what Mary had saved from her nine years’ 
wages, and these combined were amply sufficient 
to set them up in respectable housekeeping in a 
neatly furnished tenement having a kitchen, dining- 
room, living room and chamber, also a storeroom 
and bathroom. 
In due time, the baby made its appearance and 
found awaiting it a handsome cradle, and a ward- 
robe not only comfortable but pretty and plentiful. 
The young father with no small pride carried his 
son and heir, arrayed in a white cashmere cloak and 
suitable belongings, while by his side walked his 
prettily dressed wife, when on Sunday afternoons 
they went to visit friends and relatives. Thus far, 
all was well. 
After the lapse of five years and a half, four little 
ones formed the pride and the care of these young 
folks; and it was just seven years from the time 
of their marriage that I first entered their home as 
visiting doctor from the dispensary, the indigent 
being attended at their homes when illness pre- 
vented their coming to the free dispensary at the 
clinic hours. 
I found the family of six living in two rooms heated 
by the kitchen stove. The children were ill with 
scarlatina. All around was the evidence of poverty, 
although not destitution nor degrading squalor. By 
observation and subsequent inquiry, I soon learned 
the cause of this changed condition. It was simply 
this—Mary, who had gradually adapted herself with 
grace and intelligence to the comforts of the rich 
house in which she had lived from her fifteenth to 
her twenty-fourth year, could not now conform her- 318 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
self to the smaller means and ways of living of a 
wife and mother in moderate circumstances. 
She had learned to cook delicate, expensive viands, 
had a sure belief that tenderloin is the only steak fit 
for eating, and had great skill in the pretty and 
dainty ornamentation of the babies. These tastes 
which she acquired in the rich merchant’s family 
could not be gratified with the workman’s means; 
she had unlearned the thrifty habits among which 
she had lived as a schoolgirl in her parents’ home 
and she became confused in her methods of work, 
while the steady increase in her family reduced her 
in strength and added to her cares and labors, a con- 
dition not inclined to promote the good temper of 
the naturally amiable woman. 
Ofter now, the husband, returning home from his 
work, found no table laid for dinner, and still oftener 
must he start out early in the morning to find a 
breakfast in a neighboring eating house, which is 
always the first step towards finding rest and com- 
panionship in the saloon. 
This was the condition as it unfolded itself to me 
during my brief attendance. The children recov- 
ered, and with the aid of cod-liver oil and tonics pro- 
vided by the charity of the dispensary, soon re- 
gained full health. 
A little more than a year passed when one day 
in October, 1876, Mary presented herself in my pri- 
vate consulting room. She looked haggard and pale, 
was poorly clad and in a desperate frame of mind. 
Her husband had gone from bad to worse. He paid 
the rent for two shabby small rooms in an old 
house and provided weekly the coal for the kitchen 
stove. All the rest of his earnings he spent for his 
own meals. Often, if he came home at all at night, 
it was in a state of partial intoxication. Naturally, THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
319 
no firm dared give him regular employment and he 
supported himself by odd jobs. 
The poor woman had resorted to needlework for 
support, this being the only means for her to earn 
money and look after her children, whom she could 
not send to school for lack of shoes and decent 
clothing. 
It was Friday afternoon. She had just carried 
her work to her employer and received her pay of 
one dollar and sixty cents. She laid it on the table 
before me and said, “This is all I with my four 
children shall have to buy food with until next 
Friday—it is not enough to buy even bread and 
tea and that is all we have lived upon for the last 
three weeks. ’ ’ She looked wan and hungry and cried 
bitterly. I sent for a little luncheon, and while she 
ate it, I devised the following plan: 
“Mrs. S ,” said I, “take this money and spend 
it as follows: 
Buy 7 lbs. corned beef $0.35 
21 “ potatoes 25 
14 “ cabbage 28 
7 “ Indian meal 21 
1 qt. molasses 15 
7 loaves bread 35 
Salt 01 
$1.60 
“Boil the meat in twelve quarts of water until 
very tender. Divide the meat and broth in seven 
parts, also the potatoes and cabbage. Cook one por- 
tion of cabbage and potatoes each day in the portion 
of broth. Divide this stew into five equal parts for 
you and your four children. Do the same with the 320 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Indian meal, cooking one part every morning. Salt 
it well, and pour on it one-seventh part of the molas- 
ses—that is for your breakfasts. Use one loaf of 
bread each day for supper. Come again next Friday 
and let me know the result.” 
She promised to follow this written prescription, 
and did so. The ensuing Friday she again presented 
herself before me, looking less distressed having 
earned $1.70. She said she “was glad to have done 
so, as the children could eat more than the seventh 
part of the purchase, and it was hard for her to 
eat it herself and deny the children.” However, 
she had obeyed and was able to do more work hav- 
ing earned ten cents more that week, although she 
and the children “felt sorely the lack of tea.” I 
advised her to make a change in her purchases, 
spending the same amount of money for a fresh 
shin of beef and turnips or a salted shoulder of 
pork, and to use the ten cents for extra molasses. 
After two weeks, she came again to report to me. 
The change in her appearance was remarkable, and 
her account of her children’s condition was good. 
Also, she had been able to earn two dollars per week, 
which, however, was the utmost she could do in the 
time she could spare from the family work. At 
the end of another two weeks she came to me and 
asked permission to give to her husband a share 
of the dinner on the coming Sunday. He had smelled 
the stew when occasionally coming home and de- 
sired to partake of it. It was therefore agreed that 
he should add fifteen cents as his share for the 
cost of the dinner, which he did, and when Christmas 
came, she told me had done so regularly every 
day for the previous three weeks. 
I made them a Christmas present of a piece of 
roasting beef, fifty pounds weight of apples, and THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
321 
the same amount of potatoes, while former friends 
to whom I had spoken of their destitution, sent tea, 
sugar and milk, also shoes and stockings for the 
children. 
After this sumptuous holiday feast, severely cold 
weather followed. Careless housekeepers in all 
ranks of life allowed their water pipes to burst, and 
great was the demand for plumbers ’ work, especially 
in the suburbs of Boston. Mary’s former friends 
were willing to employ her husband again, under his 
promise of strict sobriety, as they would not risk 
the danger of house-burning by the carelessness of 
a tipsy plumber. Mary cooked him substantial din- 
ners of the description given above, and he felt 
like a man again in his home. 
Being skillful as a workman and very obliging in 
disposition, he gained friends while jobbing in the 
different houses. Those who had known him before 
encouraged him to persevere and finally persuaded 
him to remove to one of those suburban towns where 
his business would be in good demand and where he 
would escape from the temptation of eating house 
and drinking saloon. Meantime, Mary had learned 
good lessons during these sixteen weeks. She now 
knew how to provide and cook good, cheap and 
wholesome meals, and soon adapted herself entirely 
to such ways and means as his earnings would 
provide. 
It is now 1896, and the twenty years are com- 
pleted since the beginning of that time of misery in 
that family, who now own three houses, in one of 
which Mary’s husband carries on a fine, thriving 
business, over the entrance door of which may be 
read the sign “John Smith & Son.” Another house 
is occupied by them as a dwelling, and the third, an 
investment of their earnings, is rented to their 322 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
daughter’s husband who is foreman in their busi- 
ness. 
Their life is simple and plain but comfortable, and 
when I met Mary recently, she told me that she had 
taught all the children, two boys and two girls, how 
to cook and how to mend clothes, and with great 
pride she assured me that corned beef and cabbage 
is their favorite dish, “although the children will 
often make ice cream for Sunday dessert.” 
The second sketch alluded to (The Woman's 
Journal, May 13, 1893) is: 
Another True Story 
Some years ago, the wife of a farmer living not 
many miles from Boston came to my office to con- 
sult me, because she feared she was suffering from 
a disease such as can only befall a woman and which 
she fully believed was ‘ ‘ killing her by inches. ’’ With 
sunken cheeks, dull eyes, sallow complexion, pale 
lips and no more flesh on her limbs than was neces- 
sary to make locomotion possible, the woman sat 
there and told of her ailments—sleeplessness, utter 
lack of appetite, backache, depression of spirits, etc. 
After listening and taking notes of her story of 
misery, I made a careful examination and then told 
her that she was entirely free from all disease, but 
that she was simply worn out and needed six months 
of rest and good living. 
She sighed deeply and said it was impossible to 
follow such a prescription as their pecuniary means 
would not permit it. She said further that their 
two children had outgrown the district school of 
the town, and she had, with true Yankee ambition, 
persuaded her husband to send them to a relative THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
323 
in the city that they might have the advantage of 
came, she told me he had done so regularly every 
extra dollar of their earnings, although from mo- 
tives of economy, the children spent Saturday and 
Sunday at home. 
She said she felt sure a tonic would restore her 
appetite, and that the relief to her mind in knowing 
that she was free from disease would aid in curing 
her. So, carrying in her hand the valuable recipe 
for a tonic which might or might not be of use, she 
left me, promising to report herself in ten days. 
At the end of that time she appeared, looking more 
dejected and forlorn than at her first visit, so much 
so that I was startled, and thought that I had made 
a mistake in my diagnosis as well as in my prognosis. 
With sobs, she informed me that a great misfor- 
tune had befallen them. This statement at once 
explained to me her appearance. 
It was at the time when the first Jersey cows were 
imported into this country from England, and they 
were held at a great price. She told me that her 
husband, about six months before, had invested all 
the money they had in the savings bank in the pur- 
chase of one of those valuable creatures. On the 
day following the woman’s visit to me, this precious 
cow had begun to be ailing. The trouble increasing, 
a veterinary surgeon had been consulted, and he 
told them if they would save the health and life 
of the cow, they must procure a faithful, intelligent 
man to take charge of her from morning to night. 
This sad event made it necessary for them to take 
for attendance on the cow the services of their best 
hired man, while the hiring of another man in his 
place would prevent their expending money for 
the charwoman who gave the good farmer’s wife 
an occasional lift with the housework. She sob- 324 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
bingly ended her story by saying, ‘ ‘ I must work even 
harder than a week ago—you must give me a 
stronger tonic.’’ 
The case looked so sad and hopeless that I sat 
silently thinking for a moment, when suddenly a 
bright thought sprang into my mind, and I said, 
“Why don’t you nurse that cow and let the char- 
woman do your work in house, kitchen and dairy?” 
As when a sunbeam bursts through heavy black 
clouds, so did a light flash over her face and into 
her eyes as I said these words; but in a moment it 
darkened down again as she began to think of all 
the objections to such a plan. But the idea was 
born; it grew; and with my vivid power of imagina- 
tion, I overthrew all her objections one after 
another, until her conversation became really ani- 
mated, and the plan appeared so plausible to both 
of us that the good woman went out of the office 
with no stronger tonic than hope and courage can 
bestow. 
The whole affair was forgotten by me in the pres- 
sure of business and in listening to more stories of 
moral and physical misery. The summer with all 
its joy and beauty slipped away, and brilliant Oc- 
tober brought a new flood of professional business 
and cares. 
On one of these autumn days, a plump, sunburnt, 
cheerful-faced woman entered my sanctum, holding 
in one hand a huge bouquet of gorgeous dahlias, in 
the other a little jar of cream, and on her arm hung 
a small basket with a dozen fresh eggs. 
“Don’t you remember me?” she said. Of course 
I did not, although the voice was familiar. 
“Well, I am Mrs. F , whom you advised to 
nurse her cow.” 
I could hardly believe my eyes, even after her THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
325 
repeated assurances of her identity with that mis- 
erable wreck of the May before. She gave me an 
animated description of what followed her leaving 
my office; of all her doubts and misgivings during 
her journey home as to what her husband would say 
to such a proposition for both a sick wife and a 
sick cow; and of how she had timidly introduced 
the subject to him by telling him that I was a queer 
doctor who did not believe much in medicine. 
All this prepared him for the account of my plan 
to which contrary to his usual habit when women 
proposed anything, he listened gravely, and then 
said thoughtfully, “Well, my dear, we might try it.” 
She at once called in the charwoman who had sup- 
plied her place that day and made arrangements 
with her to come daily. 
The next morning she went to the field, with her 
rubber waterproof, her husband and the cow. The 
latter was tied to a stake, and my patient seated 
herself near on the waterproof (as I had suggested 
to her) while she watched the cow and petted and 
talked to her. The two took kindly to each other. 
One day’s experiment proved that she could keep 
the cow in such subjection and quietness as the 
surgeon had ordered, plucking the fresh grass for 
her and feeding her as needed. All went well. Let 
me give a part of her story in her own words: 
“My husband was satisfied with the first day’s 
result, and made the few arrangements necessary. 
And you, Doctor, ought to have seen me as at sun- 
rise, day after day, rain or shine, I walked to the 
pasture, with a big basket on my right arm full of 
my mending work; in my right hand a large white 
umbrella which my husband had bought for me; and 
in my left hand the rope to which my bossy was 
tied, and which, by the way, I did not need after a 326 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
fortnight, she following me at my call and lying 
close beside me when not walking a few steps for 
a bite of the rich grass. 
“My charwoman brought me all my meals and a 
pail of water for bossy. I soon had a keen appetite, 
almost impossible to satisfy; even the abundant pro- 
visions brought me and eagerly eaten with such 
good relish still seemed to leave a hollow unfilled; 
and after my walk home at sundown, I slept sweetly 
as I had not done for months. 
“The cow got well; she is now followed by a 
strong, beautiful heifer six weeks old for which my 
husband has already had an offer of just half the 
money that he paid for the cow. And I—I feel 
strong, well and happy, can do all my work, and 
have taken none of the tonic. Besides all this, both 
my children are equally well, because when they 
came home for their weekly sojourn, they felt that 
they must spend Saturday and Sunday out in the 
field with poor mother who had no other diversion 
than the company of a cow. I really believe that 
their being with me out of doors has done them 
more good than they would have got from the change 
we had planned for vacation, a visit to relatives 
up in the mountains. 
“So I thought I had better come and tell you of 
all the good you have done to our whole family by 
your excellent advice, although it seemed so queer 
to us all and, you may well believe, to our neighbors 
too.” 
“How many months did you do this?” I asked. 
“Was it not tedious to be all day in such dull com- 
pany ? ’ ’ 
“I did this same thing,” she replied, “every day, 
from the time that I left you until the calf was three 
days old. And as for tediousness or loneliness, I THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
327 
never felt it, for I have done a heap of sewing, old 
and new, which had been accumulating during the 
past year when I could not sew because I was so 
miserable. Besides, I always took some reading 
matter with me, especially on rainly days when I 
could not use my needle. And as my bossy liked to 
have me talk to her, I read aloud the Boston Journal 
and our town paper. These she seemed to enjoy 
as much as my chatting with her, even when it 
came to the obituaries, death notices and quack 
medicine advertisements. ’ ’ 
She assured me that she had not had a single 
cold, although she had several times been drenched 
by thunder showers that had overtaken her when 
she was unprotected. She said also that she had 
learned the great lesson of the folly of carrying self- 
neglect and self-sacrifice to such an extent as to 
bring trouble not only on one’s self but also on all 
the family. 
If this little tale should be read by the family 
described, I wish one of them would send name and 
address (which I have no right to betray) to the 
Woman’s Journal. CHAPTER XXIX 
Question of escort in night practice—Expansion of Hos- 
pital by purchase of four houses on Warren (War- 
rent oil) and Pleasant streets—Professional recogni- 
tion slowly growing—She buys a horse and buggy— 
For first time in America the name of a woman is 
listed officially as specializing in surgery, Dr. Anita 
E. Tyng being appointed assistant surgeon—Resigna- 
tion of the consulting surgeon (Dr. Samuel Cabot) 
and the attending surgeon (Dr. Horatio R. Storer), 
the latter the only man ever appointed on the attend- 
ing staff—Dr. Cabot continues to act unofficially. 
(1863-1866.) 
Boston had already extended itself in all direc- 
tions into suburbs which still kept their dependence 
upon the center, hut the means of communication re- 
mained primitive, as already described in the out- 
patient work which Dr. Zakrzewska established at 
the New England Female Medical College. And the 
isolation was most complete at night, the hour when 
the cry of suffering humanity rings most insistent. 
So the Doctor was obliged to walk long distances 
to answer the calls of those patients who could not 
afford to send a carriage for her. Her familiar 
itinerary was from Roxbury to South Boston, to 
Dorchester, to West Roxbury, to Brookline, to Cam- 
bridge, and so around the circle. Temperatures of 
all degrees from below zero to up in the nineties were 
never allowed to discourage her. 
As in New York, she was unmolested in her 
328 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
329 
travels. But she never took unnecessary risks. She 
always went with the messenger who called her, and 
who was generally a man. She writes: 
If he could not accompany me on my return home 
in the night, and no accommodation for me was pos- 
sible in the little apartment, I walked with the police- 
man, and waited at the end of the different beats 
for the next one to take me to his limits. I was well 
known among them, and was not at all surprised 
when a Franklin Park policeman recently accosted 
me as a friend well remembered in the night walks 
of former years. 
The second year (1863-1864) of the existence of 
the New England Hospital, and of this phase of Dr. 
Zakrzewska’s life, was marked by such increased 
growth of the institution that it was decided to pur- 
chase the former residence of Rev. Charles F. Bar- 
nard, No. 14 Warren Street (later Warrenton 
Street), to add to it three small dwelling houses in its 
rear (Nos. 13,15,17 Pleasant Street), and to connect 
them by a covered passage. The large house was 
described as “well built and convenient, airy and 
sunny, with a pleasant outlook on the Chapel yard 
and greenhouse’’ (p. 331). It seemed prudent to 
continue to lease two of the Pleasant Street houses to 
tenants but even so the increase in accommodations 
was marked. 
The result of this expansion [says Dr. Zakrzew- 
ska] was enabling us not only to enlarge our work, 
but also to divide it into three distinct departments 
—Hospital for medical and surgical cases; Lying- 
in Department and Dispensary. 330 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Had our work not been wanted [she continues], 
had our help not been needed, here and throughout 
the country, we should not have found so many 
patients asking for help and advice; nor have had 
so long a list of names of students waiting for a 
vacancy; nor have met with that response from the 
community which provided the means for carrying 
on our institution and enabling us to enlarge it. 
Professional recognition was slowly growing, but 
even slight advances helped to lighten the almost 
overpowering mental strain of isolation. In such 
conditions, every slight word or act of indorsement, 
even though with reservations, was like a ray of 
hope that at last the dawn was breaking. 
Referring to this period of professional loneliness, 
Dr. Zakrzewska writes in a letter to the editor in 
1900: 
In looking over these reports, there come back to 
me the many hours of fear and anxiety when I really 
was the only person who stood before the world re- 
sponsible for our work in the Hospital. 
The few brave men who supported my efforts 
were advanced in years and had a large practice; 
they were often not available for consultation when 
requested to come, or they came too late, when the 
danger was over or had ended in death. 
My co-workers were young and inexperienced, 
looking up to me for wisdom and instruction, while 
the public in general watched with scrupulous zeal 
in order to stand ready for condemnation; this zeal 
being stimulated by the profession at large who 
wanted to find fault but did not dare to do so openly 
so long as the two or three professional men stood 
as a moral force behind me. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
331 
I remember how twice—once in New York and 
once in Boston—a man colleague told me I was 
foolish to take to heart the death of a patient which 
I saw coming as a natural event. Such consola- 
tions helped to uphold me. 
The New England Hospital foh Women and Children 
This hospital was first housed in a dwelling house on Pleasant Street 
further along than the rear houses here seen (1862-1864). This was 
soon outgrown in favor of the one front and three rear houses here 
shown or indicated (1864-1872). 
This professional loneliness must have been 
peculiarly poignant to her, since it contrasted so 
painfully with her recollections of the cordial fel- 332 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
lowship which she had enjoyed with Dr. Schmidt and 
other leading medical men in Berlin. 
An appeal issued by the directors in June, 1864, 
asking for funds for the purchase of the new build- 
ings, contains a letter by Dr. Horatio R. Storer giv- 
ing cogent reasons for the desirability of a special 
hospital for women and noting the particular con- 
ditions which made the New England Hospital pe- 
culiarly suitable for such purpose. This appeal was 
signed also by Drs. Walter Channing, C. G. Putnam, 
Henry I. Bowditch, and S. Cabot. 
And about this time, Dr. Walter Channing writes 
to Dr. Zakrzewska: 
I regret I had not made my visit later as I was 
too early to have the pleasure of seeing you. I was 
desirous to do so to express to you my entire satis- 
faction in regard to the operation you performed the 
evening before. It was a very difficult operation 
and was done under circumstances most unpromis- 
ing of success. I do not think it could have been done 
better. 
I write also to say that if at any time I can do 
anything to aid you in the performance of your im- 
portant duties, I shall be always ready and happy 
to do so. 
Very respectfully & truly yrs., 
Walter Channing. 
Boston, 39 Mt. Vernon Street, 
June 2, 1864. 
Remembering the financial difficulties of both Dr. 
Zakrzewska herself and this young, struggling en- 
terprise of hers, one may well wonder at the second 
annual report (1863-1864) stating: THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
333 
Half of our beds are always filled by patients who 
pay nothing, and the resident physician has the right 
to receive at half price those whose circumstances 
require this indulgence. 
And realizing how the prices of the necessities 
of life must have advanced with the continuance of 
the Civil War, one is not surprised to read else- 
where : 
We have been reluctantly forced to double our 
price of board, placing it at eight dollars per 
week. 
The third year (1864-1865) of Dr. Zakrzewska’s 
new life of freedom, of the longed-for opportunity 
for expressing her ideals, and of the attaining of 
sympathy and support for the forms of such ex- 
pression, found the Hospital continuing its growth, 
like a manifestation incarnate of her soaring spirit. 
This growth compelled the addition, with altera- 
tions, of the remaining two houses on Pleasant 
Street; and the housewarming which dedicated this 
further enlargement of its opportunities netted a 
precious six hundred dollars. 
The Legislature of Massachusetts now voted the 
Hospital five thousand dollars for the purchase of 
the new site, on condition that a similar amount 
should be raised by subscription. And the Boston 
Lying-in Hospital Corporation increased its dona- 
tion to one thousand dollars. 
For the first time Dr. Zakrzewska, as attending 334 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
physician, presented to the board of directors a 
formal report which she thus introduces: 
Before this year I had never considered that a 
lengthy report given by me was a necessity. Hither- 
to our Hospital had been so small and so simple in 
its management that it was easily understood by the 
directors and friends. 
This is now changed: for after four years of exer- 
tion the Hospital has assumed from a simple ward 
the form of a complicated institution, with its resi- 
dent and assistant physicians, its consulting, attend- 
ing and assistant surgeons, and its attending and 
consulting physicians. Such an institution must 
necessarily attract the attention of the community; 
therefore inquiries are constantly being made as to 
how this institution is carried on. Nothing can 
answer all these different inquiries better than a 
minute report. 
The most striking feature in its character is that 
it is designed to give to educated medical women an 
equal chance with their professional brethren to 
prove their capacity as hospital physicians, and to 
admit only female students to its wards—all other 
hospitals closing their doors to women as physicians 
and students. 
The increase in the number of patients seeking 
daily advice soon gave a reputation to the institu- 
tion, and the liberally inclined part of the commu- 
nity as well as of the profession began to look upon 
it as a test of female capability in professional 
life. 
In this report Dr. Zakrzewska notes that the in- 
crease in the number of patients had become so great 
that Dr. Storer offered to share the dispensary work THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
335 
with her and Dr. Sewall, taking two mornings a week 
and making an even division of the time. 
Deferring to the raising of the question as to 
whether it is not an inconsistency to have a gentle- 
man in attendance, as it has always been stated that 
the advantage of our Dispensary is that women can 
be attended by physicians of their own sex, she 
continues: 
In reply to this, I can only say that there is a dis- 
tinct notice given on the Dispensary cards as well 
as in the waiting room, when Dr. Sewall or I, or when 
Dr. Storer is in attendance, so that patients can have 
their choice. 
Interesting features of the annual meeting of the 
Hospital for this year and of a levee which followed 
it, were an address by Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell on 
“The Culture Necessary for a Physician,” and a 
reading of some charming poems by Mrs. Julia 
Ward Howe. 
Hand in hand with the growth of Dr. Zakrzewska’s 
Hospital work progressed the growth of her private 
practice. And the year 1865 was notable in that for 
the first time she felt able to set up a carriage in 
proper medical style. She thus describes this felici- 
tous occurrence: 
In 1865,1 bought a second-hand buggy and a horse 
for two reasons: one was that I could not accomplish 
and do justice to my professional work by using pub- 
lic conveyances; the other, that it became a matter of 
necessity to uphold the professional etiquette and 
dignity of a woman physician on equality with men. 
The effect was marvelous. Even the newspapers 
took notice of the change. 336 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
At the Hospital further advance was made by the 
creation of the staff position of assistant surgeon, 
Dr. Anita E. Tyng11 receiving the appointment. Thus 
for the first time in America the name of a woman 
is listed officially as specializing in surgery. This 
year was also notable for the addition of a second 
consulting physician, Dr. Henry I. Bowditch accept- 
ing election. 
Dr. Henry I. Bowditch was always an earnest sup- 
porter of the education of women as physicians. He 
befriended Dr. Harriot K. Hunt and Dr. Nancy 
Clark, and then Dr. Zakrzewska herself when the 
latter came to Boston in 1856 soliciting money for 
opening the New York Infirmary. He remained the 
steadfast champion of medical women and continued 
as consulting physician to the New England Hos- 
pital until his death in 1892. 
Dr. Zakrzewska realized the necessity of having 
on the consulting staff of the Hospital men phy- 
sicians of the highest standing in the profession, 
such men serving as vouchers to the community for 
the medical women and their hospital. 
But aside from this vital consideration she also 
believed that the best results follow when men and 
women work together. In this conviction she was 
ably supported by Dr. Etenry I. Bowditdh, who 
wrote to her at one time: 
In regard to having a full corps of well-known ex- 
perts, male and female, connected with the hospital, 
I still have no doubt. As I think there should be 
women physicians and surgeons in the other hos- 
pitals, so I think it important for the fullest success 
to have a joint corps at the women’s hospital. Also, THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
337 
I cannot but think it would be beneficial pecuniarily 
to all the hospitals if such arrangements were 
made. 
Indeed, Dr. Bowditch was prepared to go even 
further, for in another letter he expresses the 
opinion that all three hospitals—the New England, 
the Massachusetts General and the City, should 
throw open their clinical instruction to both men and 
women. Though he was still conservative enough 
to advise that the clinics should be held at different 
hours for the two sexes. 
In spite of the increasing support given the Hos- 
pital, its financial situation continued to cause anx- 
iety. This was due to the need for paying for the 
four buildings purchased, to the increased expenses 
of the expanded institution, and to the dispropor- 
tionately large amount of service given free or at 
only nominal rates. 
The acuteness of the problem continued to in- 
crease and in the following year (1865-1866), 
although the mortgages had been paid off and the 
general debt reduced, the institution was unable to 
pay its current expenses. 
To meet this situation a more conservative course 
was felt to be imperative, and it was decided, ex- 
cept in Maternity cases, temporarily to discontinue 
receiving any patients at a reduced rate except in 
the free beds, those which were endowed or defi- 
nitely subscribed for. 
Dr. Tyng continued as assistant surgeon, and her 
progress was so satisfactory that Dr. Storer 
writes: 338 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
During July and August, I shall be able to visit 
the Hospital only on Saturdays. During my absence, 
I wish Dr. Tyng, in accordance with her duties as 
assistant surgeon, to take my place as concerns both 
the Dispensary and the Surgical Wards. Of course, 
operations of any magnitude will be reserved until 
the days of my attendance. 
In the midst of this peaceful development and or- 
derly progress!, clouds suddenly gathered and a 
tempest broke forth, with much lightning though 
with little thunder. This was followed by the clear- 
ing of the air characteristic of the passing of tem- 
pests in this latitude but, as sometimes happens, a 
marked change in the local landscape was the result. 
The storm center seems to have been Dr. Storer. 
It is often difficult to explain misunderstandings and 
disagreements. Frequently, no one person seems 
to be definitely responsible. Electric conditions de- 
velop from many causes; minor frictions occur; an 
accident produces a spark; and an explosion fol- 
lows. 
Dr. Storer was connected with the Boston Lying-in 
Hospital before that institution suspended opera- 
tion. He later became connected with the New Eng- 
land Hospital as already related, beginning then to 
specialize in the diseases of women. He worked 
assiduously in his department, and he accepted the 
letter of his obligations to the Hospital. 
Subsequent history shows that this acceptance did 
not include the convictions of the spirit. Perhaps 
a psychoanalyst of to-day would trace the ultimate 
explosion to the “complex” resulting from conflict 
between this letter and spirit. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
339 
Or, perhaps (as suggested by the primary resig- 
nation of Dr. Cabot) it was a technical disagreement 
as to the limits of the respective domains of attend- 
ing and consulting staffs—always a subject filled 
with delicate potentialities. 
Or, perhaps, as claimed by Dr. Mary Putnam- 
Jacobi (Woman’s Work in America, published in 
1891), a most careful and conscientious observer with 
the true scientific spirit, it was because the success- 
ful outcome of Dr. Storer’s operations fell too often 
below the boldness of his conceptions of them. (Dr. 
Sewall in this year says in her report as resident 
physician, ‘ ‘ Only three deaths have occurred among 
our patients, and all these took place in the surgical 
wards after hazardous operations.”) 
Be the explanations—one or all—as they may, the 
first outward manifestation of the storm was the 
receipt by the board of directors of the following 
letter from Dr. Samuel Cabot, the early and long- 
tried friend of the Hospital who had from the begin- 
ning served as consulting surgeon: 
Boston, June 2, 1866. 
To tine Board of Directors of the New England Hos- 
pital for Women and Children. 
Ladies and Gentlemen : 
Feeling as I do the very warmest interest in the 
cause of female education and advancement, and be- 
lieving as I do that the path of medicine and surgery, 
as well as every other path to honor and profit, 
should be open to women as well as to men—still, I 
feel constrained to send you my resignation of the 
office of Consulting Surgeon to the New England 
Hospital for Women and Children with which you 340 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
have honored me, and to request you at your earliest 
convenience to accept it and to appoint my suc- 
cessor. 
I cannot enter into any explanation of my reasons 
for this step, and can only ask you to believe that it 
is from no loss of interest in the cause you represent 
nor from any dissatisfaction with the ladies con- 
nected with the Hospital. 
Very respectfully 
Your obedient servant, 
S. Cabot. 
This resignation was accepted with great regret 
when after consultation it was found to be irrev- 
ocable. 
This letter having brought the subject of consult- 
ing physicians to the attention of the directors, after 
much thought and inquiry the following preamble 
and resolutions were unanimously passed at their 
regular meeting on August 13: 
Whereas, the confidence of the public in the man- 
agement of the Hospital rests not only on the char- 
acter of the medical attendants having its immediate 
charge but also on the high reputation of its Con- 
sulting Physicians and Surgeons, and 
Whereas, we cannot allow them to be responsible 
for cases over which they have no control, therefore, 
Resolved, that in all unusual or difficult cases in 
medicine, or where a capital operation in surgery is 
proposed, the Attending and Eesident Physicians 
and Surgeons shall hold mutual consultation, and 
if any one of them shall have doubt as to the pro- 
priety of the proposed treatment or operation, one 
or more of the Consulting Physicians or Surgeons THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
341 
shall be invited to examine and decide upon the 
case. 
Voted, that a copy of this resolve be sent to all 
medical officers connected with this Hospital 
On September 10, the board of directors received 
from Dr. Storer a letter containing his resignation 
as attending surgeon, and on this letter the report 
comments, “Its tenor left the Board no alternative 
but its acceptance, which was unanimously voted.” 
The report then continues, 
The Directors would, however, take this first pub- 
lic occasion to express their sense of the value of Dr. 
Storer’s professional services and of the aid which 
he has rendered to the Treasury of the Hospital. 
Cheerfully bearing witness to his talent and active 
zeal in his profession, they offer him their best 
wishes for his future success. 
Dr. Storer’s letter containing his resignation was 
remarkable for its expressions of misunderstanding 
of the resolutions quoted above and for its misrep- 
resentation of the general charitable policy of the 
Hospital. But it was chiefly remarkable for the 
needlessly offensive manner in which the writer re- 
vealed his personal disapproval of the study of 
medicine by women. Yet he condescended on second 
thought to qualify the latter statement, by adding: 
For certain of the professional ladies whom I have 
met, I have personally the highest respect and es- 
teem. Miss Zakrzewska, the beauty and purity of 
whose life as already published to the world I have 
long seen verified, may well challenge comparison in 342 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
practice with a certain percentage of my own sex. 
Miss Tyng, now for two years my assistant in pri- 
vate practice, has such natural tastes and inclina- 
tions as fit her, more than I should have supposed 
any woman could have become fitted, for the anx- 
ieties, the nervous strain and the shocks of the prac- 
tice of surgery. And there are others not now 
officially connected with the Hospital whose names 
I would mention in terms of similar commendation. 
Such are, however, at the best, but very excep- 
tional cases, and I am driven back to my old belief, 
the same that is entertained by the mass of man- 
kind, that in claiming this especial work of medicine 
women have mistaken their calling. 
An interesting by-action of the writer was his con- 
current sending of this extraordinary letter of resig- 
nation to the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal 
for publication. This journal has already been 
quoted as being opposed to the entrance of women 
into the medical profession, and at this time and for 
many subsequent years, it still continued its attitude 
of opposition. 
It is of a certain interest to note here that Dr. 
Storer once more emerged in public to express his 
sex-peculiar views regarding women physicians. 
This was in San Francisco in 1871, when, at the an- 
nual meeting of the American Medical Association, 
the question of women as delegates and members 
was brought into the debate upon a related subject. 
In the discussion, Dr. Storer spoke in opposition, 
saying: 
... We will grant that some exceptional women 
are as interested in our science as ourselves; that THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
343 
some of them have those peculiar qualities, that 
especial temperament, that gives them not merely 
a taste for anatomy and surgery but courage to 
face the greatest dangers and anxiety in surgery; 
and that there are some women who are able to go 
out in inclement weather and brave the storm. We 
may grant that women, some of them, may have had 
peculiar means or favorable opportunities which 
allow them to get this same education that men have. 
We may grant, and grant it freely, that in some mat- 
ters, women intellectually, are as completely mis- 
tresses of their subject as we are masters of ours. 
