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VA 118-44.5; "E. Storr, game for any function": Mission nurse Eleanor Storr prepared for surgery
Date of creation: [1908]
Eleanor Storr was a trained nurse, licensed midwife and apothecarist who was supervising nurse at St. Anthony from 1908-1912.
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives
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Nurses have been an integral part of patient care in Newfoundland and Labrador since European settlement began. Before the 1920s, there were few professional nurses working in outport Newfoundland. Several organizations tried to remedy this issue by recruiting nurses outside Newfoundland and funding their placement in rural communities. The first of these was the Grenfell Association, which had been recruiting nurses from Great Britain and North America since the 1890s, to work in remote communities in southern Labrador and northern Newfoundland.
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A 7-186. Answering a Hurry Call.
Nurse and [doctor?] crossing over dory to get to larger boat called Water Bear. Dry dock in background.
Date of creation: [1930]
Courtesy of; The Rooms Provincial Archives |
In 1934 the Commission of Government established a district nursing system, recruiting nurses and posting them to remote communities where they worked with little supervision or medical support. These nurses were responsible for maternity cases, school health, nutrition, child welfare and other community health needs. A second nursing service, the Public Health Service, was created in 1937, and the two services combined in 1941. Many of these nurses were stationed in cottage hospitals, but many others worked on their own without the support of a doctor or extensive medical facilities. After Confederation, funding increases, old age pensions, family allowances, and health insurance allowed better access to health care and increased the need for trained nurses.
For more info on nursing in Newfoundland check out the
Intangible Cultural Heritage nursing collection on MUN's Digital Archive
