Rethinking the Origins of Social Workers and Medical Social Workers

―A Historical Fact-Based Perspective―

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to clarify the origins of social workers and medical social workers based on historical facts.

In Japanese social work literature, the origin of social workers is often traced to the friendly visitors associated with the Charity Organization Society (C. O. S.), founded in London in 1869. Similarly, the origin of medical social workers is commonly linked to the role of Almoner, first introduced at the Royal Free Hospital in London in 1895.

However, in the literature on the history of social work and medical history in the United Kingdom and the United States, there is no description of the origin of social workers and medical social workers as in Japan.

Therefore, it is necessary to reconsider the conventional understanding of the origin of social workers and medical social workers in Japan by re-examining the historical evidence.