Heroines of Mercy Street with Pamela D. Toler

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This week I am very pleased to welcome Dr. Pamela D. Toler to the show. Pamela is the author of eight books of popular history on a wide variety of subjects for both children and adults including The Everything Guide to Understanding Socialism and Women Warriors: An Unexpected History. Today we discussed her book Heroines of Mercy Street: The Real Nurses of the Civil War. This is the book tie-in to the popular PBS series Mercy Street, which follows the stories of Civil War nurses, doctors, and civilians in Alexandria, Virginia.

We discussed:

  • Women in the nursing profession in a Victorian context

  • Gendered spheres of influence

  • The historical accuracy of the PBS series

  • Women nurses in the Civil War as feminist icons…both then and now

  • Fun diseases like dysentery


If you are a fan of the show or interested in Civil War nursing and medicine, then this episode is a must listen!! And, please head over to Pamela’s websites History in the Margins and Pamela D. Toler dot com. You can also find her on the usual social suspects: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

And please, be sure and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite app so you never ever ever ever miss a show. That would be dumb.

With compliments,

Keith

The Rogue HistorianKeith HarrisMercy Street, Pamela D. Toler, History in the Margins, Civil War, Civil War disease, Civil War nurses, Civil War medicine, Alexandria VirginiaComment