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Picture: Gosteli-Stiftung, Worblaufen
Anna Heer stands at the beginning of professional care in Switzerland. In 1901, she founded the Swiss School of Nurses with a women’s hospital in Zurich. She headed it as chief physician until her death. Throughout her life, she was committed to the professional recognition and development of nursing care in Switzerland. In 1910, she was involved in the founding of the Swiss Nursing Association and became its first president.
As one of the early female medical students, Anna Heer had to assert herself at the University of Zurich among male colleagues and professors. In the nursing school, she focused on the advancement of women. The Women’s Hospital not only offered vocational training to young women, but was also run entirely by women and employed only female doctors – a sensation at the time.
The Main Library – Medicine Careum is currently preparing an exhibition in memory of Anna Heer in cooperation with the historian Verena E. Müller. The exhibition will be shown in the entrance area of the Main Library – Medicine Careum in the spring semester 2019.