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More About Mary Seacole: the Florence Nightingale of Jamaica National Library of Jamaica MORT:!: ABOUT MARY SEACOLE being a "doctress" because she minis- · tered to the sick sailors and soldiers On campus of the University Col­ t!.-e (from Up Park Camp and Newcastle) tege the West Indies there is a "Mary of who frequented her hotel. From he Seacole Hall". The newly-built head­ r Mary learnt the art of healing and th quarters of the Jamaica General Train­ e love of caring for the sick. From abou ed Nurses' Association has been named t the age of twelve Mary began to share "Mary Seacole House". At the King­ with her mother the task of attending ston Public Hospital, there is a "Mary upon invalid officers or their wives. Seacole Ward". All this has been done While still young, she had the oppor­ in a conscious attempt to perpetuate the tunity of visiting England twice name of a great Jamaican, and an even a total of three years) as travelling(for greater nurse; one whom the Americans companion and nurse of an old lady. referred to as "the angel of mercy", These trips only whetted Mary's appe­ the Cubans termed "the yellow woman tite for travel, and not long after from Jamaica with the cholera medi­ return to Jamaica, she visited Nassherau cine", and the Crimean soldiers hailed ' Panama, Haiti and Cuba. as "the Florence Nightingale of Ja- . matca" . On her return to Kingston, Mary · I suspect, however, that there might states that she nursed her old "indul. be many nurses to whom the name of THE FLORENCE gent patroness, in her last long ill· the Headquarters House means little ness," and that after her death, she or nothing at all. For such nurses, the (Mary) went back to live at h r Mary Seacole House provides no NIGHTINGALE mother's house. There she met ande ·"rallying point", stirs no emotions, im· married Mr. John Seacole, and took parts no inspiration, provokes no loyal­ OF JAMAICA him down to Black River, where they. ty. It is particularly of these persons established a store. He was an elderly Mary Seivwright, that I think as I attempt, quite incom­ man then, and very sickly, so Director of Nursing ResearchM.A., R.G.N., Project, · pletely, to relate the high points in the River was certianly a poor choice.Black It . and Convener of Public Relations life of this great woman. possible that Mary chose Black Riveris Committee, l.G.T.N.A. because of her (alleged) earlier associa­ Mary Seacole was born in the early tions. Their sojourn there was brief; eighteen hundreds; the exact time boarding house in Kingston. Her fa­ John became worse and they were being unknown. In her autobiography ther was a Scottish soldier. She often forced to return to Kingston. Within "Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Sea­ refers-to her 'mother's house', and once, a month after their return, John died. cole in Many Lands", she did not dis­ speaking about Black River, she men­ Mary states that she was "very sorrow­ close her age, remarking that that was tions her 'father's house', she also tells ful". a feminine privilege. She did say, how­ how when a young child she was taken ever, that "the century and myself were by an old lady and brought up as one of · Soon after this, Mary's mother died both young together, and we have her grand-children. She never men­ and left Blundell Hall to her and her grown up side by side into ag-e and tions her mother's name, nor her fa­ sister Louisa. The hotel was burnt to consequence." She herself said that she ther's. Later in her book she speaks of the ground in the great fire of 1843. was born in Kingston, but in 1938 a paternal cousin named Mr. Day, with but later rebuilt through the efforts when Mr. Frank Cundall published whom she entered into business; thus of Mary. The venture met with even that information, a writer to the Glean­ her father's name might have been er greater success, but Mary soon left contradicted it. This writer said 'Day'. All these facts seem to indicate the that Mary was born at Haughton,, that Mary was an illegitimate child; management to her sister, and devoted near Lacovia in St. Elizabeth, and as an admission that she was not pre­ herself to "doctoring". She. was par· a young woman, went to live in Black pared to make. She had a sister (Mrs. ticularly good at handling yellow fever River. Louise Grant) to whom she left the cases. In the big cholera epidemic � Blundell Hall Hotel bequeathed to 1850, she volunteered a nurse, Mary tells very little about her as