History of Nursing Flashcards
nosocomi
An infection picked up from a hospital.
Nursing in Ancient Times
Women cared for sick and learned from others.
In ancient Egypt there was c-sections and amputations.
In ancient India the removal of gall stones was practiced.
Abortions and contraception was practiced.
In some civilizations, there were male nurses because women were believed to be too pure.
Nursing in early medieval period
Christianity was part of the Roman Empire, which collapsed in 300 CE. The collapse was a time of chaos with moral decay, invasions, no middle class and people living in walled cities. The church gained dominance leading to Feudalism and Monasticism.
Rise of Christianity
The teachings spread and changed society. The seven acts of mercy was an obligation for all faithful practice. It resulted in a rise of a social movement for nursing, with women gaining a prominent role. They were in charge of sick at home and wise women outside the home. Convents and monasteries served as hospitals.
Seven Acts of Mercy
- Give water to the poor
- Feed the hungry.
- Clothe the naked.
- Visit the imprisoned.
- Shelter the homeless
- Care for the sick and crippled
- Bury the dead
Late Medieval Period
The increase in population allowed of development of trade, development of towns and cities, redistribution of wealth gave rise to the middle class, university access and health care moved out of the monasteries.
Resurgence of Church
The crusades gave rise to new religious orders for nursing. These orders include the military nurse, Male Medicant Order and secular orders such as the Antoines and the Beguines.
Military Nurse
Took care of those wounded in wars. Knights, monks and pilgrims all took part. They took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. It is now known as Saint John’s Ambulance.
Male Medicant Order
They were religious but had no affiliation and were not a religious order. They travel and care for the sick and poor. They are know as Saint Francis and Saint Dominic.
Antoines
They were a secular order. They care for people with ergotism.
Beguines
They were a secular order for women. They were religious but not a religious order. They lived on their own, got into groups, had houses to care for sick and poor and started a visiting nurse service. They taught and made handcrafts for funds.
When did institutionalization begin?
It began with the crusades because of the increase in hospitals.
Public Hospitals
Fallen women, unmarriageable women, lower class, spinsters, and homely women cared for patients.
They were very crowded with 6 people per bed. Workload was heavy with breaking ice for laundry, 7 years childcare and 3 weeks care for the sick. Penalties were severe.
Pandemics in Medieval Times
The Black Death was the worst. They caused mass panic and confusion. Others include syphilis, small pox and diphtheria.
Black Death
The bubonic plague was the most common.
Bacteria: yersinea pestis
Vector: fleas on rats
Nursing: Nurses stuck around during the plague. Some physician would cure by draining.
Nowadays it can be cured with antibiotics if caught soon enough.
Women Healers
They were known as wise women.
They were denied role as clergy. They learned from other people and they used folk medicine which was condemned by the church.
Opposition of women healers
They needed formal training but only men had access to university. They faced witch hunts. They were banned from practicing medicine because it was a physician’s monopoly.
Consequences of being caught practicing medicine
Stoning, hanging, drowning, fines, exile from cities, burning at the stake, excommunication.
Witchcraft
They church hated empiricism, science and mechanicals. They were sexist, misogynist and anti sexual.
Why were witches targeted?
They were said to work with the devil and to cast spells, destroy crops and kill children.
What powers were witches said to have?
Sorcery to harm others, levitation and stealing penises.
Malleus maleficarum
It proclaimed law and contained information on finding, interrogating, and convicting witches. They though the devil sucks on birthmarks or moles and that the witches were having sex with the devil. If a patient died in the woman’s care or there was a stillbirth when she was attending, the woman was accused of being a witch.
Matthew Hopkins
He was a witch hunter who found 200 “witches”. He travelled, talked to locals from different cities and tracked down witches. He did not give food or water to the women he believed to be witches. He restrained them and burned them at the stake.
How bad did the witch hunts get?
There were up to 600 witch hunts per year. In some areas it was so bad that there was one female inhabitant left.
Jaqueline Felicie
She treated illnesses that many physicians believed to be incurable. She was tried for practicing without a license.
What is the paradox in the Jaqueline Felicie trial?
She needed a license to practice medicine but only men had access to university.
The renaissance
It occurred around 1400-1700. It was a rebirth/ awakening and a return to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. It started in Italy and spread to Western Europe. Exploration of the world allowed trade and mercantilism to prosper. The church’s power declined allowing for the increase in secularism, an interest in the world without reference to God and the separation of church and state. It was a time of learning, social change increased interest in the universe and the meaning of life.
The Reformation
Occurred in 1517. It started with Martin Luther who posted a list of changes because of corruption within the church. In England, it started with Henry VIII who started The Church of England because he wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon. The Protestants were ambivalent towards the sick and poor.
Setback for Nursing
Protestant kings seized the monasteries. All land was taken, all nursing orders were removed.
Protestants
They wanted to be rich, powerful, to have money and to be chosen by God. There was a divide between the rich and poor.
