Alice Fitzgerald, a glamorous young debutante, shocked her family when she decided to become a nurse. At the turn of the century nursing was considered a degrading profession, but Alice was drawn to it and turned from her life of idleness among the rich. When she entered the Nurses Training School at John Hopkins, she little dreamed that she would achieve world-wide fame.

Although Alice realized that her former life was poor preparation for the arduous life of a nurse, she never wavered in her purpose. A diligent student, she discovered with joy her natural ability for healing and, before long, her talent for teaching that gift to others. In 1908 she was in Italy when the island of Sicily was shattered by an earthquake, and her prompt, heroic action in caring for the wounded saved many lives. When World War I erupted, she served as a nurse with the British Army on the front lines in France. After America entered the war, she traveled throughout Europe setting up hospitals, helping with problems of language and customs among medical personnel and patients. 

Later, she became chief nurse for the American Red Cross, fighting disease and starvation among Europe's homeless millions and organizing modern nursing schools in key cities. She pioneered the work of Public Health Nursing in the United States and the Philippines, and established nursing schools in the Far East. Her work was so outstanding and so beneficial, grateful countries all over the world honored her with decorations and medals. 

An inspiring story of a woman who met the adventure of life with a rare mixture of charm, zest, and humility. 

From the dust jacket