Dear Doctor: A Direct Mail Letter About ‘Unfortunate Girls’

Like any advertising, vintage direct mail pieces shed light on American social mores. And so it is with this letter to doctors from the Irene How Sanitarium, circa maybe 1900.

“Dear Doctor,” it begins. “No doubt you are frequently consulted by women who wish to seclude themselves until they have passed what might be an embarrassing confinement. This strict seclusion is especially desired by those unfortunate unmarried girls who find themselves pregnant, and whose entire future would be blighted were their condition to become known.

“These girls need a home where they may remain until their trouble is passed, and it is the duty of their physician to find them a safe retreat.”

The How Sanitarium, located on South Robey Street in Chicago, offered just such a haven, according to the letter, which was done in facsimile of typewriting, and featured the signature and picture of Irene How. The facility was staffed with a house physician, a midwife and trained nurses, and in all ways constituted a “respectable environment.”

The letter continued: “If desired, the inmates of the institution may remain in the strictest seclusion, seeing only those connected with the sanitarium…and none of these except such as are directly concerned in the case.

“We are prepared to accommodate the most fastidious, as well as people of moderate means. The cuisine and order of our establishment are perfect. The attendants are skilled and of tried integrity. Our surrey is at the convenience of our patients, and they can drive in the parks at their leisure.”

The facility also offered social services: “Where the mother wishes to dispose of her infant, we find it a home with respectable people,” the letter said. Were other, more controversial services implied? Perhaps.

In some ways, this was a form letter—the name of the recipient and the date had to be filled in. But the author showed mastery of direct marketing techniques by including a P.S. and an incentive: “P.S. A liberal percentage will be remitted to physicians sending us cases.”