RYDA Newsletter 07/2026
Improvement in patient care
Alongside the development of medical treatments and expansion of medical knowledge, the 18th and 19th centuries bore witness to improvements in patient care.
Two women who played a role in this were Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole – both of whom were involved in treating injured men during the Crimean War, 1853 - 1856.
Photo from Wikipedia
Upon her return to Britain after the war, Nightingale established the Nightingale Training School at St Thomas’ Hospital. She aided the transformation of cleanliness in hospitals using the knowledge that she had acquired during her time abroad.
Both Nightingale and Seacole recognised the importance of housing sick men in a clean environment whilst they were recovering from their injuries.
Florence Nightingale introduced the use of statistics into medicine.
She collected data on illness and death and discovered that more soldiers were dying as a result of unclean conditions in the hospitals than as a direct result of battlefield injuries.
She presented her findings in a diagram which gave a clear visual representation of causes of death. Nightingale proposed simple measures to improve conditions:
- Patients were separated according to their illness.
- Beds were spaced apart and clean air was allowed to circulate.
- Strict hygiene rules were enforced, eg patients were washed and bedding was changed regularly.
Born and raised in Jamaica, Mary Seacole was the daughter of a Scottish soldier and a free black Jamaican.
Her mother was a 'doctress' who cared for sick people using traditional African and Caribbean herbal remedies.
Mary learned how to diagnose disease and care for the sick from her mother. She put this into practise during a cholera epidemic in Panama and an outbreak of yellow fever in Jamaica.
Photo from Wikipedia
At the outbreak of the Crimean War in 1853, Seacole volunteered as a nurse but was refused. In her autobiography she questioned whether this was a result of racism. Instead, she raised her own funds and travelled to Crimea, setting up her own 'British Hotel' where she tended to sick and injured soldiers.
Like Nightingale, Seacole understood the importance of the conditions in which patients were kept. She practised good hygiene, her rooms were warm and well ventilated, and she ensured patients were well fed and hydrated.
Seacole is rightly remembered for treating her patients as people rather than just bodies to be healed.
Photo from Wikipedia
Before we move on from the 1800’s lets have a look at some unsung pioneers who quietly shaped modern medicine:
Ignaz Semmelweis was born in a wealthy family of Budapest in 1818, the fifth of 10 children. He moved to Vienna to study law but soon realized he was more interested in the study of the human body. In 1844 he received his medical degree and started working in an obstetric clinic in Vienna.
At the time, giving birth could be a dangerous experience and the infamous puerperal fever accounted for the death of 20-25% of all women giving birth. Where outbreaks happened, they were documented by the local physicians, but considered unpreventable, and women were likely to die if they contracted it.
Ignaz Semmelweis – The Father of Handwashing Who Died Unheard
Now we know that puerperal fever is caused by bacterial infection, mainly Streptococci, but at the time the physicians ignored the concept of germs, despite the insights of medical men such as Alexander Gordon, who identified in 1795 that puerperal fever could be transmitted from woman to woman by the birth attendant, or indeed to the birth attendant if they had a wound.
Semmelweis was skeptical of the prevailing theories and wanted to figure out why outbreaks happened, to properly understand the transmission of this dreadful disease.
Semmelweis started his investigation by comparing the mortality rates due to puerperal fever in the two obstetric divisions of the hospital. He noticed that the first division, where women were visited by physicians and medical students, had a much higher death rate than the second division, which was run by midwives.
In 1847, Semmelweis’ friend and fellow doctor Jakob Kolletschka was pocked with a scalpel during an autopsy of a woman who died of puerperal fever. Few days later he died, victim of the same horrible symptoms.
Semmelweis immediately saw the missing piece of the puzzle he was looking for.
Physicians and medical students that worked in the first obstetric division often visited women and delivered babies after having performed autopsies (in fact, treatises of the time encouraged surgeons acting as midwives to be involved in autopsies, to get familiar with the pathology of fever deaths), while the midwives in the second division were not qualified to perform autopsies and had no contact with corpses.
Semmelweis experimented with different cleaning agents and concluded chloride solution could do the trick, as it worked well to eliminate the smell of the dead body from the hands.
He initiated a mandatory hand wash policy for physicians and medical students after they engaged with corpses and the mortality rate in the first obstetric division finally fell down to the same level as in the midwives’ division. And the number went even lower when they started using the chlorine solution to clean the medical instruments.
Today, handwashing is universally accepted as basic hygiene.
But in the 1800s, it was considered unnecessary—even absurd.
His simple solution: wash hands with chlorinated water.
The medical establishment ridiculed him. He lost his job and died in an asylum.
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams – Performed One of the First Successful Open-Heart Surgeries
Photo from Wikipedia
Williams was born in 1858 in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, the fifth of seven children. After his father died, his mother, Sara Price Williams, moved the family several times. Young Daniel started as a shoemaker, but quickly knew he wanted more education. He completed secondary school in Wisconsin. At age 20, Williams became an apprentice to a former surgeon general for Wisconsin. Williams studied medicine at Chicago Medical College.
