The Staff

 

So, what's the story here?  Two women who appear to be either maids or nurses.  The older woman on the top row, right may be wearing some sort of uniform as well.  Are the other three women some sort of staff, again, either domestic or medical?  

The Young Nurse

Or maybe she's a candy striper.   I have no idea. In any case, there's some sort of document on the wall with the Russian Double Eagle, symbol of the Czars.

Seven Nurses

Written on the back, "Vi Barrett, Millie Gadway, Ida Grayson, Stella Bearup, Vi Green, Me, & Bea McCarthy."  I tried running a search on Stella Bearup.  It was such an unusual name that it had potential.  I actually found an obituary for someone with that name.  That Stella had been an employee of Fisher Body in Flint, Michigan.  Some large factories have nursing staffs, especially ones with a lot of heavy machinery.  Then again, that Stella and the Stella in this photo may be two different people.

Malaria Girls 3

This is a very small collection, and it ends with these final four photos.  The top two are dated "NOV 60," just like all the ones already posted.  The bottom two, "FEB 61"  I've titled these photos malaria girls because of a visible poster about malaria in the first of the three posts.  The reality is that I have no idea what these women are doing.  I've speculated that they're public health workers because of the shoulder patches on their uniforms.  I've seen lots of photos of hospital nurses, and I've never seen an emblem of any kind.  And as far as malaria goes, it's just as possible that these nurses (I stand by that guess.) are dealing with anything from cholera to the common cold.

Now, back to malaria.  According to the CDC, from 1957 to 2011,  there have been 63 local outbreaks of malaria in the United States.  According to a 2012 article in the SF Gate, while outbreaks of malaria have been declining in tropical countries, they've been increasing in the United States, with 1,925 reported cases in 2011.   And no, they're not concentrated in our own tropical areas like south Florida and Louisiana.  U.S. cases have their origin in international travel.  It's New York City that's  ground zero for American malaria outbreaks.

Malaria Girls 2

The woman in the top photo seems to be wearing a somewhat different outfit than the rest of the malaria girls.  Is she a research subject?  The bottom picture is a bit frustrating.  I'm not sure if it's supposed to be a vertical.  I keep thinking she's looking into a microscope.  But what's really maddening is the shoulder patch.  If it wasn't out of focus I'd know who these women were.

Dated "NOV 60"

Malaria Girls 1

My first thought when I looked at this collection, nursing school, but then I took a closer look at the third photo in this post and saw a few women that were a bit old to be students.  There's a poster that can be seen in the first two photos. (They're not the same.  Slightly different poses.)  "The malaria cycle."  So, lab technicians or public health workers?  I'm leaning towards some sort of public health team made up of nurses.  If these women were lab rats, I doubt they'd be wearing uniforms.  All dated, "NOV  60."

Any all girl punk bands searching for a name, feel free to use Malaria Girls.

The Army Hospital Album 29

And the (almost) never ending saga of the army hospital album continues.  The top two photos are labeled.  "Lnt. Carson"  I assume that Lnt. stands for Lieutenant.  The second, "Capt. Dr. Hill."  Perhaps someone out there can answer this question.  Are military hospitals segregated by rank.  Since a lieutenant is a patient, does that mean our photographer has to be an officer?

As usual, click on army hospital collection in labels to bring up the lot.

The Army Hospital Album 19

Once more into the hospital.  The nurse is "Miss Winters" and the lady with the convertible, "Anna Sells."

Click on army hospital collection in labels for the lot.

The Army Hospital Album 16

I'm beginning to feel like a prisoner to this collection.  There is a lot more to go after this.  Anyway, two of the four photos in this post are labeled.  Image number 2,  "Miss Willums"  Image number 3, "Sargent Dieze"  I've got a feeling the person who owned this album was not the gentleman reading The Atlantic.

Click on army hospital collection in the labels at the bottom of the post to bring up the whole lot.

The Army Hospital Album 14

My eyes hurt!  I was out riding my bicycle, got an eyeful of dust, and it took a couple of days for my eyes to flush out all that grit.  It's a good thing I wasn't in the army hospital.  All that second hand smoke would have made things worse.  Just think, way back in the 1950s, doctors and nurses would offer a smoke to a patient to make them feel better.  How things change.

Click on army hospital collection in labels to bring up the lot.

The Army Hospital Album 12

It must have been boring in the army hospital.  For those unaware, the military was segregated before 1948.  Click on army hospital collection in the labels section to bring up the lot.