Born: 21 December 1863, Finland
Died: 9 January 1928
Country most active: Finland
Also known as: Baroness Eva Charlotta Lovisa Sofia Mannerheim
The following is excerpted from “400 Outstanding Women of the World and the Costumology of Their Time” by Minna Moscherosch Schmidt, published in 1933.
Reformer of the training of nurses in Finland. Sophie Mannerheim, daughter of Count K. A. Mannerheim, was born in 1863 in Helsinki. She showed, early, an interest in nursing and completed her practical studies at the St. Thomas Hospital in England. In 1904 she was appointed Head Nurse of the General Chirurgic Hospital in Helsinki, which position she held until her death in 1928. It became her task to conduct the training of future nurses, and through her initiative the courses were changed, to comprise three years. Sophie Mannerheim was also the central figure in the Finnish Nurses’ Society, acting as its president (1905-1926).
She was internationally known, being offered honorary presidency in the International League of Nurses; she represented Finland at several congresses abroad. Social hygiene, especially children’s welfare, lay on the heart of Sophie Mannerheim, and through the influence of her work and noble, energetic personality, nursing has attained its due place in the esteem of public opinion.