After his internship, he went into private practice in an integrated neighbourhood on Chicago's south side. He soon began teaching anatomy at Chicago Medical College and served as surgeon to the City Railway Company.
Determined that Chicago should have a hospital where both black and white
doctors could study and where black nurses could receive training, Williams rallied for a hospital open to all races.
After months of hard work, he opened Provident Hospital and Training School for Nurses on May 4, 1891, the country's first interracial hospital and nursing school.
One hot summer night in 1893, a young Chicagoan named James Cornish was stabbed in the chest and rushed to Provident. When Cornish started to go into shock, Williams suspected a deeper wound near the heart. He asked six doctors (four white, two black) to observe while he operated. In a cramped operating room with crude anesthesia, Williams inspected the wound between two ribs, exposing the breastbone. He cut the rib cartilage and created a small trapdoor to the heart.
Underneath, he found a damaged left internal mammary artery and sutured it. Then, inspecting the pericardium (the sac around the heart) he saw that the knife had left a gash near the right coronary artery. With the heart beating and transfusion impossible, Williams rinsed the wound with salt solution, held the edges of the palpitating wound with forceps, and sewed them together. Just 51 days after his apparently lethal wound, James Cornish walked out of the hospital. He lived for over 20 years after the surgery.
Margaret Ann Bulkley (a.k.a. Dr. James Barry) – A Surgeon Ahead of His Time
James Barry studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh from 1809 to 1812. After only two years of study, and probably at no more than 17 years of age, Barry graduated.
Initially, they worked at St Thomas' Hospital, London, before joining the army as a medical officer. Barry was sent to South Africa a year later and it was here that Barry carried out the first successful Caesarean section in 182,. in which both the mother and child survived the surgery He improved conditions not only for wounded soldiers, but also for the native inhabitants.
The story of James Barry is one of the most remarkable in the University of Edinburgh's history. Born Margaret Ann Bulkley, Barry's identity as a woman was a secret until after death.
An extraordinary life. (image and txt ….medicine-vet-medicine.ed)
Barry was considered a bad-tempered, squeaky-voiced eccentric, often teased by colleagues for their voice. It is said that Barry challenged tormentors to duels, shooting one man dead through the lung. (Teasing died down after this particular incident.)
Florence Nightingale hated Barry, writing after their death: “I never had such a blackguard rating in all my life – I who have had more than any woman – than from this Barry sitting on his horse, while I was crossing the Hospital Square with only my cap on in the sun. He kept me standing in the midst of quite a crowd of soldiers, Commissariat, servants, camp followers, etc., etc., every one of whom behaved like a gentleman during the scolding I received while he behaved like a brute . . . After he was dead, I was told that (Barry) was a woman . . . I should say that (Barry) was the most hardened creature I ever met.”
Nevertheless, Barry was considered an excellent doctor with a sympathetic beside manner regardless of background and an enduring focus on improving sanitation.
In 1865, returning to Britain with a bad case of dysentery, Barry died.
Barry's maid laid them out for the funeral, and held on to her sensational discovery until afterwards: Barry was a woman.
Speculation and scandal began to spread. Some army personnel claimed they’d known all along, while others put forward theories that Barry was a hermaphrodite or a male who had never developed past puberty. The army shut down all access to his papers for a good hundred years, and the case wasn’t opened again until the 1950s, by historian Isobel Rae.
From there Barry went on to have a distinguished career as an army surgeon in Cape Town in South Africa, the Island of St Helena and Trinidad and Tobago, ending their career in Canada as Inspector General of military hospitals. (equivalent to Brigadier)
Planning
There is no planning of note this month
Whats On?
4th July 13.00-15.30 Snorkel Safari join the fully trained BSAC instructors for a snorkel safari around Wembury Bay. Suitable for beginners or more advanced snorkelers. Full kit provided. Children must be 8+ to take part. Booking essential www.wemburymarinecentre.org/events £30 per person meet at Wembury Marine Centre PL9 0HP
4th July Life on the edge @ Wembury Fayre. Meadow inspired games, crafts and maybe some bug hunts Wembury school PL9 0EB
7th July First Tuesday Lunch club WIC hall new members welcome.. 12.00 prompt please £6pp 2 courses plus coffee. Allergies can be catered for. Please contact Jeanne (872442); Jane (872627) or Tracie (872612).
11th July Holbeton Film Club Doors open at 7pm. Ballad of Wallis Island An eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island tries to make his fantasies come true by getting his favourite musicians to perform at his home.
You'll be given a warm welcome when you arrive, and can spend some time chatting to friends before the lights go down at 7:30pm. We charge just £4 (£2 for children under 12) - terrific value for such a great evening of entertainment.
You are welcome to bring your own alcohol if you wish, or you can treat yourself to one of our fabulous chocolate-covered ice creams!
Parking is available at the village hall; our own Tetris Tim will be out there helping manoeuvre the cars to accommodate as many as possible.
