The Revolution in Nursing Dingwall, Robert; Rafferty, Anne Marie; Webster, Charles
An Introduction to the Social History of Nursing,
1988
Book Chapter
The first evidence of widespread dissatisfaction with the way in
which sick people were provided with nursing care dates from the
1830s. It is important to recognize, however, that this evidence does
...not come from either nurses or patients. Both were likely to belong
to classes of the population who leave few written records of their
own, even if they were not actually illiterate. The complaints come
from two particular sources. One was a group of physicians and
surgeons who were introducing new ways of practising medicine that
were radically changing the whole nature of hospitals. The other was
a circle of well-connected philanthropists whose criticisms expressed
both the reforming spirit of evangelical Christianity and a growing
concern about the fragility of social order under the stresses of
industrialization and urbanization. These two factions had rather
different visions for the future of nursing but their combined
influence transformed the standards expected from care providers in
the home or in institutions.
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