Healthcare and Nursing History

Healthcare and Nursing

Our healthcare system has grown incredibly from the provision of care in the home by self taught physicians. Pennsylvania Hospital was founded in 1751 (Deborah Judd, Kathleen Sitzman, 2010) it was the first hospital in the United States

PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL __FIRST IN USA

The second one was New York Hospital in 1791

During this period these were the only 2 hospitals in America and they were managed in the same way British Hospitals were.

The period between 1600 and 1800 was one in which many changes occurred around the world many of them having to do with healthcare. There was William Harvey who discovered blood circulation, Anton Van Leeuwenhoek who discovered protozoa, bacteria and human protozoa in 1632-1723. (Judd, 2010).

Before hospitals were built the place were the ill were cared for were known as "Almhouses"  and most of this homes were for the poor people. The women who served as nurses were mostly illiterate only a few could read materials on how to care for the sick.

Nursing history came along with those changes, in the 1700’s nurses were women who were self taught, many with experience on taking care of family members and helping with deliveries. Many people during that time would call on the “nurse” because it would be less costly. Care of the paitents would occur in the home before the hospitals were founded.

Nurses would travel to see patients and would remain at the bedside taking care of the ill many times.

                According to Laurel Thatcher Ulrich from the book Major Problems in the History of American Medicine and Public Health (2001) there are records of nursing journals one of which was from Martha Ballard a Midwifery nurse at the time kept a diary in which there is information which has helped form a picture of the life and work of a nurse in the 1790’s.

Mrs. Ballard’s diary depicts nursing as if she were treating family members and midwifery was treated as naturally as possible and resented the use of Laudanum to ease the woman’s pain during delivery (John H. Warner, p. 74).
I believe these pictures were taken at the time so that others can learn from it, since the pictures depict history and what was happening at the time. These pictures there are taken by different photographers and used in the books about the history of nursing.  The pictures themselves have been recorded in the books in a neutral manner so that the viewer can make its own opinion of them.

Deborah Judd, Kathleen Sitzman, & Megan G. Davis. A History of American Nursing Trends and Eras. Sdbury: Jones and Bartlett Publisher, LLC, 2010.

John Harley Warner, & Janet A. Tighe. Major Problems in the History of American Medicine and Public health. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001.