Monday, February 20, 2012

Medical Monday . . . Nursing school in Iowa ca. 1920


I so often skip around in topics that I thought before I leave this topic, I should share a few more photos with you.   This one had no identification and was a loose photograph just stuck in between the pages.  My grandmother, Berenice Moldt is on the far left. The black and white photos don't show off her red hair and freckles!  Again, I have two photographs taken at the same time that have slight differences?  Was this one the final or the first?
My grandmother liked this one best since it is the one she fastened in her album.  That would be in line with her sense of humor and other photos she has taken.
"Just practising on Joe!!!"
"
          Left: "Two in One"                                              Right: "Dressed but not acting like doctors"
"Dr. Lynch and us"


"Leah- remember Dr. Crowley has a wife at home"


The unanswered question:  Is this Mercy Hospital in Des Moines or in Clinton?  Do the habits of the nun give any clues? I believe the Dr. Crowley mentioned is Dr. Daniel Crowley  from another photo that refers to him as Daniel.

I have intentionally left out the photos with captions such as, "A rose between two thorns" and "Four of a kind! Two pair of boobs".  There were several of photos with the doctors or the male staff members, but the none with them and the nuns.  Very interesting . . .

















5 comments:

  1. Two In One - so funny. I know that my Mum had great fun during her nursing training (1950's Edinburgh Royal Infirmary) and that they did mess about a bit when time allowed :-) Jo

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  2. This is such a fun bunch of photos, Margel. My mom was a nursing student in the mid-1930s. Your grandmother's photos don't align with my mom's memories and experiences of the interactions between doctors and nurses. I think seeing the camaraderie between the two groups in your photos is what makes them such fun to look at.

    Under the last photo you wondered which hospital. I wasn't sure if you were referring to the nuns or the student nurses. The nuns' habits and wimples could give a clue to which order they belong, which might help you determine which nursing school. If you're not sure about which hospital the nurses are associated with, their caps might help determine that. Each nursing school had its own style of cap. The hard part would probably be finding historic information about the caps at the different schools/hospitals.

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  3. Great photo's. It's rare to find such good pictures regarding nurses in the 20's. I find the history of nursing to be quite a fascinating topic.

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    1. 1920 would be the latest date. My grandmother was born in 1899 and married with a child in 1921. I am glad you enjoyed them. Of course, they are very special to me.

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