2022-09-08 Thu

In ancient times, nursing was dedicated to service on religious principles. In India, the edicts of Emperor Ashoka state, “hospitals to be built with well provided with instruments and medicine, consisting of mineral and vegetable drugs, with roots and fruits”.

Christian women played large roles in health and healing in medieval and early modern Europe. Florence Nightingale was a social reformer and founder of modern nursing. She came to the spotlight while serving as a trainer of nurses during the Crimean war. She laid the foundation of nursing by establishing a nursing school at St. Thomas Hospital in London. She was a pioneer in data visualization with the help of info-graphics along with the graphical presentation of statistical data.

Till the 19th century, nursing was not a secular profession, instead, Catholic nuns and the military often provided nursing-like services. The British Virgin Islands paid homage to the service of nurses by issuing stamps.

Image Courtesy: Stampsoftheworld.co.uk