Heroines of Mercy Street

March 15, 2016

Nursing as a professional field of medicine did not exist until the Civil War, with leaders such as Florence Nightingale, Dorothea Dix, and Clara Barton helping nurses solidify their future. Here Toler (Mankind: The Story of All of Us) tells the experiences of Civil War nurses who started their careers at the historical Mansion House Hospital in Alexandria, VA. At the time, many nurses were untrained yet had a desire to serve. The author chronicles the lives of figures such as Georgeanna Woolsey, Hannah Ropes, Mary Phinney von Olnhausen, and Louisa May Alcott as they taught themselves how to deal with horrific conditions and injuries in hospitals, camps, and transport ships. These women worked long, difficult hours and often faced arrogant or chauvinistic physicians as well as dishonest hospital stewards who deprived patients and nurses of supplies. In addition, nursing staff were not immune to disease given that it was the most common cause of death; von Olnhausen contracted yellow fever and Alcott endured typhoid pneumonia. VERDICT Accessible and well researched, Toler's book coincides with the recent PBS series Mercy Street and successfully illustrates the beginnings of nursing as a designated field of medical practice.--Rebecca Hill, Zionsville, IN

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