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Show IWOffi SUNS IN RUSSIA OTRECUTED European War Is Demonstrating Demon-strating Change of Sentiment Senti-ment Toward Weaker Sex. ACTIVE IN DEVOTION Messages Froin War Front' Tell of Splendid Bravery in Line of Duty. I By an International News Service Correspondent. Special Cable to The Tribune. PETROGRAD, Dec 12. As in several previous wars of Rusa.a, women surgeon are playing a large part. While Great Britain has refused proffered help of English Eng-lish women doctors. Russia ia gladly ao- ' cepting such assistance, although It Is provided that the number of women eur- 1 geons must rot exceed 50 per cent of men practitioners. Few countries, la fact, look upon tha medical woman with friendly eyes. But In Russia It was due to a Russian minister min-ister of war that the "weaker sex" was first admited into the medical profession. profes-sion. While women were still barre-1 from civil institutions of medicine tha mlilitary schools and hospitals were opened to them. There are now ZOW practitioners in the empire. Need Is Evident. Women doctors are eppciaT.r iiederl in Russia because the religion of tha Mussulman population la the eastern provinces forbids them to employ tha services of a man. The question waa first raised Jn 1 SCI by a Russian woman, who asked to be admitted to the medical courses at, one of the provincial universities. universi-ties. The minister of education refused her miueit. The goal was finally reache-1 through the minister of war. General Milutln, who had control of the Military Academy of Medicine at Petrograd. A timely gift of 50,000 roubles enabled him to suggest to the emperor that the medical medi-cal courses of the military academy might be utilized for the Instruction of women without an extra charge upon the stata treasury. His plan was approved for a period of four years. Th, experiment was started with "ninety e'.nlents in 1S7S and in 1S?1 thev had increased to S55. At the end of that time the courses pWere transferred to the Nicholas Military hospital and a fifth vear was added to the period ot Instruction, which thus became equivalent, equiva-lent, though not identical, to tha ! courses of the men students. Russian I women doctors owed a debt of gratitude to the military authorities which tho were not slow to repay. Prejudice Is Overcome. The war with Turkey broke out 3ust before the students had completed their fifih ver.r. About thirty of them at once offered to go to the front and their services serv-ices were immediately accepted as assistants. assist-ants. When we consider that a woman doctor was p.s yet an "unknown quantity" In Russia ar.d that popular prejudice had still to be overcome, this broad-mlndod, action cannot be too highly praised. They proved themselves worthy of the confidence confi-dence placed in them and their courage, devotion and capacity for enduring hard-shin hard-shin were generally acknowledged and, broke down opposition. The winter following fol-lowing the war sixty students attending the courses at the military academy passed their tinal examinations and received re-ceived the degree of woman doctor. They were now launched on their career, but there were many rocks ahead. In ISM General Milutin was succeeded as war minister by General Vannovskl, wbose delicate susceptibilities were outraged out-raged Vv the action of h'.s predecessor; he decided that medical courses for women coi:!d not take place uraer the friendly auspices of the war office, aa hitherto, and no new women students were admitted to the military hospital. A scheme for an independent Woman's Institute In-stitute of Medicine was drawn up, whica was approved by the imoerial council, and which H was decided to establish at Petrograd as "soon as the necessary lunds could "be obtained. Obstacles Overcome. It w-aa again largely due to the gren-erositv gren-erositv of a general in the army, who came forward with substantial help, that the building of the institute was commenced. com-menced. Lectures began two years later, and in 1900 500 women were attending the courses. It is not only as doctors that Russian women have been given a definite position posi-tion in war time. The army nursing1 service Is one of the best organized in Europe and they need fear no comparison with that of any other country'- 1h training lasts three years and includes practical work in all branches. The students stu-dents live together in groups of about 200. where they lead a community lifo and are under the supervision of local committees who in their turn owe allegiance alle-giance to eiirht boards of district administration. admin-istration. The hospitals in which they learn their work are equipped and maintained main-tained bv local municipalities. On declaration decla-ration of war. the nurses immediately receive re-ceive orders to be ready to Join at a morn mo-rn en t a notice, and about twenry-flve are attached to each field hospital. They receive re-ceive no special treatment on account of their sex, tho mill t s ry authorities look upon them as a definite branch of the service and they are more exposed to dangers in the war area, as part of their life in the field, than the nursing corps of other armies. Prove Genuine Service. "Deeds of splendid bravery done by tht-se women are being reported from the eastern war zone today. One nurse carried car-ried off a wounded soldier herself from the firing lino. Strongly staffed hospitals, admirably equipped with Roentgen-ray apparatus, operating rooms, ar.d a plentiful plen-tiful stipplv of dru-rs nnd dressings, mi-low mi-low behind the advancing armies. Tiie doctors and nurses carry out their duties with a spirit of self-sacrifice that is akin to missionary devotion. Russian women are boring that, as at thn end of the wot with Turkey, the excellence ex-cellence of tlve'.r work ensured their recognition rec-ognition in the medical profession, so their devotion to duty in the present war will cause all restrictions to be removed, and they will share. In education and privileges on ecjnal terms with their male, colleague 8. |