Mary Seacole (November 23, 1805 – May 14, 1881)
In celebration of Black History Month, we invite you to learn more about the icon that was Mary Jane Seacole, a British-Jamaican nurse who is known for her incredible work helping the sick and wounded during the Crimean War in a hotel setup behind the lines during the Crimean War.
Her father was a Scottish Soldier in the British Army and her mother was was of mixed-race and referred to as a "Doctress" and respected for her medicinal skills.
Read on and click below to learn more about her adventurous life.
Mary Seacole, nurse, entreprenuer, and traveler. Mary Seacole is responsible for nursing hundreds of British soldiers back to health during the Crimean War with her knowledge of herbalism and nursing. She furthered her nursing experience during a cholera epidemic in Panama and in caring for yellow fever victims in Jamaica.
Seacole was born a "free person" in Kingston Jamaica to a Scottish father and free Jamaican mother. Her father was a Scottish soldier and her mother was a healer who used traditional Caribbean and West African herbal medicine. She traveled extensively with her husband to Bahamas, Haiti, and Cuba, augmenting her knowledge of local medicines and treatments.
You can learn more from her memoir " The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands".
Its nurses like Mary Seacole that have inspired nurses around the world. Join the Nurse Herbalist to make your mark.