176 A Short History of Nursing serve. Clara Barton, devoted as ever but ad- vanced in years, threw herself, whole-souled into McGee head of the army nursing. She had back of her the Daughters of the American Revolution. The most effective association of prominent women was the New York Committee of the Red Cross Auxiliary No. 3. At the outbreak of the war the national association of nurses, then just formed, had offered its services to the Surgeon- General, but as the war went on, its members became es- pecially identified with Auxiliary No. 3, which became practically the reserve for the army nurse corps under Dr. McGee. Much admirable work was done in the course of the war, for a number of the ablest training school superintendents went personally to the camps with staffs of nurses. Many individual nurses, working at great 'odds, brought high credit to their profession, but in the general emer- gency there were serious evidences of undesirable elements being at large and uncontrolled. After the war the leaders of nursing had confer- ences with Mrs. Whitelaw Reid and other mem- Army nursing and the Red Cross the relief work of that war, but nursing was taken up by volunteer associations directed by other women. The Surgeon- General appointed Dr. Anita Newcomb
