Sister Elizabeth Kenny

Elizabeth Kenny was a self-trained Australian nurse who developed controversial therapy for polio patients. Her pioneering approach revolutionized rehabilitation for polio patients and laid the groundwork for modern physical therapy. Early in her life she was home-schooled and only received a few years of formal education. At 17, she broke her wrist after falling from a horse. When her father took her to Dr. McDonnell for treatment, she began studying his anatomy books and model skeleton. From this experience she started a lifelong friendship with Dr McDonnell who later became her mentor and advisor.

 

In July 1912, after several years of studying and hands-on experience, she opened St. Canice's clinic where she provided restorative and midwifery services describing her first encounter with a patient with infantile paralysis. “Sensing that the patient’s muscles were tight, I applied hot compresses made from woolen blankets to their legs.” In May 1915 she announced that she would be closing St Canice to join the War effort in Europe. Unfortunately, she was found not eligible because she was not a qualified nurse. Receiving a letter of recommendation from Dr McDonnell, Kenny was assigned as a nurse on the crew of the HMAT Suevic. In 1917 she earned the title "Sister", which in the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) is the equivalent to 1st lieutenant. In 1919 she was honorably discharged and awarded a pension.

 

After the war, Sister Kenny returned to live with her mother. She advertised her services as a nurse reaching her patients on foot and by horseback. In 1922, she was asked to care for Daphne Cregan who was severely disabled with cerebral diplegia. Daphne’s treatment consisted of salt baths, passive exercises, and massages. After 3 years of therapy—and with the aid of crutches, Daphne was able to walk. Kenny's experiences during WWI and her treatment of Daphne were the foundation work of rehabilitating polio victims. In May 1926, she provided first aid to Sylvia Kuhn, a young girl who was injured in a farming accident. The injury was serious enough for transportation to a hospital, so Kenny creatively made a stretcher from a cupboard door, which was later patented. Over the next four years, her invention—the Sylvia Stretcher—was widely adopted by ambulance services across multiple countries.

 

In 1932, Queensland suffered its highest cases of polio. The outbreak clarified for many people that current treatment for victims of paralysis was inadequate. Kenny set up a treatment facility under canopies behind the Queens Hotel in Townsville. Having the support of Eleanor MacKinnon, a key figure in the local Red Cross, the Queensland Government provided funds for a trial of Kenny's methods. Her success led to Kenny clinics being established in several Australian cities. Between 1935 and 1940, Kenny travelled widely in Australia, helping to establish clinics, making two trips to England, where she set up a treatment clinic in St Mary's Hospital.

 

In 1940, the New South Wales (NSW) government sent Kenny to America to present her clinical method for treating polio victims to doctors. When given an opportunity to show her work in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Doctors Miland Knapp and John Pohl were so impressed that they found her a permanent place to live. Minneapolis would later become her base for 11 years. Several Kenny treatment centers were opened throughout the United States, the best-known being the Sister Kenny Institute in Minneapolis.

 

The Sister Kenny Foundation was established to support her work throughout the United States. Many doctors became believers when they saw the effects Kenny's method had on her patients. During her first year in Minneapolis, the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (NFIP) paid her personal expenses and financed trials of her work. In February 1950 in recognition of her work, President Harry Truman signed a Congressional bill giving Kenny the right to enter and leave the US as she wished without a visa. Sister Kenny’s life story was told in the 1946 film, Sister Kenny, where she was portrayed by Rosalind Russell. Although her name is less recognized today, her contributions to polio rehabilitation continue to shape modern therapy techniques.