The Third Reich in the Pages of the American Journal of Nursing, 1932–1950

Abstract

Until early 1990s, there had been little research in United States on nursings involvement in Third Reich and Holocaust. German historian Hilde Steppe's work, for example, was first published in United States in 1992.' Recent studies have yielded stories of complicity and murder juxtaposed with stories of heroism, resistance, and courage.2 In order for nursing better understand its evolving identity in society, it is essential that nursing incorporate these complex and often disturbing findings into its collective memory, as a pan of its source of identity, [its] cultural DNA.3 It is not clear whether nursing has forgotten or simply never addressed relevancy of Third Reich for profession. We know that United States as a whole responded inadequately European Jews' needs for asylum; nursing profession must also ask itself whether it could have intervened on behalf of Jewish nurses in Europe and other victims of Holocaust or in response criminal behavior of nurses under Third Reich. As Deborah Lipstadt showed in her analysis of American press from 1933 1945, printed media of time of Third Reich were of historical process by virtue of their power shape reactions events.4 One can similarly turn media by and for nursing in United States better understand profession's reactions Third Reich and Holocaust. To address these issues, this paper explores extent, timing, and manner in which nurses reading American Journal of Nursing (AJN) from 1932 1950 could have learned about relevance for nursing of Third Reich and what would become known as Holocaust. AJN was chosen because of its broad readership, its status as a publication of American Nurses Association (and, initially, National League of Nursing Education), its status as longestrunning nursing journal in United States, and its broad coverage of international nursing during period. The Journal began publishing on 1 October 1900, with stated purpose of keeping members of nursing profession in United States educated and informed of nursing issues and procedures and that gospel of unselfish devotion care of sick might be spread, with propaganda for securing profession a status whereby its usefulness should be increased.5 It was the first journal in United States for and by nurses, portrayed by its editors in 1946 as being to public magazine [that] represents you and all other members of organization for which Journal is official organ.6 Mary M. Roberts was editor-in-chief from 1923 1949, all but last two years of period studied. At beginning of her tenure, subscriptions were at 20,000; by end, they had risen 100,000. Throughout this period, subscriptions were $3.00 a year. Roberts's background in military during World War I, her extensive travels abroad, and her energetic service with International Council of Nurses (ICN) undoubtedly influenced international emphasis and coverage of military nursing in Journal during these years. Nell V. Beeley, Roberts's successor, brought position her experience as correspondent for U.S. War Department in 1945 and her interests in international aspects of nursing.7 The AJN has been, furthermore, self-described as a record of nursing history.8 It not only has reflected profession and practice of nursing in United States, but has played a part in construction and maintenance of its collective memory. Collective Memory The approach nursing's collective memory used in this paper is based on die Durkheimian tradition of collective representation.9 Collective memory is shaped by contemporaneous media coverage and commentary and by subsequent historical texts and ans. Historical events enter and are maintained in collective memory through discursive reproduction and representation. …