Jane Bell (1873–1959) was an

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

-born Australian

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

and

midwife A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; co ...

. She is best known for her work with Australian Imperial Force (AIF)

field hospitals A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile A ...

in Egypt in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and for her advocacy for the nursing profession.

Career

Bell was born on 16 March 1873 in

Middlebie Middlebie is a hamlet and parish in the historic county of Dumfriesshire in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It is approximately east of Ecclefechan, and north-east of Annan, on the banks of the Middlebie Burn. Middlebie Parish c ...

, a farm in Scotland. After the death of both her parents and four of her siblings from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

Bell migrated to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

with her remaining siblings (two sisters and a brother) and was assisted in doing so by her family's

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

parish. The children arrived in Sydney in 1886 where she trained as a nurse at

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (abbreviated RPAH or RPA) is a major public teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Missenden Road in Camperdown. It is a teaching hospital of the Central Clinical School of the Sydney Medical School ...

in Sydney. In 1899 she was a founding member of the

Australasian Trained Nurses' Association The Australasian Trained Nurses' Association was an association formed in 1899 to register nurses who had been trained in Australia. History Susan McGahey was a co-founder of the Australasian Trained Nurses' Association (ATNA) in December 1899 ...

. Following the completion of her training Bell was appointed Matron of the

Bundaberg Hospital Bundaberg Base Hospital is the public hospital of Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia. Bundaberg Base Hospital was opened by the Governor of Queensland in 1914. A base hospital is a regional centre that takes referrals from outlying hospitals, and ...

in 1903. Bell moved to London in 1906, where she trained in midwifery at the then-named

Queen Charlotte's Hospital Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital is one of the oldest maternity hospitals in Europe, founded in 1739 in London. Until October 2000, it occupied a site at 339–351 Goldhawk Road, Hammersmith, but is now located between East Acton and White ...

where she was employed as deputy superintendent of nursing. She returned to Australia in 1910 to take up an appointment as the

matron Matron is the job title of a very senior or the chief nurse in several countries, including the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and other Commonwealth countries and former colonies. Etymology The chief nurse, in other words the person ...

of the

Melbourne Hospital The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), located in Parkville, Victoria, an inner suburb of Melbourne, is one of Australia's leading public hospitals. It is a major teaching hospital for tertiary health care with a reputation in clinical research. Th ...

where she would work until 1934. Her work there as interrupted when, following the outbreak of

, in 1914, she was appointed principal matron of the First Australian General Hospital in Egypt. Upon arrival she was immediately embroiled in a conflict with 'the military establishment' and was asked to return to Australia. A later inquiry into the administration hospital vindicated her stand and paved the way for the 1916 reorganisation of the Australian Army Medical and Nursing Services. As matron at the Melbourne Hospital she created the position of "theatre sister" in 1912 (replacing male orderlies), established a nurses preliminary training school in 1927 and created the first" special diet kitchen' in an Australian hospital in 1929. Throughout her career Bell campaigned for recognition of the importance of nursing and achieved many reforms in working conditions and training. She aimed to "eliminate the perception of nurses as ladies with lamps, rather than trained professionals". In her career Bell achieved many reforms in working conditions and training.

Awards and honours

She was awarded the

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the

1944 New Year Honours The 1944 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1944 for the Briti ...

in recognition of her work as president of the Royal Victoria College of Nursing. In 2013 she was inducted to the

Victorian Honour Roll of Women The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The Honour Roll was established as part of the cele ...

as a change agent.

Death and legacy

Bell died on 6 August 1959 at the

Royal Melbourne Hospital The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), located in Parkville, Victoria, an inner suburb of Melbourne, is one of Australia's leading public hospitals. It is a major teaching hospital for tertiary health care with a reputation in clinical research. Th ...

Parkville, Victoria Parkville is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the Cities of City of Melbourne, Melbourne and City of Merri-bek, M ...

. There is a book published about Bell: Williams, Jennifer Ann & Goodman, R. D. (Robert Douglas), 1915- (1988). ''Jane Bell OBE (1873-1959) Lady Superintendent, the Royal Melbourne Hospital (1910-1934)''. Spectrum. "Jane Bell Lane" located in the

Queen Victoria Village Queen Victoria Village, generally known as QV Melbourne or just QV, is a precinct in the Melbourne central business district, Victoria, Australia. Covering the city block bounded by Lonsdale, Little Lonsdale, Swanston, and Russell Streets, ...

retail precinct in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

is named in her honour. In 2011 her great nephew donated her medals and OBE to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Jane 1873 births 1959 deaths Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Scottish emigrants to Australia Australian nurses Australian women nurses Australian midwives Australian women of World War I