The Museum of Nursing History, Inc., houses a variety of nursing items related to nursing's past. We invite dontations to the museum and to this page.
Operating as usual
Saw this small tribute to Dr. Ildaura Murillo-Rohde. As we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, click on this website to see the Google art and also a lot more links to work Dr. Murillo-Rohde accomplished https://tinyurl.com/2pks2c3r
The Museum of Nursing History is open again. I hope you will visit us at La Salle University in the Old Germantown Hospital and Dispensary off of Wister and Chew, Mondays-Saturdays, 9 am to 5 pm. Weekdays provide more items to see as some areas are closed on Saturdays. Leave a message if you have any questions. MASKS MUST BE WORN PROPERLY AT ALL TIMES AND SOCIAL DISTANCING IS ENCOURAGED. Please respect these rules of La Salle University.
The Museum of Nursing History is open again. I hope you will visit us at La Salle University in the Old Germantown Hospital and Dispensary off of Wister and Chew, Mondays-Saturdays, 9 am to 5 pm. Weekdays provide more items to see as some areas are closed on Saturdays. Leave a message if you have any questions. MASKS MUST BE WORN PROPERLY AT ALL TIMES AND SOCIAL DISTANCING IS ENCOURAGED. Please respect these rules of La Salle University.
The Museum received this beautiful syringe box with glass syringe, needle and also these glass tubes with corks. They are set in the box with holders. I have never seen these tubes before in a syringe box. Please write in if you know what the tubes were for. The nurse graduated in 1946 but I am not sure when the kit was used in nursing practice. It is my first Chieftain glass syringe and the plunger has a red inside tip.
The Museum received this beautiful syringe box with glass syringe, needle and also these glass tubes with corks. They are set in the box with holders. I have never seen these tubes before in a syringe box. Please write in if you know what the tubes were for. The nurse graduated in 1946 but I am not sure when the kit was used in nursing practice. It is my first Chieftain glass syringe and the plunger has a red inside tip.
Saw an item on the Vietnam Veterans' Wall and read that there were 8 nurses listed on the wall. They deserve our remembrance along with the vets who served. Here is a listing, short stories of their service and their location, in case you are visiting the Wall this summer. https://vvmf.wordpress.com/2016/03/31/the-eight-women-on-the-wall/
The names of eight women, all nurses (seven from the Army and one from the Air Force), are inscribed next to their fallen brothers on The Wall in Washington, D.C. Each dedicated themselves to takin…
This Memorial Day, let us remember the bravery and love of country all of our soldiers, civilians, and nurses had when they gave their lives during the wars we have fought. I would like to show you what the student nurses at home were learning to support the war effort in 1943. These textbooks directly address the effects of war on their practice. May your Memorial Day be filled with peace and love and remembrance for our democracy.
Let's celebrate the life of Geraldine Fisher, a Philadelphia nurse who became a nurse even though it was a difficult time for African American nurses. She was denied entrance to Hahnemann Hospital School of Nursing because of her color. She was able to enter Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing, graduated in 1955 and worked as a nurse for 28 years. Some facts to remember: In 1948 the ANA allowed African American nurses direct membership because they were being denied state nurse's association membership. In 1950, only 200 out of 1200 schools of nursing had at least one African American student. In 1951, the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses voluntarily dissolved so it could become part of the ANA yet racism did not end in nursing. In 1954, Brown vs. the Board of Education ended segregation in public school, yet nursing held onto beliefs of racism in nursing, denying Mrs. Fisher entrance. We must not forget our history or gloss over it. (facts are from https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/nhhc/nursing-through-time/1930-1959/)
Mrs. Fisher's obituary. https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/geraldine-fisher-obituary-philadelphia-acel-moore-inquirer-20210520.html
In the early decades of the twentieth century, reformers led a variety of efforts to improve what they considered inadequate maternity care, especially among the poor. The New York City-based Maternity Center Association, concluded that use of trained midwives, a practice prevalent in foreign countr...
On our final day of Nurses' Week, let us see some of the nursing leaders. London has many tributes to Florence Nightingale. Edith Cavell is also a figure in London. The others are in our collection at the Museum. I hope you have enjoyed some of the items in the Museum's collection.
Nurses use a lot of equipment. Here are some that are no longer used. The bedpans had to be carried down the hall to be emptied and cleaned. Notice the ceramic bedpan hopper for easier cleaning.
This is an old medicine cabinet for meds and other items. Notice the glass IV bottle and rubber tubing. Even the drip chamber was glass.
