Of necessity, early efforts to deal

Of necessity, early efforts to deal with emotional problems and behavioural disturbances were based on intuition and observation for the most part. However, there was a strong feeling among nurses that formal teaching was needed, if they were to deal with these problems effectively. In fact, perhaps the nurses' major contribution to the progress of mental health during the twenties was their realization that, as nurses, they were not equipped to understand and help with all of the complex emotional and behavioural problems with which they were confronted. When this became clear, in addition to their attempts to obtain a more adequate educational background in this area, they proceeded to enlist the help and co-operation of other professions, e.g. doctors, social workers, and nurses with specialized training.