Page:Address on the Medical Education of Women (1864) - Blackwell.djvu/9

 medical subjects to women, supporting themselves, year after year, in this way; still more are practising as physicians, either alone or in partnership with father or husband. In every part of the Northern and Western States we know of such physicians, who are supporting themselves, and sometimes their families—whose pecuniary receipts vary from a simple living to a handsome income.

Now all will agree that pecuniary success is a very convincing thing! We may deplore the low state of society, which will measure truth by dollars; but nevertheless we cannot shut our eyes to the fact, that the mass of mankind do judge by a low standard. To say, such and such a woman is making $2000 a year by the practice of medicine, creates more respect for the work in the minds of most people, than any amount of argument, or abstract statement of the truth and value of the idea, would do. We can use then this poor, powerful argument of the dollar. We can point out women in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, CleavelandCleveland [sic], and elsewhere, personally known to us who are making more than $1000 or $2000 a year, in a steadily increasing practice; all grown up within ten years!

Several things are proved by this fact. It shows that women can practise medicine in some fashion—they have the head to do it;—that there is nothing in the work itself, to hinder them from doing so—they have the health to do it—; it shows that women will employ them; that imperfect as their education is (as we shall presently see), and with the distinct knowledge on the part of women, that these physicians have not the advantages of education which men enjoy, they nevertheless employ them widely and increasingly.

I think these facts will be considered as establishing the statement that the practice of medicine by women, is no longer a doubtful, but a settled thing; that a new social power is growing up in our midst, concerning which the question is—not shall it exist, but how shall it exist—shall its influence be