"American angels of mercy" and the Russo-Japanese War.

Abstract

The Russo-Japanese War was a clash between two expanding empires. In some ways, it was a very 20th century war, with large armies using automatic weapons; in other ways, it reflected the values of the 19th century, with Russian citizens donating money to the Japanese Red Cross in appreciation for the care of their soldiers. It was onto this battlefield that Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee brought an American mission to observe military medical practices of the conflict. McGee received her medical degree from Columbian College (now The George Washington University) in 1892 and at the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April 1898, McGee organized volunteer nurses for the Daughters of the American Revolution. McGee’s organizing ability led to her appointment as the only woman Acting Assistant Surgeon in the U.S. Army, in charge of the Army’s nurses. After this brief war ended, McGee pursued the establishment of a permanent nurse corps, and is known now as the founder of the Army Nurse Corps. With the threat of war between Russia and Japan looming, McGee led a group of nine volunteer nurses to Japan in 1904. She returned the following year as an official U.S. Army observer and later lectured and wrote on her experiences in the war.