Women in Twentienth-Century Conflict
Alice F. Milne
Alice F. Milne’s manuscript on nursing offers an insight to medical practice during the first World War. Her work notes on hygiene practices, surgical procedures, physiology, and basic nursing duties she learned during her training in Scotland in 1912. In her section titled “Hygiene” she describes bathing procedures she would perform as a nurse. She explains the difference between soft water and hard water and when the proper times to use either. Milne describes how when giving children baths, the water must be at the correct temperature as too hot water can lead to “weakness that might cause fainting” (Milne, 1912). She also states the importance of proper drainage removal from a house. This includes rainwater, wastewater, and sewage as well as the effects on health if these mix. Her work documents the anatomy of the human heart and the flow of body systems including the circulatory and respiratory systems.
Alice F. Milne, during her training, learned about surgical practices while observing the physicians and surgeons she worked with on the battlefronts. In her notations on surgical practices, she describes taking care of patients who have had tumors or foreign bodies removed. She states that, “rest is nature’s cure” and necessary if “healing is to be rapid” (Milne, 1912). Milne explains new terminology on bones and blood as well as what to do if a patient is experiencing stomach pains. She notes her nursing duties of documenting if the patient has “no appetite” or problems with hearing or eyesight (Milne, 1912). Milne also includes notes on physics and chemistry including the periodic elements found in the body and the macromolecules of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in their digestion process. She explains how children, women and elderly patients need "less food" than growing men and how "age and sex" impact standard diet patterns.
- Kelly Vandekoppel