Nursing, Midwifery and
Womens Health

Traditional Nursing

Before the foundation of modern nursing, members of religious orders such as nuns and monks often provided traditional nursing, still in some religious they are following traditional nursing & medicine for example Christian, Islamic and Buddhist traditions amongst others. Phoebe, mentioned in Romans 16 has been described in many sources as "the first visiting nurse” These traditions were influential in the development of the ethos of modern nursing. The religious roots of modern nursing remain in evidence today in many countries. One example in the United Kingdom is the use of the honorific "sister" to refer to a senior nurse.