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

by Florence Nightingale

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Genres: Nursing, Nonfiction, History, Classics, Medical, Medicine, Health Care

123 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1858

About the author

Florence Nightingale, OM, RRC was an English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence during the Crimean War for her pioneering work in nursing, and was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night to tend injured soldiers. Nightingale laid the foundation stone of professional nursing with the principles summarised in the book Notes on Nursing. The Nightingale Pledge taken by new nurses was named in her honour, and the annual International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on her birthday.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A piece of history, I enjoyed reading nursing pioneer Florence Nightingales account of nursing in a time when the profession was not widely respected or even considered to be a feasible career.

The language is, of course, typical of the era of which it was written in which requires an amount of concentration by the reader to fully understand the overall message.

I read this from a purely historical interest point of view while I was training as a nurse myself. It's interesting to see what aspects are still applicable to nurses today.

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this purely for the historical aspect of nursing. I didn’t expect that I’d get a good laugh every few pages. Florence Nightingale was one sassy/sarcastic lady. Ms. Nightingale is my 18th century spirit animal. Besides the humor that I so enjoyed, it was an interesting perspective on some aspects of nursing during the 18th century. Im convinced that if every medical professional had the forethought and “common-sense” nursing perspective, as Nightingale called it, the world would be a much better place.

[athenaowl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this peek into the world of nursing through the eyes of Florence Nightingale.

Nightingale lived during the Victorian Age during the Industrial Revolution in the mid 1800's. She witnesses to hearing a call of God when she was 16 which eventually led her into ministering to the sick.

Possessing superior administrative skills and viewing nursing as an art not just a science she has stated that, "Every woman is a nurse."

Common sense natural health suggestions were presented in each chapter such as the importance of light, proper nutrition, and complete consideration for the one ill in regards to noises and environment. Proper air ventilation and cleanliness without harsh smells were touched on as well as warmth and quiet for the ill were deemed crucial to one's quality of health.

As a mother, I am a nurse and benefitted from the notes of Nightingale. This little classic should be required reading to all going into the ministry of serving the sick.

[Lisa Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I am studying nursing, this was a really interesting read. Written by the lady who made nursing a respectable career, I enjoy comparing the methods she was inspired to use vs. the way we do things in our day. Her language is very "Jane Austen-like"....and to the point. The most interesting point I learned was her belief that the quality of air we breathe is the single most important thing to making a sick person healthy and keeping healthy people healthy. Further, she says that even in the winter, we should always have a window open day and night, to keep air flow in our homes (despite the cold). Hmm. The first thing I did after I put the book down was ran and opened all my windows....rain schmrain...

[Gabie Peacock · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! Such a precious and practical book. Who can benefit from this book besides those who pursue nursing as a vocation? Caretakers, parents, homemakers, people in childcare, respite workers, children of aging parents, etc. The list can go on! I absolutely loved this book and found myself jumping to action on many of her practical steps as I was reading it. As a young wife myself, I think that every wife/homemaker/mother should read this and have it in their library. Reading this book has prompted me to consider reading other practical books on nursing, caring for the sick and elderly because I do believe it is a part of our Christian duty! Note to readers: This was written in the 19th century, some of the language, terms, and scientific observations may be outdated.

[Hattush]

It is interesting how much of the info in this book is just common sense nowadays.

[Hadassah Buie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up after I read a biography on Florence Nightingale's life, and I'm so glad I did. The matter-of-fact way that she wrote this was quite refreshing. She didn't skirt around any facts that she might think her readers don't want to know. She is so quotable too!

From page 84 in my edition, "Almost all superstitions are owing to bad observation..." She then goes on to elaborate on this point to highlight how important it is to be a good observer when nursing anyone.

When describing attributes that all good nurses need to have, "... she must be a religious and devoted woman; she must have a respect for her own calling, because God's gift of life is often literally placed in her hands..."

She ends the book with a note that ends with, "... go your way straight to God's work, in simplicity and singleness of heart."

[Shraddha Dahal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing insights from the mother of modern nursing ❤

[Erin Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Admittedly, I probably find this book a bit more fascinating than the average person as I am nurse, yet it is an interesting snapshot of the medical practices of Flo's time. Of course, much of what Ms. Nightingale wrote about is completely irrelevant or incorrect by today's standards. However, her focus was on caring for the entire well-being of her patients. Modern nursing not only owes much to Nightingale's work, but would do well to better implement some of her words into practice today.

[Cheryl Zlomke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because I am a new nursing student. It was very interesting to learn many of today's nursing procedures started with Florence Nightingale. She truly was/is the foundation of nursing. Simple things like clean beds and clean clothes, opening windows and airing out the room, basic commonsense with regards to food and nutrition and amazingly enough, even sunlight plays a role in healing. Very good read.

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yeah I get it: ventilate the room, wash your hands, change the patient's sheets, keep the chamber pot empty....

