Waubonsee Community College

Heroines of Mercy Street, the real nurses of the Civil War, Pamela D. toler, PhD. ; foreword by Ridley Scott

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 263-275) and index

portraitsillustrationsplates

index present

non fiction

Heroines of Mercy Street

949143435

Pamela D. toler, PhD. ; foreword by Ridley Scott

the real nurses of the Civil War

"The nurses of the Civil War ushered in a new era for medicine in the midst of tremendous hardship. While the country was at war, these women not only learned to advocate and care for patients in hostile settings, saved countless lives, and changed the profession forever, they regularly fell ill with no one to nurse them in return, seethed in anger at the indifference and inefficiency that left wounded men on the battlefield without care, and all too often mourned for those they could not rescue. Heroines of Mercy Street tells the true stories of the nurses at Mansion House, the Alexandria, Virginia, hotel turned wartime hospital and setting for the PBS show Mercy Street. Women like Dorothea Dix, Mary Phinney, Anne Reading, and more rushed to be of service to their country during the war, meeting challenges that would discourage less determined souls every step of the way. They saw casualties on a scale Americans had never seen before; diseases like typhoid and dysentery were rampant; and working conditions-both physically and emotionally--were abysmal. Drawing on the diaries, letters, and books written by these nursing pioneers, Pamela D. Toler, PhD, has written a fascinating portrait of true heroines, shining a light on their personal contributions during one of our country's most turbulent periods."--Amazon website

Dorothea Dix goes to war -- The army is unprepared -- Volunteers -- Nurses on the hospital transport ships -- Arriving at Mansion House Hospital -- Learning by experience -- Becoming indispensable -- Leaving Mansion House Hospital -- Reporting back to duty -- After the war -- Afterword : a different viewpoint