But, beyond this there is a point that is funda- 
mental to the whole matter. . . and that is, this in- 
herent quality in their sex, that uncertain equilib- 
rium, that varying from month to month according 
to the time of the month in each woman that unfits 
her for taking these responsibilities of judgment 
which are to control the question often of life and 
death . . . women from month to month and week 
to week vary up and down; they are not the same 
one time that they are another. 
To this, Dr. Gibbons of San Francisco replied: 
If we are to judge of this proposition by the argu- 
ments of my friend from Boston, I think it would 
prove conclusively the weakness of his side of the 
question. ... Is it not a fact that a large majority 
of male practitioners fluctuate in their judgment, not 
once a month with the moon, but every day with the 
movement of the sun. . . . 
Thus are some of the humorous pages of history 
made. 
However, this seems to have been the last time 
that the subject of women as members was discussed 344 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
in that Association. In 1876, the first woman dele- 
gate (Dr. Sarah Hackett Stevenson, from the Illi- 
nois State Medical Society) was seated amid cheers. 
And in 1877, Dr. Henry I. Bowditch of Boston, in his 
presidential address, congratulated the Association 
that women physicians had been invited to assist in 
the deliberations. CHAPTER XXX 
New England Hospital students granted the privilege of 
visiting Massachusetts General Hospital—Letter from 
University of Zurich stating women are admitted on 
equal terms with men—Extracts from letter by Dr. 
Zakrzewska to Dr. Sewall on vacation in Europe— 
Sophia Jex-Blake collects endowment for four free 
teds—Dr. Samuel Catot resumes his position of con- 
sulting surgeon—Dr. Zakrzewska resigns from serv- 
ice at the Dispensary, being succeeded by Dr. Helen 
Morton—Dr. Zakrzewska shares her service at the Hos- 
pital with Dr. Sewall who is appointed second attend- 
ing physician—Land bought in Roxbury for new 
Hospital buildings. (1866-1871.) 
Beturning to our chronicle of 1866, the immediate 
consequence of the foregoing tempest was that the 
Hospital remained for the rest of the year without 
either attending or consulting surgeon, the surgical 
cases being treated by the assistant surgeon, with 
the aid of Dr. Samuel Cabot (acting unofficially), 
and by the attending and resident physicians—Dr. 
Zakrzewska and Dr. Sewall. 
The annual report of this year notes the receipt 
of the first annual report of the Chicago Hospital 
for Women and Children, founded by Dr. Mary Har- 
ris Thompson.12 This institution may be called the 
oldest hospital daughter of Dr. Zakrzewska, a previ- 
ous attempt by Dr. C. Annette Buckel13 to open a 
woman’s hospital being obliged to yield in its in- 
fancy to the greater interests excited by the out- 
345 346 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
break of the Civil War, Dr. Buckel giving her serv- 
ices to the Sanitary Commission. 
An important event of the year 1866-1867 was the 
granting to the New England Hospital students of 
the privilege of visiting the Massachusetts General 
Hospital under certain restrictions. 
The house at 14 Warren Street (changed to War- 
renton Street the following year) was now used for 
the medical and surgical wards and for the offices 
of the assistant physician and the matron. Of the 
Pleasant Street houses, No. 13 was the house of the 
resident physician, No. 15 contained the Lying-in 
Wards, and No. 17 was given over to the Dispensary. 
Once more the course of the Hospital becomes the 
uneventful one of quiet, continuous growth, and Dr. 
Zakrzewska as attending physician concludes her 
report for 1867-1868, as follows: 
The Hospital and Dispensary are established; 
many physicians who a few years ago were opposed 
to female practitioners have not only become con- 
vinced of their professional capability, but several 
have been willing to give instruction and aid in any 
way possible. 
The Massachusetts General Hospital has been ad- 
mitting the few students whom we consider under 
our guidance and instruction. We have good reason 
to hope that this friendly relation will continue. 
Harvard College is still closed against us for theo- 
retical instruction, but I do not think that free, lib- 
eral America will remain long behind another re- 
public across the ocean—I mean Switzerland. 
One of our students who made application to the 
University of Zurich, received the following reply: THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
347 
Zurich, May 6, 1S68. 
Dear Madam : 
I reply to your letter of March 17 which has just 
come to hand. I have the honor to inform you that 
there exists in this University no lawful impediment 
to the matriculation of female students, and that fe- 
male students enjoy equal advantages with male 
students. 
There is here full liberty, and every one may at- 
tend the lectures as long as he may desire. The ma- 
jority of the students need from five to five and a 
half years’ course before taking their degree. 
In answer to other questions of yours, I send you 
some printed regulations of the University. 
I am, with great esteem, 
Yours, 
Biermer, 
Professor and Dean of Medical Faculty. 
The University of Zurich is known as one where 
only men of the highest standing in the profession 
are employed to instruct the students. Such names 
as Moleschott, Griesinger, Breslau, von Graefe, 
Horner, Mayer, and Billroth are familiar as authori- 
ties in the medical world, and these men have been, 
and still are, the most influential teachers there. 
In Paris, also, women can have the same ad- 
vantages as men. And in America the time is rap- 
idly approaching when through the deeds and words 
of women the profession at large will be convinced 
of the wisdom of following the same course. 
A breath of encouragement was at this time 
wafted from New York in a speech by Dr. Willard 
Parker, this noted physician saying at the opening 348 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
of the Woman’s College of the New York Infirmary, 
which took place on November 2, 1868: 
Woman has always been a helpmeet to man and 
to a great extent is a co-worker with him, and as 
such in medicine, I bid her Godspeed. If it is 
charged that women who study medicine are some- 
times unfit for practice, I would answer—so are 
many men. A doctor is born, not made, and is, 
naturally, found in both sexes. 
In the summer of 1868, Dr. Lucy E. Sewall, who 
was continuing as resident physician, took a vaca- 
tion of three months in England and France for 
recreation and study. In a letter to her, dated July 
16, Dr. Zakrzewska writing from her new address, 
No. 1041 Washington Street, says: 
I have hardly anything to report except that we 
have had intensely hot weather since you left, such 
as I have not experienced since the first year of my 
arrival in America. The thermometer stood at 
ninety-six degrees in our parlor in Roxbury, and we 
felt that we were cooling ourselves when we entered 
there. Yesterday, it was one hundred and three in 
the shade out of doors. ... I envied you very much 
when I read how cool you were in Halifax and there- 
abouts. I am sure I would have been very glad to 
play the lady with you. You will now understand 
how pleasant it is to be away from business for a 
while. 
Dr. Buckel will write you all about the Hospital. 
You need not worry in the least as all is going on 
well. At our last Hospital meeting Mrs. Cheney re- 
ported, “I feared very much for the Hospital when THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
349 
I saw how heartbroken the patients were after Dr. 
SewalPs departure. But a day after they sang the 
praises of Dr. Bucket as loudly as if they had never 
known Dr. Sewall.” 
To this report I added, “It is the old story 
although a very unsatisfactory one. Our places are 
filled just as soon as we leave them. And we all 
have to learn that lesson and feel comforted by it 
because it is thus that the world does not get off 
its hinges.” 
The day before yesterday, we had our house- 
warming—I missed you very much. . . . The heat 
has prevented me from going to Melrose [Dr. Se- 
walPs home] so far; all we can do is to live and to 
fan. . . . 
Within the two years just closing, the financial 
pressure began to be relieved and four free beds 
were established in the medical wards. About the 
same time, it was decided to charge at the Dispen- 
sary a fee of twenty-five cents to such of the pa- 
tients as were able to pay this amount. The results 
exceeded all expectations. The patients acknowl- 
edged the fairness of the rule and yet the really poor 
were not shut out. 
Nevertheless, it was at the close of this year, as 
already noted, that the Hospital was obliged to bor- 
row money to meet its outstanding debts. 
This was truly the darkest hour and it was fol- 
lowed by the dawn of which the proverb speaks. As 
the sunshine of help from the community grew 
stronger, it was possible steadily to extend the min- 
istrations of the Hospital to the more dependent, so 
the report of 1898-1899 was able to state: 350 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Nearly (if not quite) two thirds of all our work is 
given in charity . . . though we are slow to give 
charity indiscriminately but would have each one 
make some return, however small, for benefits re- 
ceived, thereby aiding her to keep her self-respect. 
The treasurer’s report for the year of 1868 notes 
the receipt of one thousand dollars which was col- 
lected by Miss Sophia Jex-Blake for supporting four 
free beds. Sophia Jex-Blake came to this country 
as a student of Dr. Sewall and was a resident stu- 
dent at the Hospital. She went later to the newly 
opened Woman’s Medical College of the New York 
Infirmary, and still later she returned to Great 
Britain and became the leader in the struggle which 
attended the attempt to open to women the medical 
course at the University of Edinburgh—reference 
to which has been made by Dr. Zakrzewska in a 
previous chapter. The attempt failed and she went 
to Switzerland where the men students at the Uni- 
versity of Berne seemed to find no difficulty in per- 
mitting women to study medicine with them.14 
The year of 1869 was especially noteworthy for 
the burden which was lifted from Dr. Zakrzewska’s 
mind by the official return of Dr. Samuel Cabot to 
the consulting staff of the Hospital, though ever 
since his formal resignation in June, 1866, he had 
continued to advise the women who, against almost 
insurmountable obstacles, were struggling to give 
the surgical help called for by the increasing num- 
bers of their patients. 
If one requires expert teaching and constant prac- 
tice to learn to diagnosticate and prescribe for medi- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
351 
cal ailments, it is much more difficult for one to 
learn to diagnosticate and prescribe for surgical 
ailments, since a surgical prescription demands 
trained skill of the hands as well as of the brain. 
And opportunities for acquiring this trained skill 
of the hands are at the best very limited in number 
and very expensive in detail, while the}7- also require 
a very exacting environment and an entourage 
trained to the highest degree. And they are, fur- 
ther, beset on all sides by dangers which are mo- 
mentous and immediate as well as more remote. 
It is a fine index of the essential quality of these 
earlier women that they were not daunted by the 
difficulties of the situation, and that the conserva- 
tive spirit of the sex was not too much affrighted 
by the dangers which on every hand confronted 
them and their patients. 
Under the necessities of the situation, a friendly 
surgeon of the eminence of Dr. Samuel Cabot was 
a veritable tower of strength. Well might Dr. Zakr- 
zewska, with gratitude that failed of words to ex- 
press itself, say year after year in her annual re- 
port as attending physician, ‘ ‘ To Dr. Samuel Cabot, 
we are again indebted for advice and instruction in 
all the important surgical cases which have oc- 
curred during the year.” 
Dr. Anita E. Tyng who had spent her apprentice- 
ship as assistant surgeon to the Hospital, had been 
obliged to resign her position there, but Dr. Zakr- 
zewska and Dr. Sewall were ably assisted in this 
branch of practice by Dr. C. Annette Buckel who 
had been assistant physician for the past three years 
and who, having particular ability for surgery, de- 352 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
sired to specialize in that direction. They were now 
aided also by Dr. Helen Morton18 who had returned 
from Paris and had become connected with the 
Dispensary. 
With the arrival of such capable assistants among 
the younger women who had all been her students, 
Dr. Zakrzewska felt justified in relinquishing some 
of her arduous duties. And now her leading assist- 
ant, Dr. Lucy E. Sewall, resigned as resident phy- 
sician (a position which she had held since 1863) and 
was appointed second attending physician. She 
thus divided the Hospital service with Dr. Zakr- 
zewska, each being on duty every alternate three 
months. 
Dr. Zakrzewska continued to serve on the board 
of directors as she had done since the beginning of 
the Hospital, but the added freedom gained by being 
released from work at the Dispensary and in being 
able to share her Hospital duties, gave her greater 
opportunity to elaborate and press forward her 
plans for building a hospital which should be more 
suitable for its purposes than any altered dwelling 
houses could possibly be Writing of the successes 
achieved by the Hospital and of the satisfactions 
derived from its possession of the four houses in 
Warren ton and Pleasant streets, she continues: 
But after a few years, we found that even these 
accommodations were becoming too small. Also, the 
character of the neighborhood was changing from 
private residences to retail trading stores, and it 
was easy to foresee that the time was coming when 
this location would be entirely unsuitable for the 
sick. Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.U. 
(About 1870) THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
353 
As it was neither my intention nor that of the 
Directors to carry on simply a charity, but rather 
to make this charity at the same time a school for 
educating women physicians on the European plan 
before mentioned and for the training of nurses for 
the benefit of the community, we felt that confidence 
in the value and need of our work had now been 
sufficiently established to warrant our erecting a 
building which would serve all these purposes and 
which in its arrangement might become a model hos- 
pital among the charitable institutions of the 
country. 
About this time an especially interesting bequest 
of two thousand dollars was received by the Hos- 
pital from the estate of Mrs. Robert G. Shaw, the 
language of the bequest stating that the money was 
‘‘to be used by Dr. Zakrzewska in aid of any Hos- 
pital or Infirmary for the poor and sick which may 
be under her superintendence in the City of Boston 
at the time of my decease.’’ 
The accumulating demand for a children’s ward 
in the Hospital was so strongly felt this year that 
one of the physicians took into her own household 
for care and treatment a child patient whose case 
was particularly urgent. 
This pressure for a children’s ward was an ad- 
ditional factor in making Dr. Zakrzewska and her 
associates begin a still more definite campaign for 
the erection of new hospital buildings which should 
be especially suitable for the varied demands made 
upon them. Alterations in the streets and increase 
of business in that part of the city had enhanced the 
pecuniary value of land in that vicinity, so it was 354 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
hoped that the sale of the present property would 
supply the money needed for building the new struc- 
ture. It was planned to hold a Fair in December in 
order to raise the money needed for the purchase 
of the new land. 
And one may judge of the courage required to 
attempt to carry such ambitions into execution when 
it is noted that the institution had just held its own 
financially, the year closing with the same amount 
of debt as that with which it began. 
The Fair in December, 1870, justified the ardent 
hopes which breathed through every detail of its 
preparation and completion, and over twelve thou- 
sand dollars was realized. 
A committee was immediately appointed to select 
a site, and after much investigation this committee 
recommended the purchase of an estate in Boston 
Highlands (now Roxbury), on Codman Avenue (now 
Dimock Street), between Shawmut Avenue (now 
Washington Street) and Amory Street (now Colum- 
bus Avenue). 
With the formation of a building committee 
(which included all the medical officers) the new 
venture was definitely launched. The skies were 
lifting, favoring breezes prevailed, and the year 
closed with all running expenses met, all debts paid, 
and only the new building expenses to confront the 
treasurer—but it must be admitted that these were 
formidable enough, since they were on such an ex- 
panded scale. 
The report of the resident physician, Dr. Buckel, 
for the year of 1870-1871 reflects so clearly her as- 
sociation with Dr. Zakrzewska and contains such THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
355 
interesting pictures of some phases of the social life 
of the period that a few paragraphs may be quoted, 
especially as some of them bear upon variations of 
a question which to-day is still perplexing our com- 
munity, and which has at last reached legislators 
all over the United States in a concrete and radical 
form,18 CHAPTEE XXXI 
New Hospital buildings completed—Description of build- 
ings and interior arrangements—Children’s Depart- 
ment established—First general Training School for 
Nurses in America definitely organized under the 
direction of Dr. Susan Dimock; one of the graduates 
of its first class (Miss Linda A. Richards) later help- 
ing to organize the training schools of the Bellevue 
Hospital of New York, the Massachusetts General 
Hospital and the Boston City Hospital—New England 
Hospital medical women invited to attend some of 
the Clinics at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infir- 
mary—Though delayed by the epizootic epidemic and 
the great Boston Fire, the new Hospital buildings are 
finally formally dedicated—First Hospital Social 
Service in America organized in connection with the 
Maternity. (1871-1872.) 
Akchitects, contractors, builders and workmen, 
all took a personal interest in the plans of the new 
Hospital buildings, and all made larger or smaller 
contributions to the enterprise. With such a spirit 
the structure grew apace, and even early in the 
spring of 1872 a few patients were moved in—some 
who especially needed the advantages of the good 
air, sunlight and almost country quiet. But all the 
patients were transferred before the end of Septem- 
ber. 
Dr. Zakrzewska writes: 
At last we were able definitely to inaugurate the 
356 First Buildings of the New England Hospital foe Women and Children, Erected 1872. 
The main building was later named in honor of Dr. Marie E. Zakrzewska. 358 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
work for which we had been preparing during the 
previous ten years, namely, to dedicate our own 
building to our threefold object—a clinical school 
for women physicians and students; a training 
school for nurses; and a charity, especially for lying- 
in patients. 
For this latter purpose a cottage, the “ Mater- 
nity,’’ was expressly built, while the medical and 
surgical patients occupied the main building. Some 
rooms were reserved for private patients, who paid 
fully for all they received. This latter department 
is very desirable in all hospitals, not only for the 
accommodation of travelers who may be taken ill 
while sojourning in a strange city, but also for those 
who when boarding cannot have the comforts of a 
home; while it likewise gives to our nurses a fair 
chance to be trained in attendance upon the sick of 
all classes and conditions of life. 
Thus we had arrived nearly at the point at which 
we aimed, only that the means needed to carry on the 
work were not yet secured. We had no endowed 
wards and we had only a few endowed beds in the 
Maternity; therefore, we had no Funds but must 
depend upon the daily interest of the public to sus- 
tain the institution. 
We now offered to the public not only the idea of 
reform, as we comprehended it, but also the visible 
embodiment of it in brick and mortar. Our vision 
had become materialized, and the work done within 
its walls spread the tidings of its success among 
the suffering and the needy. 
The Drs. Blackwell, Ann Preston and myself 
stood no longer alone as the bearers of an idea—hun- 
dreds of young women had joined us. The path 
had been broken, and the profession had been 
obliged to yield, and to acknowledge the capacity of THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
359 
women as physicians. The argument that we few 
were exceptions to our sex has ceased; medical so- 
cieties in different parts of the country admit women 
as members; hospitals begin to open their doors to 
women; men physicians endeavor to be polite 
towards their women colleagues; and their women 
colleagues certainly stand on a level with the men 
as regards good education. 
And last but not least, society admits that it is 
highly respectable for a woman to become legally a 
physician, and offices and houses are now rented to 
medical women without fear of injury to the repu- 
tation of the neighborhood. 
Thus, the world does move! But I am sorry to 
be forced to say that it is not the Republic of Amer- 
ica which has given the proof that “science has no 
sex,” only in so far as that it has furnished the 
largest number of women students. But it is the 
Republic of Switzerland which has verified this 
maxim. Our best women physicians have been edu- 
cated there as well as in Germany and in France— 
for even these two latter countries have received 
women into their schools more on an equality with 
men than has America. And not less than six of 
our pupils from Boston are at present receiving 
the benefits which the opportunities for medical 
study and research offer in Vienna. 
The United States still hesitate to allow to their 
women that education which they offer to their men. 
The result will be that talented women will go 
abroad and seek for the better medical education 
which Europe offers them and, returning with a 
higher standard of scientific learning, the men here 
will not only be obliged to acknowledge such women 
as their equals but they will be compelled to raise 
their own professional standards. 360 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
So far as my knowledge extends, this will be the 
first instance in history where through injustice to 
women, men themselves will be benefited. 
The plan was to have one large brick building 
which should contain all the administrative offices 
of the Hospital as well as a small number of medical 
and surgical wards, the intention being to add later 
a wing entirely devoted to wards. But the Lying-in 
Department was to be housed in an entirely sep- 
arate structure.17 
Quite as essential and desired a policy of expan- 
sion, but one which had waited on the new building, 
was that of the training of nurses. 
We have seen the importance which Dr. Zakrzew- 
ska attached to this question ever since her first hos- 
pital control, back in the days when she organized 
the practical details of the New York Infirmary. 
And we have noticed the recurring references to the 
difficulties which delayed the full development of 
her plans. But she continued to exercise her choice 
of individuals as best she might, and she endeavored 
to give the most thorough training for as long pe- 
riods as she could make practicable. 
Thus, writing of the opening of the New York 
Infirmary on May 1, 1857, she says: 
We kept true to our promise to begin at once a 
system for training nurses although the time speci- 
fied for that purpose was only six months. 
She began with two nurses, one of whom remained 
for several years, becoming invaluable as head 
nurse. But she was evidently not satisfied with the THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
361 
success of this first system for, eight months later, 
she says: 
We now began to make more positive plans for 
the education and training of nurses. The first two 
who presented herself and who after four months’ 
superior women, one a German, the other an Ameri- 
can, but neither was willing to give a longer time 
than four months. During this time they received 
no compensation except their keeping and one 
weekly lesson from me on the different branches of 
nursing. 
After these left, it was again a German woman 
who presented herself and who after four months’ 
training remained for several years. The second 
pupil nurse was sometimes of American, sometimes 
of Irish, descent and nothing remarkable. 
When she removed to Boston and opened the hos- 
pital (Clinical Department) in connection with the 
New England Female Medical College, she there also 
attempted to carry into execution her conviction of 
the necessity for training nurses. But in Boston as 
in New York, women who wished to be nurses were 
unwilling to give time for training, and applications 
were few. Nevertheless, she succeeded in training 
six nurses. 
When she founded the New England Hospital, the 
act of incorporation expressly stated that the train- 
ing of nurses was one of the fundamental purposes 
of the new institution. And the first annual report 
says: 
We offer peculiar advantages for training nurses 
for their important duties, under the superinten- 
dence of a physician. 362 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Ill 1865, the term of six months is again empha- 
sized. In 1868, it is stated that the Hospital offers 
to candidates board, washing and low wages after 
the first month of probation but it insists on an at- 
tendance of six months. And it adds that few women 
are willing to give the requisite time. 
But now, at last, she found the desired opportuni- 
ties opening before her. Aside from the influence 
of European experience, and especially that of Flor- 
ence Nightingale and of the subsequent writings and 
utterances of the latter, undoubtedly the agitation 
which demonstrated the necessity for practical hos- 
pital training for the medical profession, had its ef- 
fect in preparing the minds of both men and women 
for the realization of the fact that the same necessity 
existed for the training of members of the sister 
profession of nursing. 
And the lectures to the New England Hospital 
nurses (which, under certain conditions, were open 
to women from outside) were steadily attracting 
women who were better and better prepared to study 
a profession rather than merely to practice an art. 
But Dr. Zakrzewska had still found herself ham- 
pered by the narrow quarters which restricted her 
plans for nurses as well as for doctors, students and 
patients. She had been still further limited by the 
human impossibility of even her vigorous strength 
and endurance being equal to the superhuman de- 
mands developed by the successful materialization 
of her vision. And the training of assistants and 
colleagues required primarily a sacrifice of the time 
and energy already imperatively mortgaged. 
Now, not only was the material building ready for THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
363 
the Hospital, but also there was there incarnated 
the spirit of a common purpose, a spirit into the 
creation of which she had so literally incorporated 
her own self. 
Hence, as the executive Head, she now had at her 
command not only a commodious structure but also 
director associates; a corps of younger physicians, 
trained theoretically and practically in both medi- 
cine and surgery; a supply of patients, always be- 
yond the possibilities of accommodation; and a 
promising reservoir of aspiring women accepting 
and demanding training in nursing. 
Immediately then, upon the opening of the new 
building, steps were taken for the expansion of the 
New England Hospital Training School for Nurses, 
and for its establishment as the “first general train- 
ing school for nurses in America,” organized and 
equipped to give general training along the then 
most modern practical lines, with a full corps of 
instructors in all branches, and with a hospital ser- 
vice that included medicine, surgery and obstetrics. 
This change was described in the annual reports of 
the year of 1871-1872, by Dr. Sewall in the medical 
report and by Mrs. Ednah D. Cheney as secretary 
of the corporation. 
In addition to performing her duties at the Hos- 
pital and attending to her continually expanding pri- 
vate practice, Dr. Zakrzewska served on both the 
building committee and the furnishing committee for 
the new hospital. But while, among the staff of 
medical instructors, she delivered the greatest num- 
ber of lectures, the details of organizing the new 
Training School for Nurses were delegated to Dr. 364 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Susan Dimock,18 who became resident physician in 
August when Dr. Bucket received leave of absence 
to go to Europe for rest and study. 
During the first year of the new Training School 
for Nurses ten applicants were accepted after pro- 
bation, two of these completing the year and being 
graduated. One of these first graduates was Miss 
Linda A. Richards who later helped to organize the 
Bellevue Hospital (New York) Training School, 
and still later that of the Massachusetts General 
Hospital and that of the Boston City Hospital. 
During this eventful year, two important finan- 
cial losses shadowed the high light thrown upon the 
foregoing successful working out of the far-reach- 
ing plans which Dr. Zakrzewska had for so long 
labored to develop. These were the loss of the an- 
nual donations of one thousand dollars each from 
the Legislature of Massachusetts and from the Bos- 
ton Lying-in Hospital Corporation—the former hav- 
ing voted against any appropriation to private 
charities, and the latter having decided to reopen a 
hospital under its own control, in the overcrowded 
part of the city. Hence, it was again considered 
expedient to plan for a December Fair. But many 
days of doubt and hesitancy were to precede the 
opening of this Fair. 
It had been planned to have the formal dedica- 
tion of the new building take place at the time of 
the annual meeting of the board of directors. As 
this day approached it was found that it would be 
impossible for the friends of the enterprise to reach 
the new location of the Hospital. The great epizo- 
otic epidemic was prevailing; horses were every- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
365 
where succumbing to its virulence, and all the ac- 
tivities of the city which depended upon these neces- 
sary animals were almost paralyzed. 
A fortnight later traffic was more controllable, but 
in the meantime every one had passed through the 
calamity of the great “Boston Fire,” and Mrs. 
Cheney spoke the language of restraint when she 
said, “It was not easy to go to men whose ware- 
houses and offices were in ashes, or to women who 
had lost their investments in insurance, and ask 
them to give us the money that we needed to com- 
plete our building and to carry on our work.” 
Under such circumstances it redounded to the 
credit of both the hospital workers and the com- 
munity of Boston that the formal opening of the 
Hospital was not longer delayed, that the Fair was 
held in December as planned, and that it resulted 
in a sum exceeding five thousand dollars. 
It is important to note that it was also during 
this year that the first Hospital Social Service work 
in America was begun. This was organized in con- 
nection with the Maternity—Dr. Dimock, Miss Lilian 
Freeman Clarke, Miss Elizabeth Greene and Miss 
Mary Parkman cooperating. 
And this year was further marked by the opening 
to the New England Hospital medical women of 
some of the clinics of the Massachusetts Eye and 
Ear Infirmary. CHAPTER XXXII 
Dr. Zakrzewska goes to Europe for her first vacation in 
fifteen years—Letter to Dr. Sewall from Switzerland 
—Dr. Helen Morton is appointed third attending 
physician to the Hospital (in charge of the Maternity) 
—Tragic death of Dr. Dimock—For the first time the 
Hospital has a woman on the staff as attending sur- 
geon, Dr. C. Annette Bucket being thus appointed— 
The Hospital is represented by exhibits at the Centen- 
nial International Exhibition, the plans and eleva- 
tions of the new buildings receiving an award— 
Mrs. Cheney writes from Europe of the interest taken 
over there in the Hospital, and the looking toward it 
from England, Scotland and Germany for encourage- 
ment and help. (1872-1877.) 
The addition of a third attending physician at the 
Hospital (Dr. Helen Morton who took charge of the 
Maternity) and the continued increase in the num- 
ber of younger doctors still further relieved Dr. 
Zakrzewska and enabled her in the summer of 1874 
to go to Europe for a long-deferred but much-needed 
vacation. The constantly growing demands in both 
Hospital and private practice upon her professional 
skill, and in the community at large upon the many 
gifts of her broad personality, became at last a 
breaking strain upon the vitality so grievously de- 
pleted by the pioneer work of these first fifteen years 
in Boston. 
Midway in this resting time (August 19,1874) she 
writes to Dr. Sewall: 
366 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
367 
My vacation is half over, and just now I am enjoy- 
ing a short stay in the queerest little old town and 
ditto hotel between the Bernese and Wallis Alps. 
Such a rest from work and care I have never had in 
all my life! My head is getting steady once more 
and, although I am not yet as quiet in my upper 
regions as I ought to be if I want again to work 
hard, I am certainly very, very much better than I 
was at the time I started from Boston. I have had 
only slight headaches, never sufficient to lie down, 
and I am much less confused, in spite of the three 
languages around me. 
We travel in a very leisurely way, different from 
tourists, for we stop and sojourn wherever the fancy 
happens to take us. In this way, we have seen a 
great deal of Switzerland, and have enjoyed the 
usual places of interest as well as the out-of-the-way 
places such as where we are now. 
I have so often thought of you and of what you 
are doing and have followed you in your summer’s 
work. I suppose just now you are away on your 
vacation. What I am most curious about is whether 
you succeeded in selling your present house, and 
whether you bought that nice one on Boylston Street. 
It would be such a beautiful situation that I wish 
I could find you settled there on my return 
. . . However beautiful all around me is here, I 
long for home and my friends. My home in Rox- 
bury is, after all, the most desirable spot for me, 
and the few but true and kind friends I have made 
in America are far dearer to me than all I could 
possibly find here in Europe. 
After this journey, I shall be more positive in 
my love for my American home than I ever was 
before. The very freedom one breathes in the air 
there is refreshing and stimulating compared with 368 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
the air of servility, destitution and depravity which 
an observing person sees everywhere here. How 
Americans can prefer to live over here is to me in- 
comprehensible. 
. . . Miss Sprague has hardly yet got over the ef- 
fects of her seasickness, and in four and a half weeks 
we shall undertake the journey again. "We hope to 
be in Boston by the 2d of October ready for work. 
Please tell Dr. Dimock of the very pleasant call I 
had from Professor Meyer and that he gave me his 
picture to bring home to her. I hope she is doing 
well and can wait for my help till October. 
I have little time for letter writing, as I am too 
tired to write at night and, besides, my eyes have 
given out. For the past few weeks, I can neither 
read nor thread a needle by candlelight, and often 
even by daylight everything is in a blur. 
But tell Dr. Dimock I am thinking a good deal 
about her and hope she will not work too hard, so 
that she can bear the winter’s responsibility and 
have her turn here in Europe next summer. 
In the spring of 1875 as planned in this letter, Dr. 
Dimock who was acting as attending surgeon, in ad- 
dition to her duties as resident and attending physi- 
cian, obtained leave of absence and sailed for Europe 
to undertake additional surgical study, but she had 
the misfortune to be a passenger on the steamer 
Schiller which was wrecked on the Scilly rocks early 
in May. Her loss was felt keenly, not only because 
of the charm of her personality but also because she 
had been a representative of the hopes of the Hos- 
pital for a woman who would be broadly fitted and 
trained to serve as attending surgeon. The name 
of Codman Avenue, a street which ran through the THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
369 
hospital grounds, was later in her memory changed 
to Dimock Street. 
Later in the year, Dr. C. Annette Bucket, newly 
returned from two years of study of surgery in 
Vienna and Paris, was regularly appointed as at- 
tending surgeon. This was an important event for 
both Dr. Zakrzewska and the New England Hospital 
because now for the first time since 1866 an attend- 
ing surgeon reappears in the annual report as a 
member of the staff. And this event was especially 
noteworthy because for the first time the name of 
such staff member was that of a woman. 
Although Dr. Buckel did not retain her position 
beyond that first year (removing to California on 
account of ill health), yet her appointment seemed 
to end the surgical vicissitudes of the Hospital. 
Never since then has there been a time when the 
position of attending surgeon has been omitted from 
the annual report. And never has there been lack- 
ing a qualified woman to carry on this work. In- 
deed, it soon became necessary to appoint a second 
attending surgeon, then a third, and then a fourth. 
And to these have been added from time to time 
one or more assistant surgeons. And with this con- 
quest of the surgical field was surmounted the last 
difficulty in filling staff positions with qualified 
women. 
Dr. Zakrzewska’s vacation in Europe had lasted 
only a few months, though it should have been a 
year or even more. Recuperation from brain and 
nerve fatigue is much slower than from muscle fa- 
tigue, a lesson we all learn only by bitter experience. 
Her wonderful physique once more drew upon its 370 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
vital reserves and responded to the spur of her call 
to duty, and she returned to work with apparently 
renewed vigor. 
Fortunate it was that she was able to resume the 
helm at the Hospital in this eventful year of 1875, 
following Dr. Dimock’s untimely loss and the neces- 
sity which had arisen for Dr. Sewall’s taking a long 
vacation. 
For eight months it must have seemed to her al- 
most like a reversion to earlier days. But there was 
the incomparable difference that Dr. Helen Morton 
now took entire charge of the Maternity, having de- 
veloped at the Paris Maternite, according to Dr. 
Zakrzewska, “unusual skill and special fitness for 
difficult and surgical obstetric cases.” And later 
Dr. Elizabeth C. Keller19 came from Philadelphia 
to serve as resident physician, she succeeding Dr. 
Buckel the following year as attending surgeon and 
occupying this latter position for many years. 
Writing of this time to Dr. Sewall in Europe, Dr. 
Zakrzewska says: 
I think we shall all like Dr. Keller. And it is a 
very good thing to have a fresh and new element 
come into Boston, as we tend to renew ourselves too 
much from and through ourselves. 
In the autumn the return of Dr. Sewall and the 
arrival of Dr. Keller once more released Dr. Zakr- 
zewska and permitted her to resume the wide rela- 
tions which she held outside the Hospital. She was 
constantly called upon to express her views on the 
questions regarding women, questions which were 
more and more appealing to the increasing number THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
371 
of medical women as well as to the community at 
large. She responded to these calls both in speech 
and in writing. 
Realizing how much the interior arrangements 
of the new buildings were due to the advice and 
planning of the medical women, it was a great satis- 
faction to her that in the following year (1876) at 
the Centennial International Exhibition held in 
Philadelphia, the plans and elevations of the new 
buildings of the Hospital, together with photo- 
graphic interior views of the wards, etc., were ex- 
hibited in the names of the architects, Messrs. Cum- 
mings and Sears, and received an award for “well- 
studied design securing economy of service, good 
distribution of various parts for ventilation and 
cheerful accommodation.’ 7 
Also that at the Centennial, a history and descrip- 
tion of the Hospital was displayed in the Massachu- 
setts Exhibit in the Department of Education and 
Science, and in the Woman’s Department. 
