A murmur ran through the crowd. “If we had more charitable funds, I could train and employ more.” She smiled at Adams. “So could you.”
Adams squared his shoulders. “How would we license these women? How do we keep them from making the same disastrous mistakes as the Jepson woman?”
“Doctors also make mistakes.”
Her eyes latched on Daniel, rising to his feet. Even carrying over the crowd, his voice was so even Nora doubted anyone else caught the warning tenor. Beside him, Aunt Wilcox blanched. “Should we review those cases as well? Last week, for example?”
Nora’s eyes grew wide. It was the closest thing to a threat she’d ever heard pass Daniel’s lips.
Adams smoothed his waistcoat. “It is true that at Bart’s we had a woman nearly injured by a medical student. But it was quickly corrected by trained doctors. We are a teaching hospital. That type of correction would have been impossible in a private home.”
Horace stood, his gaze bouncing between him and the warring doctors. “Nearlyinjured? No midwife I’ve ever known would pull a woman’s womb from her body.” The audience gasped. “That’s what was done by your student doctor.”
“There were mitigating circumstances—” Adams started.
“There often are, for doctors. But you demand higher standards of accountability from these women,” Daniel interrupted, waving at the midwives. “I’ve worked beside Mrs. Franklin many times. By the time she’s done learning to use forceps, she’ll be as capable as we are.”
Adams’s eyes narrowed. “What did you say, Dr. Gibson?”
Daniel’s eyes darted to Nora, widening in mute apology. She’d not meant to disclose that—not yet.
Adams rounded on Daniel. “Forceps can be injurious—even deadly—if misused. And you’re teaching this woman—”
“Not him,” Ruth interrupted, nodding at Nora. “Her. Dr. Gibson.”
The electrified crowd hummed with murmurs.
Nora drew up her shoulders. She must regain order. “My training is slow and meticulous. I’ve done nothing to rush any midwife into a situation she cannot manage.”
“Forceps could be argued to be a surgical procedure,”Adams said, the disgust on his face vibrant and horrible. “You’re hardly licensed yourself, but you admit to teaching women off the street?”
“Off the street?” Mrs. Howell jumped to her feet.
“Stop,” Daniel put in. “We’re growing emotional. My wife only meant to say that more training is best for all of us. Can we all agree on that?”
Three seats down from Daniel, Harry dropped his head onto his arms. This lecture was going exactly as he’d predicted. Nora wished she could reverse the action of the clocks and refuse the invitation, or push them forward and escape. But there would be no relief, not for another half hour at least.
Adams smoothed his waistcoat, a motion belying his anger-blotched cheeks. “It seems we cannot agree at all, Dr. Gibson.” This time, he was speaking to Daniel, facing him over the heads of the crowd. “You signed my petition to stop midwives from practicing. Why would you do that if you agree with your wife and believe they should be professionally trained?”
Daniel flinched. “I wished to keep unqualified practitioners from deceiving the public. I still do. But I’ve reconsidered the best way it can be done. Especially in times like these, we need as many competent—”
“Your wife received only one and a half years’ instruction in a foreign country. Do you find that sufficiently qualified?” Adams didn’t look at Nora as he referred to her—only threw a lazy hand in her direction.
Nora wasn’t going to allow this. “I’m right here, Dr. Adams. I may have been in Bologna for a shorter time, but I’d been studying for years before I went. I passed all the requiredexaminations, and in my first attempt. Not all your students can claim that. I’m not sure you can, either.” She smiled at him, and Horace laughed again.
“Got you there, Adams. You faced your examiners twice, if I remember,” Horace said. Some members of the audience tittered nervously.
Adams glared, ready to hurl lightning.
The eyes of those in the audience darted from player to player, the performance much more fascinating than anticipated.
“I propose we train as many women as quickly as possible. The cholera, as devastating as it has been this year, is only just beginning. The spread is increasing.” Horace spoke slowly, collecting attention and fear with each word. “We’ve lost well over ten thousand in London already since August. That is two short months. Liverpool reports five thousand, and Glasgow four thousand.
“I know it is thought to be a disease of the poor, but at this rate, it won’t be long before it overruns the poor boroughs and spills into every part of the city.”
“But cholera has never spread to better neighborhoods,” one woman said, her eyes wide with fright.
“I assure you, it has no boundaries,” Horace continued. “A justice in Paddington died this week. There are people here who attended events with him only days before he expired.”
