The Role of Women in Cancer Control and Cancer Care in the Early 20th Century

Abstract

In the early 20th century, thousands of women in the United States were involved in the cancer control movement as volunteers in the Women’s Field Army and as professional social workers caring for patients living with the disease. Yet their stories are largely untold in the social welfare literature. Using primary archival data and published writings from the era, this article examines the parallel and complementary work of these women and describes how these early efforts shaped the way we approach cancer care today.