The Healing Arts and the Nursing Profession

Even in prehistoric cultures there were people who were designated as healers. Early explanations for disease or illness dwelt on the supernatural; maladies were attributed to the gods or the spirits as punishment for a person’s misdeeds or challenges to the Gods. Treatments for disease and for bodily injuries were based on magic and petitions to gods and spirits. Understanding the causes of disease (both physical and mental) has been a long and tortuous journey to the present day.