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45 articles
Virginia Henderson in black and white is smiling away from the cameraProfiles In NursingVirginia A. Henderson (1897–1996), Wrote the Book on Modern NursingThe 20th century’s answer to Florence NightingaleNursing care is more than performing a series of tasks — it is a holistic focus on restoring a patient’s health and independence. This once-revolutionary concept is just one of the core...
Louisa May Alcott on the left smiling in uniform, and on the right she is on a USA stampProfiles In NursingLouisa May Alcott (1832–1888), From “Hospital Sketches” to “Little Women”A beloved writer, she was also a Civil War nurse, staunch abolitionist and suffragetteBefore achieving fame for her literary accomplishments, Little Women author Louisa May Alcott served as a nurse during the Civil War. Although ill health forced her into premature retirement,...
Helen Fairchild in nursing uniform and cap stands smile at the cameraProfiles In NursingHelen Fairchild (1885-1914), Witness to the Horrors of WWI Poison Gas AttacksWhy chemical weapons were banned by the Geneva ConventionOriginally from a small town in Pennsylvania, Helen Fairchild later became the first American nurse to die in service during World War I, a casualty of that war’s most horrifying weapon:...
Julia Stimson in uniform with officers around her and on the right a photo of her straight-faced in a uniformProfiles In NursingCol. Julia Stimson (1881–1948), Army Nurse Corps SuperintendentA decorated officer, she led 20,000 nurses during WWIOnce the highest-ranking woman in the U.S. Armed Forces, Julia Catherine Stimson, RN, served her country as a nurse, a social worker and a leader — including an 18-year tenure as...
Martha Ballard is delivering a baby while a husband holds his wife on a chair, and two women hold each of the woman's armsProfiles In NursingMartha Ballard (1735-1812), Colonial Midwife and DiaristHer remarkable diary reveals a legacy of nursing in 18th century AmericaShe lived and died before Florence Nightingale was even born, but Martha Ballard’s diary still survives, providing us with a remarkable record of the lives of pioneer women and the practice...

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Agnes Von Kurowsky in nursing attire smiles at Ernest Hemingway in a military uniformProfiles In NursingAgnes Von Kurowsky (1892–1984), Literary MuseThe nurse who inspired Ernest HemingwayNurses sometimes leave a lasting impression on their patients, but seldom one as literary as Agnes Von Kurowsky, the Red Cross nurse who inspired a central character in Ernest Hemingway’s...
Clara Maass in a dress and hair up is looking at the camera. On the right there is a photo of a mosquito and below that, a hospital ward with patient bedsProfiles In NursingClara Maass (1876–1901), Nurse Martyr in the Battle Against Yellow FeverShe gave her life in pursuit of a cureMore than a century ago, Clara Maass, the first nurse to have an American medical center named after her, gave her life in the battle against a terrifying infectious disease: yellow fever....
Nurse Kate Marsden on the left in a button up. On the right, she is covered in a head piece and with a long gown on in SiberiaProfiles In NursingKate Marsden (1859-1931), English Nurse Who Crusaded Against LeprosyAn 11,000-mile trek across Siberia and a persistent scandalIn 1891, English nurse Kate Marsden made a grueling 11,000-mile trek across Siberia in search of a rare herb purported to cure leprosy. She survived this perilous adventure only to find...
Mary Mahoney on the left in a dress and cap. On the right, a picture of a large houseProfiles In NursingMary Eliza Mahoney (1845-1926), America’s First Professionally Trained Black NurseThe daughter of enslaved people, Mahoney distinguished herself as a nurseThis Boston-born nurse was a true pioneer: The first Black woman in the U.S. ever to earn a professional nursing degree. A Country Torn by Slavery When Mary Eliza Mahoney was born in 1845,...
Sister Kenny wearing a habit looking away from the cameraProfiles In NursingSister Elizabeth Kenny (1880-1952), Controversial Australian Polio Treatment ReformerWas this controversial Australian nurse a hero or a hoax?To her admirers, “Sister Kenny” was a crusader, challenging a reactionary medical establishment’s preconceptions about one of her era’s most feared diseases. To many physicians, she...