The birth of nursing at the inception of the francoism in Spain (1939-1942)

Abstract

This study is aimed at analyzing the creation of the Nursing science in the early days of the Franco regime in Spain (1939- 1942). This was a qualitative and historical study, that used as documentary sources, printed newspapers in different regions of Spain. Results. The importance of the work of nursing during the state of need, hunger, misery, for the post-war Spanish population was identified. Nurses with this attitude and commitment to one another, facilitated the administration of food for the needy, stocked up on clothes for those who were suffering from cold, and taught hygiene principles to mothers in order to reduce the high mortality rate of children and youth who was suffering due to the performance of social assistance. Therefore, in the face of adversity, nurses attended and cared for the children, sick, elderly and the poor. It is concluded that the humanitarian work of nurses became an element of repression, distributing benefits in exchange for an ideological model.