ブックタイトルThe Journal of Humanitarian Studies

概要

The Journal of Humanitarian Studies

Journal of Humanitarian Studies Vol. 4, 20152. Training of nurses by the Japanese Red Cross SocietyThere was no concrete framework for the nursing profession in Japan until around the mid-19th century,since Japan had no tradition of nursing provided by nuns, unlike Western European countries. Instead,nursing in Japan came in the form of medical assistance provided by medical students studying medicalscience supervised by doctors or wives of medical practitioners, recuperation care administered by familymembers of sick persons, female volunteers or Buddhists engaging in charitable works and other religiouspersons helping poor, sick or disabled persons.Politicians and doctors who visited the Western European countries and foreigners invited to Japan atthe time highlighted the fact that in Western European countries, nursing was a profession in its ownright, requiring training and recognized as a job in which women’s specific characteristics can be utilized,whereupon the training of nurses started. In 1884, the first modern nurse training was carried out at YushiKyoritsu Tokyo Hospital, which was cooperativelyfounded by public-spirited persons (the present-day JikeiUniversity School of Medicine). This institution waslaunched by Kanehiro Takagi, a doctor who had studiedat St. Thomas’s Hospital Medical School in the UnitedKingdom and who later became Inspector-General ofFleets and Hospitals; modelled on the NightingaleTraining School and Home for Nurses of the Hospital.Subsequently, missionaries visiting Japan to propagateChristianity gave nurse training at the Kyoto TrainingSchool for Nurses (present-day Doshisha University) andSakurai Women’s School in Tokyo. During this periodhowever, only a limited number of nurses were regularlyeducated.Graduation Ceremony of the 1st and 2nd Graduates ofNursing Training SchoolcJapanese Red Cross College of NursingThe Japanese Red Cross also saw the need to train nurses who played important roles in Red Crossactivities. In 1880, at a general meeting of Hakuai-sha members, Heinrich von Siebold introduced reliefactivities of foreign women and argued in favor of women’s suitability for nursing work. At the same time,Shokei Shibata of the Ministry of Home Affairs conducted a survey on the Red Cross Society in Europeancountries in response to a request by Hakuai-sha and reported that Red Cross nurse training had alreadybeen carried out in Germany, Austria, Sweden and Denmark. In addition, Tsunatune Hashimoto, Surgeon-General and subsequent Director of Hakuai-sha Hospital, visited European countries and brought backdetails of their regulations on the Red Cross Society and nurse training, which underpinned the Red Cross’straining of relief personnel.In 1886, Hakuai-sha Hospital (which later became the Japanese Red Cross Society Hospital) was foundedto train nurses. To train relief personnel during a peaceful period, the Hospital was established in an areaaround the present address of Iida-cho in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. After four subsequent years of preparation,the Japanese Red Cross Society’s nurse training got underway in 1890.Since then, following its institutional change from the Japanese Red Cross Society Hospital Institution forthe Training of Nurses (1890 to 1945) and the Japanese Red Cross Women’s School (1946 to 1953), to theJapanese Red Cross Junior College for Women (1953 to 1985), the Japanese Red Cross College of Nursingwas formed (1986 to date). The following sections describe the characteristics of each institution.3. The Japanese Red Cross Society Hospital Institution for the Training of Nurses (1890 ? 1945)(1) Start of nurse trainingThe Japanese Red Cross Society’s nurse training got underway in April 1890 at the Japanese Red Cross94人道研究ジャーナルVol. 4, 2015