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"Like Brave Soldiers:" Nursing and the Spanish Influenza Epidemic of 1918 in the United States

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2018, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, History.
This thesis aims to shed light on the long overlooked role of nursing during the Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918-19 by acknowledging their extraordinary work on a variety of levels. An examination of where nursing stood as a profession at the turn of the twentieth century provides not only the context for the nurses being studied, but also reveals the great strides the profession had made to produce such extraordinary nurses to face what would come to be one of the deadliest pandemics ever seen. Once the pandemic began to spread, the nursing profession involved itself in fighting Spanish influenza in both the military and civilian sectors. The medical notes of medical professionals, diary and journal entries of nurses, and records made by the American public have been collected and analyzed to expose just how involved nurses were in the relief efforts put on by the government, as well as the very intimate details these nurses experienced, both physically and emotionally, working with those plagued by the epidemic. The question of why and how nurses were able to serve under such devastating circumstances is answered through the careful study of gender roles in medicine, the positive effects of nursing, and the sense of accomplishment these nurses felt in providing that care.
Rebecca Mancuso (Committee Chair)
Michael Brooks (Committee Member)
66 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Hile, E. (2018). "Like Brave Soldiers:" Nursing and the Spanish Influenza Epidemic of 1918 in the United States [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522409688878777

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Hile, Elizabeth. "Like Brave Soldiers:" Nursing and the Spanish Influenza Epidemic of 1918 in the United States. 2018. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522409688878777.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Hile, Elizabeth. ""Like Brave Soldiers:" Nursing and the Spanish Influenza Epidemic of 1918 in the United States." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522409688878777

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)