TRADITIONS OF MILITARY DOMESTIC MEDICINE

Abstract

This article examines the concept of loyalty to one's profession in any circumstances by the example of the feat of the sisters of mercy in the Crimean War.

Full Text

It is not possible to determine the exact year of the birth of nursing, since nursing care for the infirm has always existed (even in ancient Rome, for example, Christians went to the homes of the poor and provided them with the necessary first aid), only, perhaps, it was not so clearly organized and structured. The first information about the so–called societies appeared in the IV-VI centuries. The women who were in them were called "deaconesses". Translated from Greek, "deaconess" means "servant". The first known deaconess named Thebes is mentioned in the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Romans. The second most famous – the Olympiad – is an associate of St. John Chrysostom. And, of course, it is impossible not to mention the holy martyr Tatiana of Rome.It is worth mentioning an event that, perhaps, became the starting point in the creation of a systematic organization of sisters of mercy. In 1617, the minister of the Church Vincent de Paul, denouncing idleness during a sermon, inspired two women to give their lives to serve their neighbors. Trying to develop the initiative of these ladies, Vincent, on his own initiative, created the "brotherhood of mercy for the care and spiritual help of the poor sick." This fraternity became the forerunner of nursing.By the way, the case of Vincent de Paul was a success: two centuries later, his brotherhood already included 15 thousand sisters, whose work was actively used not only in Europe, but also abroad (in America, Africa, the Middle East). A similar organization was created in Germany by the priest Theodor Fliedner.Florence Nightingale initiated professional nursing care in England. She organized a school for medical training of girls, participated in the Crimean campaign of 1854, working in field hospitals as a nurse. Consistently implemented the principles of sanitation and care for the wounded. As a result, in less than six months, the mortality rate in the infirmaries decreased from 42 to 2.2%.In Russia, the first community of sisters of mercy was founded by Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna and Princess Theresa of Oldenburg in 1844. During the Crimean War of 1853-1856, the women's ministry of mercy received a separate development in Russia. In the first year of the war, Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, the wife of the brother of Emperor Alexander I, founded the Holy Cross Community. The famous surgeon Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov became the chief physician and direct head of this community. Before the Crimean War, the use of female labor in medicine was very skeptical. And although women were gradually being used more and more in civilian hospitals, the main role was still played by men. To bring nursing to a "new level", a world-wide event was required. And such an event was the Crimean War, which contributed to the expansion of the use of women's labor in medicine, being a catalyst for this phenomenon, because, as you know, "all means are good in war."So, shortly after the outbreak of the Crimean War, on the initiative of N.I. Pirogov, the Holy Cross Community of Sisters of Mercy was created - the world's first female medical formation to provide assistance to the wounded during the war. As Pirogov himself said, "women have worked in hospitals before, but sending women to where there is a war – this has never happened anywhere else." However, things were rapidly gaining momentum (on April 10, 1854, the Anglo-French fleet began bombing Odessa), and there was no time to think. The Odessa community of compassionate sisters entered the arena of action.In November 1854, Nikolai Pirogov arrived in Sevastopol, and 10 days after him, 28 sisters of the Holy Cross Monastery arrived there. After getting acquainted with the arrivals, he divided them into three groups: dressings, pharmacists and housewives, and soon appointed transport nurses, whose duties included accompanying the wounded on the way. Nikolai Ivanovich wrote detailed instructions for each category.The hostesses were obliged mainly to monitor the cleanliness of the air, linen, wards and the proper quality and quantity of food and linen for the sick." They should monitor the ventilation of wards, inspect latrines, portions of food for patients, prepare some dishes that are not prescribed by the statute, but allowed by doctors: semolina porridge, broth, compote, etc., as well as brew coffee and tea. The hostess should keep wine, issued according to doctors' orders, and white bread for distribution, if necessary.The duty of the nurse-pharmacist was "to observe and carefully save the external and internal medicines entrusted to her, dressings and some instruments... and to distribute the prescribed medicines to the patients." The pharmacist had to know the names, the weight of various medicines, keep lint in order (the material that replaced cotton wool, consisting of threads of loose fabric), bandages and ligatures.The nurses who bandaged the patients were instructed to prepare dressing material, put an oilcloth under the patients so as not to stain the linen with pus or blood, and inform the doctor about the observed change in wounds.The sisters had to work in terrible conditions. 