History of opium in Sri Lanka

The influence of gender, ethnicity, class, race, the women’s and labour movements on the development of nursing in Sri Lanka

“…The recorded history of Sri Lanka written in the Mahavamsa (Great Chronicle) by Buddhist monks in the fifth century AD indicates that the shaping of medicine began in the third century BC with the introduction of Buddhism (Uragoda 1987). The Mahavamsa reveals that the care of the sick was considered to be a meritorious act of the highest order.…”

“…Thus, the concept of hospitals, where patients could be housed, was recognized as early as the fourth century BCE. Further, there are records to suggest that monks were involved in the care of patients (Uragoda 1987). Moreover, historically in Sri Lanka, care of the sick was undertaken by a variety of people, and families and communities remained the primary caregivers (Uragoda 1987).…”

“…In contrast, Western medicine was introduced when the country was under foreign domination of the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the British (Uragoda 1987; Jones 2004). Primarily for soldiers, a hospital was established in 1800 and was open to the public in 1820 (de Silva 1970).…”

“…There was also a Muslim community that adhered to the Unani system. Further, folklore practices operated alongside these more formalized medical systems (Uragoda 1987). The history of nursing in Sri Lanka merged with British colonialism, and this legacy still endures with regard to issues of knowledge and language of health‐care (de Silva 1970; Attanayake 1997; Jones 2004).…”

“…This does not understate the fact that China too has one of the longest records of medicine. Looking after the sick, one of the basic functions of any society has traditionally been performed by women, although before organized nursing in Sri Lanka care of the sick was carried out by monks (Uragoda 1987).…”