02/09/10
Celebrating Florence Nightingale - and her links with Kingston and St George’s
Most people will know Florence Nightingale as the inspiration and founder of modern professional nursing, but she was also an influential reformer and political networker.
Nightingale was an advocate for improving care and conditions in the military and in civilian hospitals, a leading figure in the introduction of improved medical care and public health services in India, and introduced trained nurses into the workhouse system in England and Ireland – an innovation that could be said to herald the establishment of the National Health Service in Britain forty years after her death. In addition, she was a pioneer in the graphical representation of statistics and the first elected female member of the Royal Statistical Society.
Nightingale’s contribution to nursing is being celebrated on the centenary of her death at a forthcoming International perspectives on nursing history conference, organised by the Faculty of Health and Social Care Sciences. As a little aside to all the famous facts and some of the myths about her life, Faculty Dean Fiona Ross has unearthed a few fascinating connections with both Kingston and St George’s, which creates a rather special story for the partnership of Kingston University and St George’s, University of London.
Kingston's Coombe Hurst: a source of early inspiration and guidance
In the nineteenth century there were a number of estates on Kingston Hill, including the Regency Mansion of Coombe Hurst which now houses Kingston University's School of Performance and Screen Studies. This was the family home of Florence’s beloved Aunt Mai and her Uncle Samuel Smith. When Florence was growing up she was a frequent visitor to Coombe Hurst, where she found emotional support and encouragement to develop her intellectual curiosity.
Her Aunt Mai’s mentorship, inspiration and religious guidance at Coombe Hurst were an important part of Florence’s development and struggle for independence from the conventional and forced idleness of Victorian women. Mai intervened on Florence’s behalf with her mother many times, such as when Florence craved to learn more about mathematics. “If Flo was my own daughter, I should be very restless to see her immediately hard at work. Those industrious tendencies which she spends on music and needlework would, I think, make a strong interest for life if devoted to mathematics pursued into science”. This was instrumental in supporting Florence’s work in rigorously collecting and statistically analysing data applied to the social and organisational problems of her times, particularly army management and nursing services.
When Florence was in her early thirties, it was again Mai who remonstrated with her parents, supporting her desire to learn about nursing practice from the Deaconesses in Kaiserswerth in Germany. Eventually grudging consent was given, although Florence's mother was deeply opposed, believing this was not suitable for a young woman and preferring that her daughter should grace the drawing room.
An honorary appointment to St George's Board of Governors
There are also interesting links between Florence Nightingale and St George’s. In May 1856, the Board of Governors of St George's Hospital proposed that she be elected an Honorary Governor. The proposal was approved by the Quarterly General Board in July 1856, and Nightingale accepted the appointment in August. St George’s was proud to claim they were the first institution to offer her this honour.
Dr Sue Hawkins, a lecturer in Kingston University's Department of History, has examined the St George’s Hospital Board minutes from the nineteenth century, and it seems that Florence did not attend meetings, which would have been unheard of for a woman. She had at best a rather 'remote' relationship with the hospital. It may be that she worked from her bed (while invalid from chronic brucellosis), behind the scenes, influencing and brokering decisions in the same way as she contributed to government politics over army reform. Certainly there must have been some personal and professional connections with early nursing developments at St George’s, as the Faculty of Health and Social Care Sciences has in its heritage collection two of her hand written letters and her lace cap.
Faculty Dean, Fiona Ross, says “I'm left with lots of questions, as I'm sure there's more to discover around the personal, emotional and professional relationships between Nightingale and the people and places of Kingston and St George’s. I find myself wondering what she would have thought about university students of nursing in the twenty first century walking in the Coombe Hurst grounds, and learning about patient care in one of the hospitals in which she was involved and took an interest”.
The Faculty of Health and Social Care Sciences has a small heritage collection of historical objects relating to nursing at St George’s Hospital and its former School of Nursing. A new exhibition/permanent display will shortly be launched within the hospital focusing on the theme of nursing leadership over three centuries at St George’s.
- Find out more about the International perspectives on nursing history conference taking place on 14-16 September 2010 at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Acknowledgements
Florence Nightingale: The Woman and Her Legend by Mark Bostridge, published by Penguin Books
