#erina pendleton

the more i think about it, the less it makes sense for erina to be labeled a nurse. if anything, she would hold a much higher medical title. im not trying to be preachy about 'historical accuracy' nor do i prioritize it no, especially not in a story with countless creative liberties. that said, the victorian setting is chosen for a reason and within that context and the crumbs of erina's background the canon story provides, having her at a 'nursing' position is incredibly messy in my opinion

her father is a physician, which was a highly respectable, lucrative profession that would easily grant their family an upper middle class standing at the very least. buying her an expensive doll as a gift aside, the absolute biggest indicator that her father is straight up wealthy is the fact that he literally owns a hospital. this is where it gets interesting. for a physician to own a hospital in that era it had to be a sophisticated, private institution reserved exclusively for wealthy patients. otherwise, there would be issues with his reputation among high society. i think this is exactly the case based on the structure of the building. voluntary hospitals were cramped with many patients in one room, the hospital owned by erina's father has private rooms! that was a serious, rare luxury for those who could afford it

speaking of voluntary hospitals, those were funded by community donations and the working class sought out medical help there. because of the deep seated classism of that era, they were treated as an afterthought, filthy and completely neglected. they were a hazardous environment and the nurses were treated horribly, they were not professional assistants to doctors. they were paid very little to scrub floors and generally do grueling domestic work, heavily restricted from any clinical involvement with patients. (despite societal shifts, this was the standard until the early years of the 20th century)

given that erina is a woman of high social standing who already practiced medicine in India and is never shown to do anything mentioned above, to me at least, it is highly illogical that this would be her career path. and it isn't really, but the title is incorrect.

so what is the better label then yapper? well, canon says erina is a nurse, yes, but i dont think its a reach to conclude this is simply a case of araki prioritizing the popularized 'caregiver' (or 'angel of mercy') romance trope over adapting historical accuracy. im saying it like this because for the most part, he makes it clear hes done his research very well for phantom blood. but to avoid exaggeration and keep things grounded i think the professional term that fits her best is a physician. obviously the medical landscape was incredibly hostile to women at the time. however, her entry to the field would be backed by her father's power, and given her resilience it makes total sense to me that she would push through to continue her work. being a physician doesnt mean her job lacks labor or grit, but it matches her environment better. and its not like anything in the story actually changes. all that blabber is to actually make sense of what is shown in it. cleaning and closing deep wounds, cooling serious burns and adjusting broken bones are not procedures a standard victorian nurse would even be allowed to do.

I’m still in artblock so this sucks- anyways how George || was born /j

I ain’t telling u where the rest is 🏃‍♀️‍➡️

This is like artblock art so it sucks 😭🙏🙏🙏 anyways, I love Jonaeri. Somebody pls talk abt Jonaeri with me