Containing Trauma: Nursing Work in the First World War

Who were the military nurses of the Great War, and what did they really do? In this book, Christine Hallett explores the nature of the practices developed by nurses and their volunteer-assistants during the First World War. She argues that nurses found meaning in their complex and stressful work by identifying it as a process of 'containing trauma'. Beginning with a discussion of the current literature on the social and cultural position of nurses at the outbreak of the war, and on their importance to the war effort, the book explores a range of nursing scenarios and practices, examining the physical, emotional and spiritual care and support these women offered to their patients. [Book jacket.]