Louisa McLaughlin facts for kids
Louisa Elisabeth McLaughlin (born 1836, died 1921) was one of the first British women to work as a nurse for the Red Cross. Louisa, who sometimes spelled her name MacLaughlin, was also known as Louise. The picture shows her wearing special medals. These medals were given to her by both the French and German armies for her amazing work during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. During this war, she helped run "ambulances," which were like mobile hospitals back then. She also wears the Gold Cross of the Order of the Takova for her efforts in the Serbo-Turkish War (1876), which happened before the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78). Her close friend and partner, Emma Maria Pearson (1828–1893), received the same awards for her bravery.
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Early Life and Training
Louisa was the first child of Reverend Hubert McLaughlin and Frederica Crofton. Her father was a church leader in Burford, Shropshire, and also worked at Hereford Cathedral. He started his career helping Edward Crofton, who was Frederica's brother and a Lord.
Louisa was born in Nice, a city that was part of the Italian Kingdom of Sardinia at the time. Her father was a minister there. She had two younger sisters, one of whom, Sophia, also became a nurse. Sophia worked in Africa and then in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Louisa also had several brothers who became important figures, including a Major General, a Judge, and a Royal Navy Captain.
Louisa was trained as a nurse by Sister Dora, a very famous nurse who cared for factory workers in Walsall. Sister Dora thought Louisa was her best student. Even Florence Nightingale, another very famous nurse, admired Sister Dora's work.
In 1869, Louisa and Emma started working for the National Health Society. This group helped poor people in London and taught them about staying healthy. It was started by Elizabeth Blackwell, who was one of the first modern women doctors in Europe.
Nursing During Wartime
On August 16, 1870, soon after the Franco-Prussian War started, Louisa and Emma traveled to France. They went to help with the National Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded in War, which was a new organization that later became the British Red Cross. Just a week later, they were caring for about 100 soldiers who were badly hurt in the Battle of Gravelotte.
Later, they were asked to join the Anglo-American Ambulance in Sedan. This was after the Battle of Sedan, where 5,000 people died and 20,000 were wounded. Their "ambulance" was set up in a barracks and could hold 384 patients. Doctors also treated another 200 wounded soldiers in tents nearby.
After a month, Louisa and Emma returned to England. They soon went back to France, bringing 4,000 pounds of supplies. They set up their own "Ambulance Anglaise" (English Ambulance) in a convent in Orléans.
The Battle of Orléans
During the second major battle in the area, their convent was right in the middle of the fighting. Even with very little food, drink, and supplies, they only lost 40 out of 1,400 patients. This was a much lower death rate than other places. Louisa and Emma insisted on "exquisite cleanliness," meaning everything had to be super clean. This was very unusual at a time when most surgeons didn't even wash their hands!
In August 1876, when the Serbo-Turkish War began, Emma and Louisa volunteered again. They went to Servia (now Serbia) to help wounded Servian soldiers who were fighting against Turkish rule. They even brought special disinfectant with them!
Starting a Nursing Home
When they returned to England, Emma and Louisa used their money to open one of London's first private nursing homes. It was called the Medical and Surgical Home and was located at 15 Fitzroy Square.
In 1877, Joseph Lister, who created antiseptic surgery (meaning he used clean methods to prevent infections during operations), moved to London. He started sending his private patients to their nursing home. Soon, most of the 10 beds were filled with Lister's patients. He visited them every morning and often performed operations with Emma and Louisa helping him.
Around 1890, they sold the nursing home and moved to Florence, Italy. Emma sadly passed away there from cancer.
Authors and Their Books
Louisa and Emma wrote two books together about their experiences as nurses during wartime. These books were called Our Adventures During the War of 1870 and Service in Servia Under the Red Cross.
They also wrote a short history of wartime nursing called Under the Red Cross. The last two chapters of this book talked about many problems they saw with the National Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded in War, which was led by Colonel Loyd-Lindsay.
