Elisabeth Robinson Scovil (commonly written Elizabeth Robinson Scovil, 1849 – 1934) was a nurse born in

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

. She was among the first to graduate from the Boston Training School for Nurses (now, Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing). She headed the Infirmary at St. Paul's School in New Hampshire and wrote for the

Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine that ran until 2016 and was last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th centur ...

Biography

Elisabeth Robinson Scovil was born on 30 April 1849, in

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John () is a port#seaport, seaport city located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It is Canada's oldest Municipal corporation, incorporated city, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign ...

. She was the daughter of Samuel James Scovil, a lawyer descended from a line of notable clergy, and Mary Eliza Robinson, great-grandniece of the politician John Robinson. At 29, she was enrolled in a 2-year course at the Boston Training School for Nurses at

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...

. During her studies, she began contributing articles for publications including ''

Scribner's Monthly ''Scribner's Monthly: An Illustrated Magazine for the People'' was an illustrated American literary periodical published from 1870 until 1881. Following a change in ownership in 1881 of the company that had produced it, the magazine was relaunc ...

'' and the '' Christian Union''. An article in ''

The Youth's Companion ''The Youth's Companion'' (1827–1929), known in later years as simply ''The Companion—For All the Family'', was an American children's magazine that existed for over one hundred years until it finally merged with '' The American Boy'' in 19 ...

'', after she graduated, about learning to become a nurse, apparently led to over 1,000 applications to the school, winning her thanks from its board of directors. Scoville became the superintendent of the Infirmary at St. Paul's School in

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the county seat, seat of Merrimack County, New Hampshire, Merrimack County. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 43,976, making it the List of municipalities ...

, in 1880. Eventually she became the superintendent and instructor at Newport Hospital in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

, which was connected with the naval torpedo station there. From 1888, for 12 years she was an associate-editor of the ''

'', she was an assistant editor of the ''

American Journal of Nursing The ''American Journal of Nursing'' (AJN) is a monthly peer-reviewed nursing journal established in 1900. the editor-in-chief is Carl Kirton and it is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. In 2009 the journal was selected as one of the "10 ...

'', and was on the staff of the '' Canadian Nurse''. Scoville went back to Canada in 1903 to take care of her nieces and nephews after the death of her sister-in-law. She died in England on November 20, 1934, at the age of 85.

Works

Between the early 1890s and 1930s Scovil wrote 23 books on a wide range of subjects, including family life, religion, poetry and health, with her works on the latter topic being best sellers. Some works by Elisabeth Robinson Scovil include: * * * * * * ''Preparation for motherhood'' is notable as one of the first generally accessible books to discuss Conception, pregnancy and childbirth. In its introduction Scoville wrote: The impact of this book can be found in an obituary: "This book, and ''The Care of Children'', so changed women's lives that when coviltraveled by train to British Columbia to attend a meeting of the National Council of Women, groups of women gathered on station platforms, calling her name so they could thank her for the gift of knowledge."

Biography

Works

References

Further reading