In 1877 Mrs. Cheney writes to her from Europe: 
All that I have seen and heard of the work of 
medical education for women in Europe has deep- 
ened my sense of the importance of our Hospital 
work. It is known in every circle that I have entered 
where there is any interest in woman’s progress, 
and in England and Scotland and Germany they 
look to us for encouragement and help. 
There was a great improvement in the financial 
condition of the Hospital during this year (1877); 
and among other items in the treasurer’s report oc- 
curs the following which speaks for itself as an in- 372 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
teresting commentary on the policy developed by 
Dr. Zakrzewska in the Hospital, as we have already 
seen it developed in her private practice: 
The executors of the late Mr. Augustus Hemenway 
devoted to us the liberal sum of fifteen thousand 
dollars from the sum left by his will to charities 
not promoting pauperism. CHAPTER XXXin 
Dr. Zakrzewska and the other pioneer medical women find 
a new foe in an increasing number of medical women 
who are poorly educated and otherwise unfitted—She 
addresses the New England Women’s Club on the 
“Medical Education of Women”—Unsuccessful at- 
tempt to persuade the New York medical colleges for 
men to accept scholarships for properly prepared 
women—Opening of the Woman’s Medical College of 
the New York Infirmary—Further movement to open 
for women one of the great medical colleges for men 
—Dr. Zakrzewska’s comment on this proposition, with 
special reference to Harvard—The New England Hos- 
pital Medical Society—Action taken by Harvard Uni- 
versity in 1879 on the question of admitting women 
students of medicine. (1865-1880.) 
The pioneer medical women (Drs. Elizabeth 
Blackwell, Marie E. Zakrzewska, Emily Blackwell, 
and Ann Preston) to whose successful struggles are 
due, for the first time in the history of the world, 
the real opening of the profession of medicine to 
women equally with men, had no sooner begun to 
take breath after their first stupendous battle, than 
they found themselves confronted with a new foe. 
This foe was within the ranks of their own sex, 
and its development threatened an undermining 
campaign which seemed almost more disheartening 
than the militant one from which they had just 
emerged. This new foe was the increasing number 
373 374 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
of women doctors, poorly educated and otherwise un- 
fitted, who began to appear all over the country. 
Because the evil was so insidious and was cloaked 
by the necessity and the desire for competent medi- 
cal women which had been demonstrated and 
aroused throughout the country, it was most difficult 
to meet. 
The Philadelphia women met it by striving even 
harder to bring up the standard of the Woman’s 
Medical College and to expand the field of the 
Woman’s Hospital. 
The more eastern women, meaning those of New 
York and Boston at the New York Infirmary and the 
New England Hospital, met it by trying to estab- 
lish a standard and by trying to educate both the 
profession and the laity to accept nothing lower 
than such a standard. 
To these women, the simplest as well as the wisest 
procedure seemed to be an attempt to persuade some 
of the best of the already existing medical colleges 
to accept a number of properly prepared women 
students. 
To this end, it was proposed to inform the com- 
munity at large of the situation (the subject being 
really as vital to the laity as to the profession, since 
doctors can practice only through patients), and to 
collect a large sum of money which might serve to 
endow a number of scholarships for women in some 
of the leading medical colleges of the country. 
As early as 1865, a fund of fifty thousand dollars 
had been collected for this purpose, but all the col- 
leges refused to accept women as students, even un- 
der such auspices. As the situation was particularly THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
375 
pressing in New York, the Drs. Blackwell were then 
so urged to take the next best step (the best having 
proved to be beyond their power) that they con- 
sented to add a college to their Hospital. And thus, 
in 1868, was opened the Woman’s Medical College 
of the New York Infirmary. 
This college set a standard which was never sur- 
passed by any of the colleges for men. But one 
small college insisting on a high standard could not 
compete numerically with rivals offering apparently 
equally desirable advantages and with standards 
easier of attainment. So the campaign continued! 
In 1877, Dr. Zakrzewska being invited to address 
a body of leading nonmedical women (the New 
England Women’s Club), brought this problem to 
them for conference. She said in part: 
At first the study of medicine appealed only to 
earnest women who felt a decided calling in that 
direction and who really thought to benefit their sex 
by acquiring information which would serve others 
through their advice. Very few, if any, of these 
first women combined with this idea that of vindi- 
cating their rights as Women. 
It was no easy matter at that time to become a 
doctor of medicine. The great obstacle, want of 
schools, sifted out the weaker elements; and those 
who succeeded in obtaining teachers and in being 
admitted into the colleges then open to women were, 
as you will conceive, possessed of unusual 'oersever- 
ance and firmness of purpose. 
But soon there appeared among the candidates for 
medical honors another purpose, the desire to gain 
these honors through simple study during a pre- 
scribed course without any laborious work. 376 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
The first suggestion of this came through some 
men physicians who, becoming alarmed at the move- 
ment and perhaps conscious of their own mediocrity, 
felt instinctively that there was danger of their being 
overshadowed by women, who are by nature sym- 
pathetic and more caretaking in sickness. 
These raised the cry of “competition.” Many 
women believed the cry was caused by alarm at a 
real danger, that of the women making money of 
which the men desired to retain a monopoly, and 
they imagined that a new field especially adapted 
to their sex was opened—one in which, with a short 
course of technical study, they could more easily 
and rapidly than in other vocations open to them 
acquire a name and abundant means of support, if 
not a fortune. 
The laity then awoke to this movement, and that 
portion of them whose head and heart were inter- 
ested in the “rights” of women began to establish 
schools and colleges for the purpose of educating 
women physicians. And in a short time such insti- 
tutions sprang up in several cities. 
After years of struggle and gradual improvement, 
the Philadelphia medical school for women 
(Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania) has ac- 
quired deserved value when judged by the standard 
of men’s schools. 
And the Drs. Blackwell were later compelled to 
open a medical school in connection with the Infir- 
mary (Woman’s Medical College of the New York 
Infirmary), in order to stem the flood of inferior 
physicians which was pouring forth, especially in 
New York, from schools which were far below medi- 
ocrity. 
Thus to-day, of all the institutions open to women 
for medical study, only these two and the University THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
377 
of Michigan even try to reach the standard of medi- 
cal education necessary to compare favorably with 
that of the men. 
I say, try to reach that standard. By this, I do 
not wish to imply that the teachers and professors 
in these schools are always less capable than those 
in the male schools. No, the fault is in the students 
themselves, and so it will be for some time to come. 
Here, allow me to state why this is so and has been 
so for many years. 
As I have said before, in the beginning of this 
movement women who persisted in the study needed 
uncommon perseverance and firmness of purpose. 
For the acquisition of these qualities, a certain 
amount of educational training and concentration of 
thought and will were requisite. 
At present, such uncommon perseverance and de- 
termination are not so indispensable. It is now very 
easy to become a physician. If the higher and bet- 
ter medical schools will not admit women, the lower 
and the less strict are willing to do so. Socially, the 
woman doctor is respected and in some circles even 
lionized and ranked far above the teacher; there- 
fore, two great obstacles are removed. 
All that a young woman needs is the permission of 
her parents and the means of support while study- 
ing. Both of these are now more easily attained, 
since her social position is likely to improve rather 
than to decline as it formerly did. 
Also, the number of schools and colleges has in- 
creased and they require a certain number of stu- 
dents in order to exist. Hence arises a rivalry 
among these institutions, and instead of elevating 
their standard to make good women physicians some 
lower it in order to fill their classes. 
The effect of this sort of education is that the 378 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
country is rapidly being swarmed with women physi- 
cians of very doubtful ability as regards either pre- 
paratory or medical education. 
At the same time, the need for well-educated 
women physicians becomes the more pressing, as is 
manifested by the ready employment they all find, 
though there is no chance for discrimination between 
the real and the sham article denoted by the sign 
“ Doctor.’ ’ 
Hence, in many places the movement is beginning 
to be again viewed with distrust by communities 
which have again and again been disappointed when 
hoping to find scientific education and practical tal- 
ent among the women practitioners who were offer- 
ing their services to the public. 
In a word, the so hopefully sown good seeds are in 
danger of being suffocated by the still more thickly 
sown weeds. 
It is against this danger that I feel I must warn 
you. And I wish to call upon every educated 
woman within my reach to aid in destroying this 
evil. 
Every individual can assist in this great reform; 
first, by trying to get clear ideas on the subject in 
order to discriminate and to judge; and then, to 
assist in every possible wTay those who are striving 
to elevate the educational and moral standards in 
medicine. 
Some highly educated physicians have said to me, 
“We see no reason why a woman should not study 
medicine. If she can become wiser and her prac- 
tice better, then we must have her, for our aim is 
the better; if she cannot do this or cannot even do 
as well as men, she will work her own destruction 
in her endeavors.” 
Women should be willing to accept this or any THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
379 
other just test, but in order that the experiment 
shall be a fair one, they must have preparation and 
education and subsequent opportunity, equal to 
those given to the men. 
The continued refusal of the larger medical col- 
leges to admit women, under endowed scholarships 
or in any other way, led to the development of a 
more ambitious plan, this being the idea of purchas- 
ing direct partnership rights for women in one of 
these colleges. 
But this required the raising of a much larger 
amount of money. In this direction there was made 
in 1880, a tentative proposition which involved the 
formation of a central organization with State 
branches, for the purpose of collecting such large 
fund and then arranging for its wise use. 
The statement was made: 
All sectional jealousy must be laid aside. Neither 
Boston, nor New York, nor Philadelphia must insist 
upon being the seat of the medical school. If Har- 
vard would accept our conditions, it might possibly 
present certain guaranties which wrould give it a 
first claim in spite of the greater clinical advantages 
of the larger cities. But the College of Physicians 
and Surgeons in New York, and the University of 
Pennsylvania and the Jefferson Medical College in 
Philadelphia, must also be considered. 
In making the large united effort which seems 
desirable in order to take an advance step in the edu- 
cation of American medical women, we must secure 
that great impersonal enthusiasm for a cause which 
shall be far above purely sectional pride. 380 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
When this proposition was submitted to Dr. Zakr- 
zewska for consideration, she replied as follows: 
In order to answer your letter of July 27 care- 
fully, I must dictate it because an affliction of my 
eyes prevents me from writing myself. My health 
is pretty good, and the very best of oculists declare 
my eyes to be good, still the least use of them for 
reading or writing gives me so much pain that it 
prevents sleep and unfits me for thinking business. 
The proposed crusade against the mediocre medi- 
cal colleges has been recognized as necessary, not 
only by myself but by all the physicians connected 
with the New England Hospital. Perhaps the fact 
that we are working independently of all colleges 
has given us a more impartial opinion in regard to 
these schools. We have, I think, the best chance to 
judge of the results which these schools produce 
because we receive the young graduates for the prac- 
tical training. 
Perhaps you will remember that I wrote you four 
or five years ago how discouraged I felt about the 
manner in which the different female medical col- 
leges educated and inspired their students and 
how derogatory the result was to the whole move- 
ment. 
. . . The proposition to raise one hundred thou- 
sand dollars for the purpose of securing admission 
into a male college could be carried out quite easily, 
comparatively speaking. In Massachusetts alone, 
it could be done if Harvard would consent to add a 
small class of women to its medical department. 
The fact is that when a few years ago the New Eng- 
land Female Medical College here in Boston was 
broken up, there came unofficially from some one in 
authority in Harvard the proposition to take it, THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
381 
provided the public would endow it with one hundred 
thousand dollars. 
In such case, the female students would be edu- 
cated in their own building which was two miles 
from the building for men. However, the examina- 
tions of the women students for entrance into the 
college were to be the same as those for the men, and 
the instruction was to be given by the same profes- 
sors—in fact, Harvard Medical College repeated for 
the benefit of women alone. 
I did not favor such an arrangement but actually 
discouraged it, because it seemed to me disastrous 
to the whole spirit of woman’s work in the profes- 
sion. 
I feared that after trial professors of acknowl- 
edged rank might declare that teaching six or twelve 
women was not satisfactory, although it might rec- 
ompense them financially, and that therefore they 
would either give it up entirely or leave the instruc- 
tion to the younger teachers. 
I could not advocate a school exposed to such a 
risk because if the instructors of Harvard Medical 
College should become more prominent in the 
woman’s branch while the professors took the lead 
in the men’s branch, it would give both the students 
and the public the impression that the women were 
of secondary importance. 
Another attempt to open Harvard to women has 
been made within a year or two by a lady who pro- 
posed to give ten thousand dollars towards a fund 
which would pay for a class of women in the medi- 
cal department. 
Many discussions concerning this proposition 
came up in the different meetings which were held 
in consequence of this offer. The result was al- 
ways the same, namely, divided opinions—entirely 382 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
against the admission of women at all; against their 
admission with men; and against the formation of a 
small class of women alone. 
The only encouraging part of the discussion was 
that those who were entirely opposed to women’s 
studying were a very small minority, while those 
against coeducation were less firm in their opposi- 
tion. Besides, I am perfectly sure that if the 
younger men who now hold positions as instructors 
at the College could cast their votes and could in- 
fluence the Directors’ decisions, there would be 
more chance for the admission of women. 
The New England Female Medical College was 
absorbed into the Boston University Medical De- 
partment, an inferior school and a homeopathic one, 
which has no other merit than that it admits men 
and women on equal terms to all its advantages; 
therefore, it does not injure the movement for 
women any more than it does the profession at large. 
Our Hospital does as good a work as any hospital 
carried on by medical men. We have now two good 
women surgeons, and all kinds of operations are 
performed as a matter of course, without being con- 
sidered extraordinary occurrences, as was formerly 
the case. 
I can safely say that the Hospital work, which we 
enlarge as fast as our means will permit, has be- 
come a power throughout the country, and the Hos- 
pital in all its appointments is more or less acknowl- 
edged as the most complete of any under the control 
of women physicians. 
This is as good a picture of the situation here in 
Boston as I am able to give you. If we had gained 
admission into the Massachusetts Medical Society, 
we would stand on equal footing with the best part 
of the profession. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
383 
In some of the smaller towns of Massachusetts, 
young women physicians have been admitted into 
the county societies, and these being a part of the 
Massachusetts Medical Society have thus opened a 
discussion which will eventually lead to the admis- 
sion of women into the parent society, which is an- 
other step towards getting admission into Harvard 
Medical Department. 
On October 1, Dr. Smith who was graduated in 
Zurich will take the position of resident physician 
with us, and we shall try to persuade other educated 
women to study in Zurich so that we can fill this 
post with such graduates and thus overcome little 
by little the opposition to coeducation. 
Can you not see from these statements that the 
raising of money alone will not suffice to bring about 
the equally good education of women and men? To 
be sure, if I had a sum large enough to endow a 
medical college, I could bring about coeducation and 
thorough scientific study by getting men of the best 
talent from both Europe and America, but one hun- 
dred thousand dollars would be only a drop in the 
bucket towards such an enterprise. 
Meanwhile, we have another bright prospect in 
the admission of women to the University of Michi- 
gan, at Ann Arbor. Although the medical students 
are not in the same classrooms, yet the lectures and 
the opportunities for women are precisely the same 
as those for men. 
The lectures are given in separate lecture rooms, 
except in chemistry. The students of both sexes 
work together in the laboratory and are present at 
most of the clinics. The work in the dissecting- 
rooms is quite separate, and occasionally the women 
are not present at some special operations. 
The movement for educating women as physicians 384 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
has become so widespread that I think it impossible 
to work for the elevation of the standard of their 
medical education in any other way than by having 
the leading women of each state keep in view as their 
final aim the opening on the basis of coeducation of 
the best medical colleges. 
The number of persons now interested in the 
whole movement is so great and the labor to raise 
money to maintain the institutions, even such as 
they are, has required so much nerve and strength 
that even to hint at their abolition or their absorp- 
tion in male colleges might have a detrimental effect 
in dispiriting the public who, taken as a whole, are 
not yet settled on the question of coeducation. 
The American people, both men and women, have 
to work out the different problems of advancing 
their interests without having them favored or op- 
posed by a fixed social class whose prerogative it 
is to exercise a controlling influence on any standard 
set up. 
The medical education of women must now take 
its chance for growth like all the other questions of 
woman’s rights, yes, even of men’s rights, politically 
speaking. We are, with all the rest, passing through 
the phase of crystallization, and only the merit or 
the capacity of the individual can act to bring about 
a good and lasting effect. 
We must grow at present by every one of us doing 
her utmost best from day to day; and if the principle 
is a correct one that it is within women to exercise 
their faculties according to their inclinations the 
same as men do, it cannot be overthrown. I do not 
want to give you the impression that I wish to be 
pessimistically indolent; on the contrary, I want you 
to understand that I include in that ‘‘utmost best” THE LIFE OF MABIE ZAKBZEWSKA 
385 
criticism as well as denunciation of the imperfect 
or mediocre and readiness for any crusade for the 
better, for the higher, and for the perfect ideal. 
The physicians connected with our Hospital have 
formed a Society,20 and have framed a constitution 
which admits to membership both men and women. 
So far we have only women members, and there are 
only a very few in the society who are not connected 
with the Hospital, because we mean to be as careful 
and as stringent as possible. 
I wish I could visit you this winter and talk all 
these matters over, as I really need a rest of a year, 
not because I am sick but because I feel that I may 
be, as the strain upon my nerve power has been so 
intense for thirty years that relaxation is needed 
if I want to end my life in usefulness. 
For the present, I cannot do anything more than 
to plan for such a recreation, but when the moment 
comes to carry out this plan, I shall write to you in 
order to make arrangements for us to meet in a way 
which will give us time and comfort. 
The ten thousand dollars referred to in the above 
letter was offered in 1878 by Miss Marian Hovey 
toward the new building which Harvard was about 
to erect, she making the condition that women should 
be admitted as students. 
According to Dr. Chadwick, the Corporation re- 
ferred the communication to the Board of Overseers 
who in turn referred it to a committee consisting of 
President Eliot, Alexander Agassiz, Dr. Morrill 
Wyman, J. Elliot Cabot and Dr. LeBaron Bussell. 
In 1879, majority and minority reports were pre- 
sented, the latter by Dr. Bussell alone. 386 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
The majority report recommended acceptance of 
the trust offered by Miss Hovey, and presented an 
outline of conditions which were thought to be de- 
sirable to govern the admission of women students. 
It further stated that of twenty-one members of 
the Medical Faculty who expressed their views in 
writing, six were in favor, with restrictions; three 
were in favor of making the experiment but had 
strong doubts of its expediency or success; five were 
opposed, but were willing to try the experiment un- 
der certain conditions; seven were strongly opposed. 
Thus, fourteen were at least willing to try the ex- 
periment conditionally, while seven were uncondi- 
tionally opposed. 
The minority report opposed acceptance of the 
trust and advised that the medical women should 
establish their own school, modeling it upon the 
Harvard school. 
A vote of the Board of Overseers was immediately 
taken upon the adoption of the majority report, the 
vote standing seven to nine. It was then voted to 
reconsider the motion two weeks later. 
Meantime, a meeting of the Medical Faculty was 
held and the admission of women was negatived in 
two resolutions, one by a vote of thirteen to five 
and one of fourteen to four. 
Following this action of the Medical Faculty, the 
Board of Overseers at their next meeting voted 
(17 to 7): 
That the Board of Overseers find themselves 
unable to advise the President and Fellows to ac- 
cept the generous proposal of Miss Hovey. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
387 
It then voted (16 to 10) for the following motion 
which was proposed by the President: 
That in the opinion of the Board of Overseers it 
is expedient that, under suitable restrictions, 
women be instructed by Harvard University in its 
Medical School. CHAPTER XXXIV 
Opening of the Massachusetts Medical Society to women— 
Letter on the subject to Dr. Zakrzewska from Dr. 
Henry 1. Bowditch—She declines to present herself 
for examination for admission, having already twice 
prepared herself and been refused examination be- 
cause she was a woman—Dr. Zakrzewska’s reply to 
the question “whether to enforce obedience medicines 
should be administered to refractory prisoners in re- 
formatories and prisons.” (1879-1884.) 
It was in this same year of 1879, however, that 
the cause was heartened by the beginning of the 
tardy capitulation of the Massachusetts Medical 
Society, the council of which following in the wake 
of ten or a dozen of the other State medical societies, 
finally voted to admit women to membership on 
equal terms with men. 
This society differs from most of the other State 
medical societies in that its membership does not 
consist, as does theirs, of delegates from the con- 
stituent county societies. Members join the Massa- 
chusetts Medical Society as individuals, and it aims 
to include all reputable members of the profession. 
It had previously refused to recognize homeo- 
pathic and eclectic physicians, holding these latter 
as “irregular” practitioners of medicine, even 
though their diplomas were legalized by the same 
authority as that which had legalized those of its 
own members. 
388 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
389 
Its refusal to admit women to membership showed 
its intention to classify women also as “irregulars,” 
even women who had received their diplomas as 
regular classmates of men who were acceptable. 
The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, of 
October 9, 1879, expressed itself characteristically 
in an editorial: 
We regret to be obliged to announce that at a 
meeting of the councilors, held on October 1, it was 
voted to admit women to the Massachusetts Medical 
Society. . . . Enshrouded in her mantle of science, 
woman is supposed to be endowed with power to 
descend from that high pedestal upon which we 
men have always placed her, and to mingle with us 
unscathed in scenes from which her own modesty 
and the esteem of the other sex has hitherto pro- 
tected her. 
The editor seems to have forgotten that women 
had long mingled in those ‘ ‘ scenes ’f as patients and 
as nurses; it was only as physicians that they were 
being “protected” from them. 
However, the “protectors” were loath to discon- 
tinue their gallant services and, following the pro- 
test of the Suffolk District branch of the State So- 
ciety, the Council rescinded its vote, thus relegating 
the medical women to their pedestals. 
But the Society continued in a state of unrest, 
friends of the admission of women gaining in 
strength and their opponents losing proportion- 
ately, though by-issues were also injected. Even- 
tually, the inevitable was foreseen; the question 
remained only as to the form which it would take. 390 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
The handwriting on the wall was visible when in 
1883 the Pennsylvania State Medical Society (!) 
sent a woman (Dr. Alice Bennett) as delegate to the 
annual meeting of the Massachusetts Medical So- 
ciety. She was accepted officially, and she sat 
through the proceedings, and nothing happened. 
At the annual meeting of the following year, 1884, 
the By-Laws were amended so as to permit of the 
admission of women on an equality with men; and 
then that storm center cleared. 
An editorial in the Boston Medical and Surgical 
Journal, June 19, 1884, loyally accepts the action 
of the Society but it cannot forbear a little over- 
flow of emotion in the following words: 
... We believe that women in this particular 
community are already aided and abetted in too 
many foolish fads and fancies. There is too much 
bad piano playing and too little good cooking and 
sewing taught them. . . . 
[Many years later, the editor of this book met 
the editor of the Boston Medical and Surgical Jour- 
nal, and in discussing the subject of medical women, 
she is glad to say he admitted that he had “ read- 
justed’ ’ his “point of view.”] 
Dr. Henry I. Bowditch viewed the action of the 
Society in a different light, as is shown in a letter 
written to Dr. Zakrzewska after the details of this 
advanced step had been arranged and the women 
were preparing to take the Society examinations: THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
391 
Boston, June 15, 1884. 
My Dear Doctor: 
I thank yon for the letter received yesterday. The 
result was entirely unexpected, and I can only thank 
God and take courage for the future days and for 
opportunities to fight for simple right and justice. 
For I assure you that all through these years 
since I have advocated the examination of women by 
the Massachusetts Medical Society, I have myself 
stood upon the eternal foundations of justice to 
every human being. My old anti-slavery warfare 
and its principles, with the experience gained in 
that fight against prejudice, have been of immense 
support to me. 
... I have always consulted with honorable, edu- 
cated women, in spite of all By-Laws. At first I 
believe some of the bigots thought I ought to be 
punished. But I cared not a farthing for the dark 
hints of discipline impending, feeling sure as I did 
that light would appear the next day and that with 
the element of Time and simple justice on my side, 
Right would certainly prevail. 
But as I now look back upon this final victory, and 
mark the various tyrannical rulings of our presi- 
dents and the stupid arguments urged by the op- 
ponents and their victories up to the present hour, 
with their final and, if not graceful, certainly good- 
natured and boorish submission to the fact of being 
in a hopeless minority themselves—I marvel, and, as 
I said above, take courage for any future fight for 
the True and Right. 
Some of the arguments by our opponents in the 
council were so weak that I think they injured their 
own cause. 
For example, Dr. says: “Our fathers never 
meant that women should be members, and how 392 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
absurd it would be for us to admit them! They 
are different from men and cannot properly become 
our associates in medicine, etc.” 
Dr. , with becoming pompousness of manner 
after duly twirling his gray mustaches, said: “I 
am not in favor of women being admitted because 
they have never done anything original.” 
Dr. Wyman suggested that the names of Mrs. 
Somerville, Mesdames Boivin and Lachapelle in 
France and Jacobi in America certainly proved 
that women were capable of high intellectual work. 
“7 do not admit that they are exceptions,” replied 
Dr. . 
I was fool enough to forget to ask what original 
work had ever been done by members of the Massa- 
chusetts Medical Society, and especially by the 
speaker himself. That would have floored our an- 
tagonist very effectually. 
But let us not think of the past, but prepare our- 
selves for the future that is opening so brightly 
before us. 
I am glad that the young students are preparing 
for the race. As for yourself, I do not wonder at 
your decision. You do as I think I should do. 
Your “pioneer” race and energy will always com- 
mand the respect of the community and of the pro- 
fessional men who know you and who are not bigots 
to a “Code.” 
I remain 
Very truly yours, 
Henry I. Bowditch. 
The reference at the end of Dr. Bowditch’s letter 
is to the course upon which Dr. Zakrzewska had de- 
cided, after mature consideration of the question of 
taking the examination for admission to the Massa- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
393 
chusetts Medical Society. She expresses this deci- 
sion and the reasons for reaching it, as follows: 
The Massachusetts Medical Society has within 
the last three months decided to admit women. The 
perseverance of women in the practice of medicine 
and surgery, their professional competency, the in- 
crease in their numbers, and the impossibility of 
ignoring them any longer, have led to the result that 
physicians of this Society acknowledge women in 
daily practice and have thus broken the rule which 
binds them to friendliness and cooperation with 
members only. Necessity, not acknowledgment of 
the principle of the right of woman to practice, has 
finally conquered, and the Massachusetts Medical 
Society is willing to allow women to present them- 
selves for examination with the view of admission. 
On the other hand, the regular women practi- 
tioners have found it necessary to protect them- 
selves against being confounded with charlatans of 
every description, and have formed themselves into 
a society which adopts the name of the Hospital in 
which their practice started and now centers. 
Besides the physicians living in Boston, a few 
scattered over the New England States are members 
of this society. Thus a union of reliable women 
practitioners is begun and promises to be of interest 
and usefulness. If a union with the Massachusetts 
Medical Society can be effected by them, it would 
be beneficial to both and, no doubt, to the profession 
at large. 
The obstacles to such a union consist chiefly in 
the fact that any one wishing to become a member 
of the Massachusetts Medical Society has to pre- 
sent himself or herself for examination before a 
number of censors chosen by the Society, and at 394 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
present in the Suffolk District Medical Society con- 
sisting of five of its youngest members, who have 
to examine the candidate in Obstetrics, Histology, 
Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Materia Medica, 
and Chemistry, that is to say, precisely in those 
branches for proficiency in which the candidate has 
received a diploma years ago. 
It is well known that wisdom and experience ac- 
quired in practice push into the background text- 
book knowledge, and that most physicians after 
ten years of practicing life have gained a great deal 
of knowledge which is not in the textbooks and 
have forgotten a great deal which is. 
It is therefore a question whether the amount of 
benefit gained by admission into the Massachusetts 
Medical Society is worth the waste of time neces- 
sary for reading and studying books which we have 
long laid aside and simply use occasionally for ref- 
erence. 
To young beginners, I would advise the seeking of 
this privilege but as for myself, I feel constrained to 
make the following statement: 
When I came to Boston in 1859, eight years after 
my graduation in Berlin as accoucheuse and three 
years after graduation as physician from the West- 
ern Reserve Medical College of Cleveland, Ohio, 
and having been regularly employed in teaching 
classes and private pupils in medicine, consequently, 
in the full life of a student—I made application for 
examination to be admitted into this society and 
wTas refused. 
Again, five years later, that is, in 1864, I made 
the same application, and was not so decidedly re- 
fused. Thinking there was a possibility of my 
being admitted, I set myself to work reviewing some 
of my studies in order to prepare myself to meet THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
395 
the high dignitaries in the shape of the young men 
members and censors of that venerable society; 
but after several months of discussion, I again re- 
ceived a refusal. 
This last refusal I met with the declaration that 
“when the time comes for women to be received 
into this Society—and I know it will come before I 
have passed out of this existence—this venerable 
Society cannot have me as a candidate for examina- 
tion but must give me an honorary membership if 
it wants me at all. ’ ’ 
To-day, its condescending proposal for my ex- 
amination for admission has been made, and I am 
only a little more than fifty years old. But after 
twenty-six and one-half years of practice (that is, 
nearly at the end of my career), my only personal 
interest in this affair is that I am happy that the 
younger women can have the benefit of an associa- 
tion which is very desirable for all beginners, and 
most desirable in assisting women to gain the posi- 
tion for which they strive. 
I have done my part, and I feel satisfied with the 
results achieved. I have aided the women of this 
country by word and deed, by example and sacrifice, 
and I am willing to retire, leaving them the field in 
which to sow and to reap where I have helped to 
plow, associated as I have been with the pioneer 
women of the medical profession. 
It was about this time that, at one of the meetings 
of the New England Hospital Society, that body 
was asked to give an opinion upon a question which 
had arisen in reformatories and prisons, that is, 
“whether medicines which cause anesthesia, emesis 
or prostration should ever be administered to re- 396 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
fractory prisoners to enforce obedience through 
their action. ’ ’ 
A unanimous “No” expressed the instinctive feel- 
ing among all members present of the absolute 
wrong in the use of such remedies to compel obedi- 
ence. The discussion of this subject was continued 
to a subsequent meeting, and Dr. Zakrzewska was 
requested to prepare a written statement of her 
views upon this point. She writes: 
I. From the medical standpoint, the administer- 
ing of a pharmaceutical preparation for any other 
purpose than to aid in the restoration of health is 
malpractice. An emetic or an opiate might be easily 
given to a culprit who is in perfect health but who 
refuses obedience to the prison regulations; this 
could be done by deceiving the offender. But the 
administration of ether or chloroform would meet 
with opposition for the overcoming of which an 
application of force would be needed, which would 
be as much in the nature of corporal punishment as 
would the use of the rod. 
No physician could sanction the use of remedies 
for any other than their legitimate purpose and 
must refuse such demand from the prison superin- 
tendent or warden. 
II. From the legal standpoint, no prison official 
has a right to order for the purpose of enforcing 
obedience the administration of powerful medicines 
to a healthy individual, thus rendering her ill for 
hours or days, shocking a system otherwise in har- 
monious action, and thereby also possibly producing 
bodily injuries, internally or externally, which may 
after the release of the prisoner easily lead to a THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
397 
complaint in a court of law, a complaint which could 
well be sustained. 
III. From the moral standpoint, the deception 
which is necessary either by disguising the medicine 
in some usual beverage or by false statement, pre- 
tending a necessity for some medical remedy, such as 
hypodermic injection of morphine, would at once 
awaken distrust of the whole official management 
and would thereby destroy the very principle upon 
which all prisons should be conducted, that is, the 
reformation of those intrusted to their care. 
If we once admit that medical remedies can be 
used by the physician under the orders of the super- 
intendent in order to enforce obedience or as pun- 
ishment, where shall we stop? The physician and 
the superintendent can become in time accomplices 
in such practices as may lead to even fatal results, 
for such officials have almost absolute power in these 
institutions which are subjected to only occasional 
examinations by State committees. CHAPTER XXXV 
Association for the Advancement of the Medical Educa- 
tion of Women—Coeducation or segregation—Dr. 
Zakrzewska leads another attempt to persuade Har- 
vard to admit women to its Medical School (1881- 
1882)—Failure takes from Harvard final opportunity 
to he first great medical school to admit women on 
equal terms with men, this honor passing to the Johns 
Hopkins in 1890—Massachusetts Legislature directs 
that a woman physician he appointed in each State 
Hospital for insane patients—Dr. Zakrzewska takes 
a vacation in Europe—Letter to Mrs. Cheney and 
others—The New England Hospital requires all resi- 
dent students to possess the degree of M.D., and 
changes their status to that of internes—The Hospital 
establishes District Nursing in its out-practice—Let- 
ter from Dr. Zakrzewska to Dr. Sewall who is on va- 
cation in Europe—Dr. Zakrzewska compares earlier 
and later women medical students. (1879-1886.) 
As a further move in the campaign for opening 
the larger colleges to women, there was formed the 
Association for the Advancement of the Medical 
Education of Women. This association had a mem- 
bership of medical and lay men and women from dif- 
ferent parts of the country, and Dr. Mary Putnam- 
Jacobi was its president for many years. 
Mary Putnam, one of the earlier students of the 
New England Hospital, and a graduate of the 
Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, was the 
first woman to be admitted to the ficole de Medicine 
398 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
399 
of the University of Paris, from which she was grad- 
uated in 1871. Later, she married the noted Dr. 
Abraham Jacobi of New York, becoming herself one 
of the most brilliant members of the profession in 
America. It will be remembered that in 1876 she 
was awarded the Boylston Prize of Harvard Uni- 
versity, the identity, and consequently the sex, of 
the competitors for this honor remaining unknown 
to the judges until after the verdict was rendered. 
The above association not only carried on an edu- 
cational campaign, but for several years it assisted 
the Woman’s Medical College of the New York In- 
firmary by paying part of the faculty’s salaries and 
by helping to enlarge the College and the Hospital. 
Although continuing the support of such separate 
women’s colleges as maintained their high stand- 
ards, the leading medical women and the well-in- 
formed men and women of the laity still realized 
that these were (and in the nature of things, must 
be) only the lamps which are kept trimmed and 
burning as additional guaranties that the sacred 
fire shall never be extinguished. 
The main temples and the central fires are found 
in the large medical schools which were then monop- 
olized by men, and the struggle must continue till 
these temples and fires are acknowledged to be 
human possessions, and hence open to women equally 
with men. Only then will it be possible to maintain 
the high standards to which both men and women 
physicians should be held, and which are required 
for the safety of the communities in which they prac- 
tice. 
