They gave their lives: a tribute to the known and unknown nurse martyrs of our time--Part 1.

An interest in the development of nursing from early Christian times and the persecution of women in the Early Church has led to this study of nurses and martyrdom. Historical research using secondary sources was undertaken to identify and describe the experiences of nurse martyrs with special reference to the present century. Martyrdom does not belong to the past as generally believed. The twentieth century is recognised as a century of Christian martyrdom unparalleled since the earliest Christian times. Women have been major contributors to the missionary calling and during the course of the nineteenth century many woman missionary societies were founded. Education and health care go hand in hand with the Christian message. While a few examples of nurses who suffered martyrdom in the mission field have been recorded, it is necessary to examine the events which led to their death. This article pays tribute to known and unknown nurse martyrs. Subsequent articles describe the suffering of nurse martyrs identified in selected world regions.