''Notes on Nursing: What it is and What it is Not'' is a book first published by

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, i ...

in 1859.Encyclopædia Britannica's Guide to Women's History
/ref> A 76-page volume with 3 page appendix published by Harrison of Pall Mall, it was intended to give hints on

nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

to those entrusted with the

health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

of others. Florence Nightingale stressed that it was not meant to be a comprehensive guide from which to teach one's self to be a nurse but to help in the practice of treating others. In her introduction to the 1974 edition, Joan Quixley, then head of the

Nightingale School of Nursing The Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care is an academic faculty within King's College London. The faculty is the world's first nursing school to be continuously connected to a fully serving hospital and medi ...

, wrote that despite the passage of time since ''Notes on Nursing'' was published, "the book astonishes one with its relevance to modern attitudes and skills in nursing, whether this be practised at home by the 'ordinary woman', in hospital or in the community. The social, economic and professional differences of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in no way hinder the young student or pupil from developing, if he or she is motivated to do so, its unchanged fundamentals by way of intelligent thought and practice". "With its mid-nineteenth century background of poverty,

neglect In the context of caregiving, neglect is a form of abuse where the perpetrator, who is responsible for caring for someone who is unable to care for themselves, fails to do so. It can be a result of carelessness, indifference, or unwillingness an ...

, ignorance and

prejudice Prejudice can be an affective feeling towards a person based on their perceived group membership. The word is often used to refer to a preconceived (usually unfavourable) evaluation or classification of another person based on that person's per ...

the book was a challenge to contemporary views of nursing, of nurses and of the patient". "The book was the first of its kind ever to be written. It appeared at a time when the simple rules of health were only beginning to be known, when its topics were of vital importance not only for the

well-being Well-being, or wellbeing, also known as wellness, prudential value or quality of life, refers to what is intrinsically valuable relative ''to'' someone. So the well-being of a person is what is ultimately good ''for'' this person, what is in th ...

and recovery of patients, when hospitals were riddled with infection, when nurses were still mainly regarded as ignorant, uneducated persons. The book has, inevitably, its place in the history of nursing, for it was written by the founder of modern nursing". The book included advice and practices for the following areas: *

ventilation Ventilation may refer to: * Ventilation (physiology), the movement of air between the environment and the lungs via inhalation and exhalation ** Mechanical ventilation, in medicine, using artificial methods to assist breathing *** Ventilator, a m ...

and warming *health in houses *petty management (how things are done by others when you must be away) *noise *variety (environment) *taking food and what kinds of food *bed and bedding *light *

cleanliness Cleanliness is both the state of being clean and free from germs, dirt, trash, or waste, and the habit of achieving and maintaining that state. Cleanliness is often achieved through cleaning. Culturally, cleanliness is usually a good quality, as ...

of rooms *personal

*chattering hopes and advices (the false assurances and recommendations of family and friends to the sick) *observation of the sick Later editions of ''Notes on Nursing'' are available to the public today.

References

The 2009 edition of Notes on Nursing: A Guide for today's care givers is published by Elsevier in conjunction with the International Council of Nurses.

External links

Contents of the 1860 First American Edition book online
*
''Notes on Nursing'': Dr Constance B Schuyler (1992), contains facsimile of First Edition published in London 1859Notes for Nurses

Florence Nightgale - ''Notes on Nursing''
Audio and text site of this book that shaped the early development of modern nursing. {{Authority control 1859 non-fiction books Medical manuals Works about nursing