Everyday Heroes: Thank a Nurse Today
by Elizabeth Rutigliano, Librarian, General Humanities Reference, Stephen A. Schwarzman BuildingMay 6, 2020
Portrait of Florence Nightingale. NYPL Digital Images: Image ID: 1709179
May 6th, National Nurses Day, marks the week-long celebration of National Nurses week, culminating on May 12th with International Nurses Day. Although every day we should commend these heroes, the current challenges faced by health care professionals, makes this year's celebration essential! The courage, determination, and persistence of these real life superheroes, are unlike anything from the pages of comic books or the feats of Superman and Batman. These are real life triumphs and public health battles, where superpowers result in the saving of lives and contributing to global health.
Throughout history nurses have shaped the world that we live in and paved the way to better health and better patient relationships. When thinking of the field of modern nursing, one name that immediately comes to mind is that of Florence Nightingale. She was the founder of modern nursing and the Nightingale Training School for Nurses, at St Thomas' Hospital; now part of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, within King's College, London. The school was one of the first to teach nursing and midwifery as an organized profession and to be affiliated with hospitals and medical facilities. Today, this institution ranks as one of the top nursing schools worldwide. Nightingale was a nurse during the Crimean War, where she managed and trained nurse volunteers and advocated for sanitary living standards, proper hygiene such as hand washing, and adequate patient care. Her impact on nursing was so vast that in 1912, the International Committee of the Red Cross instituted the Florence Nightingale Medal. This award is presented to nurses and nurses aides for outstanding courage and patient care and is viewed as the highest international recognition that can be achieved by a nurse. International Nurses Day is celebrated on her birthday, May 12th.
Comic book artists have extolled the superpowers of these public healthcare heroes. Norwich illustrator MJ Hiblen and Marvel's Joe Quesada , Mike Hawthorne and Edgar Delgado, are recent examples of artists praising these essential workers for their heroism during the current health crisis. Florence Nightingale, Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, and Walt Whitman, a volunteer nurse during the American Civil War are among those who have been referenced in various comic books.
Medicine and nursing are no strangers to the graphic arts. In recent years we've seen a rise in the use of graphic medicine—defined as the use of comics in medical education and patient care—to depict personal accounts of health and illness and the importance of healthcare workers. These heroes merit our gratitude, today and always!
In celebration, check out the following blog posts written by NYPL staff:
To browse library titles in relation to nurses, nursing, graphic medicine and health, you can browse the Library's academic e-book databases: EBSCO eClassics Collection and Project Muse. You can also browse the Library's e-books, audiobooks and video catalog here. For articles in reference to this topic, you can search: PowerSearch (Gale), Academic Search Premier and JSTOR or simply browse the Library's selection of Health and Medicine databases.
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With your library card, it's easier than ever to choose from more than 300,000 e-books on SimplyE, The New York Public Library's free e-reader app. Gain access to digital resources for all ages, including e-books, audiobooks, databases, and more.