Trends and Changes History and Evolution of Nursing
Slide 2
Early History Ancient writings in Greece, Rome, Egypt and India
refer to persons dedicated to caring for the sick, injured, making
herbal remedies, and midwives for new mothers Nurses are mostly
household servants, part of the military or members of religious
orders. 12 th century the Knights of St. Thomas a group of vowed
Englishmen with the purpose of tending to the sick, wounded and
burying fallen crusade soldiers
Slide 3
Plague Doctors Separate occupation from the surgeon-barber and
town physician Hired to care for people inflicted with bubonic
plague (black death) and dispose of the bodies Kept quarantined
from the rest of the town and village
Slide 4
Contract for a plague doctor: Pavia, Italy 1479 Clause 1. The
community of Pavia and its council shall provide the sum of 30
florins per month to Master Giovanni de Ventura. Clause 4. The
community of Pavia and its council shall provide Dr. Ventura with
an adequate house in an adequate location, completely furnished.
Clause 5. The community of Pavia and its council shall continue to
pay Master Giovanni Ventura for a period of two months after the
termination of his employment. Clause 6. The said Master Giovanni
shall not be bound or held under obligation except only in
attending the plague patients. Giovanni must treat all patients and
visit infected places as it shall be found to be necessary. Clause
9. The said Master Giovanni shall not be able to ask a fee from
anyone, unless the plague victim himself or his relatives shall
freely offer it. Clause 14. Said Master Giovanni would have and
should be obliged to do his best and visit the plague patients
twice or three times or more times per day, as it will be found
necessary.
(http://web.mac.com/mloret/iWeb/apeuro06/Plague%20Doctor.html)
Slide 5
The Reformation Diminished role of nursing care provided by
religious orders as convents and monasteries were closed in
countries hostile to the Catholic Church
(www.angelfire.com/fl/EeirensFaerieTales/NursingDeclineHist ory,
2010) Early application of science in explanation of health and
disease Illustrations of human anatomy Rudimentary explanations
from vivisections
Slide 6
Victorian Era Attending to the ill in poor houses and
sanatoriums was done by prostitutes and prisoners Sairey Gamp
(Charles Dickens novel Martin Chuzzlewitt) the unpleasant domestic
nurse. (Dickens, 1843) Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management,
1861, places nurses in the chapter domestic servants
(www.victorianlondon.org/professionsandtrades, 2010)
Slide 7
Contemporary Events 1796: Jenner inoculates people with cow pox
to prevent small pox trend towards science of vaccines 1858:
Publication of Grays Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical 1860s: Louis
Pasteur proves broth does not spontaneously spoil without
microorganisms Beginning of the germ theory 1856-1863: Bro. Gregor
Mendel charted genetic patterns in pea plants (work rediscovered in
1930s) 1867: Joseph Lister performed surgery using carbolic acid
for antiseptic surgery 1901: Landsteiner categorized blood types
for successful transfusions
Slide 8
Florence Nightingale Considered the founder of modern nursing,
applied statistics, epidemiology, hospital administration and
sanitary engineering, plus was a social reformer Highly-educated
and from a wealthy family Went from goodwill hospital visitor to
nurse Trained in hospital at Kaiserwerth Germany and with Sisters
of Charity in Paris 1860, Opened college level St. Thomas school of
nursing in London Wanted nurses to be upper-class and educated
women who cared for the sick and wounded for altruistic reasons
(Tomey and Alligood, 2006)
Slide 9
Nightingales Work In 1859, wrote Notes on nursing: What it is
and what it is not, the first textbook and nursing theory A social
reformer who petitioned politicians for better conditions for the
poor and soldiers, and more career opportunities for women
Organized district nursing in London in partnership with
businessman and MP William Rathbone
Slide 10
Nightingale in the Crimean War With 38 women volunteers,
Nightingale travelled to Turkey in 1854 to help the sick and
wounded English soldiers in camps Her statistics proved more
soldiers died from preventable infections than from battle injuries
Improved the camps sanitation and lowered the mortality rate from
infections 42% to 2% An example of one of her pie charts, she
visually depicted more soldiers dying from infections then from
battle injuries. An example of one of her pie charts, she visually
depicted more soldiers dying from infections then from battle
injuries. (www.uh.edu/engines/epi1712.htm, 2010)
Slide 11
Her Nursing Practice The body heals itself, disease is the
bodys way of repairing itself after exposure to poison or decay
Nurses should be proper women who are single, chaste, and live
without alcohol, tobacco and dancing Nursing is to create an
environment where healing can occur Fresh air, clean water, removal
of waste, moderate room temperatures Exposure to pollutants
perpetuates illness Create an atmosphere of rest and protect
patient from worry
Slide 12
Her writings Nightingale did not write about human anatomy or
microorganisms in her book. She wrote about maintaining a clean and
healing environment. The chapters to Notes on Nursing are as
follows: Preface Ventilation and Warming Health of Houses Petty
Management Noise Variety Taking Food What Food? Bed and Bedding
Light Cleanliness of Rooms And Walls Personal Cleanliness
Chattering Hopes And Advices Observation of the Sick Conclusion
Appendix
Slide 13
Notes on Nursing Notes on Nursing was not a comprehensive guide
for trained nurses, but was written to help any women provide
better care for sick persons at home The following notes are by no
means intended as a... manual to teach nurses to nurse. They are
meant simply to give hints for thought to women who have personal
charge of the health of others. Every woman... in England has, at
one time or another of her life, charge of the personal health of
somebody, whether child or invalid,--in other words, every woman is
a nurse (Nightingale, Notes on Nursing, Preface, 1859)
Slide 14
Select Quotes Air: The very first canon of nursing, the first
and the last thing upon which a nurse's attention must be fixed,
the first essential to a patient, without which all the rest you
can do for him is as nothing, with which I had almost said you may
leave all the rest alone, is this: TO KEEP THE AIR HE BREATHES AS
PURE AS THE EXTERNAL AIR, WITHOUT CHILLING HIM. (Nightingale, Notes
on Nursing, Ch 1, 1859) Every nurse ought to be careful to wash her
hands very frequently during the day. (Nightingale, Notes on
Nursing, Ch 11, 1859)
Slide 15
Select Quotes Light: Second only to their need of fresh air is
their need of light; that, after a close room, what hurts them most
is a dark room. And that it is not only light but direct sun-light
they want. (Nightingale, Notes on Nursing, Ch. 9, 1859) Music: Wind
instruments, including the human voice, and stringed instruments,
capable of continuous sound, have generally a beneficent
effect--while the piano-forte, with such instruments as have no
continuity of sound, has just the reverse. The finest piano-forte
playing will damage the sick, while an air... will sensibly soothe
them. (Nightingale, Notes on Nursing, Ch.4, 1859)
Slide 16
Nursing in the Civil War Era No organized nursing profession
prior to the 1860s in the United States Confederate and Union
armies during the Civil War recruited nurses to treat injured
soldiers First use of shrapnel to injure multiple people at once
More people needed to treat the injured Gangrene infections
Catholic Sisters formed and staffed make-shift tent hospitals
Efficient, clean and devoted to their patients Men and women
volunteers Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman and Walt Whitman
Slide 17
Dorothea Dix (1802-1887) Originally a school teacher who in
1841 became a reformer for treatment of the mentally ill Within 10
years visited >300 jails and >500 almshouses Advocated for
mentally ill persons to be removed from jails/almshouses and be
placed in public hospitals By 1880,
