Florence Nightingale: Mystic, Visionary, Reformer

by Barbara Montgomery Dossey

Readers are informed and exhilarated by the story of Florence Nightingale, a brilliant pioneer who played a major role in making nursing the respected profession it is today. This sumptuously illustrated biography of nursing’s inspiring founder focuses on Nightingale’s mystic beliefs, her contributions to public health and infection control, and her trailblazing work in government and health care reform. Readers discover Nightingale’s life as a mystic and her many health care theories and practices that are still in use today. Brimming with more than 280 beautiful photographs and hundreds of little-known facts that shed light on the events that shaped Nightingale’s life and work.

Genres: Biography Memoir, Nursing, Biography

440 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Shauna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is laid out like a textbook. If you are looking for a college text for a course on the origins of Nursing or about Florence Nightengale, this is a great pick. If you are looking for a flowing biography, pick a different book.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for an exhibit I'm curating at work. I have absolutely LOVED learning about Nightingale. This book has fabulous illustrations, and has been a good introduction to Nightingale's life and work. I was caught by this biography for about the first half, and then it lost me when it got into Florence's politicking and reform after the Crimean War. Probably the first of several Nightingale biographies.

[Jes]

An incredibly detailed biography about Florence Nightingale's life, rich with relevant color photos and excerpts from letters and books. Even though I thought I knew a lot about her, I was missing some of the best parts; the author's work goes far beyond the simple idea of "the lady with the lamp". The book does an excellent job at giving context to the major world events at the time, from circumstances surrounding the Crimean war, the political climate in India, and the state of healthcare and any advancements. As others have mentioned, this is absolutely a text book in many ways, but interesting nevertheless!

Some tidbits I loved:
-Florence had a pet owl named Athena.
-Her work in reforming hospitals was met with so much opposition, bureaucracy, red tape, and just stupid rules. Truly it is a wonder she accomplished anything at all, let alone so much.
-She suffered from chronic pain and illness for most of her life after contracting Crimean Fever in her thirties. If anything I feel like this is not talked about enough, here you have this absolute powerhouse of a woman, whose work took the last of her strength, who declared herself an invalid because of it later in life, but kept working for reform. No, we can't and should not all be expected to be so great, but it is wonderful it is possible for someone who wanted it.
-She worked towards better treatment and sanitation in poor houses, separating those that could be expected to work to earn their stay in such a place, and those who were poor from being young, elderly, or infirm
-She advocated for women's right to own property and divorce, focusing on achieving that over the vote
-She advocated for sanitation and better treatment of those in India as Britain really extended its rule there, taking advantage of the population without interest in mingling
-She never married nor had children, instead having many long friendships
-Additionally, I am amused that the author of this book decided to add a whole piece on what she believes her MBTI type to be; INTJ

Finally, I enjoyed the quote spoken by the minister at her memorial:
"No one has ever done anything great or useful by listening to the voices from without"

[Tracey Ledel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting,and scholarly, but exhaustive (and exhausting) in it's details. Lots of great illustrations. a browsing book rather than a book I can read straight through.
Barbara Dossey is a premier holistic nurse.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am awe-inspired and reading in wonderment....more later

[grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

lovely biography that i used for my history capstone..... but why are we calling florence nightingale "Flo" !!!!!!!!