This book presents a new examination of Victorian nurses which
challenges commonly-held assumptions about their character and
motivation. Nineteenth century nursing history has, until now,
concentrated almost exclusively on nurse leaders, on the
development of nursing as a profession and the politics surrounding
registration. This emphasis on big themes, and reliance on the
writings of nursing's upper stratum, has resulted in nursing
history being littered with stereotypes. This book is one of the
first attempts to understand, in detail, the true nature of
Victorian nursing at ground level.
Uniquely, the study views nursing through an economic lens, as
opposed to the more usual vocational focus. Nursing is placed in
the wider context of women's role in British society, and the
changing prospects for female employment in the high Victorian
period. Using St George's Hospital, London as a case study, the
book explores the evolution of nurse recruitment, training,
conditions of employment and career development in the second half
of the nineteenth century. Pioneering prosopographical techniques,
which combined archival material with census data to create a
database of named nurses, have enabled the generation - for the
first time - of biographies of ordinary nurses.
Sue Hawkins' findings belie the picture of nursing as a
profession dominated by middle class women. Nursing was a melting
pot of social classes, with promotion and opportunity extended to
all women on the basis of merit alone. This pioneering work will
interest students and researchers in nursing history, the social
and cultural history of Victorian England and women's studies.
General
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