What is the original connection between "nurse" and "sister"?
In Hebrew, the difference between the words "Sister" and "Brother" is that "Sister" has an additional suffix, as might be expected given the structure of the language. Also, the Hebrew word for a female nurse and the word for "Sister" are the same word, and likewise for a male nurse and the word for "Brother".
These are three things I've been wanting to know and haven't found any conclusive information about:
It occurred to me that in UK English, "Sister" is another term for nurse (a female one I guess). What about a male nurse? Would he be called a brother, a sister or a nurse? The uncertainty indicates, for me, a rather archaic background (which I think is associated with different gender roles).
What are the roots of referring to a nurse as "sister"? This could shed light on the previous question. It sounds very biblical to me.
I would really appreciate perspectives on this topic.
Solution 1:
Yes, nursing as a career has religious origins and, until fairly recently, nurses were generally nuns - sisters.
Take a look at the history of nursing on Wikipedia:
From the earliest times most cultures produced a stream of nurses dedicated to service on religious principles. Both Christendom and the Muslim World generated a stream of dedicated nurses from their earliest days. In Europe before the foundation of modern nursing, Catholic nuns and the military often provided nursing-like services.[2] It took until the 20th century for nursing to become a secular profession.
Incidentally I find your question interesting - I assumed this was common knowledge as this is still well within living memory - my own grandmother is only 71 and she has often shared her recollections of the 'strict' nuns on the maternity wards when she had her children. It's odd to think that the origins of words like this are slipping out of general knowledge and into history.
Solution 2:
In Czech (Central Europe) it is similar to English.
"Sestra" (sister in English) or "Zdravostní sestra" (medical sister) is used for both gender and is official term for this job (a man with the same position can be called "Bratr" (brother in English) but it is not much used even now).
-
The Czech language official term is "[medical] sister" ("[zdravotni] sestra") but common term is "little sister" ("sestřička") with very positive connotation (sister which I really like, regardless of age).
Even sexists here, who consider lot of "women's work" (like cleaning, cooking, sewing, taking care of home etc.) to be unworthy of a "real man", take for granted that "no man is enough qualified to be [medical] sister and any women would do it better because women have much softer hands".
So "medical brother" is "looked down on" not for doing "a woman's work", but for being "clearly less good at this work" - in the same sense as "a woman fighter cannot be a match for a male fighter, because she cannot be possibly as strong."
-
The roots are the same as the other answers (nuns taking care of ill people in hospitals). A "[medical] sister" is now required to have formal medical education (at least 3 years, sometimes more).
Other professions which help people such as the elderly or disabled to take care of themselves do not have the title "sestra" (sister) and do not have such strong requirements, nor reputation.
So in Czech it is just "Sestra" (sister) and no other term for "nurse" is used.
Also terms like grandma and grandpa are used as honorific for old people, aunt and uncle for older people of your parents' age (but now mainly in the countryside, and even there it is becoming obsolete). Sometimes "mother" can be used as honorific while addressing an older woman, but it is now really archaic.
So "Sister" (as title in sense similar to common people addressing a nun - as a member of Christian sisters, not as a sibling) for "nurse" looks natural.
In all those cases it is meant as honorific to address the other as being "of my family" even when we are not directly blood related. In case of "sister" it is addressing with respect as for those others mentioned, not protective as for a real younger sibling.
https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sestra (rough translation by me):
Sister is common naming for sibling of woman gender
Usually it means siblings with the same both parent. If each sibling have eq. different father, it is called "stepsister" ("nevlastni sestra")
Other meanings:
As religious sisters are names nuns. As nuns taked care about ill people in hospitals, we call sisters also nurses in hospitals and medical offices. On contratory man workers in the same positions we usually do not call brothers.
Titles brothers and sisters use also Sokol scouts, christians (someplace commonly, someplace not) and some more traditional members of KDU-ČSL (christian political party).
See also:
Brother
Family
Family tree
https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zdravotn%C3%AD_sestra (medical sister)