Interview of Lena Hitchcock on her pioneering service as an occupational therapist in the U.S. Army during WWI

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Description:

In an oral history interview, 93 year-old Lena Hitchcock talks about her pioneering service as an occupational therapist in the U.S. Army during World War I. She says that she was one of the first of her profession to join the Army and was in the first group of women sent to France to establish physical therapy practices in American hospitals. Hitchcock recalls being shipped to France aboard a troop transport which was part of a twenty-nine ship British convoy and being assigned to a New York nursing unit which was part of the Army Medical Corps. She says that she was always too busy to keep a diary of her experiences in Europe and that beginning each day at 6:00am she was faced with treating a constant flow of casualties coming in from front line aid stations. Hitchcock also describes the science behind physical therapy, gives a history of the profession and explains why she chose it as a career. The interview is conducted during the 62nd Annual WOSL Convention. Hitchcock is interviewed by Jane Ingersoll Piatt and Geneva K. Wiskemann from the WOSL Lansing Unit.

Date Issued:

1982-07-14T00:00:00Z

Data Provider:

Michigan State University. Libraries

Collection:

Women's Overseas Service League Oral History Project

Place:

France and France

Subject Topic:

Knowledge and learning, Medical personnel, Military life, Occupational therapists, World War, 1914-1918, Veterans, Women veterans, World War, 1914-1918, World War, 1914-1918, Participation, Female, Physical therapy, Physical therapy, History, World War, 1914-1918, Medical care, Hospitals, Rehabilitation services, Occupational therapy, and Vocational guidance

Subject Name:

Hitchcock, Lena, Hitchcock, Lena, United States, Army, United States, and Army

Subject Genre:

Interviews, Interviews, Interviews, Interviews, Interviews, and Personal narratives, American

Language:

English

Rights:

In Copyright

URL:

https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m5tt45