LC Call no. NLM Call no. Sections are divided by alphabet letters, which are within a circle drawing. The Historical Encyclopedia of Nursing is a joy to read. From the preface to the introduction through each and every entry, be it regarding an individual or a specific time period or a particular nursing topic, the author brings life and sensitivity to the dynamic history of nursing.
Nursing is a fascinating historical topic even without added fanfare.
The author treats the subject with the greatest of justice, and does so in a concise energetic manner. In keeping with her research methods, the author examines various historical works, including first person narratives from interviews, writings, and eyewitness accounts. In case after case, it becomes evident the immense influence that nursing has had on modern healthcare. Stories of near legendary proportions are related of women who forsook even the simplest and most basic of comforts in exchange for trying to humanize conditions that would be brutal and unmanageable for healthy people, let alone the ill and injured. We are all better off because of these heroic, at times seemingly miraculous, interventions.