Im Dienst des Krieges - im Dienst des Friedens: Zur Geschichte der Krankenschwestern vom Roten Kreuz 1864–1918

Abstract

In the middle of the 19th century the situation of nursing and nursing staff was disastrous. Only after the foundation of the Red Cross by Henri Dunant in 1863 a way was found to organize secular nursing staff and to improve it steadily. In Germany it was above all the Vaterländischer Frauenverein vom Roten Kreuz — founded in 1866 with the aim to supply voluntary nursing for times of war — which served that purpose; already during the German-French war of 1870/71 the institution could prove its importance. The job outline of a nurse in civilian sector was shaped by the planning for the military medical duty.

Education took place in the “Mutterhäuser” (mother houses) of the German Red Cross which became an essential part of training of nurses. Nevertheless training was regulated by law not until the beginning of the 20th century.

In spite of the peaceful activity of the Vaterländischer Frauenverein the possible military use was always its principal aim In the beginning of the First World War the efforts for a quick professional training were intensified; but in the course of the war the necessity of better qualification came to the fore; at the same time there were plannings for post-war.

Throughout the war nurses not only of the red Cross performed out of patriotic enthusiasm really superman feats for the sake of the wounded and the sick. But in the end all the idealism and all the sacrifice under the sign of the Red Cross served only to keep war machinery running.