Hence the persistence in seeking entrance to the 400 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
men’s colleges. Not because they are colleges of 
men, no, but because this is still so largely a man’s 
world, with men so often holding possession of the 
Best. 
And it is the Best in their chosen profession that 
medical women have always been seeking—the best 
teaching; the best laboratories; the best libraries; 
the best facilities for training all their faculties; the 
best clinical opportunities; the best hospital advan- 
tages. 
Aside from valid reasons for not segregating 
women students and physicians as a separate group, 
all the conditions enumerated above have an eco- 
nomic basis. They require money as well as schol- 
arship—and scholarship itself requires money or it 
will starve—and no community can afford to dupli- 
cate the expensive plants required for proper medi- 
cal education, so as to have twin institutions in which 
medical men and medical women shall be separated. 
The answer and the advice always given by the 
men who happen to be in possession of these lega- 
cies of the ages and of the race—for the great medi- 
cal schools owe their continued existence to the 
money and the help of the women as well as of the 
men who have gone before—has always been, “No, 
we cannot let you enter our colleges. Build your 
own colleges! ’ ’ 
It is as though the great universities of the coun- 
try should decline to admit any but their local stu- 
dents, telling all others to build their own universi- 
ties. Do Harvard and Yale Universities refuse 
students outside of Cambridge and New Haven, or 
even outside of Massachusetts and Connecticut, THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
401 
saving, “No, you cannot enter here. Build Harvards 
and Yales for yourselves!” 
Illogical as has been this advice, women have been 
driven by desperation to attempt to follow it for 
both academic and professional studies. A certain 
measure of success has been attained in the academic 
institutions, owing to the large number of women 
desiring education of the kind there given. In the 
field of medicine, as well as in that of the other 
technical professions, the situation is far different. 
The number of women desiring such education is 
small when compared with the number of those de- 
siring academic education and, as has been well- 
established, the expense for properly equipping 
professional schools is much greater proportionately 
as the number of students is smaller. 
So, in 1881, another attempt was made toward 
persuading Harvard to admit women to its medical 
department. The New England Hospital Medical 
Society, through a committee of which Dr. Emma 
L. Call was chairman, had asked the assistance of 
the leading medical colleges for women toward mak- 
ing a combined appeal for the opening to women of 
the medical school of Harvard University. And in 
September, the following communication was for- 
mally presented: 
To the President and Overseers oi Harvard Uni- 
versity : 
Gentlemen : 
Would you accept the sum of fifty thousand dol- 
lars for the purpose of providing such medical edu- 
cation for women as will entitle them to the degree 
of Doctor of Medicine from your University? 402 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
This sum to be held by you in trust, and the in- 
terest of the same to be added to the principal, until 
the income of the fund can be used for such medical 
education of women. 
If such an arrangement cannot be made within 
ten years, the fund to be returned to the donors. 
This letter was signed by Drs. Zakrzewska, Emily 
Blackwell, Lucy E. Sewall, Helen Morton, Mary Put- 
nam-Jacobi, Elizabeth M. Cushier, Alice Bennett, 
and Eliza M. Mosher—the Woman’s Medical Col- 
lege of Pennsylvania feeling unable to join, but writ- 
ing: 
. . . While we are in hearty sympathy with the 
object of your efforts, it seems impracticable at 
present to offer any active cooperation. 
After a delay of several months, the following 
reply was received from Harvard University: 
Treasurer’s Office, Harvard College, 
No. 70 Water Street, Boston, May 2,1882. 
Dear Madam: 
I have the honor to enclose a copy of a vote re- 
cently passed by the President and Fellows of Har- 
vard College, in relation to the Medical Education 
of Women in Harvard University. 
Yours very respectfully, 
E. W. Hooper, Secy. 
Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D. 
(COPY) 
At a meeting of the President and Fellows of Har- 
vard College in Boston, April 24, 1882. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
403 
Upon the question of accepting the proposal con- 
tained in the communication received by this Board 
on September 26, 1881, from Marie E. Zakrzewska, 
M.D., and others, in relation to the medical educa- 
tion of women in Harvard University. 
Voted, that while the President and Fellows of Har- 
vard College recognize the importance of thorough 
medical education for women they do not find them- 
selves able to accept the proposal contained in the 
communication above referred to. 
A true copy of Record 
Attest: E. W. Hooper, Secy. 
To Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.H., 
for herself and others. 
Thus did Harvard lose its last opportunity to 
become the leader in the opening to women of the 
great medical schools of America, its misfortune in 
this respect being due to what appears to have been 
a certain indecisiveness. 
It showed the perception and the conviction of the 
justice of the women’s claim as early as 1850, or 
even 1847 (away back when Oliver Wendell Holmes 
was dean of the medical school), and it seems to 
have had, then and afterwards (1879), the desire 
for performance but it appears to have failed in 
resolution, and so it was at the mercy of minor 
cross-purposes. 
At any rate, the result of its vacillation was that 
eight years later the honor was taken by the Johns 
Hopkins University of Baltimore. 
Meantime, Dr. Zakrzewska had in 1881 spent an- 
other vacation in Europe, and this time she particu- 404 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
larly inquired into the progress of medical women 
in England. On May 28, she writes: 
Dear Friends : 
I shall mail this letter eventually to Mrs. Cheney, 
but I intend it to be of the same interest to Miss Lucy 
Goddard and Miss Peabody. 
After a very rough passage, we arrived in Lon- 
don on the 17th of May at 4 A. M. My companions 
desired to begin sight-seeing at once and so, as is 
customary, we proceeded to Westminster Abbey. 
You all know how little appreciation I have for 
Fame; but whenever I go to places like this Abbey, 
Fame presents to me another aspect. It is entirely 
impersonal—names are of no consequence, but the 
reasons why these landmarks of civilization are 
placed there for the beholder are of intense interest. 
You all know that every shade of greatness is 
here represented in the monuments to men. There 
are some to women also, but only because these 
women happened to be queens or wives of royalty, 
though a few have been erected to high-stationed 
philanthropists. In no other capacity could I dis- 
cover the name of a woman. 
Query: Before long, will there be erected a monu- 
ment to a woman physician? We find the names of 
men physicians here, for no other reason than that 
they were eminent in their profession. Will there 
ever be a monument to the first woman physician 
because she was the leader of the movement; be- 
cause she had the energy, will and talent, as well as 
the education, which would make her worthy of imi- 
tation; and because she is a landmark of the era 
marked by women’s freeing themselves from the 
bondage of prejudice and from the belief that they 
are the lower being when compared with men? THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
405 
These are the speculations which follow me wher- 
ever I go and wherever I find the monumental dis- 
play to and for talent. I did not find Mrs. Somer- 
ville ’s name on even a tablet in the Abbey. Why is 
it that women do not start a movement for placing 
one there and in other significant places? 
We need such landmarks of civilization not be- 
cause those who died have lived for fame, no, but 
because the now-living, as well as those who will 
live long afterward, need encouragement for utiliz- 
ing their capabilities, and monuments of this sort 
suggest to them the possibility of their so doing. 
The person who is covered by a monument is of no 
consequence, but the fact that a “woman” can work 
and make an impression upon civilization needs to 
be made known and to be remembered. 
Apropos, the word “woman” reminds me of the 
custom of speaking here in London. I have not 
heard a single time the word “lady” used as we 
use it in America. The Queen is spoken of as “a 
good woman,” the Princess Louise as “a sickly 
woman,” Mrs. Somerville as “an eminent woman,” 
the Duchess of Blank as “a fashionable woman.” 
Nowhere do we hear a dressed-up cook or chamber- 
maid mentioned in the streets as “that lady there,” 
but as “the woman in the velvet gown,” etc. I wish 
some of our prominent women in America would 
make a crusade against the habit of applying the 
word “lady” to every woman under every condition. 
But now I must speak to you of what interests us 
most of all, namely, the work of the medical women 
in London. There is no doubt but that the position 
here of the woman physician is, professionally and 
legally, a far better one than with us in the United 
States. By the indomitable will and energy of Dr. 
Sophia Jex-Blake, the women who study medicine 406 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
have been placed fundamentally on the same level 
with men. The method of study, theoretical and 
practical, is precisely that of the men. 
And although the Royal Free Hospital has only 
one hundred and fifty beds for the medical school 
of women, while the medical school for men of St. 
Bartholomew’s Hospital has six hundred and that 
of St. Thomas ’ Hospital has one thousand, five hun- 
dred, that makes no difference in the mode of study 
nor in the amount of knowledge which the woman 
student can acquire. One reason is that the num- 
ber of women is only about forty while at either of 
the other hospitals, the number of men runs as high 
as seven hundred. Besides, I am told that women 
are more ready to gain knowledge through dispen- 
sary practice, which is entirely outside of the hos- 
pitals. 
There is, however, one branch which is very much 
neglected, both theoretically and in clinical instruc- 
tion, Dr. Charles Drysdale being my authority for 
the statement that this neglect is just as great in 
the men’s course, namely, the instruction in higher 
midwifery and obstetrics as taught in France and 
Germany. He assures me that if there are English 
men of eminence in this branch, they have laid the 
foundation by going to Germany to study. Alas, 
these opportunities are not open as freely to Eng- 
lish medical women. 
Dr. Drysdale, as well as some of the most promi- 
nent women practitioners here, expressed the wish 
that Boston or some other large city in the United 
States which has a hospital for women would so 
develop this particular branch as to induce the edu- 
cated medical women of England to go thither in 
order to perfect themselves therein. The opinion 
of those who express such a wish is that money THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
407 
would gladly be paid to its full value for such oppor- 
tunity for study. 
Such an opening for the English student would 
react very beneficially upon our American medical 
student, for there is no doubt but that the English 
medical women and students have in every respect 
a higher average education than we have. And the 
standards of education and civilization can best be 
raised through international intercourse. 
We now have in Boston decidedly good women 
surgeons and the beginning of a good department in 
surgery. This is of momentous importance for the 
reason that surgical work tells best both in the pro- 
fession and among the laity. We also have in Bos- 
ton excellent women obstetricians who do a great 
deal of obstetric surgery, but who give instruction to 
only the few privileged students of our Hospital. 
This branch could easily be enlarged and devel- 
oped by our Hospital Staff if through larger means, 
greater opportunity for practice could be afforded 
them, and thus make it worth her while for the at- 
tending physician to give more thorough instruc- 
tion both to our own students and to students from 
abroad. By saying making it worth her while, I 
mean allowing her compensation for time and labor. 
On the whole, we must begin to think of compen- 
sating our staff of women physicians. Now that the 
woman physician is an accepted fact in America, it 
becomes our duty to compensate those who have 
spent time and money in study (and especially those 
who have gone to the continent of Europe) for the 
labor which they expend upon the students not able 
to follow such a course. 
After introducing the woman into society as a 
physician, we must now take the next step, namely, 
see that those who follow are well-educated; and, 408 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
therefore, we must utilize the knowledge of the for- 
mer by giving her the chance to spread it among the 
new disciples. In other words, every physician with 
a good education who comes to us must be well paid, 
so that her time and strength will belong to our pa- 
tients and to the students of the Hospital. And if 
other students who are not inmates of the Hospital 
wish to avail themselves of our instruction, they 
must be made to pay for it, whether this instruction 
be given by the resident physician or by one of the 
attending physicians. 
This has been my view for some years, and I am 
now very much confirmed in it through talk with 
the friends of medical education here, where I see 
most clearly that work without money value set upon 
it is not expected nor is it considered to be of the 
first class. 
The students here pay £80 for the theoretical 
instruction and £40 for the hospital instruction, 
besides paying for their board outside of school 
and hospital, for they do not reside in either. Our 
institutions in the United States would not per- 
mit such a rate, nor do I wish to suggest it, but 
I wish that the friends of the movement for the 
medical education of women would come forward, as 
have those here in England, and provide us with 
means so that we can afford to pay an ample salary 
to our physicians, or at least to our resident physi- 
cian, and thus secure her services for some years 
to come for the benefit of all concerned. 
The English generosity in this respect seems mar- 
velous to me. For instance, the Royal Free Hos- 
pital would not connect the medical school for 
women with its work, saying that it had not room for 
them. The governors of the hospital were asked 
how much money was needed, and the enormous sum THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
409 
of £5,000 was set for a limited number of years, 
namely, five. At the expiration of this time, a similar 
sum, or even more, or perhaps nothing at all, might 
be needed. In a very short time the sum was raised, 
the money being used to build another wing to give 
room to the women for study. 
Out of the funds of the school, towards which the 
student contributes £40 for three years’ study, 
a large sum is paid to the physician who gives the 
instruction in this hospital. The funds of the school 
are raised by private subscription, and the fees 
charged to the students, although high, do not suffice 
to pay for the instruction given. In so far as the 
fees do not suffice, the situation is similar to that in 
our American colleges and schools; it differs in 
that the instructors are fully paid for the time and 
knowledge given to the students. The result is a 
higher education in medicine and a higher grade of 
individual physician than in the United States. 
In the two branches, surgery and the medical 
treatment of general diseases, the woman student 
has now in London ample opportunity. Plenty of 
material is provided, not only by the Royal Free 
Hospital but also by the New Hospital for Women, 
as well as by the dispensary attached to the latter. 
The latter hospital is carried on precisely as is our 
New England Hospital for Women and Children 
except that it has no maternity department. It ad- 
mits patients for as little as four shillings a week 
but only a few are entirely free. 
The attending physicians are all married women 
of high social position, mothers and housekeepers 
and quite rich. It is thought by the English women 
that these prominent women should work in order 
to live down the prejudice, which seems to be very 
strong, that if women study or do anything they will 410 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
cease to be willing to become mothers and house- 
keepers. This explained why in the medical school 
the “Mrs.” was always introduced to me before the 
“Miss” was spoken of. 
I think this is all I have to communicate to you 
about the work which lies so near to our hearts, and 
as my London visit closes to-morrow I think I shall 
have nothing more to add, but shall see what the 
women in Germany are doing. 
But I may tell you that I attended a small, public, 
woman suffrage meeting held to consider Mr. Hugh 
Mason’s proposition in the House of Commons to 
give the franchise to women. The meeting was 
a rather select one. The audience was admitted only 
by cards, which, to be sure, any one could procure 
beforehand, but which forms more or less of a hin- 
drance to attendance. 
The speakers were all women and in favor of the 
measure. They were seven in number and each 
spoke for about ten minutes. They were fluent, elo- 
quent, concise and modest. Their dignity was su- 
perb. There was a great deal of applause, and hap- 
piness over what had been gained was expressed in 
many a face. But the whole affair lacked vitality, 
enthusiasm, and breadth of feeling and fellowship. 
And, compared with even our smallest meetings, no 
matter whether held by women alone or by both men 
and women, it made me homesick for Boston—for 
America! 
Should you see any of our Doctors (for instance, 
Dr. Morton), ask them whether they care to read 
this epistle. Perhaps Dr. Smith will decipher it and 
read it at one of their meetings. But let Miss G. 
have it first, and tell me in a few words what you 
think of it, and how you are doing and whether 
your health and that of our friends is good and THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
411 
strong and ready to carry our work a little farther 
on. 
I am getting rested, and while my two companions 
are going sightseeing I am writing this. If you want 
to recommend our lodgings here, do so. They are 
in every respect desirable and recommendable. Be 
sure to give my love to all inquiring friends—Miss 
Farnham, Miss Cary, Mrs. Boardman, and a num- 
ber of others whom I have no more paper to men- 
tion. 
Faithfully yours, 
M. E. Zakrzewska. 
In 1880-1881, the New England Hospital took the 
important step of requiring all resident students to 
be the possessors of the degree of M.D., and of 
changing their status to that of internes. 
In 1881, plans were made for having a nurse al- 
ways on duty at the Dispensary to respond to calls 
in the out-practice, but these plans did not material- 
ize until 1883, the New England Hospital thereby be- 
coming the leader in establishing the service of Dis- 
trict Nursing. This form of service has since ad- 
ditionally expanded, under other auspices, into an 
organization which on a large scale renders valu- 
able assistance to patients at their homes. 
The year 1884 was marked by the setting up of 
another milestone along the upward path of the 
medical woman, this being that the Massachusetts 
Legislature not only permitted but directed the ap- 
pointment of medical women in the State Hospitals 
for insane patients. 
In February, 1886, Dr. Zakrzewska writes to Dr. 
Sewall, who was then in Europe: 412 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
... In ten weeks from to-day, I shall start on my 
Western tour, and I suppose you will start by that 
time for the United States. 
My health is very good. I am better than I have 
been for thirty years and a great deal better than 
when I went to Europe five years ago. Neverthe- 
less, I look forward to a five months’ vacation with 
a great deal of pleasure and feel sure that it will add 
years of health to my life. 
The Hospital work goes on well. I suppose Dr. 
Call informs you of the different legacies we have 
received. Even if they are not yet handed over to 
the treasurer, we can now he sure of the solidity 
of the institution as far as money is concerned. 
Now comes the professional standard and the 
question as to whether in the course of time women 
as physicians will prove themselves to be organ- 
izers and creators or simply handmaids. So far 
we cannot boast of much originality among our 
corps of women. However, we can feel sure that 
all the women physicians of the Hospital are above 
the average of the men physicians. Genius, after 
all, is rare. 
Apropos of sister Rosalie. It occurred to me that 
you with your usual generosity might think of her 
and bring with you some present for her. Now I 
honestly beg of you not to do any such thing, be- 
cause the poor thing is sick and tired of all the bric- 
a-brac and vases which she has received, in spite of 
our not sending out invitations. 
Last Sunday morning when I called, she showed 
me a whole closet full of stuff which she had packed 
away in the attic because it is beyond human thought 
and possibility to place these things and take care 
of them in her little house. When I told her in con- 
solation that she might use these things as presents THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
413 
again in the course of time, she replied in her usual 
way, “No, I shall never inflict them on people. If 
I make presents, I shall give flatirons.” 
My nephew Herman is engaged to be married to a 
young German-American lady who visited me for 
a week. She is handsome, an accomplished singer 
and pianist, a good housekeeper, and a sensible 
woman. We are very happy about his choice and 
feel grateful to her that she selected him. 
On the 22d at twelve o’clock, I shall give a great 
lunch party to the students and doctors. About fifty 
people will come, I hope. The snowdrops in Wash- 
ington Street are in bloom since the 9th. 
In line with her questioning in this letter of the 
achievements of medical women of the then present 
date, is her estimate of the quality of the women 
students of the later times as compared with those 
of the earlier days. She writes: 
I am frequently asked whether the quality of med- 
ical students among women is not much better now 
than formerly. This question is a very subtle one 
to reply to justly. There is no doubt but that the 
educational standard among all youths, female and 
male, has been greatly raised; that accomplishments 
are not so universally considered all the education 
that girls need; that the increase of colleges for 
women alone, as well as the coeducational institu- 
tions, has promoted a thoroughness of training 
which was unknown fifty years ago in the schooling 
of young girls; and that all these advantages have 
promoted thought and earnestness of purpose in de- 
ciding upon a profession. 
But that the student of either sex is in consequence 
of this education of a better quality and promising 414 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
more marked ability, especially in the medical pro- 
fession, by no means follows. 
In the early decade of this movement, the woman 
who entered npon professional study had to possess 
qualities which no school, college or university can 
bestow. Originality, perseverance, persistency, self- 
abnegation, industry in study, and a certain amount 
of practical knowledge, as well as perception of 
human nature and social conditions, were absolutely 
necessary for each and every woman student in or- 
der to succeed even in going through the medical 
colleges then at their disposal, to say nothing of 
later attempts to enter into general practice. 
The help then offered by professional men was 
not based at all upon the principle of right nor on 
the suitability of the woman to become a physician. 
No, it was offered only by such men as stood head 
and shoulders above their colleagues in the profes- 
sions. They were men who could afford to make 
enemies in and out of professional circles and who 
could afford to be pleased with a talented “excep- 
tional woman ’ ’; intellectually to pet her, as it were; 
to teach her; to indulge her; yes, to speak in high 
terms of her and compare her with historic women 
of the past, feeling even proud that they had dis- 
covered such an exception to womankind. 
They seemed entirely unaware that the woman 
student perceived their delusions but nurtured in 
the depth of her heart the conviction, “What I am 
able to do now, hundreds, yes, thousands, will be 
able to accomplish after me.” Meanwhile, the 
women were grateful for all favors, advantages and 
teachings, utilizing them but industriously aiming 
higher and higher so as to gain all that could be 
gained through the qualities enumerated above. 
Such a schooling trained the women far better THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
415 
than all the colleges do now, in spite of their excel- 
lence; on the other hand, the complaints of the 
women students of to-day as to the disadvantages 
yet to be overcome are greater than they were then. 
Yet at this present time, almost every chance exists 
for women if it is in them, to become original in- 
vestigators, workers and practitioners. CHAPTER XXXVI 
Twenty-fifth anniversary of the New England Hospital— 
Drs. Zakrzewska, Sewall and Morton resign as attend- 
ing physicians and are appointed advisory physicians 
—Presentation to the Hospital of portrait of Dr. 
Zakrzewska painted by Miss Ellen E. Hale—Address 
by Dr. Zakrzewska before the Moral Education Asso- 
ciation—Her reply to the question “Should Women 
Study Medicine?”—Her opinion on “What’s in a 
Name?” (1887-1890.) 
In 1887, the Hospital celebrated its twenty-fifth an- 
niversary, a pleasant feature of the event being the 
presentation to the Hospital by the graduates and in- 
ternes of the portrait of Dr. Zakrzewska. This was 
painted by Miss Ellen E. Hale and was placed in the 
directors’ parlor. The occasion was also marked 
by the resignation of all three of the attending phy- 
sicians, Drs. Zakrzewska, Sewall, and Morton. So 
many qualified women wTere becoming available for 
hospital service and were asking for opportunities, 
that these three women who had borne the burden 
and heat of the earlier years felt they could now 
stand aside and make room for their younger sisters. 
Their resignations were accepted and they were 
immediately appointed advisory physicians, thus re- 
maining in a position where their knowledge and 
skill continued to be available to the Hospital and 
to their successors, those immediately following 
416 THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
417 
them being Dr. Emma L. Call21 and the Drs. Augusta 
and Emily Pope.22 
The additional time thus available to Dr. Zakrzew- 
ska gave her greater opportunity to respond to the 
many demands upon her for public speaking and 
writing. 
An address delivered before the “Moral Educa- 
tion Association of Massachusetts” about this date 
is so timely, and so pertinent to the problems which 
still beset us to-day, that it is here inserted: 
The question is often asked me by persons not 
attending these meetings, What is this Moral Edu- 
cation Association? and What does it intend to ac- 
complish ? 
When I reply, I always construct my explanation 
as I myself comprehend the motives of this Associa- 
tion and the purposes toward which we intend to 
work. 
I am naturally an optimist. I fully believe that 
the world—by which I mean the human beings on 
this mighty planet—is constantly improving; that 
we, as a people of to-day, are progressing; and that 
we have reached a condition of physical, mental and 
moral improvement such as has never before been 
attained by the inhabitants of this globe. Yet I 
feel that we are far from being what we might be- 
come if each one of us would carry out fully, all the 
time, daily and hourly, the precepts of the Golden 
Rule. 
In order to attain such a state of perfection, work- 
ers are constantly needed who, with deeper insight 
or stronger convictions or warmer hearts, shall lift 
the banner high over all our heads, and thus sum- 
mon followers from all directions. 418 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Now I call this Moral Education Association such 
a banner. 
During the thirteenth century, after the knights 
of Middle and Western Europe returned from their 
crusading expeditions in the Holy Land and settled 
again in their homes, they formed an association, 
the chief object of which was to raise the “standard 
of honor.” A spoken word was an inviolable con- 
tract; an ignoble deed, however slight, was consid- 
ered so dishonorable as to relegate the perpetrator 
from the order of knighthood. 
To many, it may seem to have been an unmean- 
ing pastime, this cultivation by these men of an 
ideal honor in themselves and in others. Yet this 
movement ushered in a grand era of poetry, both 
lyric and dramatic, of chivalry, and of learning. It 
formed the nucleus of right in many directions and 
created a new code of morals. 
In this same sense, and applying it to the eleva- 
tion of the honor of woman, I joined this Associa- 
tion because I know that it is a good field in which 
women can work by helping to create a code of mor- 
als befitting our enlightened age, a code which shall 
govern our relations to all mankind, to our children, 
to each other as women, and to the State. 
The increase of wealth and the increase of an in- 
telligent population producing more and more 
wealth—this is the bright side of our progressive 
age. But there is also the dark side of the picture— 
the increase of luxury and its twin brother, sensual- 
ity. 
In nature, as a rule, it is the female who nurses 
the young into maturity; in this case, it is the female 
who must stifle these twin brothers while they are 
yet in their infancy, so that they may never reach 
their dangerous maturity. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
419 
Luxury carried beyond a reasonable degree of 
comfort vitiates human strength and thus enervates 
both body and mind; then temporary stimulation 
and relief are sought in the excitements of sensual- 
ity. By sensuality, I understand all indulgences 
which carry to excess the natural physical appetites. 
Man, with his greater physical force, is the aggres- 
sive element in this strife for gratification, and 
woman with her slighter physique, the passive. 
If we first make these points clear to ourselves, it 
will be easy to make them clear to others and to show 
to every woman the necessity of being on the defen- 
sive against these twin brothers, Luxury and Sen- 
suality. All history teaches us that they have been 
the destroyers of nations in ancient times. Let us 
not deem that we are proof against their omnipo- 
tence. The defensive weapon can be none other 
than a code of morals as high and as idealistic as 
our present state of education and development will 
produce. 
Further, this code ought to be in accordance with 
the political form of life in our country. We can- 
not afford to imitate any other people, any other 
nation. The women of this continent, and especially 
of the United States, enjoy a place in social life 
such as no women of any nation ever held before, 
or hold now. They can have all the power they 
want if they will simply take it, and if they will make 
themselves equal to all the responsibilities such a 
power involves. 
Especially do I wish to speak of a danger to be 
avoided. We need to create and to foster among 
women a realizing sense that we are all alike and 
that the worst women belong to us as much as do 
the best. We cannot feel proud of the virtues and 
talents of one woman without feeling an equal de- 420 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
gree of shame at the vices and the degradation of 
another. 
There is no third sex; and we mnst see to it that 
this feeling—I cannot call it an opinion—that there 
exists a class of animal women, shall never take root 
in this country. In order to effect this, we must 
create a code of morals in accordance with our free 
institutions. Never should we look across the ocean 
for a guiding rod. Nowhere has woman been so 
poetized and so idealized, nowhere have music and 
the plastic arts so celebrated her as on the conti- 
nent of Europe—yet everywhere there woman can 
be bought! She is legalized merchandise, and is in- 
spected as such for the purpose of purchase, which 
is prostitution. 
Among the nobility and the aristocracy the men 
hold it below their dignity and honor to be traders or 
even merchants because they consider that all com- 
mercial enterprise tends to make men mercenary, 
so lowering their character. Yet these same men do 
not hesitate to purchase women; while the aristo- 
cratic and noble lady thinks it right and just that 
there should be a special class of women for this 
purpose. 
This is no exaggerated statement; it is a fact that 
women of education and of high standing speak of 
a certain class of women as if there were a third 
sex—a creature resembling woman in all outward 
appearance but sterile in propagation, sterile in 
morals, and sterile in intellectual capacity, a slave 
to men, and a creature of contempt in the eyes of 
women. 
The word by which these women are designated 
when spoken of is “creature.” In Europe, in com- 
mon conversation and in everyday literature, this 
word “creature” has become a legitimatized desig- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
421 
nation for prostitutes. It is therefore deplorable 
to hear women in their superior position as employ- 
ers speak thoughtlessly of honest, virtuous women— 
their nurses, seamstresses, servants and the like— 
as “these creatures.” 
I say, therefore, that one of the laws of our moral 
code should be, “Respect the woman in every 
woman. ’ ’ 
This respect for all womankind leads us to con- 
sider next the moral relations to children. The 
highest ideal code cannot be too high here, and ex- 
ample should take precedence of teaching. 
I would advise a whole code, explanatory of mod- 
esty, purity, chastity, truthfulness, obedience, self- 
denial, and self-control, clearly to be comprehended 
and strictly to be practiced by every woman—mar- 
ried and unmarried, mothers and grandmothers—so 
that example shall teach the virtues to the boy as 
well as to the girl. 
Moral precepts and admonitions, repeated daily 
in words are listened to with indifference; but from 
a living example are drawn good draughts of health- 
ful moral strength. For instance, speak before a 
boy, no matter how small (in fact, the smaller the 
more dangerous), with contempt of a woman, and 
you may be sure the seed of contempt toward all 
womanhood is sown and will grow and mature and 
bear fruit for another generation. The same is 
true if, in the hearing of girls, contempt for men 
is expressed; yet here the effect is less bad for, as 
I said before, the girl is the passive, not the ag- 
gressive, element in nature. 
Next, we need a moral code in relation to men. 
Here, the first principle should be, what is wrong 
in woman is wrong in man. There is no special right 
for the man. Although we cannot demonstrate an 422 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
absolute Right, yet the Golden Rule will always 
serve as a test where there is doubt. Men are born 
as pure and innocent and good as women. We de- 
velop qualities in them from a false conception of 
the aggressive impulses inherent in the masculine 
constitution. This is the point which we must bear 
in mind—man is not willfully nor intentionally 
vicious; but we allow him to practice a pernicious 
code of morals from early childhood, when we begin 
to say, “Oh, a boy will be a boy.” 
Of course, we want a man to be a man, but we 
also want a woman to be a woman. And we cannot 
make any advance toward the standard of a true 
man and a true woman if we give one set of morals 
to the man and another to the woman. Our consti- 
tution should be alike for both sexes, although from 
natural causes some of the by-laws must differ. 
This is the only way by which we can establish such 
relations of men to women and of women to men as 
shall be honorable to both and elevating to mankind 
in general. 
Let us now consider the last but not the least point 
in our code of morals, that which concerns our rela- 
tion to the State. This is, of course, the broadest 
and the most comprehensive theme with which moral 
education has to deal. Here again we shall see that 
we have our own code to make. For by ‘1 State ’ ’ we 
mean in this country a different thing from that 
which Europe so designates. We do not mean a 
government given to a people by an aristocracy es- 
tablished centuries ago. We must learn to under- 
stand that when we speak of “the State,” we mean 
the voluntary association of a free people which 
governs itself through and by the individual exer- 
cise of both intellectual and physical powers. 
Hence, there arises at once the need of a full com, THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
423 
prehension of our duties as members of such a State. 
These duties are of two kinds—the duty of the 
normally endowed members (those having moder- 
ate or superior physical and mental qualities) 
toward each other; and, secondly, the duty of this 
fortunate class toward the less favored—the weak, 
the feeble in mind or in body and the crippled— 
those born or later afflicted with less capacity to take 
up the struggle for existence. We have all seen how 
the man born rich may become poor; and on the 
other hand, how the child born a pauper may yet lift 
himself to the position of the millionaire or to the 
highest office. 
Here, then, lies our duty. Especially must we 
women educate ourselves and the young in regard 
to our relations to all humanity—particularly to the 
suffering, to the frail, and to the poor near our own 
doors. We have to create a code of morals strong 
enough to be just toward all the unfortunate—men, 
women and children; yet it must be free from that 
sentimentalism which cannot discriminate between 
an honest poor person and a criminal. On this point, 
endless illustrations could be given to show our lack 
of moral education. How difficult it is to preserve 
the righteous balance without being harsh to the 
criminal, the drunkard and the female vagrant! 
We have this great lesson to learn—that the poor- 
est, the lowest, even the most degraded, when hon- 
estly striving to keep out of the almshouse or the 
prison, stands far higher in the scale of humanity 
than the reformed or the reforming prisoner; and 
that justice ought first to be done toward these poor 
degraded ones before sentimental charity is be- 
stowed upon the criminal. 
For here comes another part of this code as re- 
gards the State. What is charity? What is be- 424 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
nevolence? What is the best way for their applica- 
tion? What is justice? 
I would advise that all the members of this Moral 
Education Association, and nonmembers too, form 
classes where these subjects may be discussed, not 
simply where morality is preached to the moral, but 
wdiere we enlighten ourselves by an interchange of 
opinion and by faithful investigation of moral ques- 
tions. We need to know what is the real moral re- 
quirement in our peculiar state of American society. 
We are a State which has not been produced by 
propagation of one and the same race, so we have 
thus formed a nation with its own peculiar charac- 
teristics. We are an aggregate in a free country 
of many races and of many nations, a country where 
it is possible for the slave to step at once into self- 
sovereignty, or for the pauper from any foreign 
race to rise in a few years to the position of a well- 
to-do trader or merchant or artist, according to the 
intellectual capacity which he possesses. On the 
other hand, even with us these people may go down 
and form the center of a proletarianism unless they 
are prevented by education both of the intellect and 
of the morals. 
A similar opportuneness characterizes her answer 
to the question which continues to be asked to-day 
as it has been asked down the ages: 
Should Women Study Medicine! 
So many women, both young and of mature age, 
appeal to me for information concerning the pro- 
fession of medicine that I have thought it desirable 
to express my opinion thus publicly. The principal 
points inquired about are How to study medicine! 
and What are the prospects in practice! THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
425 
There are so many medical schools now open to 
women, both in the East and in the West, that the 
selection of one for the purpose of study need de- 
pend only upon individual convenience and the pe- 
cuniary resources of the student. A student needs 
to have means for her support during three full 
years of college life and, if possible, for an addi- 
tional year’s residence in some hospital before en- 
tering upon practice. 
Next comes the question, What can she expect in 
practice? Many young women enter the profession 
because it seems to them a lucrative business. Yet 
for a young person to choose this path in life be- 
cause she thinks it leads invariably to success— 
by which she means a plentiful purse—is a mis- 
take. 
Success in the practice of medicine may coexist 
with small pecuniary gains; the money gain should 
be incidental, not primary, in the thought of the 
physician. A well-educated physician, who has 
passed through the regular course of study and who 
conscientiously works within the legitimate sphere 
of her knowledge, must allow about ten years of 
indefatigable labor before her practice brings a 
competency worthy the name of independence, by 
which I mean a comfortable living free from the 
anxieties of petty economies and allowing occasional 
relaxations from duty. Many a young woman has 
gone out of my office excited and indignant because 
I have expressed doubt that the medical profession 
would be the best career for her to choose, and her 
final exclamation as she left me is very significant, 
“You have been successful; why should not I be 
so?” 