There is no doubht that nursing would not be what it is today with out Florence Nightingale, but this book was so preachy and nagging. I will definately save it as a citation source for later work, but not something you want to read again or ever.

[Sharon M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every nurse should read this to remind us where nursing has been, how far we've come and what has not changed at all! Florence Nightingale had incredible foresight not only in nursing but in public health.

[Dominic Trump · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst clearly a product of it's time, and mindful of the more critical modern take on Nightingale's work, this piece displays a frankly astounding degree of insight. Even in cases where the conclusions might rightly be disputed by modern medicine, Nightingale's powers of observation and her will to act form such a compelling backbone of the piece, that it is really no wonder that she is considered by many to be inception of nursing as we know it. What surprised me most was her wit and style, and I particularly enjoyed her passages of exasperation with issues that remain quite familiar. Very thought-provoking work to pick apart, I'd recommend to anyone!

[Brie Fontaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very robust information on some very simple primary care concepts in nursing. My biggest takeaways are:
- Beef tea is nutritious to a healthy man
- Beef tea is innutritious to a sick man

[W · Rating 4 out of 5]

flew through the book as that is all I can do with free time readings.The focus of her notes are on what she calls "sanitary nursing, " the maintenance of a healthy ennvironment" so as to promote the reparative process of the body, a process which, interestingly enough, she labels "disease." (healthy environemnt= clean air, light, appropriate conversation within scope of practice, etc..) Course, some of what is said would today be considered outdated and much of what I read elicited a " well, yeah, obviously," seeing as her "notes" are "common sense" for those of us in the twenty first century. common sense, however, as ive come to find out, is quite often culturally determined and her "notes" while prosaic in our time were revolutionary in hers. we must keep this in mind if we're to appreciate her work.

Nightingale is essentially the mother of modern nursing as we more or less know it. She systematized and got the ball rollin' on making it a knowledge- theory based discipline. Prior to then " nursing" was essentially what women were expected to do within the home or wherever, utilizing whatever folky medicinal and motherly skills that may have been traditioned to them. From what I gather, nursing in her era was what the women did, not the men, and was and extension of seemed to be a "common sense" role within the familial / social unit. I'd like to explore this a little more with time, paritucularly the sociological/ theolgical transitions movements that have led to the increasing occurance of the male-nurse.

[Mary Kaener · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly intelligent. Even though the book is just guidance for nurses she displays such academic rigor. I love her notes on observation and the little snippet on feminism towards the end.

At first it’s easy to read her as slightly prissy but it doesn’t take long to realize that she never has a bad word to say about her patients- only those that would disturb or neglect them.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting for two separate reasons...the things that were so dated and so wrong (like women are innately better caregivers) AND for the things that were so dated and so right (fresh air, cleanliness, etc.)

[Madhulika Liddle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Florence Nightingale’s tips on the many varied aspects of nursing. Not, as she explicitly states repeatedly throughout the book, a guide to be used for training a hospital nurse, but a guide for the private nurse. The nurse, either paid or voluntary, who is called upon to look after a patient—a mother nursing a sick child, a relative called upon to look after an invalid, or a private nurse hired to take care of a patient in a private home. Nightingale points out that while the intention may be good, in most cases, this form of nursing is sadly lacking in even the very basics that most hospitals have as part of routine systems.

As part of this, she covers everything from ensuring fresh air and ventilation; the importance of cleanliness in food, air, and water (going even into great detail about what type of chamber pots to use, how to clean them, and so on); food for patients; what signs to look out for in patients that could indicate their state of health (or not). She even touches on topics such as reading to patients (with tips on speed, topic, even with recommendations); visitors to a patient; the importance of a window with a view on the outside world; what bedding is best for the sick, and how the bedding—as well as the bedstead—should be handled, aired and cleaned.

What makes this book interesting is that it offers insights into both the world of late 19th century health and sanitation (that dreaded deadly ‘night air’!) as well as into Florence Nightingale’s own mind and psyche. While much of what she says is obviously horrifically outdated—even the layman now knows differently and more scientifically perhaps on what was back then even unknown to medical science—what stands out vividly is Ms Nightingale’s no-nonsense attitude, so at odds with prevailing norms for how women should think and behave. For instance: Let no one ever depend upon fumigations, "disinfectants," and the like, for purifying the air. The offensive thing, not its smell, must be removed. A celebrated medical lecturer began one day, "Fumigations, gentlemen, are of essential importance. They make such an abominable smell that they compel you to open the window." I wish all the disinfecting fluids invented made such an "abominable smell" that they forced you to admit fresh air. That would be a useful invention.

Recommended if you want a glimpse into either Ms Nightingale or the times she lived in. Or, of course, if you’re a nurse or interested in medical professions, especially their history.

[Lauretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was something I wanted to read for a very long time. As a nurse I've always admired Florence and have been inspired by her. She was an exceptional woman, ahead of her time. A feminist and a nurse. I'll always be grateful for what she did for the nursing profession, because if she didn't I would be doing charitable work rather than being paid to help others.

