One possible reason the World Health Organization (WHO) hasn't filled key positions for nurses is that the professional objectives nurse leaders hold dear may be out of synchrony with the priorities set by WHO leaders and member nations ("Restore the Nursing Presence at the WHO, Says the ICN," In the News, July).

In the century after Florence Nightingale established the modern nursing profession, leaders emphasized the value of cohesion among nursing organizations. The International Council of Nurses and its worldwide members valiantly preserved and developed nursing standards-without the support of dominant social institutions, such as hospitals and universities. The result has been an emphasis on control over the profession rather than how the profession participates in a global society whose goal is to achieve health for all.

Edward J. Halloran, RN

Chapel Hill, NC