This “why not” is just the hard point to explain. 
On April 5, 1888, it was just thirty-six years since 426 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
I began to seek practice. Young (twenty-two and 
one-half years old), full of enthusiasm and self-re- 
liance, willing to work, ready for self-abnegation in 
every direction, I felt sure that I should succeed in 
life, but this success never presented itself before 
my mind in the shape of a plentiful purse. 
Besides the moral qualities I have mentioned, I 
started with another great advantage, namely, a 
good physical constitution. In no profession is 
sound steady health so requisite as in the medical, 
for the practitioner must be ready night and day, 
and at the beck and call of patients—whether paying 
or charity. Thus this profession demands a body 
free from annoyances of all kinds and a clear, sound 
head, to enable one to be decisive in judgment, firm 
in advice, and kind in sympathy. 
Another step in the ladder of success is a good 
business training from early youth. By this I mean 
correctness in listening to every word spoken, ac- 
curacy of observation, and logical deduction. Every 
faculty must be, as it were, on the alert and yet kept 
under the control of judgment. 
Yet there may be sound health, good education, 
and carefully trained faculties, and still a some- 
thing lacking for success in life as physician. I call 
it a power of adaptation to the various tempera- 
ments and conditions of humanity; a moral courage; 
an ability to step forward and seek opportunities 
for practice; a kind of self-confidence and fearless- 
ness in entering every class of life. 
Thus equipped, and backed by friends or pecuni- 
ary means to sustain the respectability of the be- 
ginner during the first few years of her attempts to 
seek practice, a young woman has still to overcome 
prejudices and obstacles which are not easily de- 
scribed, for they are of an intangible nature, relat- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
427 
ing sometimes to personal appearance and oftener 
to that indefinable quality—tact. 
Yet notwithstanding all these difficulties, it is far 
easier to-day for a woman to establish herself as 
physician than it was thirty years ago. The annoy- 
ance and tribulations which we pioneers had to en- 
dure were far greater than the natural ones which 
have always to be overcome. For women physicians 
were then looked upon not only as intruders upon 
the field hitherto occupied by men alone, but also as 
disreputable persons and they were constantly con- 
founded with the women who, prefixing “Dr.” to 
their names, carried on a foul and illegal practice. 
So great was the prejudice against the first women 
physicians that friends and acquaintances hesitated 
to invite them into their social circles. Yet in spite 
of this hostility, I was inclined to encourage other 
women to study medicine; for, inexperienced like 
all young people and more enthusiastic than most, 
I imagined that every one who expressed a desire 
for some active work was as willing and as well pre- 
pared to undergo hardships and privations as I my- 
self was. Years have made me wiser and, conse- 
quently, more cautious in advising these young 
seekers. 
Every physician, man or woman, who has ac- 
quired prominence through ability, finds himself or 
herself placed in the position of adviser to youth. 
No one claims infallibility in judgment; great tal- 
ent is not always recognizable to the wisest coun- 
selor; but the duty is the same for all—a conscien- 
tious statement of what the medical profession 
demands. Its difficulties and the various obstacles 
should be stated clearly to the young man or woman 
who is so often dazzled by the brilliant success of the 
few, forgetting the many who are plodding along in 428 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
economical, modest paths or have retired entirely, 
and who are therefore unknown. 
Yet while I have thus shown the darker side, I 
can see that the study of medicine is full of oppor- 
tunities for women, and that there are so many ways 
of becoming useful, if not as practitioners then as 
teachers and resident physicians in female schools 
and colleges, that no truly talented woman need fear 
want of success in some branch of the profession.— 
The Woman’s Journal, June 23,1888. 
Less weighty but not less serious, and again as 
though a response to another question which is agi- 
tating us to-day, is the following article reprinted 
from The Woman’s Journal of April 5, 1890: 
What’s ix a Name? 
It may be true that “a rose by any other name 
would smell as sweet.” But even Shakespeare does 
not convince us that a Montague would not still be 
a Montague though called by another name. No, 
the name becomes a part of the individuality. A 
name has two distinct qualities—the lighter, social 
and emotional; and the graver, legal and representa- 
tive. Pet names denote affection and are usually 
applied to infants as expressive of their helpless- 
ness or diminutiveness in contrast to our superior- 
ity to their small persons. The continued use of 
these pet names when their bearers fill active and 
responsible positions in life, indicates thoughtless- 
ness if not real inferiority of intellect. 
To explain my meaning fully, I will illustrate from 
my own experience both conditions—the social and 
the legal value of names. Quite recently I was asked 
whether I knew a Dr. Carrie S , of town, THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
429 
whom the inquirer wished to consult on arriving 
there. Instinctively I replied that I should not care 
to know a “Dr. Carrie” or “Hattie” or “Maggie,” 
etc,, and I certainly would not ask the advice of any 
physician who had not more sense than to adver- 
tise herself by sign or word as a diminutive person. 
How can a woman think deeply on any subject 
who has not brains enough to object to such pet 
names? 
A short time ago, a friend who was visiting me 
handed me two letters to be posted. One was ad- 
dressed “Mr. C. Albert ” and the other, “Miss 
Nellie .” Glancing at the addresses, I re- 
marked, “I thought your son’s name was Bert as I 
have always heard him called so, and why has your 
sister changed her name from Ellen?” This sister 
was then forty years old and had been teacher to 
her sister’s sons who lived in the country where 
there was a lack of schools suitable to prepare lads 
for the Latin school. Yet my friend said in reply 
to my remark, “No, my son’s name is Albert and 
we called him Bert or Bertie, but since he entered 
Harvard College, he has forbidden our using those 
names, because,” she added, “boys, you know, have 
more pride than girls. My sister likes to be ad- 
dressed as Nellie.” Thus the teacher, twenty-two 
years older than her nephew, was denoted by spoken 
and written word “a girl” without “pride.” I wish 
all girls and women would comprehend this fact— 
that as long as they are pleased with a diminutive 
name, so long will they be classed in the category 
of diminutive human beings. 
Again, consider the ludicrous side. Here enters 
a woman twenty years old, six feet tall, addressed 
as Maggie. Now, must such a woman reach a height 
of eighteen feet before she attains the dignity of 430 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
“Margaret”—that is, the name of a full-grown 
woman ? 
I once had under my medical care a girl whose face 
was greatly disfigured by an eruption. She had a 
dark complexion and dark hair, yet her name was 
Lily. When a little more than fourteen years old, 
she came to me, her eyes sparkling with delight. 
“Oh,” she said, “I have found out that my real 
name is Lucy; I was called so for an aunt who died 
last week and who left me one thousand dollars in 
her will because I am her namesake. I cried for 
joy, not about the money, but because I have got 
rid of that horrid name of Lily.” Seeing my as- 
tonishment at her excitement, she added, “You do 
not know how I have suffered from my schoolmates; 
they nicknamed me Tiger Lily on account of my face, 
and now, see, Lily was only a pet name; it is not 
my real name!” Her mind was relieved, she was 
at ease and happy to assert her dignity by an ap- 
propriate name. She soon recovered from the tor- 
ment of the eruption, and I have no doubt that the 
mental relief of having a sensible name aided in 
her recovery. Again, how would a woman with the 
dignified name of Margaret feel if she read in the 
newspaper the notice of her marriage with 
“Tommy” Smith? A certain amount of etiquette 
is essential in life—it gives weight and dignity to 
everyday occurrences, and is, as it were, an expres- 
sion of a sense of social responsibilities. 
The second question is the legal and representa- 
tive quality. To understand the full importance of 
this, let us recall the fact that throughout the whole 
civilized globe, it is customary to give to the child 
the father’s name. It is not necessary to discuss 
here whether it would be better to change this cus- 
tom and give to the child the name of both father THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
431 
and mother. The fact is established that the child 
receives a personal name prefixed to that of the 
family of which it is the offspring. By this latter 
name it becomes known, and in the course of years 
this name becomes a part of the individual, belongs 
to the character itself, and can no more be got rid 
of than the blood which flows in the veins and had 
its origin in the parents. It is a rare thing for a 
man to admit even the thought of changing his 
name; if it were Smith, he is and remains Smith, 
simply denoting his individuality by the prefix A, 
B, C, or whatever the initial may be. He cannot be 
addressed by any other name, and he can receipt 
bills and sign legal papers by no other name with- 
out being considered guilty of misrepresentation. 
The importance of this individuality of name is 
nowhere better recognized than in Germany. A girl 
named at birth Anna Eleanora Miller is and remains 
Anna Eleanora Miller all her lifetime, no matter 
whether she marries once or six times in the course 
of her career. By no other name can she sign a 
deed or contract; thus only can she bear witness; 
and she is not summoned by the courts as witness 
under any other name than that of Anna Eleanora 
Miller. 
If she has a husband, she is addressed in law by 
her name, Anna Eleanora (or, if she has ten given 
names, then by all of them) Miller, wife of Brown, 
or wife of Baron Ketzow, or von Alden. If she be- 
comes a widow and marries again, she is addressed 
in law (of course not in social intercourse) as Anna 
Eleanora Miller, widow of Brown, wife of Baron von 
Ketzow. 
To make this clearer, let me illustrate still further 
by giving the name of a well-known lady who, after 
she became a widow, studied medicine and now prac- 432 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
tices dentistry in Berlin, having been dentist to all 
the children of the Empress Friedrich. Her diploma 
would be utterly valueless had it been given to her 
with the name of her first husband; only by her 
maiden name could she be authorized as a practi- 
tioner. Her sign at the door reads, “Dr. Henriette 
Pagelson, widow of Hirschfeld, wife of Tiburtius,” 
she having, after a few years of practice, contracted 
a marriage with Dr. Tiburtius. Thus she is, and re- 
mains, Henriette Pagelson, and by this name only 
is she professionally and legally responsible; this 
stamps her individuality, and the other names of 
Mrs. Hirschfeld and Mrs. Tiburtius become merely 
social and conventional designations. 
The question of changing names will and ought 
to become of grave importance before the law in 
this country. As we now have women lawyers, it 
should be their special charge to bring up at once 
this neglected matter—the question of the legality 
of diplomas as regards the names thereon—before 
the legislatures in their respective states. 
Let me suppose a case in order to show the grav- 
ity of this subject. A young woman who has studied 
medicine receives a diploma under the name of 
Anna Elizabeth Brown. In a few years she mar- 
ries, removes the sign from her door and puts up 
a new one reading “Dr. A. E. Stone.’’ Soon after 
this she has to sign a death certificate, which she 
does by writing “Anna Elizabeth Stone, M.D.” 
Such a document has no legal truth in it. Again, 
suppose the relatives of a patient sue this doctor 
for malpractice, cannot the lawyer make a good 
case from the fact that her diploma certifies to the 
ability of “Anna E. Brown,” and that a “Dr. Stone” 
does not exist? Does not this create a flaw or an 
irregularity in the indictment executed by the com- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
433 
plainants? Still further, the husband “Stone” 
dies, and in a year the widow marries McIntosh and 
again changes sign and signature to “Dr. A. E. 
McIntosh,” while no diploma, and therefore no such 
doctor of that name exists, but only the original 
“Anna Elizabeth Brown, M.D.” 
What is thus true in the medical profession is 
true in commercial pursuits and in all professions. 
Annoyances also arise in social relations. A short 
time ago, I was asked if I knew a Dr. Alice Smith 
of a certain city, she having referred to me for 
professional recommendation. I at once declared 
the woman to be a fraud. A few months later, Dr. 
Alice Smith, having been informed of my not very 
complimentary appellation, sent me a letter expres- 
sive of much injured feeling. In this letter, she 
gave her maiden name under which she had served 
as interne in our New England Hospital where we 
had valued her as one of our best assistants. 
Now, if men cannot see the importance of this 
demand for a settlement of the question of women’s 
names, I wish that our women lawyers would bring 
the subject before the legislatures, requesting some 
decision on the legal qualifications as to names for 
any professional or business relation of women, 
whether they are single, married or widowed. If 
the woman cannot call her name her own and will 
not drop the diminutive pet name, she does not de- 
serve to be considered a full human being. 
Let me be understood—I do not mean to say that 
in social life a woman should not accept the name of 
her husband. I do not desire to overturn existing 
customs, and I think it is far more sensible to be 
“Mrs. Smith” in common social life than to be “Dr. 
Brown,” which may be the title on the diploma, but 
all this could easily be left to personal decision. 434 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Princess Louise of England will not be called Mar- 
chioness of Lome. Baroness von Essmarsch pre- 
fers to be called Frau Doctor (having married Dr. 
von Essmarsch), and objects to the title of Princess 
Mecklenberg to which she is entitled, and by which 
she is addressed, as aunt of the present Empress of 
Germany. Here love casts aside all titles; neverthe- 
less, it is only as Princess Mecklenberg that she can 
legally be addressed, or legally be empowered to 
sell or to give away even a few feet of land. The 
only signature valid in law is “ Princess Mecklen- 
berg, wife of Dr. von Essmarsch.” 
Throughout Europe, the women in all classes cling 
more closely to their family names than we do. On 
visiting cards, one commonly sees “Mrs. Brown, 
nee Miller.” If one wishes to be specially respect- 
ful, one addresses in the same way, mentioning both 
names, the envelope which incloses even a friendly 
letter to a married woman. And, finally, on the 
gravestone placed above a deceased married woman, 
the maiden name is always conspicuously inscribed 
before the married name. CHAPTER XXXVII 
Opening of the Medical School of the Johns Hopkins Uni- 
versity to women on equal terms with men—Consul- 
tations ivith Dr. Zakrzewska by women interested in 
the event—Her report of the attitude of the community 
towards women surgeons—New building for the Ma- 
ternity Department of the Hospital (the Sewall Ma- 
ternity and, later, the Helen Morton Wing)—Opening 
of the Goddard Home for Nurses—Because of misbe- 
havior of men students, Columbia University of George- 
town closes its doors to women—Dr. Zakrzewska writes 
on “the Emancipation of Woman: Will it be a Suc- 
cess?” (1888-1894.) 
These were eventful days (1888-1890) for all 
friends of the advancement of the medical educa- 
tion of women, leading up as they did to the open- 
ing to women of the medical school of the Johns 
Hopkins University in 1890. 
The same fear of beguilement and subsequent dis- 
illusionment which Dr. Zakrzewska had felt regard- 
ing the proposed opening to women of the Medical 
School of Harvard University, away hack at the 
time when the future of the New England Female 
Medical College hung in the balance, haunted the 
minds of all workers for the cause of medical women. 
So many colleges had been opened to women and 
had then been closed to them, in response to the 
storm raised by one or another protesting group, 
that experience had made women feel they must al- 
ways be on their guard. 
435 436 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
One of the prominent women of Worcester wrote 
to Dr. Zakrzewska in 1890: 
Onr Women’s Club has been urged to contribute 
to assist the Medical School of the Johns Hopkins 
University, with the idea that women shall have 
there all the advantages which men have, and as I 
have seen your name wTith other well-known names, I 
desire to ask if you really think that they will act in 
good faith if the $100,000 should he given them. 
We are told by parties in Baltimore who ought to 
know that the whole policy of Johns Hopkins is con- 
servative in spite of its high rank, and that women 
would never be admitted on the same terms as men. 
As one of an investigating committee, I am to re- 
port on October 22d. Will you be so kind as to tell 
me what you think of the scheme? If the money is 
raised and offered on condition that women shall be 
so received, we are told that it will be refused. In 
that case, it would not seem worth while to give any- 
thing towards it. 
This must be a matter which would greatly inter- 
est you, and I venture to hope that you will find a 
moment to reply. 
In the course of her correspondence with Dr. 
Zakrzewska, a leading woman of Baltimore who 
was one of those foremost in the present movement, 
writes: 
I will hear your cautions in mind and watch very 
carefully. I myself have not much confidence in the 
willingness of many men to give women a fair 
chance, but since out of the four women who began 
this movement, three of them have fathers on the THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
437 
two boards who are deeply convinced of the right- 
eousness of the cause, I cannot help feeling hopeful. 
Moreover, the physicians at the Hospital have been 
most cordial and helpful to every well-qualified 
woman who has sought its advantages. 
I inclose a copy of the trustees’ resolutions. I do 
not see how, although they reserve the right of mak- 
ing “such rules and regulations as they may deem 
necessary for the government of its School of Medi- 
cine,” they can possibly ignore the paragraph that 
“in making such rules and regulations, the terms of 
this minute shall always be respected and observed” 
—and these terms we insisted should be the same, 
not equal. 
However, I agree with you that we must watch 
carefully, and if there should ever be a sign of try- 
ing to evade it you may depend on us to fight it out. 
It is interesting to note that half of the $100,000 
was given by one woman, Miss Mary Garrett, 
daughter of one of the original trustees of the Johns 
Hopkins University. Also, that the $10,000 previ- 
ously offered by Miss Hovey to Harvard, on condi- 
tion of its admitting women and which was declined 
by its medical faculty, was transferred to the Johns 
Hopkins. 
When, in 1888, Dr. Zakrzewska and her two earliest 
co-workers on the Hospital staff, Drs. Sewall and 
Morton, resigned as attending physicians and be- 
came advisory physicians, Dr. Sewall had in the 
state of her health an additional reason for relin- 
quishing her arduous duties. And Dr. Zakrzewska 
suffered keenly during the next few years in realiz- 
ing the approaching loss of this particularly dear 438 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
colleague, who had always been to her as her own 
child though her junior by only a few years. Dr. 
Sewall died in February, 1890. 
At the annual meeting at the close of the Hospital 
year, 1890, Dr. Zakrzewska again was called upon 
to present the report from the resident physician— 
this position being temporarily vacant. 
Referring especially to the increasing work of 
the Hospital under women surgeons, she says: 
The results thus far are so satisfactory that no 
other hospital can show a greater percentage of 
recoveries. Our reputation for successful opera- 
tions increases; and the request is often made by 
patients that no men shall be present. 
An old lady of seventy-nine years, the prolonga- 
tion of whose life depended upon the immediate re- 
moval of a large ovarian tumor—an accidental fall 
having caused inflammation—insisted upon having 
even no consultation with men, nor any men present 
at the operation, saying, “I am old enough anyway 
to die, only I don’t want to sutler as I do now; and 
if the women can save my life for a while longer, 
I shall be grateful.” She was saved, and went 
home well in just four weeks from the day of 
operation. 
Another change has come with this advance in 
the medical women’s world. Women now express 
the strongest confidence in women’s skill, entirely 
refuting the fears and opinions of former years 
that “women would never have confidence in their 
own sex.” The opposite condition has now become 
so manifest that when in a first consultation a pa- 
tient decides at once and unreservedly to employ 
a woman surgeon, we are frequently obliged to re- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
439 
mind her that her friends or her family may prefer 
to have a man perform the operation. 
A patient was brought into my office from the car- 
riage before the door. She seemed so weak and 
exhausted that I did not venture to speak frankly 
to her but called the friends into an outer room and 
informed them of the need of the removal of a large 
abdominal tumor without delay. After a short de- 
liberation, they considered it best for me to inform 
the patient. I did so. A few moments of silence 
ensued, and then came the response, “Where can it 
be done? Will you do it?” Answering the latter 
question in the negative and the former by pro- 
posing our Hospital, she replied, “Well, take me 
there and I will have it done to-morrow. ’ ’ 
We did take her there, but the case was too grave 
for an operation on the morrow as important prep- 
arations were necessary. But in a few months the 
patient left the Hospital well, and when a half year 
later she came into my office, I did not recognize the 
changed woman. 
Such cases are not infrequent now, and the grati- 
tude of many a mother, wife, and daughter spreads 
throughout our land the fame of our Hospital, the 
skill of our surgeons, and the kindness of our nurses. 
The number of women surgeons is but few as yet, 
but I do not care to compete numerically with men. 
I simply repeat the claim which I made thirty-five 
years ago when pleading the cause of women phy- 
sicians, namely, give to women whose qualifications 
and tastes lead them to study the healing art, the 
opportunity to develop such talents to the utmost on 
an equality with men. 
It is due to the perseverance of woman’s nature 
and to the freedom of this country that such com- 
paratively great results have been achieved in so 440 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
few years. I, who saw at most a possibility in the 
dim future, am permitted to behold an idea realized 
—an idea for the materialization of which I ex- 
pected simply to plow the ground before I passed 
away from this life, leaving it for others to cultivate. 
But see! Already, under the sunshine of free in- 
stitutions and the favoring breezes of universal 
progress, we reap the fruits of our labor. 
In June, 1892, a new Maternity Building was 
completed and dedicated. It was named the Sewall 
Maternity, in memory of that early and devoted 
friend of Dr. Zakrzewska and the Hospital, Hon. 
Samuel E. Sewall, and of his daughter, Dr. Lucy E. 
Sewall, who was, successively, Dr. Zakrzewska’s first 
student, assistant, and staff colleague. 
The old Maternity was renovated and transformed 
into a home for the nurses, and it served this pur- 
pose until replaced by a new building in 1909. It 
was named the Goddard Home for Nurses in honor 
of the Goddard family—Miss Lucy Goddard, one of 
the incorporators of the Hospital and first president 
of the board of directors; George A. Goddard, for 
many years the devoted treasurer of the Hospital; 
and his mother, Mrs. M. Le B. Goddard, one of the 
earlier directors. 
Some years later (1906), a wing was added to the 
Sewall Maternity, the Helen Morton Wing. This 
was named in honor of Dr. Helen Morton, classmate 
of Dr. Sewall and Dr. Zakrzewska’s second student, 
assistant, and staff colleague. 
In the midst of the congratulations and rejoicings 
which followed the opening to women of the Johns 
Hopkins Medical School, the distrust which Dr. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
441 
Zakrzewska had already voiced was, in 1893, given 
another justification by the action of the Columbian 
University of Georgetown, D. C. (now the George 
Washington University Medical School), which de- 
cided to close the doors that it had opened to women. 
For at least ten years the medical department had 
been graduating women on equal terms with men. 
But there had always been three members of the 
faculty who were bitterly opposed to allowing women 
to study medicine on any terms. These three pro- 
fessors made the path of the women students as 
rough and stony as possible; and the male students, 
taking the cue from these professors, added dis- 
courtesies and affronts to hostility. 
Finally, in the dissecting room, some of these stu- 
dents so debased themselves by offering insult, not 
only to the women medical students but also to the 
helpless bodies of their fellow beings who had been 
given to them for scientific study, that the faculty and 
trustees were obliged to take official notice of the 
occurrence. 
Now, mark the administration of justice. The 
male students committed the offense which no one 
attempted to condone. Were the offenders pun- 
ished? No. Neither were the innocent victims of 
the offense, the women medical students. But the 
whole sex of the innocent victims was selected to 
make vicarious atonement. The verdict was that 
the women then in the Medical School should be per- 
mitted to complete their course, but after that no 
more women should be admitted to the school. 
After this demonstration can any one doubt that 
the story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden 442 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
has biologic foundation and, as the good old books 
say, “is in the nature of man.” But we can re- 
joice that this is a nature which man is steadily 
moving upward to modify and correct, hence the 
increasing number of men who are willing to do 
justice to women. 
It remains to add that the trustees were said to 
have been almost unanimous in their opposition to 
the exclusion of women but to have been overborne 
by the financial control exerted by the three pro- 
fessors mentioned. 
The indignation of a large portion of the lay com- 
munity was aroused by the injustice thus done to 
women, and an appeal for advice was made to Dr. 
Zakrzewska, whose views on such a situation have 
already been stated. Fortunately, the Johns Hop- 
kins Medical School is not far removed from Wash- 
ington. 
The era of the “emancipation” of woman as an 
all-inclusive phrase had not yet passed, though it 
was approaching its eclipse by more specific terms. 
Using it as an antithesis of “oppression,” Dr. Zakr- 
zewska writes in The Open Court, June 21, 1894, on 
“The Emancipation of Woman: Will it be a Suc- 
cess?” 
This article was in reply to one on 1 ‘ The Oppres- 
sion of Woman,” evidently written by a man who 
voiced his protest against the subjection from which 
women have suffered for so many centuries, and who 
claimed for women freedom to develop along their 
own lines. His plea was apparently similar to 
Tennyson’s when the latter sings: THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
443 
. . . “ Leave her space to burgeon out of all 
Within her—let her make herself her own 
To give or keep, to live and learn and be 
All that not harms distinctive womanhood. 
For woman is not undevelopt man, 
But diverse.” 
Perhaps, as is so often the case, an undercurrent 
of masculine patronage had crept into the plea of 
the advocate. Or perhaps Dr. Zakrzewska merely 
felt the weariness that comes to all normal grown-up 
women when their normality and growth are com- 
mented upon as phenomena, instead of being ac- 
cepted as the thing to be expected. On a very hot 
day, the chirr of even a friendly katydid may seem 
too obvious, repeating (what should be) “an undis- 
puted thing in such a solemn way.” At any rate, 
she responds: 
I admit that the writer of this article is right, 
positively right, logically right, sentimentally right, 
to the end of these reasonings which are lucid and 
clearly stated. 
Then I ask, What is the value of this new poini, 
this proving that the evolution of woman’s activity 
cannot be otherwise than feminine? If twice two 
make four, no exertion of either man or woman can 
make it five. Let us leave it as a positive fact, and 
not worry when we see any individual trying to 
prove that twice two make five. 
Why are all these mental somersaults and capri- 
oles in men’s writings needed? Will their attempts 
at prophesying or illustrating the future effects aris- 
ing from the activity of a yet unknown quantity 
alter or check the present phenomenal awakening 
of woman’s ambition? 444 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Allow me to elucidate my meaning by a true story 
of what happened in my native city, Berlin, about 
fifty years ago. 
In a courtyard lived a poor family. The father 
was a locksmith by trade. His eldest son, a boy of 
twelve, bright, industrious and smart, spent all his 
time either in the schoolroom or in his father’s shop. 
Not even on Sundays could this poor family enjoy 
rest but worked in the dreary shop. The boy was 
very fond of eating string beans which the mother 
could seldom afford to buy. 
He therefore decided to raise them in a box before 
his window. He used some old pieces of boards for 
the construction of his wTindowT-garden, and all the 
inmates of the front as well as of the rear houses 
became interested in his experiment, everybody feel- 
ing it to be his or her duty to express opinions on 
the subject. 
Thus it came to pass that the boy was told that 
the beans planted would rot because the boards were 
not porous enough to allow air to pass; that the 
soil in the box could not be regulated as regarded 
the daily moisture needed; that the rain could not 
be discharged after flooding the window garden; 
that the heat of the sun reflected from the window 
glass would burn the tender growths; that not more 
than two stalks of beans could be raised if the seed 
turned out to be dwarf beans, and if pole beans, he 
could not fasten them high enough; that no good 
growth could be expected if there wrere not a flow 
of air all around to favor the plant; that the already 
dark room (this being the only window) would be 
darkened too much by the growing plants and thus 
the three children who slept in it would not awaken 
in time for school, which commenced at seven 
o ’clock; that the health of the children would be in- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
445 
jured by the exhalation of the plants and the mois- 
ture of the earth in the box; that his mother should 
be warned not to allow sneh an experiment as it 
would be a moral injury to the boy when he found 
himself disappointed in the success of his plan, as 
the most valuable of emotions—hope—would thus 
be destroyed; that the father ought to realize that 
he would lose at least half an hour daily of the boy’s 
help in the shop; in fact, all the arguments and all 
the prophesying were that a complete failure would 
be the result and that the boy would be crushed under 
the weight of it. 
However, the boy prepared his box, took note of 
the many suggestions and obviated some of them, 
as by perforating his box with small holes, by open- 
ing the windows when the sun shone from ten in the 
morning to three in the afternoon, etc. 
The twelve beans which he had planted grew and 
proved to be pole beans, so he tied strings for them 
to climb up on as high as the tenant above his room 
allowed him to do. He watered and nursed his 
plantation with care and love, and lo and behold, 
the beans flourished and blossomed and bore fruit 
relatively plentifully. 
During this time of growth, an old and wise 
tenant of the front house, also a professor, joined 
the group who for eight weeks had watched and 
discussed in the yard this willful boy’s experiment. 
This critic remarked that he observed a new phase 
of which nobody had thus far taken notice and which 
might have both good and bad effects, namely, that 
a hailstorm might yet come and destroy this gar- 
den, although there might also be a good result as 
the plants would protect the window panes if the 
storm should occur when the windows were closed. 
All admitted that this was true, and all admired 446 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
the wisdom of the Herr Professor, and went to their 
respective abodes a little mortified that they had 
not thought before of this neglected point of the 
subject. 
The boy had the satisfaction of gathering a mess 
of well-grown beans, sufficient for a hearty meal 
for the whole family. But while eating his favorite 
dish, he said, “Well, mother, I did succeed; but to 
tell the truth, the beans don’t taste so good as those 
which grow in the fields. So next year, I will not 
try again but I shall sow nasturtium seeds for you 
to enjoy.” 
He did so, and his window was a perfect delight 
and source of cheer to him, to his mother, and to 
the tenants of the little court. He continued to do 
this until he had to enter the army, at eighteen years 
of age. His younger brothers (he had no sisters) 
followed in his footsteps, and when I left Berlin my 
last look was at the nasturtium window. 
Let me ask, did it matter much which the boy 
raised, beans or nasturtiums? What use was it to 
him, or to his family, or to the tenants when the 
latter all joined in the chorus, “I thought so” or 
“I told him he could not raise beans”? Let each 
one try nature’s forces and take his chance! And 
twice two will always remain four. CHAPTER XXXVIII 
Dr. Zakrzew ska’s own description of her attitude as a 
critic—Her judgments on various details of Hospital 
policy: Against the admission to the Hospital of 
women students of the Boston University Medical 
School (that being then a school of homeopathy); On 
the reciprocal relation of the medical staff and the 
board of directors of the Hospital; On a question of 
Hospital discipline; Letter to an ambitious colleague 
whose feelings have been hurt. 
Matters of Hospital policy were continually being 
referred to her for decision. Before noting details, 
it will be illuminating to read what she says as to 
her mental attitude when making criticisms: 
If I praise, it is hardly ever the person or the rela- 
tion in which this person stands to me of which I 
think—it is simply the praiseworthy thing or deed 
which I eulogize. 
These very same persons may do or say something 
which, according to my comprehension, is not praise- 
worthy but the contrary, and I criticize and blame 
just as strongly as I praised before when many 
did not see the praiseworthiness until I drew atten- 
tion to it. 
For the praise, I receive thanks, for human nature 
likes far better to hear agreeable things than dis- 
agreeable ones. 
For the blame, where I pointed out the fault, I 
receive double reproach, for human nature likes to 
447 448 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
defend, it is vexed because its attention has been 
drawn to the fact of imperfection and its displeas- 
ure tends to fall upon the person who points out this 
imperfection. 
I am fully aware that gratitude and warm friend- 
ships are easily gained by speaking well of every- 
thing and everybody. Hence it is that secondary, 
yes, even very mediocre, talents receive a certain 
amount of fame and appreciation by the multitude. 
But to a true nature such kind of appreciation is 
humbling; and that, too, in just such a degree as to 
him or her, praise or blame, appreciation or cen- 
sure, are equally sacred. One who is satisfied with 
the recognition of the few can calmly wait till the 
multitude find out for themselves how much of the 
seed sown among them will grow. 
Therefore, when I mention names to you, pray 
do not believe I speak of them because they are 
either friends or foes to me, or that I wish either 
to please or to hurt. Both are far from me—I do 
not care to please, nor do I want to hurt, anybody. 
In answer to a proposal in earlier years to admit 
to the New England Hospital the women students 
of the Medical Department of the Boston University 
(then a school of homeopathy), she decided in the 
negative. In this connection, she says: 
It is my opinion that if we do not intend to lower 
our aims or to descend from the position which we 
have taken and which wre should uphold, we cannot 
form any connection, through the admission of its 
students to our Hospital, with a school which holds 
itself strictly sectarian and which claims a one- 
sided knowledge—a faith in medicine which has no 
warrant, and an advancement in science which THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
449 
neither here in America nor abroad is approved by 
natural scientists, by chemists, or by microscopists. 
And which in reality possesses no sound foundation 
other than that which exists in all new ideas, namely, 
that of experiment. But this experiment is just as 
permissible to the regular practitioner who is edu- 
cated on the broadest terms and who has a perfect 
right to administer any remedy for the restoration 
of health. 
In stating this opinion, to which I have given 
thoughtful consideration, I regret personally that 
I thus exclude women of a school with which I agree 
as to the great principle of equality in education of 
the sexes. 
At one time, there seemed to be in the minds of 
some of the later members a question as to the 
reciprocal relation of the medical staff and the board 
of directors. On this occasion, she writes: 
Our Hospital is utterly different from all hos- 
pitals carried on by the City or the State or by 
private individuals and endowments. 
In these latter there exists either a need to pro- 
vide for the helpless who are dependent on the Com- 
monwealth, or benevolent persons wish to provide 
a charity and so they establish hospitals. In both 
conditions, the staff of physicians is employed by 
those who manage the institutions and, consequently, 
either money or thanks are due to such physicians 
as serve. 
With us, it is entirely different. None of our 
original directors wanted a hospital; none of them 
was inspired by charity or had the means to pro- 
vide such charity. I, the representative of an idea 
in its earliest evolution—I sought those Directors 450 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
that they might serve the purpose of carrying out 
that idea. 
They served then and in the future the women 
physicians connected with the Hospital. They never 
dictated as to the number of physicians or internes; 
they never proposed to enlarge the work; this has 
always been done by the professional staff. We 
thank them for their generous aid, but they cannot 
thank us for doing much or little. 
Of course, the Directors are the corporate body, 
and they represent us legally before the public; but 
they carry out our ideas, not we theirs. They simply 
stand ready to support the principle of giving to 
women physicians full opportunity to manifest their 
skill and judgment. 
In this connection it is interesting to refer to a 
letter regarding another matter, which Mrs. Cheney 
wrote to Dr. Zakrzewska in 1888. Mrs. Cheney 
says: 
I hope you will not think me ungrateful for your 
inestimable frank criticism, which has been one of 
the greatest helps in my life even if I cannot adopt 
all your suggestions, as I must speak my own 
language—but I am most thankful for the matter 
you have supplied. 
