Women's National Health Association

The Women's National Health Association (WNHA) was a body set up in Ireland in 1907 with the objective of eliminating, as far as possible, the scourge of tuberculosis, and to bring about a reduction in the high infant mortality rates in Ireland.

Women's National Health Association
AbbreviationWNHA
Formation13 March 1907
TypeNGO
PurposeSocial conditions
Location
  • Ireland
Region served
Ireland
Main organ
Board of directors
AffiliationsInternational Council of Women

Founding

The association was founded by Lady Aberdeen, wife of the Lord-Lieutenant in Ireland, Lord Aberdeen. During their second term in Ireland, from 1906 to 1915, Lady Aberdeen focused on healthcare and social well-being, subjects she had been interested in all her life.[1] Over 170 local branches of the WNHA were formed throughout the country.

Activities

The work of the association began with an exhibition on health matters, which was part of the Irish International Exhibition held in Dublin in 1907.[2] With government help, the Association established pasteurized milk depots, built hospitals, dispensaries and sanitariums and expanded its activities to include medical and dental inspections for school children.

In 1908, Lady Aberdeen edited a three-volume work entitled Ireland’s Crusade Against Tuberculosis, which was a summary of the lectures given at the first of the WNHA Health Exhibitions. She also edited Sláinte, the journal of the WNHA from 1909 to 1915.

Notable members

See also

References
  1. Anne-Michelle Slater, “The Noble Patroness Lady Aberdeen,” in Learning from the Lasses: Women of the Patrick Geddes Circle, Walter Stephen (Edinburgh: Luath Press Limited, 2014), 166. ISBN 9781910021064
  2. "Review of Ireland's crusade against tuberculosis". The Dublin Journal of Medical Science. CXXVI: 379–381. November 1908.
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