Prior to the Herzegovina Uprising (1875) and the First Serbian-Turkish War (1876-1877), two associations were established in Serbia with humane work goals that provided great assistance to the health service throughout the war conflicts in which the Serbian people participated. The first of these was the Women's Society, established in May 1875, and the second one was the Serbian Red Cross Society, established in February 1876. Shortly before the wars, they organized training courses for voluntary paramedics and nurses, during the wars they established reserve hospitals, collected money, medical supplies, and clothing for the wounded and the refugees. In peacetime, among other activities, they worked to raise public awareness of the importance of hygiene and proper nutrition. Female physicians and physicians' wives were particularly active in the Women's Society, and were followed by women around them. The work of the female members of the Women's Society was especially invaluable in the subcommittees, as they worked together with their husbands to promote health education in culturally primitive rural areas.