The Linacre Quarterly

Volume 11 | Number 3 Article 2

July 1943 Two Catholic Doctors and a Great Work M. Angelica

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Recommended Citation Angelica, M. (1943) "Two Catholic Doctors and a Great Work," The Linacre Quarterly: Vol. 11: No. 3, Article 2. Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol11/iss3/2 THE LINACRE QUARTERLY •\ TWO CATHOLIC DOCTORS AND A GREAT WORK i By SISTER l'tf, ANGELICA j

Great worlcs rarely mature over sorrows of all who came III COIl- 1 night. The germ of the idea lies tact with her. 'Her outstanding l deep in the heart of man, often for characteristics, even as a YOl,mg years, until Providence deems the woman, were her faith in God's time ripe for its appearance. Providence, her wide interest and Sometimes tpe seed seems to die true charity for all who were suf- : only to pring forth more fruit. So fel'ing or oppressed. it ",as )Vith the Catholic Medical It was after years spent in Mission movement of the I twenti­ working for the poor and in ad­ eth century. The seed was planted yancing the woman's suffrage by p. woman doctor, Agnes Mc­ Jllovement that she finally decided ' ,Laren, who although she did not to become a doctor, believing that 1 become a Catholic until she was ~his was pleasing to Christ, the I past sixty years of age in 1898, pivine Physician, and desiring to i yet the inspiration for Sister-doc­ make "medicine serve not only the ~ tors in the JIlissions was born of healing of bodies bu t also the bet- 1 1 her spirit in 1910. She died in terment of souls." Back in the I 1913 but the idea was kept alive seventies for a· woman to secure a j by ,+nother Catholic doctor, Anna Illedical education was a matter of _} Deflgei, who founded the Society extreme difficulty. With the sim- I of Catholic Medical Missionaries plicity and directness that always " in 192Q. In 1936 the movement characterized her, she went for.: tOQk firm root when an instruc­ help and advice to Cardinal Man- ; tion from Rbme extended the ben­ ning. He advised her to apply at ,I efits of Dr. McLaren's dream to the University of Montpellier and the whole Christian world of mis- aided her by introductions. Miss SlOns. McLaren was the first woman to Agnes McLaren was born in attend the medical school :of

Edinburgh, Scotland on July 4, Montpellier and as such her posi- J 1837. -Hers was a happy and tion must have been a bit trying,. . stimulating childhood under the but she bears witness to the kind- I guidan~e of her father, a well-to­ pess and courtesy with which pro­ do, public spirited, strict, but fessors and students treated her. ~ wal'lllhearted, business man; and The students liked to call her a ~indly, well-educated Quaker "Miss Medicine," not out of dis­ stepmother. Agnes grew up a dain, however, but because of the ~ lively, fharming girl full of love singularity of the case. for all that was beautiful. She In l\Iontpelliel' Dr. McLaren was afl.'ectionate, devoted to her lived with the Franciscan Hos­ family, and possessed of the rare pital Sisters and for the first time power of sharing in the joys and came into contact with Catholic ~.

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ceremonies and practices. The face of a Mohammedan woman. depth and beauty of her spiritual "The Catholic Faith will spread life may be gauged by the fact in India only when there are wo­ that for twenty years she made men doctors to'reach the women," an annual .rftreat under the gui­ Msgr. Wagner told her. To India dance of a Catholic priest of sqe then went, at the age of sev­ Lyons, despite the fact that she enty-two, to verify his words with was still a Jlresbyterian. htlr own eyes. She visited missions Finally at the age of sixty, aqd hospitals up and down India without any outside influence, she and the result of her fatiguing resolved to become a Catholic. jqurneys was the foundation of a This grace seemed to all who sIJIall hospital for women and chil­ knew her the natural consequence dren in Rawalpindi in 1910. of her good Ilnd holy life spent in Unable to carryon the work charity tow ~ rds the sick poor in herself, she searched Europe for Cannes, the city of her adoption, a woma~ doctor to take charge of where she p~acticed medicine for the hospital. To her far-seeing lIIany years. Some years later she mind it ~eemed the most advan­ became a Dominican Tertiary tageous and successful solution ,,·hich she reIpained for the rest of would be to have Sisters study her life. medicine for this work. They at For many years Dr. McLaren least would provide the necessary had been iJlterested in medical spirit of perseverance and self­ work for the women of India. In sacrifice. Did she realize what a that countr7{ the Mohammedan nqvel venture this was? Did she and high caste Hindu women live foresee the difficulties? With her Ii rigidly seFluded existence and characteristic determination she Ilre debarred from professional set about the task of interviewing medical aid, ~xcept that given by superiors of various communities women. Protestant missionaries as to the possibility of sisters had related ~ eart-rending stories studying medicine. Many )Iothers to her of the unrelieved sufferings General held up their hands in of these "purdah" women. N atu­ horror at the very idea of a Sis­ rally, as soo'l as Dr. McLaren be- . ter becoming a doctor. Others came a Catholic she inquired were willing to try it if Rome about the Jlumber of Catholic would give approblltion. Dr. Mc­ "·omen doctors working in India, Laren's last years on earth were Rnd could nof find one! spent in five journeys to Rome, At about the same time she begging and pleading with Pope came in contE',ct with Msgr. Dom­ and Cardinals to allow Sisters to inic Wagner pf Mill Hill. He had st~dy medicine. All of these peti­ . been Prefect Apostolic in Rawal­ tiops, although received in p. pindi, North India, for t.wenty­ friendly manner, led to no imme­

