The Nurse Pinning Tradition

Nurse Pinning Tradition The nursing pin is a symbol with a rich history dating back to the Maltese Cross. The Crusaders wore the cross as a symbol of service to Christianity. Over the centuries various symbols represented service to a ruler or to the community. As a result of  Florence Nightingale’s influence, the importance of […]

Nurse Uniforms circa 1900s

Blue and White, 1900s style nurse uniform The museum recently received a wonderful donation of a 1900s style nurse uniform.  Unfortunately,  this uniform is lacking background information. The blue and white fabric is an “Indian Head” cotton and the white material is a batiste fabric. Do you have any knowledge regarding this uniform or a […]

WW2 Australian Army Nurse Uniform

WW2 Australian Army Nurse Uniform The WW2 Australian Army nurse uniform is no longer on display.  Without the generosity of our donors, we would not be able to provide the public with the opportunity to preserve and display interesting nursing artifacts. Although the uniform is no longer displayed, look at some of the photos from […]

Civil War Nursing: Part 2

Civil War Nursing Following the Battle of Gettysburg CIVIL WAR NURSING: PART TWO by Jane Early, BSN, RN Most historians credit the battle of Gettysburg in Adams County, Pennsylvania as changing the War between the North and the South to favor the North.  The cost in human suffering was unimaginable – 57,225 casualties were identified […]

Miss Alice Fisher and the Blockley Nurse

Alice Fisher and The Blockley Nurse In 1884, the Board of the Poor [Board of Guardians] in Philadelphia was seeking a suitable person to start a Training School for Nurses in the former Philadelphia Almshouse and Hospital known as Old Blockley. Miss Florence Nightingale was consulted for advice and recommended a former student, Miss Alice […]

Civil War Nursing History

Nursing During the Civil War as Described by Roberta West in Her Book “History of Nursing in Pennsylvania” published by the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association in c1930 By Jane Early, BSN, RN The outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 found little differences in the care of the sick and wounded than during the Revolutionary […]

The Founding of The Museum of Nursing History

  By: Sandra Kress Davis, EdD, RN, President of the Museum of Nursing History The Museum of Nursing History evolved from a one-day celebration of nurses at the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia on May 10, 1974, into a Bicentennial Nursing Project in 1976. A group of prominent nurses and friends of nursing […]

Museum of Nursing History artifact collection visits the Cherry Hill Mall

In May 2010, the Cherry Hill Mall, located at 2000 NJ-38 Cherry Hill, NJ, took part in honoring the history and memorabilia of nursing history. Thanks to the Museum of Nursing History‘s extensive collection of nursing uniforms through different eras, the exhibition took center stage, detailing the many styles of medicine. Although the exhibition is […]