田淵まさ代は日本の近代看護の黎明期にあって, 大正10(1921)年英国ロンドンで開催された第2回国際公衆衛生看護講習会に参加した。大正9(1920)年赤十字社連盟第一回総会で, 各国赤十字社の事業の1つに公衆衛生看護婦養成が決議され, 各国から講習生を派遣し第1回は既に前年に開かれている。第1回は期日の切迫の為派遣は見送られたが, 第2回講習会には女学校時代から英語の学習研鑚を積み英語力に堪能なまさ代が選ばれた。帰国後まさ代は講習会での学習とヨーロッパ各地の施設で見聞した看護事情を報告書にまとめ, いくつかの提言をしている。なかでも英語教育の必要性に関する提言は内地留学制度導入の契機となり, その制度で何人もの国際的に活躍した看護婦が生まれた。まさ代はまた救護看護婦や社会看護婦の養成に従事した。パリで事故に遭われた北白川宮妃殿下の看護に選ばれて派遣された。またシベリア派遣救護班の婦長としても活躍し, こうした功績に対して昭和12(1937)年ナイチンゲール記章が授与された。

Masayo Tabuchi was a woman who was active at the dawning of modern nursing in Japan. At the First General Conference of the League of Red Cross Societies held in 1920,it was decided to train and develop public health nurses as one of the operations of the national Red Cross Societies, and students were dispatched from various nations to the first International Seminar of public health nursing. Japan refrained from sending students at this time because of the lack of time for preparation. However, Masayo Tabuchi participated in the second Seminar in 1921,because she had studied English earnestly since her high school days and was proficient in it. After returning to Japan, she wrote a report of what she learned at the seminar and the state of nursing at institutions in various parts of Europe that she saw or heard about. Then she made some proposals. Among them, she stressed the need for English education and urged the establishment of a program for studying abroad. Many nurses trained in this program later became active internationally. She was also engaged in the training of first-aid nurses and public health nurses. She was dispatched to nurse Princess Kitasirakawa, who was injured in an accident in Paris. She filled the role of the head nurse in the relief squad sent to Siberia. Because of these services, she was awarded a Nightingale badge in 1937.

国立情報学研究所で電子化