author
Ellen N. (Ellen Newbold) La Motte
1873–1961
An American nurse, journalist, and author, she brought an unflinching voice to the human cost of World War I. Her writing also explored tuberculosis care, social reform, and the opium trade.
5 Audiobooks
Peking Dust
by Ellen N. (Ellen Newbold) La Motte
The backwash of war : the human wreckage of the battlefield as witnessed by an American hospital nurse
by Ellen N. (Ellen Newbold) La Motte
Civilization: Tales of the Orient
by Ellen N. (Ellen Newbold) La Motte
The Opium Monopoly
by Ellen N. (Ellen Newbold) La Motte
The Tuberculosis Nurse: Her Function and Her Qualifications A Handbook for Practical Workers in the Tuberculosis Campaign
by Ellen N. (Ellen Newbold) La Motte
About the author
Born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1873, Ellen Newbold La Motte graduated from the Johns Hopkins Hospital Training School for Nurses in 1902. She went on to write about nursing, public health, social reform, and women’s rights, becoming the author of seven books and numerous articles.
During World War I, La Motte volunteered as a nurse in Paris before serving at a field hospital near the Belgian front. Her wartime experiences inspired The Backwash of War (1916), a stark collection of stories about wounded soldiers and the realities of the battlefield.
La Motte later wrote about tuberculosis and opium addiction, including The Tuberculosis Nurse, Peking Dust, and The Opium Monopoly. She died in Washington, D.C., in 1961.