Significance of Clara Barton in the Medicine World

The American Red Cross

The American Red Cross was started by Clarissa Harlowe Barton, a well-known pioneer in the fields of medical and nursing. (Goff, 2015). In addition to being a supporter of the women’s suffrage campaign, Clara Barton, as she preferred to be known, devoted her life to helping others. She was primarily engaged in medical endeavors that benefited millions of Americans and people from other countries. (Apple, 2013). This essay will go over Clara Barton’s significant accomplishments to the field of medicine.

Early Life and Education

On December 25, 1821, in Massachusetts, the United States, Clara Barton was born. Her father, Captain Stephen, was a successful businessman as well as a community leader. Captain Stephen served during the Indian wars and entertained her daughter with the war stories, which served as an inspiration to helping people in crisis and war (Goff, 2015). Being among the most honored women in the history of the United States, she was initially a teacher at a time when most of the people in the profession were men (Apple, 2013). Apparently, she was among the first women to work in the federal government of the United States. Due to her devotion to serving others, she went to the extent of risking her life in order to take deliveries to soldiers during the American civil war. Eventually, she initiated the American Red Cross, which she led for the following 23 years in 1881 (Goff, 2015). She understood well the needs of people in crisis as well as the ways that she could help to them. This served as her guide throughout her entire life. Essentially, through the voice of her personal model, she managed to establish paths to a new medical volunteer field. Her devotion to serving other people led to sufficient attainments to satisfy many ordinary lives.

Clara Barton’s Contributions to the American Civil War

Clara’s contributions to helping others as well as her involvement in the medical field can be traced back to when she started serving in the American civil war service. In 1861, she was a recording clerk in the United States patent office, when federal units came into the city of Washington DC (Goff, 2015). By then, the civil war had just begun, and the residents of Washington DC were terrified and confused. In the midst of the turmoil resulting from the war, Clara perceived an immediate need to offer personal assistance to the soldiers that were hungry and wounded. After the soldiers of the Sixth Massachusetts Infantry had been attacked by Southern sympathizers in Baltimore, Maryland, Burton started taking clothing, food, and medical supplies to them on behalf of various organizations including the United States Sanitary Commission, though she was not afflicted with any organization or group. Besides the supplies that she took to the distressed combatants, she also presented them with personal support to keep their spirits up (Apple, 2013). Apparently, she even composed letters to them, prayed with them, and attended to their personal life difficulties.

Clara Barton and the Red Cross

Clara urged the United States government and military leaders until they offered her with passes to take her voluntary services and medical deliveries to the battlefields as well as field hospital scenes (Goff, 2015). Seemingly, this is how she came to be known as the “angel of the battlefield” since she attended to many troops in several battles including those of Chantilly, Fairfax Station, Harpers, South Mountain, Antietam, Ferry, Antietam, and Charleston (Goff, 2015). Her interest in serving soldiers offered her a great deal of information regarding the soldiers as well as the troops to which they supported. Towards the culmination of the civil war, she composed letters to families that had lost their loved ones as well as to those that had been reported to be missing. Her efforts to offer support and hope to the affected families led to people recognizing her including the president of the United States by then, Abraham Lincoln. Along with the friends and relatives of the prisoners of war, Barton established a Red Cross correspondence office, which operated in Washington for four years. Later, after a few years, the Red Cross created a tracing service to help track the war prisoners that had gone missing.

Clara Barton’s Work in Europe

In 1869, Clara Barton visited the Red Cross in Switzerland (Goff, 2015). During her stay in Europe, she read a memory of Solferino, which highly inspired her (Connolly, 2015). The book was authored by the founder of the global Red Cross organization, Henry Dunant who pursued global treaties to look after the injured and the sick in times of war irrespective of their nationality or race and called for the creation of national bodies that could offer aid voluntarily. Presumably, in 1864, the first agreement that represented Dunant’s concept was negotiated and sanctioned by 12 European countries (Apple, 2013).

Clara Barton and the National First Aid Society

Later, in 1870, after she had returned to the U.S., an immediate plea to action emerged after the commencement of the Franco-Persian war. Although Clara had not been affiliated with the global Red Cross, she had a good understanding of the needs of the victims of the war. Therefore, she went to the conflict zone along with other International Red Cross volunteers to offer any necessary assistance. Clara assisted in the distribution of relief supplies to the Strasbourg city as well as in other affected regions in France. Additionally, she established workroom to assist Strasbourg citizens in making new clothes.

Establishing the American Red Cross

Barton’s experiences in Europe inspired her greatly, and when she returned to the US, she coordinated with the Switzerland Red Cross representatives. They acknowledged her leadership capabilities for advocating for the inclusion of the U.S. in the global Red Cross activities and for her attempts to influence the US government to enter into the Geneva agreement (Apple, 2013). After her return to the United States, she proposed a plea to President Rutherford B. Hayes, who overruled the treaty on the basis that was a possible entangling alliance (Goff, 2015). However, Hayes predecessor, President James Garfield supported Barton’s idea though he was murdered before he signed it. Eventually, President Chester Arthur, who was Garfield’s successor, agreed to sign the agreement and after a few days, it was ratified by the Senate in 1882.

The American Red Cross and Beyond

Initially, Barton had proposed the establishment of the American Red Cross in 1873, which was aimed at offering medical aid in times of war and crises. The organization was sanctioned by the Geneva agreement of 1881 and Barton became its first president. In the following years before her retirement, she traveled to different parts of the world to assist those in need of medical help, especially in times of crises (Goff, 2015). Apparently, she even traveled to Istanbul to pursue negotiations with the emperor of Ottoman Empire, Abdul Hamid II, who allowed her to establish the Red Cross headquarters in Beijing. Additionally, she took the Red Cross organization to Cuba and other regions throughout the entire globe. According to her, every person, irrespective of his/her race or nationality, is entitled to medical care.

Legacy of Clara Barton

Following her resignation as the president of the American Red Cross, she pushed for the establishment of the National First Aid Society (NFAS), which designed the initial first aid kits as well as offered first aid medical care training to willing members of the public (Apple, 2013). Besides, establishing the NFAS, she pushed the expectations and limits for both healthcare services and women. This was inspired by her strong feeling of duty to the society as well as a commitment to the nation’s health. Apparently, the new healthcare law, The Affordable Care Act, is somewhat close to Barton’s vision to attain universal medical care access, particularly the women medical care (Connolly, 2015). The law is aimed at fighting discrimination by insurance companies against women and the access to quality care for all.

Conclusion

As revealed in the above discussion, Clarissa Harlowe Barton, a well-known pioneer in the field of medicine and nursing, was the founder of the American Red Cross. Besides, she contributed to the founding of other organizations such as the National First Aid Society and an enthusiast of the suffrage movement of women and devoted her life to assisting others. Due to her devotion to serving others, she significantly contributed in supplying medical deliveries to soldiers during the American civil war. Barton proposed the establishment of the American Red Cross in 1873, which was aimed at offering medical aid in times of war and crises, and it was later sanctioned by the United States government in 1882. In the following years before her retirement, she traveled to different parts of the world to assist those in need of medical help, especially in times of crises. Clarissa Harlowe Barton’s contributions to the medical field are honored up to date.

References

Apple, R. D. (2013). The American Red Cross from Clara Barton to the new deal.

Connolly, C. (2015). The American Red Cross: From Clara Barton to the New Deal. Nursing History Review, 23, 152.

Goff, B. M. (2015). Book Review: The American Red Cross: From Clara Barton to the new deal by MM Jones.