History of Nursing

801 Words4 Pages
World History of NursingBibliographic information Title Historical Encyclopedia of Nursing
Author Mary Ellen Snodgrass

Edition illustrated
Publisher Diane Publishing Company, 2004
ISBN 0756770831, 9780756770839
Length 354 pages
Subjects Medical ›
Nursing

General

Medical / Nursing / General
Reference / Encyclopedias

Since the beginnings of time, nursing has been shaped by different cultures and societies and by the changes within those societies. The word nursing derives its meaning from the Latin word nutricius which means nourishing. Therefore, in the ancient world nursing was viewed as a role of caring for the family and not a profession.

In the world history of nursing, roots can be traced to religion, mythology, and Easternand Western societies. The ancient Egyptians utilized perhaps the first formal nurses, hiring them to assist in childbirth. It is from these beginnings that today's midwives evolved.

Among the Greeks and Romans, it was believed that gods and goddesses influenced healing. There was a deity for almost every human biological function. The women of the family of Asklepios were mythological nurses. The world's history of nursing records Hygeia as being the goddess of health. In the Roman Empire, Roman noblewomen cared for the sick. However, in some cultures the care of the sick was not a revered enterprise and was a task of prostitutes.

During the middle ages, the focus of the world history of nursing changed and became centralized around religious orders. Care of the sick was seen as a function of the church. Nursing care was provided by both men and women and was segregated by sex with persons caring for others of the same gender.

War has had the greatest influence upon the world history of nursing, for historically it has been through war that the demand for nurses has been the greatest. Perhaps the

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