An Ages-Old Practice
Historians can’t seem to agree on the precise year that the nursing profession was established for the first time, but they do usually agree that it was in ancient India. Even as early as 232 BC, a Buddhist ruler in India built hospitals along important transit routes. These buildings still stand today. When administering his natural medication, he insisted on having the aid of trained medical professionals at all times.
This network of public hospitals continued to function even after the collapse of Buddhist rule, which occurred hundreds of years ago. During the early years of the Christian church, Saint Paul dispatched a nurse to Rome. The early followers of Christianity were exhorted to care for the sick and the impoverished, despite the fact that their patients may have adhered to a different religion. This principle has persisted all the way up to contemporary nursing.