A Woman's Quest: The life of Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D.Zakrzewska, Marie E. (Marie Elizabeth)
History
A Woman's Quest: The life of Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D.
Zakrzewska, Marie E. (Marie Elizabeth)
Women physicians -- United States -- Biography; Zakrzewska, Marie E. (Marie Elizabeth), 1829-1902
She kept in touch with all the doctors and students who had been at
any time connected with the Hospital, 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 successes or discouragements, their
marriages, their husbands, their children, and their problems of many
kinds.
In beginning practice they had the varied fortunes which might be
expected from differing individualities, equipment, resources and
environment. Some found doors already opened to welcome them; 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
starvation 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 characterized her and her
director associates, no discrimination 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 specimen 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
engagement to ---- ----, and I am sure you will approve of my choice.
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 development of a rule of life which reconciled the untrammeled
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
reading--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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account