I never know what to say about my relation to the 
Hospital work. It is not to me what it is to you. . . . 
I accepted it as blessed work . . . and have thanked 
you all my life for bringing it to me, but it has never 
been mine as it is yours. 
Other aspects of her mind appear in connection 
with special experiences, as when she writes to one THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
451 
of the other doctors regarding a question of hospital 
discipline: 
My dear Doctor : 
I enclose the letter you handed to me and one from 
Dr. . Allow me to tell you how I have man- 
aged such letters. I have had precisely three similar 
experiences. Dr. ’s patients left in the same 
way as Mrs. , and to this day their relatives are 
not satisfied that the patients were treated rightly. 
Still, they are good friends with me in spite of my 
having acted as I did. This was what I did. 
When I received the first letter, I said to myself: 
1. There are always two sides to every story. 
2. I cannot act at all if I keep this letter secret, 
as I am requested to do. 
3. If there is an accusation, I must have the ex- 
cuse unless I want to ignore the whole 
concern and burn the letter. 
4. I will not talk, so as not to run the risk of 
losing my temper. 
Therefore, I sat down, wrote a note to the doctor 
and enclosed the letter of accusation, but requested 
her not to let either the patient or the student know 
about it but to tell me what she thought was best 
to be done. 
Now this action seemed right to me, because 
1. I investigated the other side. 
2. I tried to put things to rights. 
3. I gave a chance for explanations. 
4. I could not become impatient, because both 
parties are always more careful when 
things are put on paper. 
After I received the doctor’s reply, I took the 
letters, the patient and the doctor into a private 452 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
room, and informed them why and how I had acted 
in the affair; Then I read both letters, and this 
was followed by an apology on both sides and the 
matter was ended. 
Then, although the patient left the Hospital, she 
conld not say that the doctor was not courteously 
treated by me. Nor could she say that justice was 
not done to her. 
After this, the doctor and I together had an inter- 
view with the student, and we said as little or as 
much as was necessary to make her more careful, 
and that was ended. 
As it happened, Dr. ’s patient was one of 
more education and she saw that she was in the 
wrong, so she apologized and remained until the 
doctor discharged her. 
I don’t think that either you or I are the last 
authority on such questions. They should be set- 
tled with all concerned in harmony and even with 
polite treatment of the culprit, should there be one. 
If you lose your temper with a coworker, it lowers 
you in the eyes of patients or of others a great deal 
more than it hurts her. Everybody feels with or 
for the punished one, and nobody with the one who 
punishes or condemns. 
I find that in going through the wards now, all 
the patients feel attached to the doctor and are 
full of her praise, and they hope she will have a 
good time and come back to her arduous duties with 
her usual strength, fine spirits and cheerfulness. 
As soon as Dr. comes home, we shall work 
out rules for the physicians so that these will be 
ready for our next meeting. And if they are then 
properly discussed, I think it might be a good plan 
to have them printed in our report so that patients 
may learn their extent and on whom they depend. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
453 
Again, one of the doctors was evidently suffering 
from a wounded amour propre, feeling that she had 
not been treated with sufficient consideration. She 
had apparently expressed her grievance to Dr. 
Zakrzewska, and then being dissatisfied with the re- 
sult of her interview, had tried to express herself 
more definitely in a letter. Dr. Zakrzewska replies: 
My dear Dr. : 
I will answer the last paragraph of your letter 
first, because this is the straw which shows how 
the wind blows, and it also confirms my impression 
concerning the cause of your manner. I have noth- 
ing to forgive in your manner because, personally, 
you have never offended me. I therefore have noth- 
ing to forget either. 
But forgetting that we are colleagues and profes- 
sional women interested in the same work and in 
the same great cause where harmony is so desirable, 
you seem to think, or rather you assert, that I should 
remember your years and your condition of health, 
which is to account for your speaking without think- 
ing. . . . 
Now about your age, I never have thought of you 
as young even when you were young. At the time 
we met, I recognized in the instant the genuine talent 
and fervor of purpose of which you were possessed, 
and I accepted you not as an inferior but as an 
equal. 
Do you think that I could now make an attempt 
to throw the mature woman from a past and from 
a place in my estimation which I let her occupy when 
she was really a young girl of no experience? Would 
not this be silly and mean? Do you admit that I 
am either, or both? 454 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
I always saw your weaknesses and faults as 
clearly as I see them now, and I often spoke plainly 
of them to you, but I never, never thought of putting 
you lower on account of them, because weaknesses 
we all have, and I am glad to bear and forbear with 
these in people who have something of worth to 
counterbalance, or else to place these faults entirely 
in the background. 
You say you wish to preserve an opinion of your 
own on all Hospital matters. Who has ever wished 
more than I have that you would do this? How 
often have I said to you when you wished to make 
changes and have told me that you put these on me 
and my orders, that my shoulders were broad enough 
to carry all, but that I thought you should do things 
on your own authority as this seemed simply right. 
How often have I referred to you as being a more 
efficient authority on those points regarding which 
I thought you were. 
And even when you did not agree with my proposi- 
tions, when did you ever hear that I complained? 
On the contrary, have I not the more readily yielded 
and tried to investigate honestly which way would 
be best? “Do as you please,” “suit yourself,” 
“work in your own way”—are not these standing 
phrases which I have used to every physician? 
I am ready to give up the Hospital work at any 
moment that you all think you can do without me. 
I have no ambition to work in it; I had only the 
ambition to help women into the position where they 
could work. And this I have accomplished. 
In New York I did well, and I am remembered in 
an honorable and friendly way. And here in Bos- 
ton I have certainly done my best. And if there 
are now a hundred women who differ from me and 
a thousand who know better than I do, I have noth- THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
455 
ing to say against it. On the contrary, I am glad 
and happy about it because this is just the condi- 
tion which I strove for. My teachings have always 
been—you must all do better, far better, than I 
have done, because you have far better opportuni- 
ties than I had. I helped to make those opportunities 
and shame upon you if you do not come out better 
than your present teacher. 
No, no, my dear Doctor, it is not at all anything 
of this that is in your manner. In some way you 
have got it into your head and heart that you must 
play the first fiddle, or still better, be the conductor 
and show your importance in every way, small and 
big. You want the incense of having everybody 
look up to you as the most important person in the 
concern; you like to patronize, and so on. 
And I, to tell the truth, am very willing that you 
should have all this pleasure because I do not care 
at all for these things. To me, the answer to one 
of the great questions of the time is to assist women 
into their right position whether or not they know 
me or my name (which, luckily, is so hard that they 
won’t even take the trouble to learn it). 
Now, this will be the last time that I shall write 
on this subject. There is no use in trying to make 
artificially a harmony which does not any more come 
spontaneously. I am very willing, yes, even too 
willing, to allow myself to be overruled, because I do 
not care at all for the particular minutae. 
You know that I carried on the Hospital quite 
differently from Dr. or Dr. , yes, even from 
what you did, but I never tried, nor wanted to try, 
to interfere, because it is far better that each indi- 
vidual should do her work in her individual way. 
Otherwise, it must fail to be done well. Imitations 456 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
are always inferior to the genuine article. But 
agreeing to a thing is not always liking it. 
As for my having wounded your feelings, this is 
possible—but I daresay it was only in hospital mat- 
ters when forced out by your hostile manner. I 
hope I never was rude in my social relations, and if 
I have been let me assure you that if you will tell 
me when and where I was so, I will certainly beg 
your pardon. CHAPTER XXXIX 
Dr. Zakrzewska’s private life—Her home—Her friends— 
Her keeping in touch with the Hospital doctors, stu- 
dents and internes—Her “hoys”—Her ethics—Her 
reading—Men physicians who served as consultants 
at the New England Hospital. 
Concurrently with the public manifestations of 
Dr. Zakrzewska’s life, as recorded in the preceding 
pages, proceeded her more intimate life of home, 
family and friends. Allusions to these happy pos- 
sessions have been made from time to time, but a 
particular word should be given to one feature which 
she brought with her from the old world to the new 
—a feature which enriches life over there, and which 
would add so much to our American life could we 
adopt it as generally and as simply. 
Reference is here made to the custom of European 
people of all grades of circumstance in incorporating 
the outdoors into the daily life of the household, 
especially for the hour or moment of social relaxa- 
tion. 
Poor indeed the family that has not at least a tiny 
arbor, or shelter, or shaded spot, where the glass of 
sirup or other beverage of the country, or the cup 
of coffee or tea, or the incense of the friendly pipe 
or the more exclusive cigar, draws the curtain upon 
the workaday world and releases the spirit for a 
few moments’ dream of content. 
457 458 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
“Rock Garden’’ was the name of her most blessed 
retreat—a large garden with terraces and with the 
rocks for which Roxbury is famous. There were 
trees and shrubs, fruits and flowers, tables and seats, 
and the air was filled with memories of happy hours, 
hospitable days and friendly meetings. And many 
groups of Hospital directors, doctors and internes, 
as well as other friends, gathered there at various 
times, carefree and festive. 
“Rock Garden has always been the Garden of 
Paradise,” comes a voice borne upon the breeze, 
“but wherever you are or wherever you make your 
home, that place will soon be ideal to your friends.” 
Dr. Buckel writes from the gardens of California, 
her thoughts turned back to Rock Garden: 
Oh, what has it not been! You know what it has 
been to you, but you do not know how dear it is 
to other hearts. I almost feel as if it ought to be 
set apart as a place sacred to friendship and to all 
the sweet memories associated with it. 
. . . Christmas at Rock Garden always comes to 
me as a beautiful memory of generous hearts and 
joyous greetings. How plainly I can see you holding 
up the packages and reading off the names in your 
own inimitable manner, while the big stocking stands 
yearning to give up its treasures. 
And again: 
... I always think of Rock Garden and the 
Christmas tree there and how much I enjoyed it, 
and how dear are the memories. All the Heinzens, 
Miss Sprague, Dr. Morton, the Prangs, Dr. Berlin, 
the Drs. Pope, and others, are all fresh in my mind, THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
459 
and I send them kind greetings, with love to Santa 
and your own dear self. 
William Lloyd Garrison at one time described 
this home which Dr. Zakrzewska had there created 
for herself and for the friends and patients who 
were her paying guests. He said: 
Dr. Zakrzewska was already settled in her attrac- 
tive home in Cedar Street, Roxbury, when, in 1864, 
my father moved to Highland Street near by, and 
the two families became intimate. Although un- 
married, the Doctor rarely failed to have a house 
full of friends and relatives, making of her home 
a social center for her German and American ac- 
quaintances. 
She was a woman of decided opinions and the 
frankest speech, a circumstance 'which gave zest and 
animation to any group in which she mingled. She 
held firmly to the conviction that personal conscious- 
ness ends with death; that so-called spiritual com- 
munications are a delusion, that prohibition laws 
infringe upon individual rights; that homeopathy 
has no claim to science; and that armed resistance 
to tyrants is justifiable. 
My father held diametrically opposite views, but 
as both were believers in the utmost freedom of 
speech, the social clash of arms never engendered 
a moment’s ill feeling. They were closely united 
upon the questions of anti-slavery and woman’s 
rights, and they were drawn by a common impulse 
to progressive and philanthropic movements. 
Karl Heinzen, who with his wife and son made a 
part of the Doctor’s household, was a striking and 
remarkable figure. He was a man of massive in- 
tellect, possessing a high reputation in Germany as 
a writer of both prose and verse. His intense love 460 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
of liberty and hatred of shams had made him an 
exile in America in the tumultuous years preceding 
the Civil War. He was of noble stature and frame, 
a spacious temple for a great soul, his rugged face 
betraying his indomitable and fearless character. 
Boston never realized the value or distinction of 
this moral hero, for the reason that the English 
language was more formidable to him than despots 
and monarchies. But in Dr. Zakrzewska he had a 
friend who appreciated his noble talents and virtues. 
... I have dwelt upon this conjunction of the 
Doctor with Karl Heinzen because his influence upon 
her life was deep and abiding. To see him working 
about the ample grounds, trimming the grapevines 
and attending to the fruit trees—his recreation and 
pleasure—and, when the weather permitted, to 
behold the afternoon table-gathering under the leafy 
shade at the back of the grounds which rose above 
the house, was to receive the impression of a bit of 
the Fatherland—a German grafting on a Yankee 
hillside. The glimpse was often through or over 
the board fence which separated my own house on 
the hilltop when, in 1868, I became the Doctor’s 
closely adjacent neighbor. What animated talk en- 
livened the coffee, and how many friends enjoyed 
first and last the retirement and refreshment! 
In the early days, sweet Mrs. Severance and her 
interesting family lived also on Cedar Street; the 
Prangs were near at hand on Center Street; the 
Koehlers and the Elsons were in the vicinity. The 
beautiful suburb of Roxbury was then full of nat- 
ural charm, an object of interest to strangers vis- 
iting Boston and at that date untouched and un- 
spoiled. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
461 
I remember a traveled friend pointing down 
Cedar Street towards the Doctor’s house and ask- 
ing, “Have you ever been to Versailles?” adding, 
“The arches of these glorious elms are a reminder 
of it.” 
For many years Dr. Zakrzewska had a summer 
cottage at York Harbor but it is of her busy city 
homes that her friends wrote most often. 
One of the former internes writes to her in later 
days: 
The year spent by me in the Hospital will always 
be remembered with great pleasure, particularly 
that part of it when I was quarantined at the Ma- 
ternity and you used to ask me down to dinner at 
your house nearly every evening. 
She kept in touch with all the doctors and students 
who had been at any time connected with the Hos- 
pital, if writing only at notable times such as the 
big anniversaries or when some special report or 
Fair souvenir was published. She always inquired 
how they were getting on, and whether they received 
the annual reports of the Hospital which were always 
sent to their latest address. And so she was kept 
informed of their changing circumstances, their suc- 
cesses or discouragements, their marriages, their 
husbands, their children, and their problems of 
many kinds. 
In beginning practice they had the varied for- 
tunes which might be expected from differing in- 
dividualities, equipment, resources and environment. 
Some found doors already opened to welcome them; 462 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
some had to make places for themselves. One of 
the latter group writes to her: 
I am now doing very satisfactorily but I often 
think how prophetic you were when you used to 
warn us, saying, “Five years of waiting and starva- 
tion are before every one of you.” 
Their addresses were scattered all over the world 
—over the United States from Maine south to 
Florida and west to California; on the north to 
Canada; and east and west to England, Scotland, 
France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, India,23 Persia, 
Japan, China. 
In keeping with the breadth of view which char- 
acterized her and her director associates, no dis- 
crimination has ever been made at the New England 
Hospital regarding sects, races or nationalities in 
students, doctors, nurses or patients. 
As we have already seen, Dr. Zakrzewska had 
always a large circle of friends among the famous 
and high-minded men of her time, and her influence 
with the men in the families of her patients has also 
been noted. 
It remains to add a word as to the number who 
were proud to call themselves her “boys.” A speci- 
men letter from one of these latter, signed by a name 
well known in Boston, says: 
Dear Doctor : 
As no person in the world outside of my own 
immediate family is dearer to me than yourself, I 
want you to be one of the first to know of my en- 
gagement to , and I am sure you will ap- 
prove of my choice. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
463 
Trusting that we may meet before long, I am as 
ever one of your boys. 
She had no theologic affiliations. Her clear vision 
and her keen reasoning powers were unsatisfied with 
any form of dogma, creed or ritual yet elaborated. 
And she found these latter unnecessary to the de- 
velopment of a rule of life which reconciled the un- 
trammeled intellect and the highest ethics yet 
evolved by an upward-struggling humanity. 
She was able to organize instinct, training, reason, 
observation, experience and personal association, 
and to add to these the communion with the great 
minds of the race which is to be derived from read- 
ing—each continually checking up and correcting all 
the others. So she developed a mind which she 
kept in a wholesome state of flux, ready to modify 
any conclusion as new light rose above the horizon. 
She held her course and steered her life as a 
skilled navigator holds his course, who while he 
steers by compass and chart yet makes myriad ad- 
justments as required by continually varying condi- 
tions of wind and wave and sky. 
And pursuers of high ideals in ethics and 
philosophy were always on her list of friends. This 
list always included clergymen, and in this connec- 
tion we may note the observations at a later date 
of Rev. Charles G. Ames. He says: 
Dr. Zakrzewska in speaking of the class of un- 
fortunate women with whom she was often brought 
in contact in her medical work, once said to me, “I 
cannot give them money but I always give them 
my friendship in order to keep them morally alive. ’ ’ 464 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
It made me think of Fichte’s words, “No honest 
mind is without communication with God, whether 
so called or not.” After hearing that remark of 
the Doctor’s, I never had any difficulty in giving 
her my fellowship on the deepest spiritual ground. 
Reverend James Freeman Clarke24 was one of 
her earliest friends in Boston, their acquaintance 
beginning back in the days when she came soliciting 
help for opening the New York Infirmary. 
In her address at the opening of the Sewall Ma- 
ternity new building, in 1892, Dr. Zakrzewska alludes 
to this episode, saying: 
Let me express the gratitude we owe for our ex- 
istence to a man whose influence secured to us the 
noble friends who in the spirit of justice to women 
gave invaluable assistance with their labors and 
their financial help—I mean, Reverend James Free- 
man Clarke. 
I feel justified in saying that it was among the 
members of his church that the idea was material- 
ized and that funds for the beginning of the experi- 
ment were provided. 
We have referred above to Dr. Zakrzewska’s wide 
reading. One of the friends of her Cleveland days, 
Rev. A. D. Mayo, says: 
By an intuitive grasp of what was best for herself 
in books, she realized the saying of the historian, 
George Bancroft, “I should as soon think of eating 
all the apples on the big tree in my garden as to 
read the whole of any good book. I pluck and eat 
the best apple and leave the rest.” She always THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
465 
knew the best apple on every tree of knowledge, 
and her mind was stored with the condensed wis- 
dom of many libraries. 
And he tells of the renewal in Boston of his friend- 
ship with her, some twenty years after its begin- 
ning in Cleveland: 
Having made Boston my family headquarters, we 
were brought together in her generously appointed 
home in Union Park, almost under the eaves of the 
great church of Dr. Edward Everett Hale. I then 
verified anew the old truth that a genuine friend- 
ship grows even during absence. 
Writing at this same date about Dr. Zakrzewska’s 
personality, Dr. Buckel says: 
I cannot measure how much I owe to her skillful, 
energetic, practical instruction as a physician when 
I was a student in the New York Infirmary; neither 
can I measure the strength, courage and hope which 
her bright example has given me throughout my 
life. 
I think, however, that her genuine respect for even 
the very poorest of the poor immigrants who 
crowded the most wretched quarters of New York 
made the deepest and most lasting impression. 
Others showed sympathy and pity, but she entered 
into their lives with an appreciation of their diffi- 
culties and a cooperation in their honest efforts that 
stimulated their courage and gave them strength to 
work on until success finally rewarded them. 
She considered the husband, father, son, and 
brother equally worthy of regard with the women of 
the family in all her plans for improvement. Al- 
though devoted to women’s best interests, she never 466 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
worked for women alone. Her influence over the 
men in these poor families was most remarkable, 
considering their supposed opinions as to the 
proper sphere of woman. 
Not a few educated, intelligent men owe their 
first start in the world to her suggestive counsel. 
The spirit of comradeship she felt with high-minded, 
intellectual men greatly strengthened my own con- 
victions as to the true relations of men and women 
to each other and helped me to enjoy more freely 
the friendship of men whom I honored and admired. 
In her social life, gentlemen were always most cor- 
dially welcomed, and they seemed sincerely to ap- 
preciate her kindness and highly value her esteem. 
The picnics and excursions she planned to the sub- 
urbs and parks of New York, which were then easily 
accessible, are among the most delightful memories 
of my life. Grave professors, exiled philosophers 
and learned doctors ran with us in our merry games 
and forgot for the moment all but the gladsome 
spirit of the play. 
During my long association with Dr. Zakrzewska 
in hospital life, both in Boston and in New York, 
I do not remember a single misunderstanding. I 
always had her cordial support in the hospital and 
a bright, warm welcome in her home. And I knew 
that any of our students whom I might take to her 
house would also receive a cordial welcome and 
realize that she was their friend. 
For so many years after its beginning the New 
England Hospital was so largely regarded as a per- 
sonal expression of Dr. Zakrzewska, and its place 
in the estimation of the profession was so largely 
based upon appreciation of the standards of which THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
467 
she stood as a representative, that the acceptance 
by a man physician of a position on the consulting 
staff was really a personal tribute to her. 
For this reason it seems desirable to publish here 
the names of all the men who during her life served 
the Hospital in a consulting capacity—whether as 
physician, surgeon or other specialist—the names 
being placed in chronological order.28 CHAPTER XL 
Opening of the new Dispensary building (the Pope Dis- 
pensary)—Dr. Zakrzewska speaks of the relation of 
the Dispensary to confidence in women surgeons—The 
neiv surgical building (the Ednah D. Cheney Surgical 
Building)—Dr. Zakrzewska’s remarks on the progress 
of the woman physician as demonstrated by these 
added new buildings (made more complete later by 
the Kimball Cottage for the Children’s Department)— 
Celebration of her seventieth birthday by a reception 
and by the naming of the original main building (<The 
Zakrzewska Building”—Fatigue of this reception em- 
phasized the failing health which had already caused 
her retirement from private practice—Her character- 
istic acceptance of the inevitable—Her death—Her 
funeral services—Her farewell message. (1896-1902.) 
In 1896, Dr. Zakrzewska again refers to the confi- 
dence of the community in women surgeons, illus- 
trating it by an experience which she relates in her 
address at the opening of the new Dispensary build- 
ing (Pope Dispensary—donated by Colonel Albert 
A. Pope and named for the donor and his twin sis- 
ters, Drs. Augusta and Emily Pope) which was lo- 
cated on the site of the old one at No. 29 Fayette 
Street. She says: 
Our Dispensary in especial serves another pur- 
pose, namely, to convince rich and poor, educated 
and uneducated, professionals and nonprofessionals 
468 Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D. 
(1896) THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
469 
that women physicians can serve the community at 
large as well as can men physicians. 
Said an Irishman to me a few weeks ago, when I 
pronounced it necessary for a member of his family 
to undergo a serious operation and advised fur- 
ther consultation with other physicians, “Can’t 
we have one of the women surgeons from your 
Hospital?” 
Seeing my surprise at this proposition, as the 
man was by no means an educated person, he said, 
“Well, Doctor, when I came to this country with my 
wife, we were very poor and knew nothing. The 
good women of the Pleasant Street Dispensary at- 
tended to us and taught us to take care of ourselves. 
All our children were born under their care, and 
they watched that we did right by them, all without 
any charge. Now that we can afford good pay, I 
am sure we want the same, for I swear by the women 
doctors.” This speech, delivered in good broad 
Irish brogue, made me laugh most heartily. I soon 
had the case in the hands of the proper attendant, 
and all went well. 
So, friends, let us be proud of all we have done, 
with the promise to do more and better work as 
science advances. 
In June, 1899, on Mrs. Cheney’s seventy-fifth 
birthday, the cornerstone of the new surgical build- 
ing (the Ednah D. Cheney Surgical Building) was 
laid. In an address made at that time, Dr. Zakrzew- 
ska says: 
After fifty years of experimental agitation and 
practical work, we now are completing the third 
department of the medical art in laying the corner- 
stone for this building. The medical pavilion,26 the 470 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
maternity, and now the surgical pavilion are the 
proofs in brick and mortar of woman’s independent 
and faithful performances in the medical profes- 
sion.27 
The confidence of the public which generously pro- 
vided the means for this cause, the confidence of 
the sick who sought relief at the hands of the women 
physicians, and the attitude of the profession in 
general towards the woman practitioner—all these 
have been acquired through skillful and patient 
labor. 
It would he affectation if we women physicians did 
not feel proud of the result which we now see mate- 
rialized, grateful as we are to all those who in earlier 
years bore with us not only the doubt and opposi- 
tion but also the ridicule of our attempts. While we 
remember those who have done their part so val- 
iantly, we do not forget those who have passed away 
without having had the satisfaction which we now 
enjoy in the success of our early effort. 
On September 6, 1899, she celebrated her seven- 
tieth birthday, and on October 24, as stated in the 
annual report: 
The Hospital tried to do honor to the one who, 
more than all others, deserves to be honored—its 
senior physician, Dr. Zakrzewska. In her thought, 
the New England Hospital was born. Because of 
her zeal and untiring energy and the aid of a few 
earnest friends, it became a fact. And from that 
day to the present one, as wise woman, skillful physi- 
cian, and faithful friend, she has been an inspiration 
to all. 
A reception was tendered her by the Hospital at 
the home of Mrs. Thomas Mack and there, with Mrs. THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
471 
Cheney to assist, she greeted her many friends, old 
and new. 
That the Hospital shall always bear an evident 
sign of its originator, it has been decided to name 
the main building which was the first one built, 
‘ ‘ The Zakrzewska Building, ’ ’ and to have it suitably 
marked by a tablet. 
The exhausting excitement of this celebration ag- 
gravated the nerve fatigue which had been hanging- 
out warning signals for many years, and to which 
attention has been called in these pages. At last 
these admonitions had become peremptory, and at 
last the high-spirited physician was obliged to con- 
fess herself subject to the laws regarding which she 
had so often cautioned her patients. 
A study of her symptoms would in these days lead 
to a diagnosis of arteriosclerosis, that sad, sure re- 
action that waits inevitably upon the over-strenu- 
ous life, whether this follows the spur of the inward 
urge or the whip of circumstance. In the earlier 
days of medical practice, when symptoms of this con- 
dition were most in evidence through cerebral mani- 
festations, the diagnosis of an obscure and fatal 
nervous disease was made, and so it was in this 
case. 
The keen-sighted patient realized that her ailment 
was progressive, that it might be palliated though 
not cured, and that the imperative treatment lay in 
a simplified mode of life with avoidance of care, 
anxiety and excitement. 
So she retired from the last detail of private prac- 
tice, put her affairs in order, even arranging her 
funeral service, and then she cheerfully turned her 472 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
mind to bearing her discomforts philosophically and 
to making the best of the time which remained. 
When the realization of the finality of her situa- 
tion came to her, she was undoubtedly shaken (when 
the final summons comes, every normal-minded 
human being quivers, even if it be only for the mo- 
ment), but she was not dismayed. Subconsciously 
her physical condition must have aroused compen- 
satory instincts, as it does with all of us, for at one 
time she wrote: 
Death is to me a good friend. Whenever it comes, 
it is welcome. So many of my contemporaries have 
gone and are going into Nirvana, the world becomes 
young daily and new to me, into which newness I 
can hardly find myself. So that, when I say, “I 
have enough, ” I say the truth. 
But additional acceptance of her position was fav- 
ored by the serenity which comes to a mind which 
had long recognized the inevitable limitations which 
time would some time bring, for she writes: 
For some years I have been saving money for old 
age, and in fact, I have done what I have so often 
encouraged other women to do—become indepen- 
dent of friends and charity. I have arranged to 
be independent until eighty years—to which age I 
sincerely hope not to live. 
She seldom spoke of herself or of her feelings, but 
at one time she wrote: 
If it were not for my poor head, I would say I was 
in better health than for years. But, alas! the ner- THE LIFE OF MARIE Z AKRZEWSKA 
473 
vous centers refuse to recuperate and the least ex- 
citement renders me sleepless, and a host of re- 
grets, reproaches and condemnations rise up like 
demons to torment me. 
Then, in one of the characteristic remissions of 
the condition, she writes, with one of her customary 
glints of humor: 
I intend to live another seventy years because life 
seems so well worth living. 
Once she wrote more in detail to Mrs. Cheney, 
because, as she said: 
... It seems to me right that my dearest and 
oldest friend should understand me and not mis- 
judge my actions. . . . Years ago some confusion of 
mind warned me of trouble to come, and it finally 
set in in the form of noises in my head. I scolded 
myself for being so nervous in my behavior while 
being irritated by these sounds, and I went gladly 
to California, hoping to get benefit by diversion. 
However, the two distinct noises on the top of my 
head kept increasing so that even the noise of the 
cars did not drown them. Still I forced myself to 
act cheerfully and was determined not to be hope- 
less. Little by little, however, indifference toward 
events, then toward people, and now toward the 
beauty of nature, has crept upon me. 
I have spoken to Dr. Berlin about this noise and 
described it as a steady sound of falling rain which 
prevented my falling asleep, to which she replied, 
“Well, we do fall asleep even if it rains hard, and 
so will you.” I do not care to talk with other physi- 
cians, as I have made a study of brain trouble more 474 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
than anything else and can therefore advise myself. 
Besides, talking about it increases the nervous irri- 
tation. So please take this as it is written, in cool 
reason—it is an inevitable condition which must be 
braved. 
Less than three years were left to test her forti- 
tude. She grew steadily weaker and on May 12, 
1902, her release came. After a night of restless- 
ness and intense discomfort she fell asleep, never 
waking again but passing at sunset into the Silence. 
On a beautiful afternoon, the closing scene was 
laid in the chapel of the Forest Hills Crematory, and 
the details were as she had arranged. She had re- 
quested that no flowers should be used—she who so 
loved Nature and all the lovely growing things— 
and in this her friends respected her wishes. But 
they could not be denied the tribute of green palms 
and wreaths of laurel. 
There was no music, no service in the ordinary 
terms. Her older friend—William Lloyd Garrison 
—having gone before, his son of the same name and 
her younger friend, made a short introductory ad- 
dress. And then Mrs. Emma E. Butler, secretary 
of the board of directors of the Hospital, read the 
farewell letter which Dr. Zakrzewska had written 
for the occasion: 
During my whole lifetime, I have had my own way 
as much as any human being can have it without 
entirely neglecting social rules or trespassing upon 
the comfort of others more than is necessary for 
self-preservation. 
And now, upon this occasion, I wish to have my 
own way in taking leave of those who shall come for THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
475 
the last time to pay such respect as custom, inclina- 
tion and friendship shall prompt, asking them to ac- 
cept the assurance that I am sorry to pass from 
them, this time never to return. 
While these words are being read to you, I shall 
be sleeping a peaceful, well-deserved sleep—a sleep 
from which I shall never arise. My body will go 
back to that earthly rest whence it came. My soul 
will live among you, even among those who will 
come after you. 
I am not speaking of fame, nor do I think that my 
name, difficult though it be, will be remembered. Yet 
the idea for which I have worked, the seeds which 
I have tried to sow here and there, must live and 
spread and bear fruit. And after all, what matters 
it who prepared the way wherein we walk? We only 
know that great and good men and women have al- 
ways lived and worked for an idea which favored 
progress. And so I have honestly tried to live out 
my nature—not actuated by an ambition to be some- 
body or to be remembered especially, but because I 
could not help it. 
The pressure which in head and heart compelled 
me to see and to think ahead, compelled me to love to 
work for the benefit of womankind in general, ir- 
respective of country or of race. By this, I do not 
wish to assert that I thought of all women before 
I thought of myself. Oh, no! It was just as much 
in me to provide liberally for my tastes, for my 
wishes, for my needs. I had about as many egotis- 
tical wants to be supplied as has the average of 
womankind. 
To look out for self and for those necessary to my 
happiness, I always considered not only a pleasure 
but a duty. I despised the weakness of characters 
who could not say “No” at any time, and thus gave 476 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
away and sacrificed all their strength of body and 
mind, as well as their money, with that soft senti- 
mentality which finds assurance in the belief that 
others will take care of them as they have taken 
care of others. 
But, in taking leave, I cannot pass by those who, 
in every possible way in which human beings can 
assist one another, have assisted me by giving me 
their true friendship. Of my earliest career in 
America, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell has been the most 
powerful agent in strengthening what was weak in 
me; while shortly afterward, my acquaintance with 
Miss Mary L. Booth fed the enthusiasm kindled by 
Dr. Blackwell and strengthened me in my uphill 
path. The friendship of these two women formed 
the corner stone upon which I have built all my life 
long. 
To many valuable friends in New York I owe a 
deep gratitude, and especially to Mrs. Robert G. 
Shaw of Staten Island. In Boston, I leave a great 
number of friends, without whom I never could 
have accomplished anything and who have developed 
my character as well as faculties dormant within 
me of which I was unaware. It is the contact with 
people of worth which develops and polishes us and 
illuminates our every thought and action. 
To me the most valuable of these early friends 
were Miss Lucy Goddard, Mrs. Ednah D. Cheney, 
Mrs. George W. Bond, Mrs. James Freeman Clarke, 
Mrs. George R. Russell, Dr. Lucy E. Sewall and 
Dr. Helen Morton—not that I give to them a place 
higher than to others, but because I am fully con- 
scious how deeply they affected my innermost life 
and how each one made its deep imprint upon my 
character. 
I feel that whatever work may be ascribed to my THE LIFE OF MARIE ZAKRZEWSKA 
477 
hand could not have been done without them. Al- 
though I could not number them in the list of other 
friends who, in a special sense, formed a greater 
part of my life’s affections, still I owe to each and 
every one a great debt. And I wish now, whether 
they be still alive or in simple tribute to their mem- 
ory, to tell them of my appreciation of their kind- 
ness. 
To those who formed the closer family circle in 
my affections—Mr. Karl Heinzen, Miss Julia A. 
Sprague, and my sisters—I have tried to show my 
gratitude during the whole of my life, on the prin- 
ciple of Freiligrath’s beautiful poem: 
0 Lieb, so lang du lieben kannst; 
O Lieb, so lang du lieben magst; 
Die Stunde kommt, die Stunde kommt, 
Wo du an Grabern stehst und klagst. 
And now, in closing, I wish to say farewell to all 
those who thought of me as a friend, to all those who 
were kind to me, assuring them all that the deep con- 
viction that there can be no further life is an im- 
mense rest and peace to me. I desire no hereafter. 
I was born; I lived; I used my life to the best of my 
ability for the uplifting of my fellow creatures; and 
I enjoyed it daily in a thousand ways. I had many 
a pang, many a joy, every day of my life; and I am 
satisfied now to fall a victim to the laws of nature, 
never to rise again, never to see and know again 
what I have seen and known in my life. 
