Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing Alumnae Collection
Category
Archival Items
Nursing
Nursing textbook
Classification
Archival, Publications
Nursing
Nursing textbook
Accession Number
995002158
Description
Hardbound fabric-covered book with illustrations discussing principles of nursing; topics include nursing as a field of service, the hospital, hygienic housekeeping, disesase by observation, mental and physical comfort, proper diet, and others; signed by original owner inside front cover; hand-writ…
Hardbound fabric-covered book with illustrations discussing principles of nursing; topics include nursing as a field of service, the hospital, hygienic housekeeping, disesase by observation, mental and physical comfort, proper diet, and others; signed by original owner inside front cover; hand-written notes inside back cover; 846 pages.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing Alumnae via Marilyn Boston
Printed in book: "TEXT-BOOK OF THE // PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE // OF NURSING // BERTHA HARMER, R.N., B.S., A.M. // (Columbia University) // Third Edition, Revised // NEW YORK // THE MACMILLAN COMPANY // 1934"; hand-written inside front cover: "KGH Violet Code // Nursing School // Graduate - 1938"
Permanent Location
Storage Room 2005
2005-3
Length
22.1 cm
Width
14.6 cm
Depth
3.9 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Dimension Notes
Length 22.1 cm x Width 14.6 cm x Depth 3.9 cm
Condition Remarks
Cover worn from use; minor hole in fabric on front cover
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Website
Reference Comments
Peter F. McNally, "HARMER, BERTHA," Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Volume XVI (1931-1940), http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/harmer_bertha_16E.html
Research Facts
Bertha Harmer was born the 22nd of March, 1880 in Port Hope, Ontario, and passed away on the 14th of December, 1934, in Toronto. After having first worked as a cashier and bookkeeper, Harmer entered the Toronto General Hospital Training School for Nurses at just over the age of 30. She graduated first in her class in 1913. After graduating, she went to Teacher's College at Columbia University in New York, then taught nursing through World War I and beyond. Her "Text-book of the principles and practice of nursing" was first published in 1922, and went through many editions and translations. Her second book was also successful, and the pair established her as a leader in the field. Her health began to deteriorate in the 1920s, During the Great Depression, she began a fundraising campaign to save the School for Graduate Nurses at McGill University. Though she died in 1934, the school survived. Professionally, Harmer was motivated, ambitious, and expressive. Personally, she was reserved, preferring to live and work alone, and never married. She enjoyed books, art, and theatre.