ABSTRACT
During this century, because of the speed of travel and the interdependence of one area of the world on others, groups of health workers have increasingly thought in terms of international organisations. There are now 125 non-governmental organisations which, because of their world-wide record in the field of health, have a special relationship with the World Health Organisation. Almost all medical specialities have some international touchstone, and organisations like the World Federation for Mental Health or the World Federation of Neurology play an important part in disseminating knowledge and promoting research. Nursing, probably because of its long international history dating back to the early monastic orders of Christendom and the Knights Hospitallers, was early on the modern international scene, with the International Council of Nurses and the nursing arm of the Red Cross movement.
