“While working in the outback, Australian nurse Elizabeth Kenny (Rosalind Russell) encounters polio in some of her patients and witnesses its severe effects. As she treats many young children and babies, Kenny starts to develop theories about how to fight the disease, including hot presses on the afflicted limbs. When the medical community disputes her methods, Kenny sacrifices much of her personal life to convince doctors around the world that her practices are the best treatment.” – Google
Movie clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyzg-4Z5G2I
Largely self-taught, the real-life Sister Kenny (1880-1952) started providing nursing care to residents near her parents’ home in Nobby. She worked as a nurse in the bush country of Queensland from 1911-1914, and gained additional experience as a staff nurse in the Australian Army Nursing Service during World War I, serving on troopships. Promoted to “Sister,” she used the honorific for the rest of her life. She was not a nun.
Sister Kenny's treatment for polio, known as the Kenny Method, involved applying hot compresses to affected limbs and encouraging gentle movement, rather than the traditional immobilization with casts and braces. Her approach focused on muscle re-education and rehabilitation, a significant departure from the prevailing medical practices of the time. The groundbreaking approach influenced the field of physical therapy and led to the establishment of rehabilitation centers. Her methods were widely accepted, particularly in the U.S., and she even had her own institute established in Minneapolis.
