Abstract
Since the beginning of time, people have invented tools to help them. Tracing the evolution of computers gives us a clearer historical vantage point from which to view our fast changing world. This approach also identifies informatics as a tool that will advance the goal of high quality nursing care. From a historical perspective, however, it is difficult to identify the true origin of computers. For instance, we could go back in time to the devices introduced by Moslem scientists and to the mathematicians of the fifteenth century. An example is Al-Kashi, who designed his plate of conjunctions to calculate the exact hour at which two planets would have the same longitude (de S. Price, 1959; Goldstine, 1972). A more familiar example is the first rudimentary calculating tool, the Chinese abacus. This is still a rapid and efficient method of handling addition and subtraction.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Ball, M.J. How to Select a Computerized Hospital Information System. New York: S. Karger, 1973.
Ball, M.J., and Jacobs, S.E. Information systems: The status of level 1. Information Systems 1980: 179–186.
Bitzer, M.D. Self-Directed Inquiry in Clinical Nursing Instruction by Means of PLATO Simutated Laboratory. Report R-184, Co-ordinated Science Laboratory. Urbana: University of Illinois, 1963.
Blumberg, M.S. Automation offers savings opportunities. Modern Hospital 1958; 91: 59.
de S. Price, D. J. An ancient Greek computer. Scientific American 1959; 200 (6): 6067.
Goldstine, H.H. The Computer from Pascal to von Neumann. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1972: 5, 69.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hannah, K.J., Ball, M.J., Edwards, M.J.A. (1999). History of Health Care Computing. In: Introduction to Nursing Informatics. Health Informatics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-3095-1_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-3095-1_3
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-3097-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-3095-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive