HISTORY OF NURSING

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
 NURSING has undergone dramatic changes in response to societal
needs and influences
 Nursing’s beginning reveals its continuing struggle for autonomy
and professionalization.
 Recurring themes of women’s role and status, religious (Christian)
values, war, societal attitudes and visionary nursing leadership have
influenced nursing practice in the past.
 MANY OF THESE FACTORS STILL EXERT INFLUENCE
TODAY
WOMEN’S ROLES
Traditional Female Roles have its roots in “the
Wife home.”
Mother
Daughter
Sister
• Nursing could be said to
RELIGION
 Religion also played a significant role in the development
of nursing.
 It was the Christian value of “love thy neighbor as thyself’
and Christ’s parable of the good Samaritan that had a
significant impact on the development of Western nursing.
 During the third and fourth centuries, several wealthy
matrons of the roman empire, such as Fabiola.
FABIOLA
Converted into Christianity and used their
wealth to provide houses of care and healing
(the forerunner of hospitals) for the poor, the
sick, and the homeless.
Women were not, however, the sole providers
of nursing services.
CRUSADES
 Crusades saw the formation of several orders of knights, including
the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem (A.K.A. the Knights
Hospitalers), Teutonic Knights, and the Knights of Saint Lazarus.
 These brothers in arms provided nursing care to their sick and
injured comrades.
 Also built hospitals, the organization and management of which set
a standard for the administration of hospitals throughout Europe at
that time.
KNIGHTS OF SAINT
LAZARUS
Dedicated themselves to
the care of people with
leprosy, syphilis, and
chronic skin conditions.
ALEXIAN BROTHERS
During medieval times, there were
many religious orders of men in
nursing.
Alexian Brothers organized care
for victims of the Black Plague in
the 14th century in Germany
DEACONESS GROUPS
 ORIGIN IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE OF THE 3RD AND 4TH
CENTURIES
 Were suppress during the middle ages by the western
churches.
 Resurfaced occasionally throughout the centuries, most
notably in 1836 when THEODOR FLIEDNER reinstituted the
order of Deaconesses and opened a small hospital and training
school in Kaiserwerth, Germany.
 Florence Nightingale received her “training” in nursing at the
Kaiserwerth School
 EARLY RELIGIOUS VALUES SUCH AS SELF DENIAL,
SPIRITUAL CALLING AND DEVOTION TO DUTY AND
HARDWORK, have dominated nursing throughout its history.
 Nursescommitment to these values often resulted in
EXPLOITATION and few monetary rewards.
 For some time nurses themselves believed it was inappropriate to
expect economic gain from their calling
WAR
Throughout history, wars
have accentuated the need
for nurses.
CRIMEAN WAR 1854-1856
Sir Sidney Herbert of the British War
Department – Recruited Nightingale and her
nurses to provide care to the sick and injured in
the Crimea.
Nightingale and her nurses transformed the
military hospitals by setting up sanitation
practices.
CRIMEAN WAR 1854-1856
Nightingale is credited with
performing miracles, the
mortality rate in the Barrack
Hospital in Turkey.
Ex: reduced from 42% to 2% in 6 months
AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
1861-1865
Helped in Civil War
 Dorothea Dix
 Harriet Tubman & Sojourner
 Union Superintendent of female
Truth nurses responsible for recruiting
 Care for the slaves fleeing to the North on nurses and supervising the nursing
the underground Railroad care of all women nurses working in
 Mother Biekerdyke & Clara the army hospital
Barton
 Searched the battlefield and gave
care to injured and dying soldiers
WORLD WAR 1
 Resulted in American, Bristish, and French
women rushing to volunteer their nursing
services.
 The Spirit OF Nursing monument –stands in
Arlington nat’l cemetery- honors the nurses who
served U.S. armed forces in world war 1.
 Progress in health care occurredfield of surgery
(use of anesthetic agents, infection control, blood
typing and prosthetics)
WORLD WAR 2
 Created an acute Shortage of caregivers and Cadet Nurse corps
was established in response to a marked shortage of nurses.
 Auxiliary health care workers became prominent.
 Practical nurses, aides and technicians provided much of the
nursing care under the instruction and supervision of better
prepared nurses.
 Medical specialties arose to meet the needs of hospitalized
clients
SOCIETAL ATTITUDE
 have significantly influenced nursing
 Before mid-1800s nursing was without organization, education, or societal status.
 Woman’s place is home and no respectable women should have a career
 Victorian Middle class women- wife and mother; any education obtained->pleasant
companion to her husband and responsible mother
 Nurses in hospitals in this period is poorly educated; some incarcerated criminals
 Society’s Attitude– writing of Charles Dikens –Martin Chuzzlewit (sairy gamp)
SOCIETAL ATTITUDE
 Sairy Gamp-she “Cared” for the sick by neglecting them, stealing
from them and physically abusing them. (Dicken reflected his
attitude towards nurses)
 19th century
 Guardian angels or angel of mercy image arose in the 19th
century (bec. Of the work of Florence nightingale during Crimean
war)
 Nurse viewed as noble, compassionate, moral, religious, dedicated and
self sacrificing.
Doctor’s handmaiden – male domain
 Heroine- bravery- WWII; contributions in fighting poliomyelitis
SOCIETAL ATTITUDE
takes steps to improve the image of nurse:
 Early 1990’s- the Tri-council for nursing (American Association of Colleges of
Nursing, American Nurses Association, American Organization of Nurse
Exectuves and the National League for Nursing initiated a national effort
“NURSES OF AMERICA”
 2002 : Johnson & Johnson corporation continues their, “Campaign for
Nursing’s Future” to promote nursing as a positive career choice.
NURSING LEADERS
Historical and Contemporary Nursing Practice
FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE
 “Lady with a Lamp” (improving the standard of care
during Crimean war)
 Reforming hospitals, producing and implementing public
health policies – accomplished political nurse
 Contribution to nursing education – her greatest
achievement
 First scientist theorist-NOTES ON NURSING: WHAT IT
IS AND WHAT IT IS NOT
 “called by God to help others to improve well-being of
mankind.”
 Trained in Keiserswerth 1847 for 3 months-served as a
training school.
FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE
 1853: studied in Paris with the Sisters of Charity; then
returned to England : Position of superintendent of a
charity hospital for ill governesses
 1860 : Nightingale Training School for Nurses (served as a
model for other training school
 First Nurse Researcher : conducted extensive research and
analysis ( Florence Nightingale International Foundation)
 Believed in personalized and holistic care
 Visions nurse roles in public health and health promotion.
CLARA BARTON 1812-1912
 School teacher who volunteered
during American Civil War.
 Established the American Red
Cross
 Persuaded Congress in 1882 to
ratify treaty so that Red cross
could perform humanitarian
efforts in time of peace.
LINDA RICHARDS 1841-1966
 America’s first trained nurse.
 1973: graduated from New England
Hospital for Women and Children
 Known from introducing nurse’s notes and
doctor’s orders.
 She also initiated practice of nurses
wearing uniforms.
 She is credited for her pioneering work in
psychiatric and industrial nursing.
MARY MAHONEY (1845-1926
• The first African American Professional Nurse.
• Worked for the acceptance of African Americans
in nursing and for the promotion of equal
opportunities
• The ANA gives Mary Mahoney Award biennially
in recognition of significant contribution in
interracial relationships
LILLIAN WALD (1867-1940)
• The founder of public health nursing
• Together with Mary Brewster were the first
to offer trained nursing services to the poor
in New York slums.
• Henry Street Settlement and Visiting Nurse
Service – provided nursing services, social
services and organized educational and
cultural activities.
LAVINIA DOCK (1858-1956)
• A feminist, prolific writer, political activist, suffragette, and
friend of Wald
• Participated in protest movements for women’s rights that
resulted in the 1920 passage of the 19th amendment to the US
Constitution . Granted women the right to vote.
• Campaigned for legislation to allow nurses rather than
physicians to control their profession.
• 1983 with assistance of Mary Adelaide Nutting and Isabel
Hampton Robb, founded the AMERICAN SOCIETY OF
SUPERINTENDENTS OF TRAINING SCHOOLS FOR
NURSES OF THE UNITED STATES , A precursor to the
current NATIONAL LEAGUE FOR NURSING
MARGARET HIGGINS SANGER
1879-1966
 Founder of Planned Parenthood
 A public health nurse in New York
 Has had a lasting impact on women’s
health care.
 Imprisoned for opening the first birth
control information in America.
 Large no. of unwanted pregnancies among the working
poor
OTHER NURSING
LEADERS
Historical and Contemporary Nursing Practice
MARY GRANT SEACOLE 1854
Worked with
nightingale
during Crimean
war.
DOROTHEA LYNDE DIX 1861
 Union superintendent of female
nurse during American Civil War.
LOUISA MAY ALCOTT 1863
Wrote the book ‘Hospital
Sketchers’
MARY BRECKINRIDGE 1881-
1965
 A notable pioneer nurse, established the
Frontier Nursing Service (FNS)
 1918: she worked with the American
Committee for Devastated France:
distributed food, clothing and supplies to
rural villages and taking care of sick children
 1925: began FNS in Leslie Kentucky
 Breckinridge started one of the first
midwifery training schools in the United
States