Notes on Nursing: What It Is, and What It Is Not

First published in 1859, “Notes on Nursing” was written by nursing innovator Florence Nightingale, who served in war-torn Crimea and worked to greatly improve hospital conditions there. Though relatively short, this work is entirely comprised of nursing hints designed to aid individuals entrusted with the health care of others. The advice Nightingale wrote of included such practicalities as improving the conditions of ventilation, heating, noise, light, bedding, and cleanliness of the patient’s environment, as well as a nurse’s personal cleanliness and methods of observation. This work also addresses the treatment of the individuals being nursed, from the food they consume to the things they should or should not be told. Though the author herself stressed the fledgling nature of her guide, Nightingale’s effort to systematize the care of the infirmed has since earned her recognition as one of the world’s founders of modern nursing.