Interview with Lydia Thompson,

Interview Summary

Lydia Thompson was associated with the FNS as a nurse-midwife from 1947 to 1952. She describes Mary Breckinridge, who started the FNS, and her attitude toward the mountain people as well as her attitude toward black people. Thompson indicates that after her own work in the slums of Glasgow [Scotland], the poverty and primitive conditions in Leslie County did not seem extreme. According to Thompson, most homes were clean and neat; many children, however, were severely afflicted with worms. Thompson describes prenatal care and visits to patients' homes as a part of her work at the Confluence and Beech Fork centers. She describes the daily life of a Frontier Nurse and how she goes about her work. Lastly, Thompson describes how the Frontier Nursing Service helped her a lot in life and made her a better person.

Interview Keyword

Frontier Nursing Service Lydia Thompson Mary Breckinridge Midwife for FNS 1947-1952 Midwifery Prenatal care and home visits Rural health care Scotland Wendover, Kentucky

Interview LC Subject

Antenatal care Children--Health and hygiene--Kentucky Frontier Nursing Service, Inc. Medical care Midwifery--Appalachian Region Nursing

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.