The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1907-07-06

the great catholic order of knights
and the orders of sisters who were
affiliated with them On the continent
of Europe to-day, although a large
majority of army nurses are men, vet
in most countries there are few
sisters of catholic orders who not only
continue to follow the troops in time
of war, but who serve as head nurses
in large army hospitals in time OF
peace.
About the beginning of the last cen
fury the idea of systematic training
in the principles and practice of car
ing for the sick had it's origin in Ger:
many, where one Of the earlier stu
dents of the art was Florence Night
ingale. Like untold thousands OF
women before her, she went forth
to the great battle with death In the
hospitals, taking with her ito the
sisters of catholic or protestant or
ders. Other nurses joined her later
This war gave great stimulus to
the idea of training nurses, and it
ultimately led to the introduction into
the British army of a regular corps Of
they are called, are of course grad
yates of hospital training schools and
their work consists essentially in the
supervision of the nursing in large
hospitals where the details are car
ried out by men enlisted for the pur-
pose. In some respects the English
system is well organized, as the rules
are explicit regarding increase of pay
with length of service, with provision
for retirement and pensions. The most
important post in this service is that
of woman superintendent of Netley
hospital, there being no woman at the
head of all the nurses. There exists
also an Independent Indian nursing
service of secular SISTERS"
At the outbreak of the South
African war the number of English
sisters was fixed at 70, of whom Sc
were employed in the British isles
and Is at Gibraltar, Malta and Egypt
In addition to this small number pro-
vided for peace times there was
corps Of reserve sisters, although ap-
pointments to it were unfortunately
not under the control of the war of.
flee. AS the nursing sisters of the
reserves numbered only SO, hasty ap.
polntments' were made, and some
women who were entirely without
knowledge of nurses duties sue
ceeded in obtaining appointments.
OF course the trained nurses who
were sent to the Transvaal worked
robly and well, though the investiga-
ton of army hospitals has shown a
most distressing insuficiency in their
number
The United States is looked to as
country whose system of women
nurses may, in many respects, be
used as an example.
Our nurse corps is a matter of quite
recent growth. There were,, of course,
a large number of women employed
during the civil war, most of them ap-
pointed by Miss Dorothea Lynde Dix,
who was then superintendent of
women nurses, but their services, as
we'll as the. work of the helpers who
held no regular positions, came to
an end at the close of the war. A
vast amount; of good was done by
these women individually, but there
was, no. lasting effect on the army
itself. 81. =.
In. our country. with it's prevailing
independence, army assistance may
be- rendered by any one who chooses
to offer it and no organizations are
recognized as those through which
alone such assistance will be re.
ceived. It is true that there was be.
fore and during the Spanish war a
committee acting under the name OF
the American National Red Cross, -
which Il! was allied with: the. interna.
tional committee, but It had no ;ex.
elusive recognition from our govern.
q n1ent nor had it5 any organization g
general snciotv s=