Following the War

Following the end of World War I, efforts were made to re-establish contacts among ICN member associations that had lain dormant during the war years. The American Nurses Association invited members of ICN’s Executive Committee to meet in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1920 to discuss its revival. Overseas representatives came from just two national nurses’ associations: the Finnish Nurses Association and the Danish Nurses Organization and locally from the United States and Canada. It appeared that the only question discussed was the revival of ICN.

Nurses had suffered during the war years. Williamson (2014) highlighted the role of nurses following the war in linking the role of ICN to nurses’ role in healthcare delivery saying:

“The outbreak of World War I and the four years of conflict disrupted the activities of ICN. The results obtained before the war, notably with regard to the improvement of women's working conditions, were thrown into question, and the international spirit which characterised ICN was threatened. After the war, nurses were nevertheless considered as having a key role to play in public healthcare.” (Williamson 2014)

Sister Agnes Karll, former ICN President (1909-1912) and President of the German Nurses’ Association, gave this harrowing account of the conditions under which nurses were working in:

“The only thing we nurses are trying to do is to endure the hard times, helping our surroundings as far as we can, and hope for better times to come in the future.” (Karll 1923)

She reported:

“The work of the nurses in Germany has during the past year daily grown more and sadder until it now – at the end of the year – is heart breaking. … The nurses endure probably twice or three times as much as people of other professions, because they in their work are witness of the greatest human suffering and grief. It is no wonder, that there are a growing number of suicides even among the nurses.“ (Karll 1923)

Her illuminating words continued:

“On January 11th 1923, the 25th anniversary of our association, the occupation of the Ruhr District occurred, which gave us a continuous feeling of unsafety for hundreds of our nurses in the occupied district. One of their greatest difficulties is to be allowed to come back to their places of work, when they once have left the district, for instance on leave or called away to some sick member of their family.”

Sister Agnes finished her report by saying that

“The only thing we nurses are trying to do is to endure the hard times, helping our surroundings as far as we can, and hope for better times to come in the future.” (Karll 1923)

Importance of the International Council of Nurses

Why was ICN of importance to nurses in these early years? The answer lies in the fact that ICN was an organisation that was responsible for collecting information about nurses and nursing that it received from each national nurses association which formed its member bodies, and for the distribution of such information when required. ICN existed to serve the profession and could only survive if the national associations in each country actively supported it. This purpose and structure remain largely the same to this day.

ICN worked in three ways: firstly, through a headquarters which had been originally based in London and then, in 1927, moved to Geneva. After the war the need for further developments along international lines was realised, and headquarters with a permanent personnel and complete technical equipment was established in Geneva, the first international professional organisation to do so. (ICN 1929) This bestowed great benefits to ICN in terms of location, collaborative arrangements with other international organisations and the ability to pursue difficult subject after congresses.

Secondly, ICN also worked through its committees – Active Standing and Special Committees on all important nursing subjects, such as Nursing Service, Nursing Education, Nursing Ethics, Social and Economic Welfare of Nurses and Legislation, as it pertained to nurses and nursing. These committees worked mainly by correspondence and met, if possible, to prepare a report for each meeting of the ICN Board of Directors.

Thirdly, ICN worked in and through its members through individual nurses who were members by virtue of membership in their own national nurses associations, which in turn were members of ICN. Membership conferred privileges and responsibility so that individual nurses from national nurses associations were expected by ICN to feel responsible for the wellbeing of other nurses from any other country. (Stewart IM 1948)

Karll, A (1923) Report on Nursing in Germany during the Year 1923. ICN Bulletin No 10 Pgs. 28-29. ICN Archives, Geneva

Williamson, L. (2014) The International Council of Nurses during the First World War..Soins: La Revue de Reference Infirmiere, Jun (786): 116

ICN (1929) The I C N (Vol IV (3)14).

Stewart Isabel M. (1948) Editorial. The ICN Bulletin (1948) Vol IV (4) Winter Issue: 9-11 Accessed from Archives by M Carney July 2018