To Bind Up the Wounds: Catholic Sister Nurses in the U.S. Civil War

(Hardback)

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This book is the first to focus on the work of nearly 600 sisters from 12 different Catholic orders who nursed wounded and sick Union and Confederate soldiers between 1860 and 1865. Drawing on archival sources and the personal papers of the women who participated, Maher gives a detailed account of their experiences: how they were called into service, where they served, what duties they performed, how they looked on their mission, and how they were viewed by those who worked with them. Through service on the battlefield, in hospitals, and on transport boats, the sisters became known for their dedication and practical skills. Maher begins with a dicussion of Catholic sisters in mid-nineteenth century America and the development of Catholic nursing during that period. While other women were prohibited by custom from nursing outside the home, Catholic sisters had established the practice of caring for the sick in the community and providing nursing care during epidemics and other public crises. During the Civil War, their assistance was sought by Union and Confederate governmental, military, and medical authorities. Through service on the battlefield, in hospitals, and on transport boats, the sisters became known for their dedication and practical skills. Maher examines the impact of their work in both modifying negative pre-Civil War attitudes towards Catholics and sisters and in paving the way for the development of a nursing profession outside the Catholic orders. Basing her study on letters, journals, and memoirs containing the sisters' personal accounts of their experiences, Civil War histories, and official medical and surgical records, Maher offers a richly detailed picture of a little-known aspect of U.S. history. Of particular interest for schools of nursing, Catholic educational institutions, and history courses concerning women's studies, the Civil War period, religion, and Catholicism.

Reviews

.,."Sister Maher's study is a valuable addition to an overlooked aspect of both Civil War and 19th-century women's history. Her effort is well-researched and well-told."-American's Civil War
. . . This account represents extensive research and draws on a wealth of primary sources--personal accounts, letters, and reports of sisters, patients, volunteer nurses, physicians, and government and military officials. Problems of limited or missing documents are acknowledged, and conclusions developed reflect these limitations. The book addresses an important relatively unexplored area in nursing history, the period leading up to the emergence of training schools and the "modern" era in nursing. The study concludes with the end of the Civil War, leaving unanswered questions about the influence of the religious tradition in the development of nursing education and practice in the later nineteenth century. I hope Maher will pursue these questions in her future work. This excellent study represents an important contribution to the history of women and of nursing.-Medical Humanities Review
...Sister Maher's study is a valuable addition to an overlooked aspect of both Civil War and 19th-century women's history. Her effort is well-researched and well-told.-American's Civil War
[f]irst reference volume of its kind....For those searching for an excellent reference source on women authors within the Catholic tradition, Catholic Women Writers promises to be an exceptionally valuable tool and guide.-Collegium News
Maher places the service of Catholic sisters as nurses in the Civil War in the contexts of the history of the Catholic Church in America, women's history, and the professionalization of medicine. Thoroughly reviewing the limited primary and secondary sources, she argues that Catholic sisters (one-sixth of the total female nurses) excelled their lay counterparts because of their prior organization, nursing experience, and religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience that made them willing to work cheerfully under horrendous conditions for little or no material rewards. The sisters reduced prejudice against their church and demonstrated the importance of organization and training for successful nursing. . . . Recommended for upper-level undergraduate and graduate libraries with Civil War, nursing, or Catholic history specialities.-Choice
"first reference volume of its kind....For those searching for an excellent reference source on women authors within the Catholic tradition, Catholic Women Writers promises to be an exceptionally valuable tool and guide."-Collegium News
..."Sister Maher's study is a valuable addition to an overlooked aspect of both Civil War and 19th-century women's history. Her effort is well-researched and well-told."-American's Civil War
"[f]irst reference volume of its kind....For those searching for an excellent reference source on women authors within the Catholic tradition, Catholic Women Writers promises to be an exceptionally valuable tool and guide."-Collegium News
"Maher places the service of Catholic sisters as nurses in the Civil War in the contexts of the history of the Catholic Church in America, women's history, and the professionalization of medicine. Thoroughly reviewing the limited primary and secondary sources, she argues that Catholic sisters (one-sixth of the total female nurses) excelled their lay counterparts because of their prior organization, nursing experience, and religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience that made them willing to work cheerfully under horrendous conditions for little or no material rewards. The sisters reduced prejudice against their church and demonstrated the importance of organization and training for successful nursing. . . . Recommended for upper-level undergraduate and graduate libraries with Civil War, nursing, or Catholic history specialities."-Choice
." . . This account represents extensive research and draws on a wealth of primary sources--personal accounts, letters, and reports of sisters, patients, volunteer nurses, physicians, and government and military officials. Problems of limited or missing documents are acknowledged, and conclusions developed reflect these limitations. The book addresses an important relatively unexplored area in nursing history, the period leading up to the emergence of training schools and the "modern" era in nursing. The study concludes with the end of the Civil War, leaving unanswered questions about the influence of the religious tradition in the development of nursing education and practice in the later nineteenth century. I hope Maher will pursue these questions in her future work. This excellent study represents an important contribution to the history of women and of nursing."-Medical Humanities Review

Author Bio

SISTER MARY DENIS MAHER is Associate Professor of English at Ursuline College, Pepper Pike, Ohio, and a member of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine.