Crescent City Courtship (22 page)

“D
r. Braddock, you’re wanted in the children’s ward.”

Abigail, seated at the desk in the second-floor nurse’s office, looked up from her task of recording the injuries and subsequent treatment of a young woman admitted to the hospital this morning after a riding accident. John’s handsome head peered around the half-open door. She gave her husband a vague smile. “Is it an emergency? I need to finish this report while it’s fresh in my mind.”

John slipped inside and shut the door behind him. “Of sorts. The McLachlin boy hid my otoscope and won’t tell where he put it unless the
pretty doctor
comes to listen in his ears.” He shoved her papers aside and sat on the corner of the desk near her elbow. “And I can hardly blame him,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss the corner of her mouth.

“John! Anybody could come in here!” But she briefly yielded to his warm mouth, thrilled all over again at the knowledge she and John belonged to each other in every sense of the word. She pulled back and touched her thumb to the white scar across his upper lip, a testament to his devotion. “Oh, Dr. Braddock. You are a serious distraction.”

Six months of marriage had not erased her wonder at God’s provision for their every need. Even after John’s graduation last May, which made him a fully licensed surgeon, they’d both had to work and sacrifice to afford Abigail’s tuition. But somehow they’d made it, and Abigail herself would graduate tonight.

“I love you, Abigail,” he murmured, cupping her face, “and I don’t care if the whole world knows.” He grinned. “But would you please come help me find my otoscope?”

T
his book required extensive research into the history of medical education in the latter half of the nineteenth century, particularly that of the Tulane University Medical Center, which in 1879 was the medical department of the University of Louisiana. I wanted to take advantage of the exciting advances being made in the medical profession during that year, so for the purposes of the story I veered from actual history by predating the entrance of the first woman into the medical school in New Orleans by sixteen years. Mrs. Elizabeth Rudolph was the first woman conferred the degree of Master of Pharmacy from Tulane University in 1895 (she had actually completed the two-year course in 1890 but was not allowed to graduate). Not until the 1915-16 school year were women admitted to all classes on an equal basis with men. Linda Hill Coleman of Houston, Texas, was the first woman to graduate from Tulane with a medical degree (John Duffy,
The Tulane University Medical Center
, Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 1984. 84-85, 136).

The New Orleans red light district was a real place
known simply as “the District.” Early in the next century, it temporarily became a legally sanctioned region of prostitution known as “Storyville” (Duffy). I have tried to stay true to historic names of streets and streetcar lines. Because maps from that era are a bit blurry, it’s possible that I’ve misspelled some names. For that I apologize in advance. On another note: to avoid defamation-of-character issues, I changed the names of all the professors at the medical college and created my own. There are no real historical figures used as characters, except those mentioned in the context of medical backstory (for example, when the students recount the development of surgical techniques and disease theory, and the mention of Elizabeth Blackwell’s admission to medical school in New York). Charity Hospital was the university’s teaching hospital and was fully staffed by Catholic nuns.

With regard to historical details, besides the Duffy book, I relied heavily on
New Orleans’ Charity Hospital
by John Salvaggio, M.D. (Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 1993);
Antique Medical Instruments
by C. Keith Wilbur, M.D. (Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1987); and
Bring Us a Lady Physician
, by Ruth Abram (New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1985). I am also indebted to a December 2000 interview with Dr. Sam Eichold of Mobile. Dr. Eichold founded the medical museum associated with the University of South Alabama Medical School. He was most generous with his time, experience and resources.

For early critique help I would like to thank my usual partners in crime, Tammy T. and Sheri. Because it was the thesis for my creative writing master’s program, this book also underwent the rigors of a most talented group of fellow graduate students. Alyson, Marylyn, Jeannie and
Tammy S—you challenged and encouraged me, and I’m looking forward to seeing your work in print one day. I’d also like to mention my University of South Alabama thesis committee, whose feedback strengthened the manuscript immeasurably: Dr. Sue Walker, Dr. James Aucoin and the inimitable Carolyn Haines, thesis director extraordinaire. Finally, kudos to my editor, Emily Rodmell. You’re the best!

Dear Reader,

Crescent City Courtship
was conceived as a sequel to
Redeeming Gabriel
, but the protagonists, John and Abigail, quickly endeared themselves to me in their own right. Abigail’s determination to overcome her bizarre and painful childhood has challenged me to look for God’s work even in difficult circumstances. Creating a young man like John, who begins as a privileged and single-minded scientist and develops into a man of compassion and tenderness, was an adventure in self-discovery. Sometimes, like John, I get so focused on the task at hand that I can overlook the basic human needs of people around me. Praise God that He pursues us and draws us to himself, not allowing us to stay the same!

I pray that you, my friend, will listen for the Father’s voice as well, and that you will find ever-present help in times of trouble.

In God’s grace,

Beth White

1. At what point does John begin to pay attention to God’s voice? What holds him back from complete surrender to God?
   
2. What about Abigail? What was at the root of her resentment toward God?
   
3. Discuss things in your own life that keep you from trusting God.
   
4. Think about Abigail’s yearning for a medical education in a time when women were not allowed to attend medical school. Is there something in your life that doesn’t seem fair? What steps would you take to get what you want?
   
5. John’s greatest lesson was humility. Discuss some scenes in the story that show him struggling with it. Do you think he was successful in learning it? Why or why not?
   
6. The story takes place in 1879, several years after the Civil War. What evidence do you find in the story that racial conditions had improved or deteriorated? Do you find Abigail’s friendship with Winona believable? Why or why not?
   
7. Abigail took a big risk by fleeing China. Was she smart to do that? What would you have done in her shoes?
   
8. Discuss the conversation between John and Abigail in Chapter Three. Why do you think God allows doctors to heal some patients and not others?
   
9. What do you think about John’s friends, Weichmann and Girard? Of the two, who has the greater influence on John? What does the Bible say about the company we keep?
   
10. Why did Abigail feel like a “freak”? In what ways do you identify with her? How did her experiences in medical school change her?
    
11. What do you think about Dr. Laniere’s teaching techniques? Did he come on too strong about his faith? Did he hold back more than he should have?
    
12. John and Professor Laniere have several conversations about the relationship between medicine and faith. Discuss how the two elements intertwine in the story.
    
13. In marriage relationships, men and women often compromise for each other. How do John and Abigail change one another in the course of the story?
    
14. Have you ever been misjudged by someone? How did you feel about that? What did you do to correct the person’s impression of you?
    
15. In the end, John and Abigail were working at the same hospital. Do you think it’s good for a husband and wife to work together? Why or why not?