‘Houses of Mercy’: The Healthcare Initiatives of the Woman's Home Missionary Society in Alaska

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Woman's Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church was active in evangelism in Alaska between the early 1880s and late 1930s. A central concern for the Society was the physical health of Alaska Natives. The Society missionaries argued that Native health suffered from both poor home life and a biological predisposition to illness. In order to remedy the illnesses, especially tuberculosis, Society missionaries sought to educate Native women in ‘proper’ mothering or attempted to remove children from Native communities.