[The history of nursing development in the Republic of China].
Modern nursing was introduced into China (and Taiwan) as part of the general Westernization of Chinese culture. It was accepted in its Western and modern form along with medicine as a part of China's modernization. Looking after the sick, one of the basic functions of any society, has traditionally been performed by women. Such basic social function cannot be ignored. Therefore, at the beginning of this paper, the traditional healing and caring systems in China prior to the influence of the West are examined. The second part of this paper shows that the strategy of nineteenth century reformers and later leaders from England and America was incorporated into modern Chinese nursing. Also, patriotic feelings opposed to imperialism and indignation over the Sino-Japanese War benefited the growth of domestic nursing. The last part of this paper examines recent developments and the current status of nursing in Taiwan. Overall, the more than a century of modern nursing history in the R.O.C. is infused with a complex mixture of cultural borrowing from the West, anti-imperialist experience, colonialist influences, and ethical and gender issues. The study methodology adopted for this essay follows that used by Robert Elias. Both the synchronic social context and diachronic historical processes are considered in order to illuminate and highlight the critical events that shaped the history of nursing in the ROC. Due to the researcher's personal academic background and interest, sociological and feminist perspectives were taken while investigating and analyzing materials.