The role of males in the profession has been understated but significant, writes Thomas Harding

Men played a significant role in caring for the sick in colonial Australia but their contribution has received little attention. What emerges from the fleeting references to men in a wide range of historical documents is that substantial numbers were employed in nursing roles throughout Australia in the 19th century. The relative invisibility of men in nursing history is not unique to Australia; world-wide it is difficult to find well-documented records of men's provision of nursing care. The earliest documented trace of men in nursing emerges in India in the third century BC. The Emperor...