History of nursing

Nursing in ancient times seems to have developed from wet nursing.  Nursing was a job for women, and it still is dominated by women in the 21st century.  More than 85% of American nurses are women.  Nursing was seen as part of Christianity.Geoffrey Blainey; A Short History of Christianity; Penguin Viking; 2011.  Medieval hospitals in Europe were religious communities, with care provided by monks and nuns. 

The Crimean War was important in nursing history. The English nurse Florence Nightingale started professional nursing with the her book Notes on Nursing.  She understood how important hygiene was.  Money was collected to support her - £44,039 (worth more than £2 million today).  She used it to start the first nurses training school at St Thomas' Hospital.  The first nurses trained there used to be called 'Nightingales'. 

Nurses were often expected to live in nurses homes.  If they married they lost their job. 

Nurses in psychiatric hospitals were mostly men, because the hospitals had mostly developed from prisons.   

 References 

Category:Nursing