aix years ancl had never seen the di'lte results. " -:-..- " -:- : . - . ~"" ~--:- "'~""- .....":' . ,0\ . " ) 1..1' f\f ! ,. I " • r 49 I THE LINACRE o. QUARTERLY Dr. McLaren was planning an­ and a few nurses were needed to other vi,sit to Rome in the Spring help the millions of Indian women, of 1913 in the hope of obtaining a but a "whole army," a religious f~vQrable reply to the question of family to develop and stabilize the sisters studying medicine, when whole idea. With this end in view she was attacked by her last ill­ the Society of Catholic Medi.cal j ness. III spite of her great desire Missionaries was founded in 1925 to go to God, her Creator, she hy Mother Anna Dengel, M.D., woqld willingly have gone on liv­ and the hospital begun by Dr. Mc­ ing in order to realize at last her Laren formed the nucleus of the great plans for the sick and poor' Society~s first hospital in Rawal­ in lpdia whom she knew were so pindi. In 1930 the Medical Mis­ abandon~d and, above all, without sion Sisters began their work in ' spirjtual aid. She died a very holy Dacca, Bengal, and in 1939 they death i~ gre&t .peace on April 17, founded a new mission hospital in 1915. patna on the Ganges River. But God's work goes on. Be­ On February II, 1936 the Sa­ fore her death she inspired a cred Congregation of Propaganda young Tyrolese girl to study med­ Fide in Rome issued an instruc­ icine for the express purpose of tion of far-reaching importance devoting her profession to the in the matter of professional care care of women and children in In­ of the sick, especially for mater- > dia. When Miss Anna Dengel was nity and child welfare work, in the \,. about to begin her medical studies missions. Dr. McLaren's petition ill 1913 Dr. McLaren had been has been granted in a measure far cllll~d to her reward. Her work beyond her hopes. The Holy See was finisheq; another-was to take {lot only gives permission for Sis­ her place. Dr. Dengel obtained ters to study medicine and do ob­ her medical degree at the Univer­ stetrical and all other medical sity of Cork in 1918 and subse­ lVork, but urges them to do so. quently went to India to take The decree states in part: "It has J charge of the hospital founded by always been the practice of this Dr. McLaren ten years before. Congregation to have the meth- ; puripg tpe four , years spent ods of the apostolate conform to , there Pl'. Dengel became con­ the varying needs of time ' and i villced ~hat a great field for spir­ place .... This Sacred Congrega­ itual and corporal works of mercy tion would like to see new religious . aw~iteq Catholic medical women institutes founded (for women) in lndi!l. Medical aid had to be who will dedicate themselves prin- : brought to women by women. The cipally to health work, making ; majority of women were utterly helpless and inaccessible to the due provision for necessary safe- · /. missiollilry priests. Dr. Dengel guard s .... realize~ that not one woman doctor "These new duties demand a r r:n 1 THE" LINAORE QUARTERLf

proper te , ~hnical and spiritual There are now about eighteen preparatio ~1. The sisters should Sister-doctors of different com­ obtain certificates as doctors and munities in the foreign mission nurses. . . , The Religious should ~eld, all sharing in the far-reach­ s~ a noble expression of Christian ing results of Dr. McLaren's charity in this delicate service, a courage, perseverance and char­ charitable work destined to ease ity. Her work lives on in them bodily mise:ry and to open the way and more especially in the Society for the gr~ce of the 'Redemption. pf Catholic Medical Missionaries, " fox Chase, Philadelphia, Pa.

MANY CREEDS BENEFIT BY HOLY FAMilY HOSPIT Al, RAW AlPINQI, INDIA According to the annual re­ tients. The Hindus far outnumber port, thoufands of patients of the Moslem patients in the hos­ many creed~ benefitted in the past pital although the Punjab is a year by the medical facilities of ,predominantly Mohammedan prpv­ Holy Family Hospital, Rawal­ ince. The reason is that many of pindi, Indifl, conducted by the the latter still adhere to the cus­ Medical Mission Sisters of Fox tom of se~luding their women. Chase, Phill~delphia, Pennsylvania. SISTERS PERFORM OPERATIONS ONLY CATHOLIC HOSPITAL IN That confidence in Western PUNJAB medicine is growing each year is . The hospital, which is the only shown by the number of opera­ Catholic hospital in the Punjab, a tion ~ performed by the Sisters region of 2~,000,OOO people, and last year: 134 major and 648 mi­ which provides special accommo­ nor. 542 babies were born in the dation for f aste and purdah pa­ ~ospital. Sister Alma Lalinsky, tients, repoifted that Hindus, Mo­ M.D., a graduate of Woman's hammedans. Sikhs, native Chris­ Medical College, Philadelphia, is tians, Eur~sian s , Europeans and the resident physician in charge of even Ameripans from the nearby the hospital, assisted by Sister colony ' of oil drillers, availed Leonie Tummers, M.D., a gradu­ themselves of the medical care of l\te of George Washington Uni­ the Sisters, both doctors and nUI·ses. versity, "\" ashington, D. C. During the year 19.J,2, Holy Overcrowded as the hospital is, Family Ho ~ pital cared for 2,038 tpere is always a waiting list for in-patients, and 31,926 out-pa- qperations. Apropos of this, the

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