Nurse's Dagger

Nurses' daggers were first officially issued by the Kingdom of Santir in 736 B.C.E., but the concept of a nurse's dagger was not new, and had been common practice for decades. Many female nurses of the Santirel military carried knives and daggers for personal protection and defensive suicides in light of the frequency with which they were targeted by enemies and the terrible treatment they would often suffer when captured. Some opted not to carry a dagger out of personal conviction or an unwillingness to commit suicide and concern that using a dagger in defense would result in worse treatment when captured. However, many simply appreciated the utility such a blade provided in carrying out their duties. Daggers were less commonly carried by male nurses, but despite forming a significant portion of the nurse ranks, male nurses are little remembered in the common consciousness. The romantic idea of a female healer takes precedence, and with it a firm association between women in a warzone and nurses' daggers.   Around 300 B.C.E., the nurse's dagger was replaced by a pistol, and for the next half-century was extinct as a custom. With the admission of women to the armed services (armed by name, though the then-called Medical Corps was still armed by practice) in 256 B.C.E., the nurse's dagger was reintroduced as a ceremonial item for female officers, to be worn with dress uniforms as a counterpart to the saber or knightly sword carried by male officers.   In the Medical Corps, field medical personnel of any rank and sex carry a knife at all times. However, it is designed for utility rather than self-defense, and is not the same as the nurse's dagger worn ceremonially by female officers. Male medical officers in dress uniform carry a shortsword with a red pommel, as the nurse's dagger is reserved for female officers.

The nurse's dagger began as a pragmatic instrument, but once standardized among the military it took on a strong cultural association with women in war, because medical care at that time was the only official and honorable role open to them. Nurses' daggers were romanticized by their association with women in a romanticized role, and have been key items in many dramas as weapons of defense, murder, mercy killing, and tragic suicide.   In contemporary eras, the practical role they once filled has been replaced by pistols. Instead, they now serve as a symbol of women's military service and as a ceremonial weapon, the feminine counterpart to a knightly sword or officer's saber. Women are not as physically strong and are not expected to serve on the frontline in personal combat (although they serve aboard warships, which in danger is little different), so a lighter weapon was deemed appropriate. Further, it contrasts directly with the heavy battlefield blades carried by male officers, implicitly positioning the male officers as protectors of the female officers.   These dynamics are intentional and found desirable by the traditionally-minded, but egalitarians and feminists oppose the custom. The two most common proposals are to abolish the custom entirely or to limit the ceremonial daggers again to only the Medical Corps. The former has a moderately small amount of support, as many see the entire custom for both men and women as archaic. Some simply don't want to be bothered with a cumbersome sword. Support of the custom is purely based in tradition. The latter is broadly and strongly opposed. Even many women who dislike the system don't want to be forced to carry the cumbersome swords, or reject the concept as inserting them into a male system instead of acknowledging their equal validity. A third proposal is to abolish the knightly sword entirely and issue only officers' sabers, but the traditionalists reject this out of hand and it doesn't solve the egalitarian and feminist objections to either main proposal.   Some promoters of women's value uphold the nurse's dagger as a symbol of determination, grit, and inner strength in the face of disadvantage. The more traditional in this camp focus on the concept of women taking on grave risk to fulfill a feminine perogative, while those with egalitarian leanings focus on the concept of women serving with distinction despite being denied—due to cultural attitudes about women in combat—the equipment and training necessary to effectively protect themselves.