Diplomas and state licensure registration are documents nurses keep. We have many more but enjoy these from years ago.
Still enjoying our Nurses' Week, here are some of our pins. There is so much symbolism on these pins from the center objects to the borders around the center. The colors differ also. The initials are typically engraved on the back of the pin and the year of graduation also. We will be taking a collection for a new pin case to protect our collection. We will be making an announcement in the future asking for your help to fund the case. Enjoy this selection.
Capes can be recognized as part of the uniform of nurses up to the 1950s. Here are some colorful capes. They differ in color, length, number of frogs (closures), button color and collars.
Uniforms were another identifier of nurses and we have several student and working uniforms. Enjoy these from the Museum.
Happy First Day of Nurses' Week to all who serve humanity. Everyone of you are important to our history and our future. Here are some caps from the Museum of Nursing History, Inc. for the first day:
New generous donation from the daughter of a 1930 graduate of Lankenau School of Nursing in Philadelphia area. This watch was gold-plated and probably from Germany-which is where the graduate was from. The item at the top of the strap holds the watch (the four legs expand & grasp the watch) and then the strap is pinned to the nurse's uniform so it hangs upside down so the nurse could see it when looking down. This one does not have a second hand. The pin is also from Lankenau Hospital.
Timeline Photos
Navy Ensign Jane Kendeigh was the first flight nurse to arrive on Iwo Jima, as photographed #OnThisDay in 1945. She was part of a team that tended to nearly 3,000 wounded Marines. We are eternally grateful for her service.
#WWII #WeRememberThem #16MillionStrong #WomensHistory
Did you play this early 1960's game? Did it inspire you to become a nurse? Are the squares accurate? I think it shows the variety of knowledge nurses learn in school. It lacks diversity but that is true overall for nursing in the early 1960s. What do you think?
Did you play this early 1960's game? Did it inspire you to become a nurse? Are the squares accurate? I think it shows the variety of knowledge nurses learn in school. It lacks diversity but that is true overall for nursing in the early 1960s. What do you think?
Thank you for participating and everyone gave good answers. Jan was correct. The caps are like tiaras-without the "cap" part on the back of the head. The front had a patch similar to the pin. The pin is very pretty with the unusual shape and the scrolling. The college-was a diploma program and was connected to The Good Samaritan Hospital, as you can see on the pin. Thank you to our donors for these items.
The Museum received a wonderful group of items from a nurse who graduated in 1946 from Bishop Johnson College of Nursing in Los Angeles, CA. There is something unusual about this picture. Can you guess it? I will post the answer tomorrow with some more items from the collection?
The Museum received a wonderful group of items from a nurse who graduated in 1946 from Bishop Johnson College of Nursing in Los Angeles, CA. There is something unusual about this picture. Can you guess it? I will post the answer tomorrow with some more items from the collection?
There will be an online talk about the Nurses on Ellis Island on 2/23 at 7 pm EST. These are nurse historians who will tell us about the nurses. Please be sure to register at the link provided. Here is the link. https://aahn.memberclicks.net/save-ellis-island-author-series
Save Ellis Island cordially invites you to our first Virtual Author Series Event for 2021. Dr. Arlene Keeling, BSN, MSN, PhD and Dr. Michelle C. Hehman PhD, RN will join us via Zoom on Tuesday, February 23, 7:00 PM (EST) for a fascinating discussion on The Nurses of Ellis Island throughout the entir...
Did you save your nursing graduation cards? These are from 1980 wishing the best to a new graduate nurse. Caps were still awarded. What else do you notice about these cards?
We received a beautiful donated pin from Massasoit Community College so I looked up their program. The pin states founded in 1966. Here is a link to a picture of the nurse who designed their cap, appears to be in 1970. Do you know the designer of your cap? https://s3.amazonaws.com/libapps/accounts/57273/images/1970-Mar2-NursingCaps.png
We received a beautiful donated pin from Massasoit Community College so I looked up their program. The pin states founded in 1966. Here is a link to a picture of the nurse who designed their cap, appears to be in 1970. Do you know the designer of your cap? https://s3.amazonaws.com/libapps/accounts/57273/images/1970-Mar2-NursingCaps.png
While looking for information on visiting nurses, I came across this interesting website. Enjoy the stories and pictures about nurses working during the 1918 pandemic. http://librarycompany.org/dejavu/part5.html
Prior to the deadly Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and those many diseases that impacted African Diasporic communities across time and space like cholera, Ebola, malaria, smallpox, and now COVID-19; anti-Black racism was and continues to be a threat to Black lives. Black laborers began working in organi...
