The War Nurses That Came Before Barton
by James Hinton
The history of women in nursing and warfare is well known. Children throughout much of the English speaking world study the roles of Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton in most history classrooms, and a detailed study of their work is required in nearly every nursing program on both sides of the pond. These two women are held up as the ground breakers who brought women and nursing into the history of military medicine, and indeed, to the world as a whole.
However, the question is, did they really? In truth, the history of female nurses in warfare did not begin in the middle of the 19th century, but in fact goes back much further. Nightingale and Barton certainly deserve their places in the history books, but there are many other women who also deserve recognition as well.
In this article we will all too briefly explore the history of women, nursing, and warfare in the 19th century. Owing to constraints of both time and platform many deserving women won’t receive mention here as the article focuses on a very Anglo-American history. It is hoped that the reader will use this not as the be-all and end-all of women in nursing, but in fact will view it simply as a launching point.
https://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/general/articles/warnurses.aspx
