[The Ranyard Mission: district nursing in London.] Printed pamphlet: 'The District Nurses of the Biblewomen & Nurses Mission. 2, Adelphi Terrace, Strand, W.C. Report, 1894.' [With 'Notes' of eight medical cases.]

The Biblewomen & Nurses Mission was founded as the London Bible and Domestic Female Mission in 1857, with the aim of bringing religious education to the poor. See the account of the founder Ellen Henrietta Ranyard (1810-1879) in the Oxford DNB. In 1868, Ranyard expanded the organisation to include the nursing of the sick poor in their own homes, in response to what the 'Biblewomen' saw of the sick, and three years later the Mission began to receive support from the Mercers Company. After Ranyard's death she was succeeded as Hon. Secretary and General Superintendent by her niece Emily Selfe Leonard (1836-1913), author of 'The Nurse's Handbook: An Elementary Manual for those who visit and nurse the Sick Poor'. In 1965 the Ranyard nurses were taken over by the London boroughs’ district nursing services.11pp, 16mo. Pamphlet stitched into grey printed wraps. On aged paper, in worn wraps. A scarce item: no copy located on OCLC WorldCat. Drophead title: 'Nursing Branch of the Biblewomen and Nurses Mission, 2, Adelphi Terrace, Strand, W.C. Hon. Supt.: Mrs. Selfe Leonard.' The names of the members of 'The Council' are listed on the inside of the front cover, ending with: 'Hon. Secretary and General Superintendent - | Mrs. Selfe Leonard, | To whom all communications and remittances should be addressed. Mrs Selfe Leonard's report (pp.1-6) begins with 'a short reference to the nature and history of the District Nurses, and to that of the Mission of which they form a branch'. The report is arranged under the following headings: Training; Superintendence; Work under Doctors; Residence on the Spot; Fees; Obstetrical and Monthly Nursing; Disinfection, &c.; Badge; Cost of Maintaining a Nurse. Following the report is a page of the statistics relating to the work done by the ninety to a hundred nurses 'upon the Staff of the Association'. After this are two pages of 'Notes of Cases', with columns for: Name of Patient; Disease, Operation, or injury; Work done by the Nurse. Eight cases are described, ending with that of 'T. W –', whose case of 'Rheumatic Fever' was treated as follows: 'Took temperature and pulse. Washed patient, etc. Made the bed, putting patient between blankets. Wrapped limbs in cotton wool and bandaged with flannel.' The last two pages carry a list, grouped by London postal districts, under the heading: 'The Districts in which Nurses of the Association are at Work are the Following'.