Notes on the history of nursing in Matanzas, from 1850 until the first half of the 20th century

Abstract

The current work is a part of a descriptive historic research.  Several facts of the history of nursing in Matanzas were dealt with in a first moment, from 1850 until de first half on the 20th century. The information was collected in the Historical Record Office of the province, the library “Gener y del Monte”, the Documentation Centre, and the Museum Palacio de Junco, in interviews to nurses and historians, from September 2015 to April 2016. It allowed us to obtain information on the foundation of the hospitals in Matanzas and the nursing activities developed in them. A search was made in regard to the presence of nuns in the hospitals, mainly in Matanzas and the most important municipalities; among them were found the Sisters of Charity, who performed their nursing activities in old people’s nursing homes, hospitals and preventive visits, and later the Servants of Mary. It was stated the begining of the professional nursing in Cuba from the times of the USA intervention. In Matanzas, the School of Nurses was created in 1900. In the first decade of the 20^th century Miss Eugenie Habbard acted as supervisor in 1900 and Miss Mary McCloud in 1902. We offer several preliminary data because this is a historical research having as an objective leaving some token of the interesting historical legacy of nursing in Matanzas from 1850 to the present days.