History of Nursing

History of nursing began in the olden days when you started to breastfeed your child, or to take care of your children or other people’s children.  In the 3^rd B.C., Indian hospitals first had male nurses who provided nursing care to patients and doctors did the surgery and wound care.  In the year 250 B.C., a nursing school was opened but only men were allowed to attend because they were pure individuals that could be nurses.  Nurses wore uniforms with caps in the early times and now we have orderlies and nurses do not wear caps in the nursing field today.

The Meaning of Nursing

Nursing comes from Latin meaning to nourish and by the 16^th Century, the word nurse takes on a new meaning as someone who takes care of small children.  It generally is one who waits on someone or takes care of the sick, which is usually a woman. During the 19^th Century, yet, you can interrupt the meaning as one who waits on, takes care of people who are sick and carrying out the duties under the supervision of a doctor.  In the early times, nursing was not held in high regard and in the 19^th Century nurses started going beyond their call of duty and laid out the foundation of nursing as it is today.

Florence Nightingale

During this era, nursing was thought to be in the lower class and people were shocked when women wanted to become nurses.  Florence was the founder of nursing, The Lady of the Lamp, and felt that God called her to become a nurse.  Her family was shocked by the thought of her becoming a nurse and horrified that she didn’t accept any of the possible suitors that were brought to her attention. In 1851, Florence went to Germany to study nursing.  When the Crimean war broke out, Florence went to the army hospital in Scutari and was appalled by the hospital filth, and death rate.  Her nursing care and dedication decreased the death rate among the soldiers. One of Florence’s many achievements was opening a nursing school in 1860, called the Nightingale Training School for Nurses. It was first formal training school for nurses.

Clara Barton

Clara Barton was a battlefield nurse and called the Angle of the Battlefield. She was the founder of the Red Cross in the United States and served for 23 years as its president. Clara organized, donated money and distributed of medical supplies for the solders.  She travelled with the ambulances and cared for the wounded soldiers in the north and even behind enemy lines.  Clara helped many families find their missing family members by the thousands and became the first woman to run a government bureau “The Missing Soldier’s Office.”   

Tags: becoming a nurse, florence nightingale, history of nursing, nursing care