Notes on Nursing
Florence Nightingale
The Ohio State Rare Books and Manuscripts Library
RT40 .N6 1860 A
Florence Nightingale is credited with the foundation of modern nursing. Her skills in caring for soldiers during the Crimean War allowed her to teach others her methods, thus beginning the practice of nursing as it is known today. Notes on Nursing is a major contribution to the establishment of nursing. It contains all her medical knowledge and how to care for many known diseases, ailments, or illnesses. Nightingale would even publish her work in simple English so that those with poor literary skills would be able to read her medical writing.
Upon examination of this book, readers will see that Nightingale made use of the margins to add titles to new sections, side notes, and footnotes at the bottom of pages. The use of the margins allows the book to feel like a journal filled with tips and tricks for women pursuing nursing. The creation and publication of this book created a path for women to study nursing without having to study under Nightingale herself. This book holds all of the medical knowledge Nightingale possessed. By placing her knowledge into one book, Nightingale opened the doors to allow more women to pursue nursing. Women no longer had to travel to study under practicing nurses because they had the resource to learn on their own.