As deeply sorry as I always have been when a 
friend left me, just so deeply sorry shall I be to 
leave those whom I loved. Yet I know that I must 
submit to the inevitable, and submit I do—as cheer- 
fully as a fatal illness will allow. I have already 
gone in spirit, and now I am going in body. All 478 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
that I leave behind is my memory in the hearts of 
the few who always remember those whom they 
have loved. Farewell. 
Perhaps she is right. Perhaps in the ordinary- 
egoistic sense in which the word is used, there is 
no such thing as Immortality. Nevertheless—the 
spirit of Marie E. Zakrzewska still lives. AFTERWORD 
The personal quest of Marie E. Zakrzewska is 
ended. The land of dispossession and refusal has 
been penetrated by many small parties under her 
and other leadership, and many outposts have been 
established and are being valiantly held. 
But the battle which she faced and fought is not 
ended. It remains for all lovers of justice to sus- 
tain the impulsion which carried her on and so to 
continue the fight till the truth of her watchword, 
“Science has no sex,” is acknowledged. Then, and 
only then, will her life’s work be fulfilled. 
In medicine, many doors of opportunity have been 
opened as the result of her life and the lives of her 
sister pioneers. But as with her and with them, the 
struggle persists around the hospitals. Many if not 
most of the great medical schools are now open to 
women hut to-day, even as in Dr. Zakrzewska’s day, 
the attainment of the degree of M.D. is only the be- 
ginning of medical knowledge. 
Opportunities for hospital study and training are 
needed not only for the subsequent year of interne- 
ship, but as a constant resource all through the pro- 
fessional life. With a few exceptions, these oppor- 
tunities are not yet open to women, and women are 
to-day hampered by this exclusion even more than 
they were in the past. 
479 480 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
With the modern expansion of the science and art 
of medicine and the increasing elaboration of the 
required appliances and methods of examination, 
hospitals have become great centers of laboratory 
and clinical investigation and research. And the 
physician who is not able to form contact with some 
such center is crippled and is compelled to do his 
work either imperfectly or at the cost of tremendous 
additional strain. 
This is the reason why we have just said that the 
opening of all hospital opportunities to women on 
equal terms with men is yet more imperative to-day 
than it was when Dr. Zakrzewska made such valiant 
battle for her sisters. 
At the same time, when women seem to have at- 
tained opportunities, they still find it necessary to 
remember Dr. Zakrzewska ’s distrust and fear of 
beguilement, to remain on guard and to take all 
possible steps to keep secure all that has been so 
painfully achieved. 
Even among nonmedical students and in circles 
that are supposed to be the most broadly educated, 
here and there the tolerances and amenities of civi- 
lized life develop slowly. Thus as late as October 
20, 1921, the students of the University of Cam- 
bridge (England) express their disapproval of even 
“limited membership’’ for women by the old, worn- 
out methods of mobbing and rioting—battering 
down and smashing the valuable memorial gates of 
the women’s college, Newnham. The arrival of the 
police prevented their further progress there, but 
at Peile Hall, they reached the doors and tried to AFTERWORD 
481 
force entrance into the college itself, which further 
outrage was again prevented by the police.* 
In 1922 the London Hospital decided to exclude 
women from the classes and services to which they 
had been admitted since 1908. The story has a 
familiar sound— “. . . the chairman emphasizes 
the fact that the step has not been brought about by 
any failure of the women students . . . who have 
done very well in every way, in work, in conduct, 
and in discipline.”! 
Notwithstanding all the handicaps imposed on 
woman, she has demonstrated that 1 * science has no 
sex.” Do not her opponents now need to demon- 
strate that they themselves are worthy followers of 
science by accepting truth wherever it may be found 
and by rendering impartial justice to every one? 
As some of these pages are being written (June 
21, 1921), Madame Marie Curie is in Boston. 
The morning papers report that she was yesterday 
given a reception by Harvard University. Presi- 
dent Lowell presided, and in his address he ranked 
Madame Curie with “Sir Isaac Newton and other 
epoch-making discoverers.” He then introduced 
Professor Richards of the Department of Chemis- 
try, who said, “The discovery of Madame Curie 
gave the world new ideas concerning the structure 
of the universe, and opened a new path of thought 
to scientists.” 
The highest mark of distinction which a college or 
university can bestow upon a person whom it de- 
* Boston Herald, October 21, 1921. 
t Boston Evening Transcript, March 30, 1922, quoting 
the Springfield Republican. 482 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
sires to honor is an honorary degree. At its Com- 
mencement, three days later, Harvard did not con- 
fer an honorary degree on Madame Curie. Would 
it have conferred one on Sir Isaac Newton? 
Is scholarship, then, the ideal of a college or uni- 
versity? Or is it scholarship which happens to be 
attained by a sex? 
But humanity is neither male nor female: it is 
both. And both possess all human faculties plus 
the specialized qualities of the sex of the individual. 
The nonrecognition of this basic fact impedes the 
progress of the race. And the subjection of either 
sex to the other impedes both. 
Hence, an appeal for justice to women, such as is 
embodied in this life of Marie E. Zakrzewska, is 
equally an appeal for justice to men. The man who 
would hold woman in subjection is himself held in 
subjection. For 
‘ ‘ The woman’s cause is man’s: they rise or sink 
Together, dwarf’d or godlike, bond or free: 
For she that out of Lethe scales with man 
The shining steps of Nature, shares with man 
His nights, his days, moves with him to one goal, 
Stays all the fair young planet in her hands— 
If she be small, slight-natured, miserable, 
How shall men grow ? ’ ’ NOTES 
1. This statement and related ones throughout the auto- 
biographical chapters are the only references to her family 
history made in this connection by Dr. Zakrzewska. 
A “Memoir of Dr. Marie Elizabeth Zakrzewska, issued 
by the New England Hospital for "Women and Children, 
Boston, 1903,” quotes her as writing to a friend, “I am 
in reality as family-proud as any aristocrat can possibly be, 
but I prefer to be remembered only as a woman who was 
willing to work for the elevation of Woman.” This 
Memoir further says: 
The Polish family of Zakrzewski of which her father and 
grandfather were in the line of direct descendants, is one 
of the most ancient in Europe and traces its history back 
to 911. It is named among the most powerful aristocratic 
“republican families of agitators” of Poland, and fell 
with Poland’s downfall. 
The princely family property—which consisted accord- 
ing to some accounts of ninety-nine villages—was confis- 
cated, the main portion falling into Russia’s hands in 1793. 
At that time Marie’s grandfather saved his life by flight 
beyond the border, having seen his father fall on the field 
of battle and his mother and other members of the family 
perish in the flames of their castle. 
Writing of the family history, a brother of Marie states: 
“Ludovico was the name written under the coat of arms 
which I often held in my hands as a boy, and Ludwig was 
the name borne by every eldest son of the family until 
1802. When our father was born on November 11—St. 
Martin’s Day—his mother, a good Catholic, added Mar- 
483 484 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
tin to the name of Ludwig.” His father (Marie’s grand- 
father) was, however, the first one of the Zakrzewski fam- 
ily to leave the Catholic church. He became not only a 
Protestant but a very liberal thinker. 
The family history on the mother’s side is traced back 
only to the middle of the eighteenth century. 
Marie Elizabeth Sauer, the great-grandmother of Marie, 
for whom she was named, was a Gypsy Queen of the Lom- 
bardi family. She was said to be “the most lovely of 
women, very beautiful and energetic.” Her father was a 
surgeon and was attached to the army of Frederick the 
Great during the Seven Years’ War. His daughter accom- 
panied him in his work as assistant surgeon. Among those 
whom she attended was a Captain Urban. He had been 
wounded in the chest and she removed the ball. Upon his 
recovery they were married, much to the delight of her 
father, as Captain Urban belonged to the same Gypsy 
tribe of the Lombardi. Nine children were born to them, 
five daughters and four sons. They were all of unusual 
size, the daughters almost six feet tall, with hair flowing 
down to their feet; the sons seven feet tall and of per- 
fect stature. Marie’s grandmother was the middle one 
of these nine children, and became a veterinary surgeon. 
She had three daughters one of whom was the mother 
of Marie. 
2. “The undersigned, Secretary of Legation of the United 
States of America, certifies that Miss Marie Elizabeth 
Zakrzewska has exhibited to him very strong recommenda- 
tions from the highest professional authorities of Prussia, 
as a scientific, practical, experienced accoucheuse of un- 
usual talent and skill. She has been chief accoucheuse in 
the Royal Hospital of Berlin, and possesses a certificate 
of her superiority from the Board of Directors of that 
institution. She has not only manifested great talent as 
a practitioner but also as a teacher; and enjoys the ad- 
vantage of a moral and irreproachable private character. 
She has attained this high rank over many female com- 
petitors in the same branch; there being more than fifty NOTES 
485 
in the city of Berlin who threaten by their acknowledged 
excellence to monopolize the obstetric art. 
Theo. S. Fat. 
Legation United States, Berlin, Jan. 26, 1853. 
(Seal) 
Upon inquiry I find that instead of fifty there are one 
hundred and ten female accoucheuses in Berlin. 
Theo. S. Fay. 
3. Apparently Dr. Zakrzewska had no information as to 
the details of raising the money which was loaned to her 
for defraying her living expenses while at the medical 
college. 
In Glances and Glimpses, the source of such financial 
assistance is suggested by Dr. Harriot K. Hunt, who visited 
Cleveland in 1854. She speaks of the first Medical Loan 
Fund Association. She also speaks of the Ohio Female 
Medical Education Society, and quotes from the constitu- 
tion of this latter an article referring to the repayment of 
loans. 
Dr. Hunt further speaks of traveling to other towns in 
Ohio, lecturing on the study of medicine by women, and 
‘ ‘ establishing loan fund associations auxiliary to the Cleve- 
land association. ’ ’ She particularly mentions Elyria (where 
Mrs. Severance also spoke), Tiffin, Columbus, Cincinnati, 
and Yellow Springs. 
4. Elsewhere, Dr. Zakrzewska says: 
In the beginning of the first winter I was the only 
woman; after the first month another was admitted; and 
during the second winter there were three besides myself 
who attended the lectures and graduated in the spring. 
5. This attitude of the clerical profession, persisting at 
least as late as 1857, is also referred to by Professor Joseph 486 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
P. Remington in the report of an address published in the 
American Journal of Pharmacy, January, 1911. 
6. Speaking of the visit made to Cleveland at this time, 
Dr. Hunt states in Glances and Glimpses: 
In December, 1854, I started for Ohio, being desirous 
to understand the medical question in that State. ... I 
had only heard that Marie was a student at the Cleveland 
College; but when I met her I felt that here was a com- 
bination of head and heart which was as uncommon as it 
was beautiful. . . . Further acquaintance has but deep- 
ened my interest in Marie, and Dr. Blackwell of New York 
must feel it a privilege to have been the means of her in- 
troduction at Cleveland as a medical student, where her 
noble bearing and scientific mind are perceived and ac- 
knowledged by the faculty. . . . 
I attended lectures one day on a class of diseases pe- 
culiar to women, and not one shade of levity or impro- 
priety diminished the interest of the occasion. Men and 
women studying together at a medical college of high stand- 
ing was prophetic. I spoke with the professor after the 
lecture and he remarked, “We are more democratic in 
Ohio than you are in Massachusetts.” I felt like hanging 
my head. The Athens of America was eclipsed by a 
younger sister; yet I rejoiced greatly that as the elder was 
unprepared to advance, the junior tripped her up trium- 
phantly, stepped over her, and took the first prize. 
... I thought it best to visit the towns in the northern 
part of Ohio and try to elicit interest in the medical ques- 
tion by establishing loan fund associations. 
7. Mary L. Booth later earned a reputation as historian 
and as translator, and was the editor of Harper’s Bazar 
from its beginning in 1867. 
8. The first Board of Directors (nineteen in number) was 
made up almost entirely of women who were serving on 
the Board of Lady Managers for the Clinical Department 
of the New England Female Medical College in 1861-1862, NOTES 
487 
the last year of Dr. Zakrzewska’s connection with that 
college. Her resignation at the end of that year caused 
that department to be discontinued and the services of the 
Lady Managers to be no longer in request by the college. 
To the number of Lady Managers who transferred their 
interest to the new Hospital were added on the Board of 
Directors several men, one being the former leading trustee 
of the college, Hon. Samuel E. Sewall. 
This historic first Board of Directors was finally consti- 
tuted as follows: 
Mrs. Mary C. E. Barnard 
Miss Sarah P. Beck 
Geo. Wm. Bond 
Mrs. Louisa C. Bond 
Mrs. Ednah D. Cheney 
Mrs. Anna H. Clarke 
Miss Mary J. Ellis 
Mrs. Lucretia G. French 
Miss Lucy Goddard 
Fred. W. G. May 
Mrs. Joanna L. Merriam 
Mrs. Mary A. S. Palmer 
Thomas Russell 
Mrs. Caroline M. Severance 
Samuel E. Sewall 
John H. Stephenson 
J ames Tolman 
Mrs. Mary G. White 
Dr. Marie E. Zakrzewska 
9. Later, Dr. Mary E. Breed, who was graduated from 
the New England Female Medical College and had been a 
student under Dr. Zakrzewska at the New York Infirmary, 
became resident physician, and Miss Anita E. Tyng and 
Miss Lucy M. Abbott, who had been her students at the 
New England Female Medical College, were student assist- 
ants. Dr. John Ware consented to serve as consulting 
physician and Dr. Samuel Cabot as consulting surgeon. 
10. Karl Heinzen is thus described by the Boston 
Evening Transcript: 
He was a native of Prussia and came to America in 
January, 1848, as an exile, having been banished from 
Germany on account of a book which he published on the 
Civil Service of the Prussian Government, which showed 488 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
that, instead of the promised constitutional government, a 
complete net of absolutism was extending over every prov- 
ince of Prussia. 
On the breaking out of the revolution of 1848 in France 
and Germany, he left America in May to participate in 
the movement in Europe; after its suppression he was 
again exiled, going first to Switzerland and afterwards to 
England. But in 1850 he again came to America which 
has since been the scene of his labors. 
On his arrival he found almost the entire German popu- 
lation in the Democratic and pro-slavery party; he there- 
fore established here the first anti-slavery German news- 
paper. This exposed him to severe persecutions by the 
Democrats, so that his life was threatened in New York City 
and in Toledo, Ohio. 
He was also the first among the German-Americans to 
advocate woman suffrage. 
Since 1858 he has lived in Boston, and during this time 
he has stood on terms of firm friendship with William 
Lloyd Garrison who frequently translated Mr. Heinzen’s 
articles for the Liberator. 
Mr. Heinzen was the most radical thinker whom the Ger- 
mans in America possess. Besides editing for more than 
twenty-five years a newspaper, The Pioneer, he has pub- 
lished a number of valuable books on political, philosophical 
and social subjects. 
11. Dr. Tyng had been a student at the New England 
Female Medical College under Dr. Zakrzewska, later a 
resident student at the New England Hospital and then 
a graduate of the Philadelphia medical school—this school 
now becoming established on a more stable foundation 
and having changed its name from the Female Medical 
College of Pennsylvania to the Woman’s Medical College 
of Pennsylvania. 
12. Dr. Thompson was a graduate of the New England 
Female Medical College, studying for two years under 
Dr. Zakrzewska. Later she received an honorary degree NOTES 
489 
from the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. The 
Chicago Hospital for Women and Children which she 
founded was afterwards named the Mary Thompson Chi- 
cago Hospital for Women and Children. 
In an affectionate letter to Dr. Zakrzewska in later 
years, Dr. Thompson rallies this former teacher on her 
frank remarks when trying to goad the students of the 
New England Female Medical College to better work, 
saying: 
I wished to tell you of our work here that you might 
know that we are doing something more than “the ordi- 
nary run of nurses,” I having heard it remarked in times 
past that that was all we would amount to. That did not 
stimulate me in the least to this kind of work. But I will 
tell you what did—it was the actual love of surgery and 
the witnessing many men operate when I felt that I could 
do quite as well as they did. Since writing you, my third 
case of ovariotomy has done well. 
13. Dr. Buckel was graduated in Philadelphia and then 
served under Dr. Zakrzewska as resident student at the 
New York Infirmary. During the last two years of the 
Civil War she rendered efficient service in the United 
States military hospitals of the Southwest, earning the 
soubriquet of “The Little Major.” The Survey, May 17, 
1913, says: “She selected and supervised the nurses, kept 
records in the absence of clerks, wrote letters for sick 
soldiers, obtained furloughs for convalescents, and com- 
forted the dying.” In the year 1865-1866, she succeeded 
Dr. Ruth A. Gerry as assistant physician at the New 
England Hospital, the latter returning to the practice 
which she had already started at Ypsilanti, and beginning 
to share in the long fight for the admission of women 
to the University of Michigan. 
14. After receiving her degree of M.D. at Berne, Dr. 490 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
Sophia Jex-Blake returned to Great Britain and was 
largely instrumental in establishing the London School 
of Medicine for Women and in obtaining hospital facilities 
for it. She has reported her experience in Medicine as a 
Profession for Women and in Medical Education of 
Women. Charles Reade makes extensive use of both of 
these articles in writing his novel The Woman Eater. 
15. Dr. Morton was a classmate of Dr. Sewall when 
both were students of Dr. Zakrzewska at the New England 
Female Medical College. She had spent four years in 
study at the Paris Maternite during the last two of which 
she had served as assistant teacher. 
She returned to Boston in 1867 to begin the practice 
of her profession. She then became connected with the 
New England Hospital, her first appointment being on 
the staff of the Dispensary. Here she became the suc- 
cessor of Dr. Zakrzewska, the latter resigning from this 
branch of the work and leaving it entirely to the constantly 
growing number of younger medical women. 
16. (p. 355) There are two great causes of sickness in our 
lying-in wards. First, mental distress during pregnancy, 
caused by poverty or neglect ; second, the exposure and 
fatigue which many endure before coming to us. 
One young girl, late last fall, had been sleeping for a 
week in outhouses. Another came in the cold winter 
weather, after wandering in a bewildered condition in the 
streets with wet skirts and no stockings, searching for some 
place of shelter in her distress. Another when she en- 
tered was very sick with acute pleurisy and pneumonia, 
so that even before her delivery her life was threatened. 
Several cases of intermittent fever and one of typhus 
fever were admitted under such circumstances that we 
could not avoid taking them without being guilty of in- 
humanity. Two women in a comatose condition from 
puerperal convulsions were also taken in. One of these 
last was restored to health, while the other never recovered 
consciousness. NOTES 
491 
We have taken in several babies who were so poisoned 
with patented nostrums that only the most vigorous treat- 
ment with antidotes could rouse them, and weeks of the 
most assiduous nursing were necessary to restore their en- 
feebled vitality. 
Some of you saw in one of the wards the wretched little 
creature who was brought by its mother to us in a coma- 
tose state, with the skin drawn loosely over its bones and 
its half-closed glassy eyes sunk deeply in their sockets. 
This child had been boarded out by its mother while she 
worked at service, and it had been gradually declining until 
at the age of three and one-half months, it weighed but 
seven and one-half pounds. 
This was an extreme case, but frequently a practiced 
eye will detect the same process going on. Often when I 
am called to a sick child, I recognize in the ashy hue, sunken 
eyes and other well-known symptoms, the work of some 
“soothing syrup” or other equally pernicious drug. Piti- 
ful indeed is the fate of babies deprived of their natural 
guardians and subjected to the influence of these infamous 
nostrums. 
Can we not find some means to secure to infants a 
mother’s care and love for at least the first year of their 
lives, by furnishing these mothers with some honest means 
of support, and thus saving both mothers and children ? I 
leave this important question for you to consider, for even 
if it is not strictly part of our work, it is a sequel to one 
department of our Hospital. 
A young woman, who in her childhood lost her mother 
and whose stepmother not only kept a house of ill-fame 
but sent this daughter to another, has now a beautiful baby 
to which she is so strongly attached that, in spite of the 
evil influences of all her past life, she is willing to do even 
the hardest work for the sake of keeping her baby with her. 
Yet, only a few evenings ago she came, with her blue- 
eyed baby sweetly smiling in the soft wrappings provided 
by its fond mother, and said that she must give it up. 
“Nobody,” she said, “would take her with her baby,” and 492 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
I saw the hard look in her eyes and the bitter smile that 
made me tremble for her future, though I am confident 
that she had the will and the strength to earn her living 
honestly. 
Last winter we were called to attend a woman in a diffi- 
cult and complicated labor. She lived in a dark basement 
with floor wet and broken, the scanty bedcovering eked 
out by her husband’s old coat (which he himself needed) 
and the small pile of coal on the floor being the only com- 
forts visible except the stove. Cold, faint and hungry, 
this woman had suffered for hours. When she was safely 
delivered, public charity could not make her comfortable— 
it was private benevolence that gave her blankets, sheets, 
clothing and care. 
Another case of recent occurrence shows how insufficient 
is the law to take care of the sick. A woman in one of the 
worst localities in the city who was beaten by her drunken 
husband and turned out of doors, was seized with prema- 
ture labor in the streets and found her way into the house 
of a neighbor. This neighbor, Mrs. M., who was nearly 
blind, supported by her daily earnings herself and an inter- 
esting little boy whom she had taken from the city crier’s 
to nurse and whom she had kept with her rather than send 
him to Tewksbury. 
Mrs. M. allowed the woman to stay, and on the third day 
I was sent for and found her in an almost dying condition. 
It was late Saturday evening, and there was neither food 
nor fuel in the house. The woman was too ill to be removed, 
no aid could be obtained from the city before Monday, and 
then the legal allowance would be only two dollars in gro- 
ceries and one dollar in money. Clothing, a bed and a 
nurse were absolutely needed. These were provided by 
private charity and the woman recovered, though it was 
said that three different physicians who were called in by 
the neighbors had declined to attend her as they consid- 
ered it useless under such adverse circumstances to attempt 
to save her. 
The first time this woman stepped out of doors she NOTES 
493 
walked from the North End to the Hospital to see if we 
could not get work for her. Her husband, who had been 
released from the jail where he had been kept awaiting the 
result of her illness, had visited her and told her he should 
do nothing more for her. Also, Mrs. M., who had given 
her shelter, was about to be turned out of her rooms be- 
cause she had not been able to work as usual to earn her 
rent. 
It is true that all these sufferers were drunkards, but I 
mention their cases to show how the Hospital leads us into 
every path of reform. 
In order to accomplish permanent good, it is necessary 
to remove the causes of evil. For this reason, we are 
deeply interested in every effort to dispel ignorance, pro- 
mote temperance, and banish licentiousness and other 
vices, for all these have a direct influence on health or dis- 
ease. We frequently find it necessary not only to watch 
over the individual case of illness but to see that the whole 
tenement is cleaned and ventilated; or, when this is im- 
possible, we sometimes succeed in removing the whole fam- 
ily to a more healthful locality away from their old asso- 
ciates and the low, drinking saloons. 
Thus it will be seen that our students have a large field 
of labor open to them—every woman whom we help to edu- 
cate not only adds one to the band of workers but strength- 
ens our position and enlarges our means of usefulness. 
Hence, it is all-important that we gain every possible ad- 
vantage for our students, and it is hard to see denied to 
them the valuable opportunities so freely offered to young 
men in this city, for we feel that the very best America 
affords comes far short of our wants. 
17. The new Hospital is described in the annual report: 
Although within the bounds of the city, thus giving the 
advantages of water, gas and the other conveniences of city 
life, the land is very high and commands an extensive and 
beautiful view of Jamaica Plain, Roxbury and Brookline. 494 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
It is also easily accessible both by horse and steam cars, 
and seems to combine all the important requisites of good 
air, light and easy access at a moderate price. 
The beautiful exterior of the building is due to the taste 
and skill of our architects, Messrs. Cummings and Sears, 
who have successfully grappled with the problem of design- 
ing a hospital which shall be beautiful in proportion, form 
and color, and so contribute to the pleasure of all connected 
with it, without sacrificing either interior comfort or econ- 
omy of means. 
The excellence of the interior arrangements, especially 
of the wards and the nurses’ rooms (which differ from those 
of any hospital known to the Committee), is due to the 
Women Physicians who, having learned from long experi- 
ence the needs of their patients, have striven to meet them 
by arrangements at once simple and ingenious. 
Our first object was to secure an entire isolation of the 
lying-in patients from those of the medical and the surgical 
wards, so as to guard against all possible danger of infec- 
tion passing from one to the other. This has been effected 
by a separate house, called the “Maternity Cottage” for 
the lying-in patients. 
In this building, the two stories are so arranged that 
one can be thoroughly cleansed and aired while the other 
is in use. Our plan contemplates a second similar build- 
ing as soon as our means will enable us to construct it. 
Then, in case of any threatened danger, one house can be 
entirely isolated, while all new patients are taken to the 
other. In this way, we can increase our Lying-in Depart- 
ment to any desirable extent without incurring the dan- 
gers attendant upon large hospitals. 
The next consideration was to get as much sunlight as 
possible into the patients’ rooms and to give the nurses, 
who are all human beings and need to be cared for as well 
as others, good airy rooms in which to take their rest when 
rest is possible to them. For this reason, all the medical 
wards have been placed on the back of the house, which 
looks nearly south. NOTES 
499 
Each ward consists of two rooms—one for two beds and 
one for four—with a nurse’s room between. The nurse 
can thus often have the benefit of the solitude and quiet of 
her own room and yet be so close to her patients that 
nothing can escape her notice. A bathroom, also enjoying 
the sunshine, separates the two wards and can be used 
by the patients of either. These light, airy, sunny wards 
with their open fireplaces seem more like the rooms of a 
pleasant home than the dreary apartments of a hospital. 
The house does not square exactly with the points of the 
compass, and the northern side is touched by the sun dur- 
ing some part of the day, thereby securing it from damp- 
ness. The eastern surgical ward projects beyond the other 
part of the house, and so gains a southern window for light 
and cheerful sunshine. A similar projection on the west- 
ern side makes a pleasant parlor for the patients. 
The rest of this side of the house is occupied by the pa- 
tients ’ admission room, tea kitchen, etc., in which sunshine 
is not so important. 
The Children’s Ward, in the upper story, is a new fea- 
ture of which we have long felt the want. It is large, airy 
and convenient. 
The furniture of the wards was mainly provided by in- 
dividuals and by various churches and societies in the city 
and vicinity. The wards were named after the donors, 
who promised to keep them in order and in repair, the 
names to be retained as long as the rooms were thus sus- 
tained. 
18. Dr. Dimock had been a student in the Hospital in 
1867. As was the case with several other students, she 
thus at the beginning of her medical life came under the 
teachings of Dr. Zakrzewska. We may judge of the trend 
of these teachings from what Dr. Zakrzewska writes else- 
where as to her advice to Dr. Sewall when the latter 
wished to begin the study of medicine. She says: 
“I advised her to lay a foundation by first studying A WOMAN’S QUEST 
496 
natural history—biology, comparative physiology and 
microscopical anatomy. ” And we are already familiar with 
the convictions of Dr. Zakrzewska that Europe at that time 
offered both to men and women better opportunities for a 
medical education than did the United States. 
Susan Dimock differed from these other students in that 
she had more initiative, or more self-dependence, or less 
fear of circumstance and convention, or some other tem- 
peramental quality. Or perhaps it was the financial situa- 
tion—that great lion in the path of women not trained in 
self-support—that she felt she could control, through Dr. 
Zakrzewska and other friends. 
At any rate, the resulting reaction of Dr. Zakrzewska’s 
teaching upon this temperament was such that Susan 
Dimock decided to go abroad for her entire medical course, 
to study there and to be graduated there—almost the first 
American woman to take such a radical step, and one 
of a lengthening procession of women from many countries 
who were driven into temporary exile by their ambition to 
qualify themselves for their chosen profession, having found 
the best opportunities at home reserved for the exclusive 
use of their brothers. 
She entered the University of Zurich, and after com- 
pleting the required five years of study, received her 
degree, returning to Boston as the new building of the 
Hospital was in course of erection. She had paid par- 
ticular attention to surgery and was intending to specialize 
in that branch. 
19. Dr. Keller was a graduate of the Woman’s Medical 
College of Pennsylvania and she had been attending 
physician at the Woman’s Hospital in Philadelphia. She 
had also had considerable surgical experience in hospital 
and private practice. 
20. The New England Hospital Medical Society, later 
the New England Women’s Medical Society. NOTES 
497 
21. Dr. Call was a student of the Hospital and later 
was graduated at the head of her class in the University 
of Michigan. She then spent a year studying in Europe 
before beginning work at the Dispensary. 
22. The twin sisters, Drs. Augusta and Emily Pope, 
after being graduated at the New England Female Medical 
College, went to Europe to study for an additional year, 
becoming connected with the Dispensary on their return. 
Both later received an honorary degree of M.D. from the 
Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. 
23. Among the internes whose address in India was, un- 
fortunately, not for long, was the charming Dr. Anandabai 
Joshee, the first Hindoo woman to seek medical education 
in America, and who had been graduated at the Woman’s 
Medical College of Pennsylvania. 
Coming to Boston in the summer of 1886, she served 
only a short time when her health failed. She returned 
to India to become physician in charge of the Female Ward 
of the Albert Edward Hospital in Kolhapur, but she died 
from tuberculosis a few months later, before reaching her 
twenty-second birthday. 
24. Dr. Clarke was a member of the board of trustees 
of the New England Female Medical College when Dr. 
Zakrzewska became a member of the faculty. He resigned 
this trusteeship when she resigned from the faculty, and 
his wife, Mrs. Anna H. Clarke, became a member of the 
board of directors of the New England Hospital which 
was founded immediately thereafter. 
Mrs. Clarke remained a member of the board of directors 
until her death in 1897. Their daughter, Miss Lilian Free- 
man Clarke, was always interested in the Hospital and, 
as already stated, she assisted in organizing in connection 
with the Maternity the first hospital social service work 
in America. 498 
A WOMAN’S QUEST 
25. (p. 467) 
1. John Ware. 
2. Samuel Cabot. 
3. Walter Channing. 
4. Henry I. BowTditch. 
5. E. C. Rolfe. 
6. Edward Jarvis. 
7. Edward H. Clarke. 
8. Francis Minot. 
9. B. Joy Jeffries. 
10. Reginald H. Fitz. 
11. C. H. Osgood. 
12. G. G. Tarbell. 
13. Arthur T. Cabot. 
14. W. W. Gannett. 
15. James R. Chadwick. 
16. Geo. F. Jelly. 
17. J. J. Putnam. 
18. Maurice H. Richardson. 
19. Clarence J. Blake. 
20. F. B. Mallory. 
21. Vincent Y. Bowditch. 
22. W. F. Whitney. 
23. G. A. Leland. 
24. F. C. Shattuck. 
25. C. F. Withington. 
26. J. E. Goldthwait. 
27. Richard C. Cabot. 
26. In 1910, the Children’s Department obtained a build- 
ing of its own in the Kimball Cottage. This was named 
for Miss Helen Kimball and for her father, Moses K. 
Kimball, who was a staunch supporter of the Hospital. 
Mrs. Cheney became president in 1887, upon the resignation 
of Miss Lucy Goddard, the first president, and continued 
in office till 1902 when she resigned and was succeeded 
by Miss Kimball. 
27. An interesting note in connection with the new 
Surgical Building was the receipt through Dr. Zakrzewska 
of a contribution of five hundred dollars towards its con- 
struction, from one of her classmates at the Cleveland 
Medical College, Dr. Cordelia A. Greene, then established 
at Castile, N. Y. BIBLIOGRAPHY 
Blackwell, Elizabeth, M.D., Pioneer Work in Opening 
the Medical Profession to Women. 
Chadwick, James R., M.D., “The Study and Practice of 
Medicine by Women” (International Review, October, 
1879). 
Dall, Mrs. Caroline H., A Practical Illustration of 
Woman’s Right to Labor, or A Letter from Marie E. 
Zakrzewska, M.D., late of Berlin, Prussia, 1860. 
Gregory, Samuel, Man-Midwifery. 
Reports of the Boston Female Medical School; the 
Female Medical Education Society; and the New Eng- 
land Female Medical College. 
Hunt, Dr. Harriot Kezia, Glances and Glimpses, 1856. 
Jex-Blake, Sophia, M.D., Medicine as a Profession for 
Women; Medical Education of Women. 
Livermore, Mrs. Mary A., The Business Folio, Boston, 
March, 1895. 
New England Hospital for Women and Children, 
Memoir of Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D., 1903. 
Putnam-Jacobi, Mary, M.D., “Women in Medicine” 
(Woman’s Work in America, 1891). 
Reade, Charles, The Woman Hater. 
Sims, J. Marion, M.D., The Story of my Life, 1884. 
499 INDEX 
Abbott, Lucy M., 253 
Agassiz, Alexander, 385 
Aigner, Dr., 182, 222, 223 
Albert Edward Hospital, Kol- 
hapur, India, 497 
Alcott, Mr., 200 
Alexander, Mrs. Janet, 136 
Alexandrian School, 261 
Alpha, The, 198, 203 
American Journal of Pharmacy, 
485 
American Medical Association, 
342, 344 
Ames, Rev. Charles G., 463 
Andrews, Stephen Pearl, 200 
Anti-Slavery Movement, 110, 
138, 146, 152, 153, 154, 
193, 198, 202, 245, 297, 
391, 459 
A Practical Illustration of 
Woman’s Right to Labor, 
or A Letter from Marie 
E. Zakrzewska, M. D., 
late of Berlin, Prussia, 
by Caroline H. Dali, xi, 
59, 256 
Association for the Advance- 
ment of the Medical 
Education of Women, 
398 
Asylum for Infants, Tempo- 
rary, 280 
Atlee, Dr., 129 
Bacon, Lord, 261 
Barnard, Mrs. Mary C. E., 487 
Barnard, Rev. Charles F., 329 
Baudeloque, 263 
Beck, Miss Sarah P., 487 
Beecher, Rev. Henry Ward, 
189, 203, 211 
Bellevue Hospital (New York), 
222 
Bellevue Hospital (N. Y.) 
