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International nurses to the rescue: The role and contribution of the nurses of the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War
Author(s) -
AntonSolanas Isabel,
Wakefield Ann,
Hallett Christine E.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
japan journal of nursing science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.363
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 1742-7924
pISSN - 1742-7932
DOI - 10.1111/jjns.12218
Subject(s) - memoir , economic shortage , front line , work (physics) , nursing , spanish civil war , front (military) , world war ii , medicine , political science , government (linguistics) , law , geography , mechanical engineering , linguistics , philosophy , meteorology , engineering
Aim To describe the life and work of the international nurses of the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War and to examine their role in relation to their contribution to Spanish nursing in this period. Methods This historical study is based primarily on the memoirs of the international nurses who joined the war health services of the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. The evidence that was elicited from these sources was compared and contrasted with other contemporary documents in order to compare their perspectives with those of other contemporaries. Results The nurses of the International Brigades joined the front line health services as part of the mobile medical and surgical teams that were attached to the fighting units. They lived and worked under extreme conditions, often under fire. Their work while in Spain was not limited to care delivery but also included managerial and educational aspects. The international nurses' observations of Spanish nursing at the time were not always accurate, which might be explained by a lack of contact with qualified Spanish nursing staff due to a shortage of fully qualified nurses. Conclusion In the absence of the voices of the Spanish nurses themselves, the written records of the international nurses were invaluable in analyzing Spanish nursing in this period. Their testimonies are, in essence, the international nurses’ legacy to the Spanish nurses who stayed behind after the departure of the International Brigadists in 1938.