Typically, we celebrate the nurses who gave vaccines-today, we celebrate the nurse who received the vaccine to inspire everyone to take the vaccine. It is our way out of this pandemic crisis.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/14/nyregion/us-covid-vaccine-first-sandra-lindsay.html?smid=tw-share&fbclid=IwAR0Wv3FlZ1Pxxls8wXM3ziYT9JN0kpZcOz9iYQyQ876zv5En26j7pxwFmuU
Take a look at this 1925-1926 student report from the German Evangelical Deaconess Hospital at 5421 South Morgan Street, Chicago, IL. One category mentions "special nurses." I am not sure who these nurses might be? Graduates? There is also a picture of a student studying in her room in the nurses' home. And the line up of the class from graduates on the far right to the probationers ( probies) on the far left-no caps. Notice how even the bottom of their uniforms are-it is one continuous line.
Let's celebrate the life of Jacqueline Khan, a nurse activist whose actions to desegregate an OB ward in Washington, D.C. broke the color barriers of the time. Her obituary reports "The hospital gave up trying to stop her." We can use her example to push aside rules to heal the USA in order to move us to a more peaceful time. Please read further about Mrs. Khan's work as an activist. May she rest in peace. https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/obituary-jacqueline-kahn-civil-rights-activist-nurse-cherry-hill-20201026.html
Jacqueline Kahn successfully fought segregation at a Washington hospital where she was a nurse.
New donation to the Museum, a cape and diploma from St. Luke's and Children's Medical Center School of Nursing, Philadelphia, 1946. The nurse, Caroline, started before the war but she did not have to go to war because WWII ended by the time she graduated in November, 1946. We don't usually accept blue and red capes but this one has the school id on the collar. The diploma says it was incorporated in 1940. Does anyone know anyone else who attended this School of nursing in Philadelphia? Do you know its location? It no longer exists.
This picture is a quilt made for The Los Angles County General Hospital School of Nursing Class of 1963. There are 76 blocks of caps with the nursing school cap in the middle. The quilt was made by someone in the Mormon church for one of the grads that designed the quilt and chose the colors. Each graduate's name is embroidered on the brim of a cap and placed in a square. An alum of the school (Sandra Thlick (Schick) is looking for more information about this craft-especially from this school but in other schools of nursing as well. Is anyone familiar with this quilt from 1963? Has anyone seen quilting as an artwork to memorialize a nursing class? Has anyone seen this quilt or are you a graduate of this class? ? If you have any information about this quilt, we would love to hear from you in a post. If you know of other nursing alumni class art, please post a picture.
On August 13, 1910, Miss Florence Nightingale passed away. She definitely would have kept statistics on the clients under her care during this pandemic just as she did for the morbidity and mortality of the soldiers in the Crimea.
Enjoy this article from AlDia newspaper, https://aldianews.com/articles/culture/health/200-years-service-how-florence-nightingale-changed-history-nursing/58396
The year 2020 marks the bicentenary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, pioneer and founder of modern nursing.
Happy Nurses' Day to all nurses! Post a picture of yourself as a nurse so we can see the lovely/handsome faces of nurses all over the world. Let's celebrate old, new and all of the dedicated hard working nurses serving in this terrible pandemic.
My graduation picture from Purdue Cal, a 2 year degree program.
Enjoy this clip of the game show, Password, featuring a student nurse, Louise Smith, from Philadelphia in 1962. She was a student at Hahnemann Hospital and did it during one of her breaks. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=video+1962+password+with+carole+burnett&view=detail&mid=E48D4AF8CE39BCCE1CA3E48D4AF8CE39BCCE1CA3&FORM=VIRE
Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.
Came across this interesting timeline of nursing that was completed by the Western Conservancy of Nursing for Azuza Pacific University in 2010. It is the history of southern California nursing. Be sure to use the scroll button at the bottom of the picture to move from 1825 to present. http://www.lahistoryarchive.org/resources/WCNH_Timeline/index.html
Found this article on the ravages of the flu pandemic in The Trained Nurse and Hospital Review, vol. 62-63, a google digitized book. You can find it at https://tinyurl.com/wkpkwp4 -click on the link. Scroll through the pages to see the other information that was reported by nurses. The ads are interesting also. What stands out to you?
5541 N. Wister St
Philadelphia, PA
19144
The Museum of Nursing History is located in the Old Germantown Hospital building, which is now La Salle University School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Enter the parking lot off of Wister St. Our location is different than our mailing address. Please check the website if you would like to donate nursing items.
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