150 to 200 amputations were performed every day.The sisters of the Holy Cross Community, who took upon themselves the backbreaking work and the heavy cross, "reluctantly" served the operators, chloroformed the operated, held the hand, the leg that the operator cut, watched the pulse, pressed the artery indicated by the surgeon instead of the turnstile, that is, they actually played the role of a modern anesthesiologist and assistant surgeon. In addition to medical work, they also exercised "moral control" over the actions of the hospital administration.The sisters spent 17 hours a day in hospitals, sparing no effort and money. People's gratitude was boundless. "Our mothers," they called the sisters of mercy.Their invariable qualities were strict morality, love, charity to one's neighbor, diligence and selflessness.Before the arrival of the sisters, many wounded soldiers were in terrible conditions: some of them were lying on the dirty floor, without any supervision and medical care. But with the help of the Holy Cross Women's Community, as well as with the observance of the "sorting" of patients developed by N.I.Pirogov, order was restored in hospitals, the wounded began to receive proper medical care and care. In addition, the sisters also performed purely feminine duties: they cooked food, did cleaning and – importantly – made sure that the thieving quartermasters did not steal from the wounded. Pirogov noted in a letter to his wife: "The presence of a woman, neatly dressed and helping with participation, revives the deplorable vale of suffering and disasters."Despite all the difficulties that had arisen, Pirogov appreciated the sisters of mercy very highly: they, along with men, worked in dressing rooms and operating rooms, cared for the wounded, not being afraid of enemy bullets or "the terrifying spectacle of the most terrible destruction of the human body." In his letter dated December 6, 1854, N. I. Pirogov wrote: "Five days ago, the Holy Cross Community of sisters of Elena Pavlovna, numbering up to thirty, arrived here and began to work zealously; if they do as they do now, they will undoubtedly bring a lot of benefits."Of the 120 sisters of the Holy Cross Monastery, 17 died and died of diseases. But nothing could frighten those who responded to the call of Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna.Among the sisters of mercy there were also those who voluntarily began to help the wounded. For example, the famous Dasha of Sevastopol (Mikhailova). The daughter of a sailor who died in the Sinop battle, even before the foundation of the community in St. Petersburg, she went to combat positions in men's clothes with bandages and lint.In the West, Florence Nightingale is considered to be a "pioneer" in the development of the sisters of mercy, but she arrived at the front of the Crimean War much later than the envoys of Princess Elena Pavlovna, not to mention Dasha Mikhailova (Sevastopol). This was pointed out by Nikolai Ivanovich himself: "We first heard about Miss Nightingale and her "high-souled ladies" only at the beginning of 1855… We have a duty to destroy the palm tree in a cause so blessed, beneficial and now accepted by all."Conclusion: The great feat of the sisters of mercy and nurses in our history. We bow to the names of these beautiful women who have contributed to the development of nursing. But time does not stand still, and already other nurses continue the traditions of the glorious daughters of Russia.The history of the sisters of mercy is part of a series of endlessly recurring situations when, it would seem, the same thing happened in different conditions, most often associated with war (death, bloodshed, violence), and the sisters of mercy, like Angels of Light, came to the aid of the suffering, like true ascetics who did not seek glory.If the nurse satisfies her appointment, she is a friend of the patient, a friend of his family; she sometimes soothes mental anguish, relieves physical suffering; she often initiates the sick to his most intimate worries and sorrows, writes down his dying orders, admonishes him to eternity, takes his last breath. How much patience, resourcefulness, friendliness, nobility, firm faith and fervent love are needed for this. There is a deep meaning in the demand for the gratuitousness of the work of a sister of mercy, because there can be no earthly payment for the services rendered by her.A nurse is the legs of a legless person, the eyes of a blind person, a support for a child, a source of knowledge and confidence for a young mother, the mouths of those who are too weak or self—absorbed to speak.The history of the Sisters of Mercy movement continues to be written today. Women who have chosen the service of mercy as their life path can be found anywhere in the world, where shots are fired and blood is shed.