Laura Forster

The influence of Gustav Mann (experienced in histological staining) together with her interest to gain a greater command of neurohistological techniques prompted Laura Forster to spend a few months between 1910 and 1911 at the Cajal´s laboratory (since 1920, Instituto Cajal) located in Madrid (Spain).

On the front page of this publication, she writes a brief introduction in Spanish: “by indication of professor Cajal, in whose laboratory I had the honour to work during some months”.

She expresses “cordial thanks to Dr. Cajal for his amicable advice, as well as to Drs N. Achúcarro and F. Tello for the generous help that they gave me while performing this work” (Forster, 1911).

[8] When Belgium came under German bombardment in September and October 1914, Forster and her colleagues evacuated Belgian and British soldiers under heavy fire.

[9] She then relocated to Russia and volunteered in the surgical department of Petrograd's largest hospital, where she was the first Australian or British female surgeon to perform surgery.

Through the Caucasian Committee of the All-Russian Union of Towns, which operated 11 medical-related facilities, Forster managed a 150-bed infectious diseases hospital.

In September 1916 she joined a hospital unit financed by the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, which funded its operations for the wounded and refugees with donations from Britain's wealthy establishment.

[1][11] At Zalishchyky, the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies operated the Millicent Fawcett Hospital Units, named for the famed suffragette in England.

The doctor and nursing staff treated thousands of civilian refugees for typhoid, scarlet fever, dysentery and for farming accidents involving heavy equipment.

[12] At 58 years old, the 20-hour days, constant bombardment and huge influx of the sick and wounded took a toll on Forster as she often looked exhausted and thin.