Paper
Thursday, July 22, 2004
This presentation is part of : Nursing History and Model Development
Florence Nightingale in the News: Contribution, Controversy, and Celebrity 1900-1910
Linda Holbrook Freeman, RN, DSN, School of Nursing, School of Nursing, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
Learning Objective #1: Identify the impact of Nightingale's public image on nursing registration
Learning Objective #2: Discuss the controversy reported in the print media on the issue of nursing registration in England
Purpose: Florence Nightingale's contributions have often been described in relation to her work in the Crimean War or in association with nursing education. Her active involvement in and contributions to nursing extended much beyond her work in the Crimea and the establishment of a school of nursing. Her interest in nursing is evident even into her final years. Nightingale felt strongly about the issue of nurse registration in England. The coverage in the newspaper, The Times, [London] from 1900-1910, the year of Nightingale’s death, reflected both the controversy and the contribution Nightingale continued to make to nursing. Her celebrity extended well beyond her work in the Crimea and the beginning of the school of nursing at St. Thomas. The purpose of this study is to describe the impact of Nightingale’s public image on the nursing issues of the period.

Methods: Social history will be used to explore the issues surrounding nursing in London, and Nightingale’s impact on the issues as reflected in articles, editorials, and letters to the editor by or about Nightingale as published in The Times of London, 1900-1910. Relevant materials of the era, including correspondence and documents, were used from archives at the London Records Office and the Florence Nightingale Museum [London]. Textbooks and biographies were used to provide background.

Discussion/Findings: Nightingale’s celebrity, controversial stands related to nursing issues, and contributions to nursing are evident well beyond her initial work in the Crimea. Her public image continued to influence nursing, as reflected in the print media, into the 1900s. Nursing, largely invisible in the print media in later decades, was very visible during Nightingale’s life. Her public image had great impact on nursing and can illustrate the importance of our public image as reflected in and shaped by newspapers today.

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