U . them both by their mother. said to have learned much about childhood and early life. Her mother tht was a coloured woman who kept a Mary's mother had a reputation of (Continued in 3rd Column Ne:rtPag1) Complete Dry Cleaning and Laundry Service 8 The Jamaican Nurse FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE JAMAICA The Challenge (Continued from Page 8) dis ase ·and its cure from trained phy­ . � s1c1ans, and even perfected a medicine of Freedom of her own. Later, :Mary visited Panama for a second time. This was during the Cali- fornia Gold Rush when thousands were crossing the Isthmus to ships going To continue my theme of 'The Chal­ Edith E. Felsted, S.R.N., C.M.B., north on the Pacific side. Sanitary con­ lenge' which I discussed in our first S.T.D. (London) Matron, University ditions on the Isthmus were very poor; issue, in connection with the field of College Hospital of the West Indies. there were diseases of every kind, nursing at the present time, I wish to l\Iary"soon rented a building and open­ develop this further and to include subdivision of the main group ed _a lodging-house and store. Before thoughts on the all-pervading desire for which speaks apart from the long her chief activity was caring for 'freedom'. The challenge of freedom group weakens their own the sick foreigners, and to this task is not only confined to the field of na­ strength and that of the Asso­ she gave of her best. It was here that tional development, it is carried ciation. she earned the title of "angel of mercy" through into every aspect of develop­ (2) from the Americans. It was here too ment, be it educational, cultural or pro­ By co-operating with Island Council representatives in fur­ that a Yankee referred to her colour fe ssional. � thering the growth of the Asso­ and stated his regrets that he could no ciation. "bleach her whjte", and so be able to The longing is to break away from claim her. In appropriate language, tradition; to discontinue practices ( 3) By a study of the economic and l\fary retorted that when she came which our parents respected, in order social development of our coun­ acros people like him, she could not that we are not considered old fashion­ feel happy that she escaped being try, in order that our demands but. ed. What are we looking for? - "Why, may be reasonable, our requests white. is freedom of course" you answer. But wise and helpful to the patients from From Panama, she went to Cuba. freedom merely breaking away as well as ourselves. restriction, tu�ing away from tradition There she ran into an epidemic oi cholera, and was again of great help. and so on? If it is, we would find In �hes ways, not only will our pro­ OUh � . Here she was known as "the yellow aclves in a negative state, were such fession m J ama1ca grow in stature but a woman from Jamaica with the Cholera condition possible. But it is not; in it will command respect and considera­ medicine". This time she caught the place of tradition must come some­ �ion as a valuable service of a develop­ disease, but cured herself and returned else - that something must be mg country. thing . to Panama where she remained for a an active building up of what we want 1853 -Th� ta�k is by no means easy, in time. Early in (about April) she fact, 1t means hard work and sacrifice returned to Kingston. What kind of nursing service are still. Not only can .freedom be im­ actually building up today? Many Mary spent the rest of 1853 in we paired and even lost by encroachment!> not at �ll sure - many are not Kingston, and was possibly still there are and attacks from outside, but we must with what is put in, so long when the Crimean War broke out in concerne? never forget that it may as surely what not wanted is effectively got 1854. She was stimulated into action :f is destroyed by lethargy orbe ignorance we allow ourselves to become when she learnt that a regiment which � of• If from within. 1 or unwilling to face and ha� previously been stationed in Ja­ • weak, our responsibilities, we shall maica, was ent to the front. She sold ·�dulder This is our Challenge of today. Let ·'· we are being dictated to by property, raised as much money as she . thn that. us meet it bravely and support our who are only too willing to as­ could, and went to London where she IU�se-·� Association whole-heartedly in all its the power we have forgotten we offered her services to the Medical De­ endeavours. partment, War Office, and Quarter­ �as master'� Office.
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