The collection chiefly comprises correspondence by Florence Nightingale, either in original or in copy form. The date-span covers the whole of her life and the subjects range from her attempts to become a nurse, service in the Crimea and subsequent work reforming the training and practice of nursing, through her other concerns such as Indian sanitation, cottage hospitals and the use of medical statistics, to personal and family matters. Well-represented correspondents include her family (particularly her sister Parthenope and brother-in-law Sir Harry Verney), Sir William Aitken (1825-1892), Professor of Pathology at the Army Medical School; George Hanby De'ath (c.1862-1901), Medical Officer of Health for Buckingham; William Farr (1807-1883), statistician; Miss Louisa Gordon, Matron at St Thomas' Hospital; Miss Amy Hughes, Superintendent of the Nurses' Co-operation; Sir John Henry Lefroy (1817-1890); Charles C. Plowden of the Sanitary Department of the India Office; and Mary Clarke Mohl (1793-1883). In addition, there is twentieth century material relating to Nightingale's legacy such as photographs of her grave (at MS.9101) and administrative papers relating to the compilation of A calendar of the letters of Florence Nightingale (Oxford, 1977) by Sue Goldie (MSS.9106-9109).
Nightingale , Florence , 1820-1910 , nursing reformer
GB 0120 MSS.5471-5484, 6930 and 8991-9109
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1847-1905 and undated; also copies, taken during the 1970s, of items dated 1827-1970 and undated