However, I have to be honest that I didn't agree with all she has written. For her time she was perhaps revolutionary and had a very strong view and opinion for a woman, but I think some of her views are a bit outdated. I will take some of her notes to heart, hopefully making me grow into a good nurse (as she has put it).

To sum it all up.. It was really special to read her notes and thoughts, some of them still applicable to this day. I would recommend for every (student) nurse to read this to get an idea of Florence and her great and revolutionary mind.

[Abigail Borland · Rating 1 out of 5]

No disrespect to the founder of modern nursing, but this book was almost a DNF (did not finish). If I was a housewife with a sick person to take care of at home in mid nineteenth century England this probably would have been helpful. And her efforts to fight Dickensian housing conditions for the sick are admirable.

Some parts made me laugh though: “Can human perversity any further go, in unmaking the process of restoration which God has made? The fact is, that the heads of sleepers or of sick should never be higher than the throat of the chimney, which ensures their being in the current of best air. And we will not suppose it possible that you have closed your chimney with a chimney board.”

Overall, 1/5 stars for enjoyment but I respect Florence Nightingale for how she pioneered nursing science, statistics, aseptic technique, and standards of basic cleanliness and nutrition for patients.

[Mary Havens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who knew a book on nursing would be so interesting?
If you ever wondered where "common sense" advice on health came from (ex. fresh air is good for you), it was probably from Florence Nightingale. I found myself thinking frequently "well, everyone knows that". Not really!! Common sense has to come from somewhere!!
The grossest part was Nightingale describing using a rough cloth to rub the black flecks off of your body. The black flecks meant that you were dirty. And I was like....dang...people were really dirty back then :)
Glad I listened to this! It was a little dry but it's about 19th century nursing - how jazzy can that be? :D

[Kyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of my high school curriculum for sophomore year. Florence Nightingale was a devoted nurse who did not hesitate to speak in favor of what she believed to be proper nursing. In a rather blunt way, Nightingale shared her personal opinion about how best to care for a patient, touching on matters from how important proper cleanliness is in a sickroom to how a nurse should enter a patient's room. Even with all the medical advances we have made today, I feel that this book provides just as much valuable and accurate information now as it did several centuries ago. A great read for anyone interested in the medical field.

[Mallee Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected this to be a little dull, but Nightingale's voice bounced off the page. Her practical advice, much of which is as important today as it was then, was sited with good as well as bad examples. For instance, the importance of fresh air and how many of us close our windows in winter giving us a cosy warm house, but if someone's sick, we're bound to catch their illness because their germs can't escaped the closed environment.

[Paige Redwine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 1859, Florence Nightingale's writing covers the importance of observation, reporting, fresh air, good nutrition, and light. Her writing is witty and direct. The formatting in the edition I have doesn't make this an easy book to read. Small font and the footnotes on nearly every page made my progress slow. There's no doubt that Florence Nightingale was a brilliant woman who contributed immensely to nursing.

[Hollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although some parts are outdated it is still a very beneficial read. So much of the habits cleanliness, sunshine, and fresh air have been forgotten by many modern women. The importance of observation and good bedside manners were most helpful too. Any woman that has a home and is in care of others ought to read this.

[Mel Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant Lady

Awesome insights to what women were facing at the time, and her humble vision to educate mothers and wives on how simple things made the greatest impact on their families.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book, every nurse or anyone thinking about becoming a nurse should read.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical advice, it does seem silly to my modern sensibilities that some people would have to be told this, but than again we are still superstitious at times in these days.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Required reading for class.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I would earnestly ask my sisters to keep clear of both the jargons now current everywhere (for they are equally jargons); of the jargon, namely, about the "rights" of women, which urges women to do all that men do, including the medical and other professions, merely because men do it, and without regard to whether this is the best that women can do; and of the jargon which urges women to do nothing that men do, merely because they are women, and should be "recalled to a sense of their duty as women," and because "this is women's work," and "that is men's," and "these are things which women should not do," which is all assertion, and nothing more. Surely woman should bring the best she has, whatever that is, to the work of God's world, without attending to either of these cries. For what are they, both of them, the one just as much as the other, but listening to the "what people will say," to opinion, to the "voices from without?" And as a wise man has said, no one has ever done anything great or useful by listening to the voices from without.
You do not want the effect of your good things to be, "How wonderful for a woman!" nor would you be deterred from good things by hearing it said, "Yes, but she ought not to have done this, because it is not suitable for a woman." But you want to do the thing that is good, whether it is "suitable for a woman" or not.
It does not make a thing good, that it is remarkable that a woman should have been able to do it. Neither does it make a thing bad, which would have been good had a man done it, that it has been done by a woman.
Oh, leave these jargons, and go your way straight to God's work, in simplicity and singleness of heart."

~Florence Nightingale