Evening star., 1933-06-25
4 Tribute to American Nurse of World War

ing School for Nurses in 1886, one Of tho
youngest in her class
Miss Delanos first public service came two
years after graduation Yellow fever was
raging in many Of the Southern States, and
she was offered the superintendency of the
Sandhills Hospital, near Jacksonville, Fla.
There one of her first innovations was the
screening Of every patients bed Medical aus
thorities at the time were already suspectine
the mosquito as the carrier Of this dread dr.
ease but it was not until several years later
that experiments proved this, and with the
discovery science gained control Of the pestte
lencc.
Records further reveal that from this suc.
cess the young nurse went on to a field into
which she was urged by physician long 3
friend of the family. Bisbee, mining town Id
Arizona, was the place; the work, nursing the
miners and their families While engaged III
ministering to this isolated community, cut Oh
from every normal source of medical and nnfA
tary care Jane A. Delano glimpSed the vision
of what could be accomplished not only n
health education but socially and in building
for larger life, which is today realized IN the
work of the Delano Red Gross Nursing Service,
provided for in her will by an endowment IN
memory Of her parents.
In 1900 she was given exceptional oppoHs
tunity to put into practice some of the theories
she had been studying when she became head
of the girls department at the House Of Ref
uge, Randalls Island N. Y. A strong hand, q
warm heart answering discipline, intelligent
sympathy were the rare combinations requisite
for this difficult position.
After having been in retirement at her home
in Charlottesville, Va. for period of two yearg
her mother died. Miss Delano left the United
States and went abroad with the intention q
spending several years In travel and study.
Only ftgw months had passed, however, when
she was recalled to become superintendent Of
the Army Nurse Corps simultaneously she
QS n
National Committee on Red Gross Nursing.
nURING the reorganization of the AmeFicaA
Red Cross in 1905 her cooperation in tho
stand taken by the great nursing organisa-
tions led to the creation of the National Cons
mittee on Red Cross Nursing Service, consists
ing Of chairman and IA members. Elevatioo
to this important craftsmanship placed llial
Delano in a powerful and strategic positiodi
and enabled her to consolidate the aims e
the nursing service groups. AS an immediate
result the afdliation Of the American Nursek
Association with the Red Cross and the presenE
system Of recruiting nurses through local CONF
mttees on Red Cross nursing service are direc1
outgrowths Of these preliminary efforts exeas
cised by Miss Delano.
The years 1909 to 1914 disclose in the M
Of Jane A. Delano ever broadening and deep
ening channels. While under assignment u
the Army Nurse Corps she visited the military
hospitals in the Philippines and Hawaii and
went also to China and Japan receiving from
the latter country the decoration Of the Japah
nese Red Cross As president Of the American
Nurses Association, she spent great deal q
time and thought upon the revision Of the COM
stituton and bylaws. As chairman Of Tho
board Of directors of its official organ, tho
American Journal Of Nursing, then printed u
a publishing house, she recommended the stepS
that led later to the placing of this important
publication under the direction Of the nurses
themselves
Miss Delano's real test came in 1914. Mari
shaling, assigning and reinforcing the hosts d
mercy when the United States entered combat
three year< later the figure Of Jane A. Delan6
stood ready to offer her service for her con+
try. Through her office were supplied during
the war period approximately 10000 nurses II
(L1tinued on Fifteenth PQQe