Training School for 
Nurses, 364 
Bellows, Rev. Mr., 203, 207 
Bennett, Dr. Alice, 390, 402 
Berlin, Dr. Fanny, 458, 473 
Berne, University of (Switzer- 
land), 350 
Bigelow, Dr. Jacob, 136 
Billroth, Prof., 347 
Blackwell, Dr. Elizabeth, 106, 
107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 
112, 113, 114, 115, 119, 
121, 123, 124, 130, 134, 
143, 148, 149, 155, 156, 
178, 180, 181, 182, 184, 
185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 
190, 193, 194, 195, 196, 
197, 202, 206, 208, 210, 
211, 212, 213, 214, 222, 
225, 226, 236, 237, 238, 
240, 268, 307, 310, 311, 
335, 358, 373, 375, 376, 
476 
Blackwell, Dr. Emily, 112, 113, 
130, 195, 206, 211, 214, 
225, 226, 236, 237, 238, 
240, 268, 358, 373, 375, 
376, 402 
Blackwell, Henry, 181 
Blackwell, Mrs. Antoinette 
Brown (Rev. Dr. An- 
toinette Brown Black- 
well), 181, 198, 202 
Blackwell, Mrs. Lucy Stone, see 
Mrs. Lucy Stone 
501 502 
INDEX 
Blackwell, Mrs., Sr., 181, 203 
Blake, Dr. Clarence J., 498 
Boardman, Mrs., 411 
Boivin, Madame, 111, 263, 392 
Bologna, University of, 111 
Bond, George William, 244, 
293, 294, 487 
Bond, Louisa (Mrs. George 
William), 244, 487 
Bond, Rev. Henry, 153 
Booth, Mary L., xi, 184, 185, 
198, 203, 210, 230, 235, 
239, 240, 476, 486 
Boston City Hospital, 337, 364 
Boston Evening Transcript, 
127, 481, 487 
Boston Female Medical School, 
see New England Fe- 
male Medical College 
Boston Herald, 481 
Boston Lying-in Hospital, 243, 
297, 334, 338, 364 
Boston Medical and Surgical 
Journal, 224, 342, 389, 
390 
Boston University Medical Col- 
lege, 285, 286, 382, 448 
Bowditch, Dr. Henry I., 256, 
277, 332, 336, 337, 344, 
390, 392, 498 
Bowditch, Dr. Vincent Y., 498 
Boylston Prize (Harvard Uni- 
versity), won by a 
woman, Dr. Mary Put- 
nam Jacobi, 399 
Brace, Charles, 201 
Bradburn, Mrs. George, 152 
Breed, Dr. Mary E., 216, 217, 
295, 309, 487 
Breslau, Prof., 347 
Brignoli, 215 
Brisbane, Albert, 200 
Brook Farm Movement, 201 
Brown, Dr. B., 310 
Browne, Mrs., 226 
Buck, Dr., 222 
Buckel, Dr. C. Annette, 345, 
346, 348, 349, 351, 354, 
364, 369, 370, 458, 465, 
489 
Burns, Dr. John, 263 
Busch, Dr., 44 
Business, Polio, The, 129 
Butler, Mrs. Emma E., 474 
Cabot, Dr. Arthur T., 498 
Cabot, Dr. Richard C., 498 
Cabot, Dr. Samuel, 244, 256, 
277, 301, 332, 339, 340, 
345, 350, 351, 487, 498 
Cabot, J. Elliot, 385 
Call, Abraham A., 294 
Call, Dr. Emma L., 294, 401, 
412, 417, 497 
Cambridge (England), Univer- 
sity of, 480 
Carey, Miss Susan, 244 
Cary, Alice and Phoebe, 198, 
215 
Cary, Miss, 411 
Celsus, 261 
Centennial International Exhi- 
bition, 371 
Chadwick, Dr. James R., 286, 
385, 498 
Chadwick, Mrs. (M.D.), 126, 
139 
Channing, Dr. Walter, 277, 
332, 333, 498 
Channing, Dr. W. H., 185 
Channing, Dr. William F., 151, 
244 
Channing, Rev. William El- 
lery, 133 
Chapin, Rev. Mr., 153, 203 
Chase, Salmon, 153 
Cheney, Mrs. Ednah D., 186, 
193, 194, 244, 245, 293, 
348, 363, 365, 371, 404, 
450, 469, 471, 473, 476 
Cherokee Indians, 142, 173 
Chicago Hospital for Women 
and Children, 253, 345, 
488 
Christian Science, 166 
Clairvoyance, 30, 31, 166, 179 INDEX 
503 
Clark, Dr. E. H., 244, 277 
Clark, Dr. Henry E., 254 
Clark, (Clarke), Dr. Nancy, 
149, 150, 336 
Clarke, Anna H. (Mrs. James 
Freeman), 194, 244, 476, 
497 
Clarke, Dr. Edward H., 498 
Clarke, Miss Lilian Freeman, 
365, 497 
Clarke, Miss Sarah, 194 
Clarke, Rev. James Freeman, 
244, 464, 497 
Cleveland, Dr. Emeline H., 279 
Cleveland Medical College, see 
Western Reserve Univer- 
sity 
Cleveland, Mrs., 201 
Cole, Mrs., 215 
Colfax, Speaker, 153, 199 
College of Physicians and Sur- 
geons (New York), 379 
Columbian University (George- 
town, Dt C.), 441 
Cook, Miss, 301 
Cooper, Peter, 201 
Cotting, Dr. S., 256, 277 
Cummings & Sears, 371, 494 
Curie, Madame Marie, 481, 482 
Curtis, George W., 203 
Cushier, Dr. Elizabeth M., 402 
Cushman, Charlotte, 200 
Dali, Mrs. Caroline H., xi, 59, 
60 
Davis, Andrew Jackson, 200 
Delamater, Dr. John J., 123, 
125, 126, 168, 169, 170, 
171, 174, 178 
De la Motte, 261 
Deventer, 261 
Dimoek, Dr. Susan, 238, 364, 
365, 368, 370, 495 
Ditriehin, Justina, see Siege- 
mund 
Douglass, Frederick, 153 
Drysdale, Dr. Charles, 406 
Eagleswood (N. J.), Phalan- 
stery, 201 
Eastern Dispensary (N. Y.), 
223 
Eberle, Dr., 275 
Ebert, Dr., 58, 69, 70 
Ecole de Medeeine, University 
of Paris, 398 
Edinburgh, University of, 130, 
350 
Elder, Dr. William, 153, 21 
Eliot, President Charles W., 
385, 386, 387 
Ellis, Miss Mary J., 487 
Elson family, 460 
Emerson, Professor and Mrs., 
160, 161, 162, 180 
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 153, 
159, 160, 161, 162, 180 
Farnham, Miss, 411 
Fay, Theodore S., 69, 134, 485 
Female Medical College of 
Pennsylvania, see Penn- 
sylvania, Woman’s Med- 
ical College of 
Female Medical Education So- 
ciety (Boston), see New 
England Female Medical 
College 
Fichte, 464 
First in America— 
Woman listed officially as 
specializing in surgery, 
336 
Woman appointed as attend- 
ing surgeon on a hos- 
pital staff, 369 
District Nursing service, 411 
Hospital Social Service, 365 
Regularly organized general 
Training School for 
Nurses, 363 
Regularly trained nurse grad- 
uated, 364 
Fitz, Dr. Reginald H., 498 
Fliedner, Pastor, 57 504 
INDEX 
Florence, University of, 111 
Formes, Karl, 215 
Fourier Movement, The, 138, 
201 
Fox Sisters, The, 201 
Free Lovers Circle, 138, 200 
Free Soil Movement, The, 146, 
152, 153, 154 
Freeman, Miss, 200 
Freiligrath, 477 
French, Mrs. Lucretia G., 487 
Frothingham, Rev. O. B., 203 
Gannett, Dr. W. W., 49 
Garrett, Miss (England), 307 
Garrett, Miss Mary (Balti- 
more, Md.), 437 
Garrison, William Lloyd, 151, 
153, 199, 244, 459, 474, 
488 
Geneva (N. Y.), Medical Col- 
lege, 112 
George Washington University 
Medical School, see 
Columbian University, 
Georgetown, D. C. 
Gerry, Dr. Ruth A., 489 
Gibbons, Dr., 343 
Giessen, University of, 111 
Giles, John, 153 
Glances and Glimpses, Auto- 
biography of Dr. Har- 
riot K. Hunt, 112, 126, 
127, 149 
Goddard, George A., 440 
Goddard, Miss Lucy, 186, 244, 
293, 295, 404, 410, 440, 
476, 487 
Goddard, Miss Matilda, 151, 
280 
Goddard, Mrs. M. LeB., 440 
Goldthwait, Dr. J. E., 498 
Goodrich, Miss, 105, 107 
Gottschalk, 200 
Graefe, von, Prof., 347 
Greeley, Horace, 199, 200, 204 
Greeley, Mrs. Horace, 201 
Greene, Dr. Cordelia A., 126, 
142, 498 
Greene, Miss Elizabeth, 365 
Greenwood, Grace (Mrs. Lean- 
der Lippincott), 146, 
153 
Gregory, Samuel, 272, 284 
Griesinger, Prof., 347 
Grimk6, Miss Angelina, see 
Mrs. Theodore Weld 
Grimke, Miss Sarah, 149, 150, 
198, 201 
Grissell, Dr. Elizabeth, 126 
Grosvenor, Mrs., 200 
Hahnemann, Dr., 32 
Hale, Dr. Edward Everett, 465 
Hale, Miss Ellen E., 416 
Harper’s Bazar, 230, 486 
Harvard University Medical 
School, 126, 136, 249, 
286, 346, 380, 381, 383, 
385, 386, 387, 399, 400, 
401, 402, 403, 435, 437, 
481, 482 
Hasenfuss, (Hassenfuss), Mrs., 
246 
Havdock, Mr. and Mrs. Robert, 
207 
Haynes, Miss, 199 
Heinzen, Karl, 297, 300, 303, 
304, 458, 459, 460, 477, 
487, 488 
Heinzen, Mrs. Karl, 297, 300, 
301, 304, 458, 459 
Hemenway, Augustus, 372 
Hildreth, Mr. and Mrs. George 
(N. Y.), 152, 200, 215 
Hildreth, Mrs. George (Bos- 
ton), 194 
Hilliard, Mrs. George, 194 
Hippocrates, 261 
Hirschfeld, Dr. Henriette P., 
see Dr. Henriette Pagel- 
son 
Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 403 
Home for Aged Men, 243 INDEX 
505 
Homeopathy, 32, 33, 105, 286, 
448, 459 
Hooper, E. W., 402 
Horn, Director, 64, 68, 69 
Horner, Prof., 347 
Hospital Social Service in 
America begun, First, 
365 
Hovey, Miss Marian, 385, 386, 
437 
Howe, Julia Ward, 335 
Howland, Mrs., 203 
Hunt, Dr. Harriot Kezia, 112, 
126, 127, 134, 135, 136, 
137, 149, 150, 152, 185, 
186, 192, 197, 224, 336, 
485, 486 
Hunt, Sarah Augusta, 135, 
136 
Hunter, Dr., 263 
Hydropathy, 179 
Hypnotism, 166 
Illinois State Medical Society, 
344 
Infant asylum in Boston, Tem- 
porary, 280 
Insane asylums of Massachu- 
setts, Women physicians 
on staffs of, 411 
International Review, 286 
Jackson, Francis, 244 
Jackson, Dr. James, 136, 278 
Jacobi, Dr. Abraham, 399 
Jacobi, Dr. Marv Putnam, 136, 
392, 398, 402 
Jarvis, Dr. Edward, 498 
Jefferson, Joseph, 215 
Jefferson Medical College 
(Philadelphia), 274, 379 
Jeffries, Dr. B. Joy, 498 
Jelly, Dr. George F., 498 
Jex-Blake, Dr. Sophia, 130, 
350, 405, 489 
Johns Hopkins University 
(Baltimore, Md.), 403, 
435, 436, 437, 442 
Johnson, Dr., 267 
Joshee, Dr. Anandabai, 497 
Kaiser swerth Institute, 57, 
101, 197 
Keene, Laura, 215 
Keller, Dr. Elizabeth C., 370, 
496 
Kemble, Fanny, 197 
Kilian, Dr., 44 
Kimball, Miss Helen, 498 
Kimball, Moses K., 498 
King, Rev. Starr, 153 
Kirtland, Dr. J. P., 124, 174 
Kirtland, Mrs., 199 
Kissam, Dr., 203, 211, 222, 227 
Know-Nothing Party, 133, 277 
Koehler Family, 460 
Kolliker’s Comparative Anat- 
omy, 175 
Laehapelle, Madame, 42, 52, 
263, 392 
Lee, Mrs. George G., 298 
Leland, Dr. G. A., 498 
Liberator, The, 488 
Lippincott, Mrs. Leander, see 
Grace Greenwood 
Livermore, Mrs. Mary A., 129 
London (England) School of 
Medicine for Women, 
490 
London (England) Hospital, 
481 
Lowell, Miss Anna, 194, 245 
Lowell, President, 481 
Lutze, Dr. Arthur, 31, 32, 33 
Lyons, Mrs., 203 
Lyceum System, 152 
Mack, Mrs. Thomas, 470 
Magnetism, 33, 138, 166 
Mallory, Dr. F. B., 498 506 
INDEX 
Man-Midwifery, Samuel Greg- 
ory, 272 
Mann, Mrs. Horace, 201 
Marburg, University of, 111 
Mary Thompson Chicago Hos- 
pital for Women and 
Children, 253, 345, 488, 
489 
Mason, Hugh, 410 
Massachusetts Eye and Ear 
Infirmary, 365 
Massachusetts Infant Asylum, 
280 
Massachusetts General Hos- 
pital, 337, 346, 364 
Massachusetts Hospitals for 
Insane, Women Physi- 
cians on staffs of, 411 
Massachusetts, Legislature of, 
334, 411 
Massachusetts Medical Society, 
277, 382, 383, 388, 389, 
390, 391, 392, 393, 394 
Maternite, Paris, 279, 308, 370, 
490 
Mauriceau, 261 
May, Miss Abby, 186, 244, 245 
May, F. W. G., 244, 294 
Mayer, Prof., 347 
Mayo, Rev. A. D., and family, 
131, 137, 138, 139, 142, 
144, 145, 146, 148, 151, 
152, 154, 176, 464 
McCready, Dr., 182, 203, 222 
Medical Education of Women, 
by Dr. Sophia Jex- 
Blake, 490 
Medical Loan Fund Associa- 
tions in Ohio, 485, 486 
Medicine as a Profession for 
Women, Dr. Sophia 
Jex-Blake, 490 
Merriam, Mrs. Joanna L., 487 
Mesmerism, 33, 165, 166 
Meyer, Professor, 368 
Michigan (Ann Arbor), Uni- 
versity of, 383, 489 
Minot, Dr. Francis, 498 
Molescliott, Prof., 347 
Moral Education Association 
of Massachusetts, 417, 
418 
Morton, Dr. Helen, 253, 300, 
352, 366, 370, 402, 410, 
416, 437, 440, 458, 476 
Mosher, Dr. Eliza M., 402 
Mott, Lucretia, 192 
Mott, Mr. and Mrs., 135 
Muller, Dr., 17, 18, 19, 42, 44 
Muller, Dr. Johannes, 44 
Muller, Prof., 58, 68, 69, 70, 
124 
Mumford, Rev. Mr., 153 
Murdock, James, 153 
New England Female Medical 
College, 150, 236-286, 
291, 292, 293 
Boston Female Medical 
School, 247, 248, 249 
Female Medical Education 
Society, Boston, 248. 
249 
Clinical Department of, 243- 
285 
Opened, 244, 252 
Training for nurses, 361 
Closed, 285 
College merged with Boston 
University Medical Col- 
lege, 285* 
New England Hospital for 
Women and Children, 
Founded, 293 
Incorporated, 294, 295 
First board of directors, 
486, 487 
First location, 293; Second 
location, 329 
First woman in America 
listed officially as spe- 
cializing in surgery 
(being appointed assist- 
ant surgeon), 336 
Firgt General Training INDEX 
507 
238, 239, 257, 293, 360, 
374, 487, 489 
Woman’s Medical College of 
the, 348, 350, 375, 376, 
399 
New York Times, 184, 203, 230 
New York Tribune, 204 
New York University of Medi- 
cine, 310 
New York “Woman’s Hos- 
pital,” 225 
Nichols, Miss, 301 
Nightingale, Florence, 57, 197, 
206 
Nurses, first regularly organ- 
ized Training School in 
America for, 363 
Ohio Female Medical Educa- 
tion Society (Cleve- 
land), 485 
Open Court, The, 442 
Osgood, Dr. C. H., 498 
Pagelson (Tiburtius), Dr. 
Henriette, 432 
Palmer, Mrs. Mary A. S. (Mrs. 
J. K.), 487 
Pareus, 261 
Paris Maternite, 279, 308, 370, 
490 
Parker, Theodore, 133, 151, 
153 244 
Parker, Dr. Willard, 222, 347 
Parkman, Miss Mary Jane, 
186, 244, 365 
Peabody, Miss Elizabeth P., 
197, 201 
Peile Hall, Cambridge (Eng- 
land), 480 
Pennsylvania, Female Medical 
College of, see Pennsyl- 
vania, Woman’s Med- 
ical College of 
Pennsylvania State Medical 
Society, 129, 390 
School for Nurses regu- 
larly organized in Amer- 
ica, 363 
First Hospital Social Serv- 
ice in America estab- 
lished, 365 
First woman in America ap- 
pointed as attending 
surgeon on a hospital 
staff, 369 
First District Nursing Serv- 
ice in America estab- 
lished, 411 
Graduation of first regularly 
trained nurse in Amer- 
ica, 364 
List of medical men on the 
consulting staff during 
the lifetime of Dr. 
Zakrzewska, 498 
Main building of Hospital 
named “The Zakrzewska 
Building,” 471 
New buildings (third loca- 
tion) opened, 356 
Plans receive award at 
Centennial International 
Exhibition, 371 
Purposes, 295 
Resident students required 
to have degree of M.D., 
411 
New England Hospital Med- 
ical Society, 385, 395, 
401, 496 
New England Women’s Club, 
375 
New England Woman’s Med- 
ical Society, 496 
New Hospital for Women 
(London), 409 
Newton, Sir Isaac, 481, 482 
New York Infirmary for 
Women and Children, 
109, 112, 114, 130, 149, 
182-190, 193, 196, 206- 
219, 227-229, 233, 234, 508 
INDEX 
Pennsylvania, University of, 
379 
Pennsylvania, Woman’s Med- 
ical College of (Phila- 
delphia), 67, 69, 105, 
126, 128, 137, 191, 195, 
224, 278, 279, 310, 374, 
376, 402, 488, 489, 496, 
497 
Phalanstery (Eagleswood, 
N. J.), 201 
Philadelphia County Medical 
Society, 128, 278, 310 
Philadelphia Woman’s Medical 
College, see Pennsyl- 
vania, Woman’s Medical 
College of 
Philadelphia, Woman’s Hos- 
pital of, 192, 279, 374, 
496 
Phillips, Wendell, 151, 153, 244 
Physiological Society (Cleve- 
land), 121, 124, 125 
Pioneer, The, 488 
Pioneer Work in Opening the 
Medical Profession to 
Women, by Dr. Eliza- 
beth Blackwell, 111 
Pope, Colonel A. A., 468 
Pope, Drs. Augusta and Emilv, 
417, 458, 468, 497 
Porter, Dr., 203 
Prang family, 458, 460 
Preston, Dr. Ann, 191, 240, 
278, 358, 373 
Priestley, Dr., 310 
Putnam, Dr. C. G., 332 
Putnam, Dr. J. J., 498 
Putnam Jacobi, Dr. Mary, see 
Jacobi, Dr. Mary Put- 
nam 
Quaker friends of the New 
York Infirmary, The, 
185, 210 
Reade, Charles, 490 
Reisig, Dr., 84 
Remington, Professor Joseph 
P., 485 
Restelle, Madame, 180 
Richards, Miss Linda A., 364 
Richards, Professor, 481 
Richardson, Dr. Maurice H., 
498 
Ripley, George, 199, 200, 204 
Rock Garden, 458 
Rolfe, Dr. E. C., 498 
Rose, Mrs. Ernestine L., 202 
Royal Free Hospital (Lon- 
don), 406, 408, 409 
Royal Hospital Charite (Ber- 
lin), 36, 40, 43, 100, 172, 
254, 484 
Russell, Dr. LeBaron, 385 
Russell, Mrs. George R., 476 
Russell, Mrs. Sarah Shaw, 244, 
245 
Russell, Thomas, 487 
Schmidt, Dr. Joseph Hermann, 
36, 37, 39, 40, 41, 42, 
43, 44, 45, 46, 48, 50, 
51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 
57, 67, 69, 107, 332 
Schmidt, Mrs. Joseph Her- 
mann, 40, 53, 54, 62, 
69, 70 
School for Midwives (Berlin), 
36, 38, 43, 56 
Sedgwick, Miss Catherine, 107, 
201, 203 
Sedgwick, Theodore, 108 
Seelye, Dr., 142, 143 
Severance, Mrs. Caroline M., 
121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 
134, 137, 138, 142, 154, 
186, 190, 460, 485, 487 
Sewall, Dr. Lucy E., 192, 253, 
295, 299, 314, 335, 339, 
345, 348, 349, 350, 351, 
352, 363, 366, 370, 402, 
416, 437, 440, 476 INDEX 
509 
Sewall, Hon. Samuel E., 192, 
236, 244, 250, 281, 283, 
285, 294, 298, 299, 440 
Sewall, Joseph, 192 
Shattuck, Dr. F. C., 498 
Shaw, Mrs. Robert G., 203, 
944 47« 
Shepard, Mrs., 125, 131, 142 
Siegemund, Justina Ditrichin, 
36, 37, 261, 263 
Simpson, Dr., 310 
Sims, Dr. J. Marion, 224, 225, 
226, 274, 275, 276 
Sister Catherine, 41, 43, 44, 
56, 57, 58, 100, 101, 102, 
103, 105 
Smith, Dr. Mary A., 383, 410 
Smith, Mrs. Elizabeth Oakes, 
199, 215 
Social Service in America, 
First Hospital, 365 
Somerville, Mrs., 392, 405 
Somnambulism, 30, 31, 166 
Spiritualism, 31, 138, 166, 179, 
201 
Sprague, Miss Julia A., 296, 
297, 301, 304, 311, 368, 
458, 477 
Spring, Marcus, 201 
Spring, Mrs. Marcus, 198, 203 
Springfield Republican, The, 
481 
Stephenson, John H., 487 
Stevens, Miss Hannah, 151 
Stevenson, Dr. Sarah Hackett, 
344 
St. Bartholomew’s Hospital 
(London), 406 
St. Thomas’ Hospital (Lon- 
don), 406 
Stone, Mrs. Lucy, 181,198, 202 
Storer, Dr. Horatio R., 295, 
310, 332, 335, 338, 339, 
341, 342, 343 
Story of My Life, The, by Dr. 
J. Marion Sims, 225, 
274 
Stowe, Mrs. Harriet Beecher, 
244 
Stuart, Henri L., 226 
Suffolk District Medical Soci- 
ety (Boston), 389, 394 
Survey, The, 489 
Tarbell, Dr. G. G., 498 
Taylor, Bayard, 153 
Tennyson, Alfred, Lord, 442, 
482 
Thompson, Chicago Hospital 
for Women and Chil- 
dren, Mary, 345, 488, 
489 
Thompson, Dr. Mary Harris, 
253, 345, 488, 489 
Tiburtius, Dr. Henriette P., 
see Dr. Henriette Pagel- 
son 
Tolman, James, 487 
Trained nurses in America, see 
Nurses 
Training School for Nurses in 
America, first regularly 
organized general, 363 
Transcendentalism, 132, 198 
Tudor, Mrs. P. Fenno, 244 
Tuthill, Dr. and Mrs., 203 
Tuthill, Miss Sarah, 203 
Tyng, Dr. Anita E., 253, 309, 
336, 338, 351, 487, 488 
Unitarians, 138, 146 
Universalists, 138, 146 
University, Harvard, 400, 401 
University, Johns Hopkins, see 
Johns Hopkins Univer- 
sity 
University Medical School, 
Harvard, see Harvard 
University Medical 
School 
University of Berne, 350, 489 
Bologna, 111 
Cambridge (Eng.), 480 510 
INDEX 
Edinburgh, 130, 350 
Florence, 111 
Giessen, 111 
Marburg, 111 
Michigan, 383, 497 
Paris, 399 
Pennsylvania, 379 
Zurich, 346, 347, 383, 496 
Vaughan, Miss Virginia, 159, 
160 
Vaughan, Mrs. C., 152, 153, 
154 
Virchow’s Cellular Pathology, 
175 
von Graefe, Prof., 347 
von Raumer, Minister, 68 
Ware, Dr. John, 254, 255, 256, 
498 
Weld, Angelina Grimke (Mrs. 
Theodore), 149, 150, 
198, 201 
Weld, Theodore, 201 
Western Reserve University 
Medical School (Cleve- 
land Medical College), 
115, 121, 123, 124, 125, 
126, 127, 131, 134, 163, 
168-170, 171, 174, 175, 
394 
White, Mrs. Mary G., 487 
Whitman, Walt, 167 
Whitney, Dr. W. F., 498 
Whitney, Miss Anne, 197 
Willey, Mr. and Mrs. G., 152, 
177 
Withington, Dr. C. F., 498 
Woman, First in America 
listed officially as spe- 
cializing in surgery, 336 
First in America appointed 
as attending surgeon on 
a hospital staff, 369 
Woman Hater, The, Charles 
Reade, 490 
Woman in Medicine, Dr. Mary 
Putnam Jacobi, 339 
Woman’s Hospital, New York, 
see New York Woman’s 
Hospital 
Woman’s Hospital, Philadel- 
phia, see Philadelphia, 
Woman’s Hospital of 
Woman’s Journal, The, 322, 
428 
Woman’s Medical College of 
Pennsylvania, see Penn- 
sylvania, Woman’s Med- 
ical College of 
Woman’s Medical College of 
the New York Infirm- 
ary, 348, 350, 375, 376, 
399 
Woman’s Medical Society, 
New England, see New 
England Woman’s Med- 
ical Society 
Woman’s Rights Movement, 
47, 131, 134, 138, 153, 
156, 157, 202, 212, 245, 
297, 459, 488 
Woman’s Rights Movement in 
London, 410 
Woman’s Right to Labor, A 
Practical Illustration of, 
by Caroline H. Dali, xi, 
59, 60, 256 
Women and Children, Chicago 
Hospital for, see Chi- 
cago Hospital for Wom- 
en and Children 
Women and Children, New 
England Hospital for, 
see New England Hos- 
pital for Women and 
Children 
Women and Children, New 
York Infirmary for, see 
New York Infirmary for 
Women and Children 
Women of attainment, Why 
not monuments in West- INDEX 
511 
minster Abbey to Eng- 
lish, 404 
Women physicians in England, 
Training of, compared 
with that in America, 
405-409 
Women’s Club, New England, 
see New England Wom- 
en’s Club 
Women’s Club, Worcester 
(Mass.), 436 
Women’s College, Newnham 
(Cambridge, Eng.), 480 
Worcester (Mass.), Women’s 
Club, see Women’s Club, 
Worcester 
Wright, Mrs., 134 
Wiirtzer, Dr., 224 
Wyman, Dr. Morrill, 385, 392 
Zakrzewska, Marie E., M.D. 
birth, 4 
ancestry, 483 
recollections of early child- 
hood, 3-7 
beginning of school life, 
conflicts, friendships, 
prizes, 
contacts with mental and 
physical illness, 
her mother begins train- 
ing as midwife 
begins to read medical 
books, 8-25 
end of school life, resorts to 
father’s library, 26 
training in housework, dress- 
making, nursing, French, 
housekeeping and assist- 
ing in mother’s practice, 
26-34 
studies midwifery pri- 
vately under Professor 
Schmidt, 36 
enters school at Royal Hos- 
pital Chari te as student 
and assistant teacher, 42 
repeatedly declines father’s 
choice for marriage, 51, 
66 
appointed Accoucheuse en 
chef, 52, 65 
resigns position and emi- 
grates to America to or- 
ganize a woman’s hos- 
pital, 66-72 
arrives in New York, 73-83 
disappointed in professional 
plans she becomes self- 
supporting in business, 
83-105, 115-118 
her meeting with Dr. Eliza- 
beth Blackwell reopens 
the medical path, 108- 
110, 114 
assists Dr. Blackwell in dis- 
pensary of New York 
Infirmary, 114-115 
enters Western Reserve Med- 
ical College (Cleveland), 
123 
learns details of the pro- 
fessional and social op- 
position to women phy- 
sicians, students and 
practitioners, 125-131 
meets men and women 
noted in all phases of 
advanced thought, 134, 
138, 146, 149-153, 160 
first visit to Boston, 149 
receives degree of M.D., 
168 
returns to New York 
where no one is willing 
to rent her an office, 78; 
begins practice in Dr. 
Blackwell’s house, 181; 
and finds the Infirmary 
dispensary closed, 182 
successful visit to Boston 
to seek money to reopen 
the dispensary and to es- 
tablish the hospital de- 
partment, 190-191 512 
INDEX 
visit to Philadelphia de- 
cides those interested in 
the Woman’s Medical 
College to establish also 
a hospital, 191, 192 
entree into the varied so- 
cial circles of New 
York, 196-204, 220-222 
becomes resident physician 
and superintendent of 
the finally opened New 
York Infirmary, 209-211 
incidents in hospital 
management, in teach- 
ing and in practice, 213- 
218 
experiences in mobbing 
of Infirmary and in 
neighborhood fires, 218- 
219, 227, 233 
meeting with Dr. J. 
Marion Sims and ob- 
servation of his inter- 
pretation of the New 
York Woman’s Hos- 
pital’s by-law calling for 
the appointment of a 
woman physician on the 
staff, 224-226 
definitely begins train- 
ing of nurses, 212, 228 
health begins to show ef- 
fect of overstrain, 230, 
234, 239, 244 
removes to Boston to become 
a member of the faculty 
of the New England Fe- 
male Medical College, 
239 
is appointed professor of 
obstetrics and diseases 
of women and children, 
238, 259 
establishes the Clinical 
Department (hospital) 
of which she becomes 
the head, and in which 
she continues the defi- 
nite training of nurses, 
243, 252, 361 
tries to elevate the stand- 
ards of the college and 
insists students must be 
trained practically as 
well as theoretically, 
250-252, 273-277 
is refused admission to the 
Massachusetts Medical 
Society because of her 
sex, 277, 394 
establishes a temporary 
asylum for infants, 280 
continuing unable to raise 
the standards of the col- 
lege, she resigns from 
the faculty and the hos- 
pital is discontinued, 
280-286 
founds the New England 
Hospital for Women 
and Children and be- 
comes resident, attend- 
ing and dispensary phy- 
sician and in charge of 
the out-practice, 293, 294 
details of out-practice; 
night calls, 328, 329 
continuous growth of this 
hospital and addition of 
assisting and cooperat- 
ing medical women ne- 
cessitate moving t o 
larger quarters and fa- 
vor her plans for spe- 
cially designed build- 
ings, 329, 333, 334, 352- 
354, 356-360, 493-495 
she buys a horse and car- 
riage, 335 
for a second time she is 
refused admission to the 
Massachusetts Medical 
Society because of her 
sex, 394 
opening of the new hos- INDEX 
513 
pital buildings enables 
her to expand her al- 
ready existing training 
school into the first gen- 
eral training school for 
nurses regularly organ- 
ized in America, this 
school being under the 
direction of Dr. Susan 
A. Dimoek, 360-364 
serious effects of overwork 
oblige her to take first 
vacation in fifteen 
years; goes to Europe, 
366-368 
joins in the movement to 
check tendency towards 
the lowering of stand- 
ards for the medical 
education of women, 
and towards opening to 
women the great med- 
ical schools of America, 
373-387, 398-399, 401- 
403, 424-428, 435-437, 
448 
assists in forming the 
New England Hospital 
Medical Society and be- 
comes its first president, 
385 
declines to apply a third 
time for admission to 
the Massachusetts Med- 
ical Society, this society 
now deciding to admit 
women, 392-395 
goes to Europe again for 
vacation and investi- 
gates the progress of 
medical women in Eng- 
land, 404-411 
resigns as attending phy- 
sician, becoming advis- 
ory physician, 416 
her private life, 457-466 
celebrates her seventieth 
birthday, 470 
her acceptance of the in- 
evitable, 471-474 
her death, 474 
her farewell message, 474- 
478 
addresses, letters and writ- 
ings, 
The Study of Medicine, 
259 
Hospitals; Their History, 
Designs and Needs, 312 
On the Problem of the 
Doctor in Charging 
Fees, 315 
On Charity, 315 
On the Golden Rule, 316 
A Lesson, 316 
Another True Story, 322 
The Medical Education of 
Women, 375 
A Moral Code for Women, 
417 
Should Women Study 
Medicine?, 424 
What’s in a Name?, 428 
The Emancipation of 
Woman: Will It Be a 
Success?, 442 
Letters to Dr. Lucy E. 
Sewall, 300-312, 348, 
367, 412 
On the opening of the new 
buildings of the New 
England Hospital, 356 
On the question of Har- 
vard University opening 
a separate medical 
school for women, 380 
Declining to apply a third 
time for admission to 
the Massachusetts Med- 
ical Society, having been 
refused twice on ac- 
count of her sex, 393 
Should medicines which 
cause anesthesia, emesis 
or prostration ever be 
administered to refrac- 514 
INDEX 
tory prisoners to en- 
force obedience through 
their action?, 396 
Letter to Mrs. Cheney and 
others, 404 
On the absence in West- 
minster Abbey of any 
monument to a woman 
of attainment, 405 
On the abuse of the word 
“lady,” 405 
On the progress of med- 
ical women in England, 
405 
Comparison between ear- 
lier and later women 
medical students, 413 
On the increasing work of 
the Hospital under wom- 
en surgeons, 438 
On her attitude as a 
critic, 447 
Against the admission to 
the New England Hos- 
pital of women students 
of the Boston Univer- 
sity Medical School 
(that being then a 
school of homeopathy), 
448 
On the reciprocal relation 
of the medical staff and 
the board of directors 
of the New England 
Hospital, 449 
On a question of hospital 
discipline, 451 
Letter to an ambitious col- 
league whose feelings 
have been hurt, 453 
On the relation of the 
Dispensary to confidence 
in women surgeons, 468 
On the laying of the cor- 
ner stone of the Ednah 
D. Cheney surgical 
building, 469 
Farewell message to be 
read at her funeral 
service, 474 
Zurich, University of, see 
University of Zurich 
THE END