8th July Parish Council Meeting WIC hall 7.00pm
11th July Regatta dance
16th July 10.30-13.00 Cyanotype workshop www.wemburymarinecentre.org/events £12.50 Make something beautiful and unique at Wembury Marine Centre using materials from the beach, whilst learning about local marine life. Cyanotypes use the intricate shapes of seaweed and a little bit of chemistry to make beautiful pieces of artwork.
18th July Yealm Art Society. Pastel Landscape Yealmpton Community ctre 10.00-4.00 book e mail contact@yealmartsociety.com
18th July Snorkel Safari 1:30pm - 3:30pm. meet outside Wembury Marine Centre (PL9 0HP) just before the event start time.info@wemburymarinecentre.org
Snorkel safaris are suitable for children and adults, including beginners who would like to learn how to snorkel, or more advanced snorkellers who would enjoy the company of a group. Full kit can be provided and is included in the cost, but we do require a £20 cash deposit per person on the day, which will be returned provided no kit is lost or damaged. If you plan to bring your own gear, then we recommend a 5mm full length wetsuit and separate snorkel and mask (not a full face snorkel).
Children must be 8 years or over to take part and all participants must be competent swimmers.
Sunday 19th July Rockpool Safari. Wembury Marine Centre, Wembury, Devon 2:30pm - 4:00pm To book: Phone number 01752862538 Email info@wemburymarinecentre.org Price £5.50 per person (+ Eventbrite fee) Children must be accompanied by a paying adult
21st July Ladies Line Dancing WI hall Newton Ferrers 2.00- 3.30 £2.00 Ladies come and join this vibrant group for some fun exercise ( and a much needed tea break at half time!)
21st July WI monthly meeting 7pm the speaker is from the Samaritans. New members always welcome.
23rd July Thursday Lunch Club 12.15 £6 pp. Newton & Noss village Hall. 2 courses plus coffee. Please contact mrandmrsbarnett@gmail.comAllergies and vegetarians can be catered for, also vegetarian option available. New members welcome.
28th July WI Craft Group 2.00- 4.00 New members always welcome
29th July Yealmpton Show
29th July National Marine Week Night-Time Rockpool Safari 10:00pm - 11:30pm £8.50
https://www.wemburymarinecentre.org/events/2026-07-29-national-marine-week-night-time-rockpool-safari
Spaces are limited on this event, so booking is therefore essential.
Expert staff and volunteers will take you on a guided rockpool safari by torch light to meet some of Wembury's most famous inhabitants and see what they get up to after dark!
It is essential that each participant brings their own torch/head torch and if possible, wears bright/high-vis clothing. We will also provide high vis jackets for those who require one. Please wear wellington boots or other suitable sturdy shoes which can get wet and please leave your rockpool nets at home as we follow the Seashore Code and use our hands and buckets instead (tubs provided).
Save the Date
4th August First Tuesday Lunch club WIC hall new members welcome.. 12.00 prompt please £6pp 2 courses plus coffee. Allergies can be catered for. Please contact Jeanne (872442); Jane (872627) or Tracie (872612).
18th August WI Presidents supper (Members only) 6pm
There is NO Thursday Lunch Club in August
Please Note: There is NO WI line dancing or Craft group in August.
14 August Holbeton Film Club are showing "Im still Here"
A woman married to a former politician during the military dictatorship in Brazil is forced to reinvent herself and chart a new course for her family after a violent and arbitrary act.
Wembury Marine centre Snorkel Safaris
1, 8, 15, 20, 22 & 29th August
https://www.wemburymarinecentre.org/whats/snorkel-safaris
fully qualified BSAC Snorkel Instructors will cover basic snorkelling techniques, followed by a guided snorkel around Wembury Bay's famous rocky reefs, searching for and identifying underwater marine life as we go! We always follow our Seashore Code ethos of enjoying and respecting marine life through observation without disturbing.
Our snorkel safaris are suitable for children and adults, including beginners who would like to learn how to snorkel, or more advanced snorkellers who would enjoy the company of a group. Full kit can be provided and is included in the cost, but we dorequire a £20 cash deposit per person on the day, which will be returned provided no kit is lost or damaged. If you plan to bring your own gear, then we recommend a 5mm full length wetsuit and separate snorkel and mask (not a full face snorkel).
Children must be 8 years or over to take part and all participants must be competent swimmers. Parents/guardians of children snorkelling must stay on the shore to meet them when they exit the water. If you would like to join your child in the water and experience our stunning underwater world, then you will also need to purchase a ticket.
Please note, changing time and an introductory talk in the Marine Centre is included in the 2.5 hour event time - we are usually in the water for around 1 hour.
31st August St Peters Church Fete from middayon Noss Green
August 27,28,& 30 Rockpool Safari. Wembury Marine Centre, Wembury, Devon To book: Phone number 01752862538 Email info@wemburymarinecentre.orgPrice £5.50 per person (+ Eventbrite fee) Children must be accompanied by a paying adult
16th October Jazz night at Holy Cross Church. Tickets available mid AUgust