Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

ess Eva Charlotta Lovisa Sofia (Sophie) Mannerheim (21 December 1863 – 9 January 1928) was a famous nurse known as a pioneer of modern nursing in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. She was a daughter of count Carl Robert Mannerheim and a sister of former Finnish President, Marshal

Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military commander, aristocrat, and statesman. He served as the military leader of the White Guard (Finland), Whites in the Finnish Civil War (1918), as List of ...

, and of the artist and writer Eva Mannerheim-Sparre. Mannerheim was president of Finnish Nurses' Association and also of the International Council of Nurses. She was awarded the

Florence Nightingale Medal The Florence Nightingale Medal is an international award presented to those distinguished in nursing and named after British nurse Florence Nightingale. The medal was established in 1912 by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), f ...

in 1925. A primary and hospital school in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

is named after her.

Early life and education

Mannerheim was born in Helsinki on 21 December 1863. She was the eldest daughter of Count Carl Robert Mannerheim and Hedvig Charlotta Helena von Julin, and she was a sister of former Finnish President, Marshal

, and of the artist and writer Eva Mannerheim-Sparre. Mannerheim trained as a teacher in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

from 1881, and worked as a governess before returning to Finland, where she worked as a bank employee for six years. In 1896. Mannerheim married Hjalmar Constantin Linder, a family friend, but they divorced in 1902.

Nursing career

In 1899 Mannerheim began training in

nursing Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

at the Nightingale School at

St Thomas' Hospital St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS teaching hospital in Central London, England. Administratively part of the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, together with Guy's Hospital, Evelina London Children's Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospita ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Returning home in 1904 she was appointed head nurse of Helsinki Surgical Hospital. Mannerheim advocated for nursing as a professional discipline, and overhauled the nursing education offered at the nursing school, from a one-year practical training to a period of practical training followed by three years of further education. In 1905 Mannerheim was elected president of the Finnish Nurses' Association, a position she held for 24 years. She also co-founded the Northern Nurses’ Federation in 1920. Mannerheim was, together with Dr

Arvo Ylppö Arvo Henrik Ylppö (27 October 1887 – 28 January 1992) was a Finnish physician and professor of pediatrics who significantly decreased Finnish infant mortality during the 20th century. He is credited as the father of Finland's public ma ...

, co-founder of the Children's Castle (Lastenlinna) hospital in Helsinki as well as the

Mannerheim League for Child Welfare Mannerheim League for Child Welfare ( (MLL); ) is a Finnish non-governmental organization founded in 1920 that promotes the well-being of children, young people and families with children. MLL's goal is a child-friendly Finland. It can be attribu ...

. As a result of her international involvement, Mannerheim was also elected president of the

International Council of Nurses The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of more than 130 national nurses associations. It was founded in 1899 and was the first international organization for :Health care occupations, health care professionals. It is headqua ...

(ICN) in 1922, taking over from Henny Tscherning. Christiane Reimann was elected secretary at the same time. Mannerheim oversaw a period of growth in the organisation, after the low point at the end of the WWI. During her tenure eight memberships were added, and complex issues handled, including training standards for nurses, and disagreements over nurses’ representation in the international community. Mannerheim was awarded the 1925 Florence Nightingale Medal. Mannerheim died on 9 January 1928. The Sophie Mannerheim School, a primary and hospital school in

, is named after her.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mannerheim, Sophie 1863 births 1928 deaths People from Helsinki

Sophie Sophie is a feminine given name, another version of Sophia, from the Greek word for "wisdom". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Soph ...

Finnish people of German descent Finnish people of Scottish descent Finnish people of Swedish descent Swedish-speaking Finns Finnish nurses 19th-century Finnish nobility 19th-century Swedish nobility 19th-century Finnish women People from the Grand Duchy of Finland Florence Nightingale Medal recipients