Medical missionary, teacher, and physician. Twenty diaries provide a detailed record of the eighteen years Hemenway spent as a medical missionary in China. They describe medical and surgical cases, customs and rural culture, and the political upheaval of pre-WWII China. The diaries are rich with poignant and perceptive pictures of Chinese village life, of modernized urban life, and China during wartime. The diaries also reflect her own personal struggle with isolation and discrimination.

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Literary rights for unpublished works by Ruth Hemenway are owned by her niece, Sally Mundell. Permission must be obtained to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use." Copyright to materials authored by others may be owned by those individuals or their heirs or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.