MALE GENEALOGY OF THE NURSING PROFESSION (I): DOMESTIC STAGE AND VOCATIONAL STAGE

Abstract

Nursing is traditionally considered a feminine discipline, and the care of the person in need is linked to the women. However, since the beginning of humanity there have also been male figures of care that have evolved and changed from ancient times. This article describes and analyzes the male caregiver, following his evolution throughout History: reviewing and summarizing critically the existing literature, using as a common thread the Model of the Four Stages of Care proposed by Marie-Françoise Collière (1993). The analysis takes into account the socio-cultural characteristics of each period, its conception of Health, as well as its implications and particularities, making a historical compilation of the care-giving activity carried out by men. From the origins of the profession to the present day, starting with a global perspective and ending with a focus on Spain, a meticulous journey through the history of the different male caregivers who will eventually become the current male nurses is recreated. In this first issue, we will get to know the figure of the hunter, the warrior, the slave, the helper and the nosocomi who are included in the Domestic Stage; along with the parabolani, the monk, the hospital knight, the head male nurse, the barber, the surgeon, the bleeder and the minister who practiced throughout the Vocational Stage. All of them have a common trait: the Care, an activity that remains constant throughout the ages.