Purpose:                Florence Nightingale’s voluminous writing, her network of influential acquaintances, and her public celebrity, much of which can be attributed to the publications of The Times [London], all served to influence health policy.  One issue that bears Nightingale’s imprint is that of public policy affecting workhouse infirmaries, a segment of the larger legislation surrounding the Poor Law of 1834.  Nightingale’s influence is reflected both in health policy changes and in news coverage.    This study explored the historical and social variables that influenced passage of The Metropolitan Poor Act [1867].
Method:           A social history framework was used to examine events related to workhouse infirmaries and health policy in the context of social themes of the Victorian Era.  Historical research methods were used to examine primary and secondary source materials.
Findings:           The arguments surrounding health policy for the poor and Nightingale’s influence through use of news media, networking, and nursing’s image provide insight into strategies that have relevance for nurses today.  The interaction between nurses and the media was then and continues to be relevant to the influence of nursing on health policy.