A new exhibition in Abbott Library, Praxeda Fronczak: A Red-Cross Nurse in Poland (1919-1921), highlights the journey of Buffalo-based, Polish American Red Cross nurse Praxeda I. Fronczak during the years of the Polish-Soviet War (c.1919-1921). 
At the age of 21, Fronczak attended the Training School for Nurses at the Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo, New York, and graduated in 1916. Shortly after becoming a registered nurse, Fronczak began working for the Health Department of the City of Buffalo until 1919, when she joined the Buffalo Chapter of the American Red Cross in 1919 to aid Poland during the Polish-Soviet War.
Following the end of World War One, Poland grappled with continued border conflicts. Reestablished as an independent Republic after over 100 years of partitioning, Polish borders remained in flux despite the Treaty of Paris (1918) which eventually led to a direct clash with the Red Army of the Soviets following the end of the Russian Revolution. Disease complicated the Polish war effort further because of a lack of trained medical professionals. And typhus ravaged the eastern half of the country as thousands of infected and malnourished refugees fled the Soviets into Poland.
The exhibit features photographs, journal entries, and correspondence from Fronczak, showcasing her efforts to help evacuate refugees across the frozen Dniester River, to treat the sick and starving, to establish modern nursing schools in Poland, and to teach Polish women the valuable skills necessary to become nurses.
Praxeda Fronczak: A Red-Cross Nurse in Poland (1919-1921) is on display through September 2024. This exhibit is located in Abbott Library in the Robert L. Brown History of Medicine Collection’s Conference Space, Room B5A.
To view the exhibit, contact The Robert L. Brown History of Medicine Collection at historyofmedicine@buffalo.edu or 716-829-5685 to make an appointment.
To view online, visit: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/973910e6aa854000bb62895199933b19