As hinted in the newspaper ad (“Arrested”), Dr. Tom Foo Yuen’s time in Los Angeles was not easy. He faced opposition from American doctors who criticized his Chinese style of medicine and wielded state licensing laws. A San Bernardino doctor accused him of practicing medicine without a license and got Foo arrested. But, the case was thrown out presumably on the grounds Foo was mainly selling herbs.
Medical Society Opposes Dr. Tom Foo Yuen
Even bigger opponents were the established American doctors and medical societies. Eminent San Diego doctor, P.C. Remondino, was president of the Southern California Medical Society and Vice President of the state medical association. He was opposed to medical practice by Chinese doctors and especially opposed to Dr. Foo. Here’s a piece Dr. Remondino wrote criticizing Chinese doctors, in general, and Dr. Foo in particular:
Dr. Remondino expressed his opposition in speeches to the medical society and in articles printed in local newspapers, such as the one above. His article in the Los Angeles Evening Express never mentions Tom Foo Yuen by name, but is plainly a broadside against Foo’s advertising practices and Foo’s representation of Chinese medicine. Remondino writes that true Chinese medicine is far different from what Foo is practicing. Without specifically naming Foo, he writes that the “doctor” in question is a fraud and “nothing more than a wash-house Chinaman” recruited by an American con-artist.
Dr. Foo Responds
With stellar public relations acumen, Foo responded to Dr. Remondino.
Dr. Foo came back strong, buying near a full page in the Evening Express. In a truly eloquent rebuttal, he touts the qualities of the Chinese system and pulse diagnosis. He gets a little frosty, warning the American “medical fraternity” that their criticism only publicizes his practice and brings him more patients. Finally, to clinch his argument, Foo includes testimonials from satisfied American patients.
William F. Cogswell Supports Dr. Foo
One of those testimonials is from William F. Cogswell. The famous painter wrote, “During my many years of life, I have seen much of the artistic scientific world, but as a diagnostician and artful healer of the ills of mankind never have enjoyed the pleasure of meeting one who could compare with Dr. Foo in these respects.” Cogswell’s full letter of support is below:
Foo reprinted Cogswell’s endorsement many times. Similar words from Cogswell appeared in the LA Times and LA Herald and, of course, in Foo’s book, The Science of Oriental Medicine, Diet and Hygiene. In his book Foo pumps up Cogswell’s endorsement with a short statement of Cogswell’s high standing. The preface states, Cogswell is “one of the best known among American artists, and famous for the many reproductions of his portraits of prominent men, particularly of General Grant. Mr. Cogswell has traveled in many countries, and is a gentleman of wide information and culture. His opinion is of great value.”
In researching Mr. Cogswell for this blog, I have no record of him ever endorsing any other service or product. In fact, there is little record remaining of any Cogswell writing. Lots of paintings, but I am aware of only two Cogswell’s writings. We have Cogswell’s letter endorsing Dr. Foo and his letter, in 1871, to President Grant requesting letter of introduction for his son. There may be more out there, but that’s all I have seen.
Two Gifted Men From Different Worlds
We don’t know how Cogswell wound up in Foo’s office at 9th and Olive. But, it’s fascinating to imagine the meeting between the two very gifted men.
By 1895, Cogswell was an old man with a long gray beard. Born in 1819, in upstate New York, he was a self-taught painter who rose to the top of his profession. Now, at 76, he sought relief, maybe desperately so, from a painful digestive problem.
Tom Foo Yuen was not yet 40 years old. Born in Canton, China into a family of Chinese physicians, he was formally trained in Chinese medicine. The local American establishment had publicly disparaged him, calling him a fraud. Yet, Dr. Foo, in a foreign land speaking a new language, had countered with an astute public relations campaign and remained remarkably enterprising.
So, there they were, the two men in Foo’s office — from different continents and different eras. Presumably, Foo discerned Cogswell’s ailment through pulse diagnosis and prescribed a remedy. We don’t know what it was. But, according to Cogswell, the remedy worked.
Cogswell was grateful. So, grateful that he wrote the effusive testimonial printed above. And, as seen in our last post, Foo helped Cogswell’s family too. Cogswell’s son and daughter wrote testimonials for Dr. Foo as well. So Cogswell’s effusive testimonial for Foo appears well earned by the good doctor.
But, Cogswell wasn’t done expressing his gratitude to Dr. Tom Foo Yuen.
Cogswell Gives Foo an Unusual New Year’s Gift
Probably few doctors have received the kind of gift the grateful Cogswell bestowed on Dr. Tom Foo Yuen.
Recall that Cogswell was an extraordinary artist. In his illustrious career he had painted the portaits of Lincoln, Grant, McKinley, nine California governors and Hawaiian royalty.
Now, grateful for the doctor’s cure, the same hand that painted the portraits of the era’s most mighty, would paint the portrait of Dr. Tom Foo Yuen. And, on January 1, 1889, Cogswell honored his doctor by giving him the portrait.
The gift recorded in Foo’s book, The Science of Oriental Medicine, Diet and Hygiene. In among a list of various gifts Foo received from grateful patients, appears this: “an oil painting of Dr. Foo from the well known artist, William G. Cogswell of 1138 S. Flower Street. This was a New Year’s gift, on the first of January, 1898.”
Foo’s book got the middle initial wrong, but the gift is unmistakably from the famous painter, William F. Cogswell. I have searched the Internet for another record of the painting but have come up short. Foo’s book appears to be the only record of the portrait.
Foo Moves On – Fraud or Healer?
Our focus here is on Mr. Cogswell, initial owner of the Sierra Madre Villa Hotel. Regrettably, our editors won’t let us express any medical opinions. So, we won’t get to the bottom of the big question raised by this story. Was Dr. Foo a skilled healer, as Cogswell wrote, or no more than a common “washhouse Chinaman,” as Dr. Remondino said.
On an unscientific purely gut level, I want to side with Cogswell over the eminent leader of the medial society. Seems no question that Foo helped the Cogswell family and, for that, Mr. Cogswell was sincerely grateful. But, Dr. Remondino was an accomplished physician. Then again, there is the nagging slick quality of Dr. Foo’s advertising that gives me pause. And, Dr. Foo did move around a lot which raises suspicions.
After eight years in LA, Dr. Tom Foo Yuen moved east and continued his medical/herbal practice in Boston. Here is his advertisement from the April 9, 1904 Boston Globe:
Huckster or healer, or maybe a bit of both? Whatever the case, Dr. Tom Foo Yuen was a master at public relations and left us a nice written record of his articles, books and photos. And, he left us with patient testimonials. Perhaps, ironically, it is only due to Foo’s own publicity that we are able to write this post about Dr. Foo and Mr. Cogswell.
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