Notes on Nursing

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1860

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Preface-Chapter 4

Chapters 5-7

Chapters 8-10

Chapters 11-13

Conclusion and Supplementary

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Index of Terms

Consumption

As the text was written in the middle of the 19th century, a few terms are outdated and no longer in use. Consumption is what’s now called tuberculosis, a bacterial disease in which the lungs become infected and—before modern medicine—often resulted in death. In the 19th century, it was a common malady and a leading cause of death, especially for those who lived in overcrowded and unsanitary urban locations.

Convalescence

Convalescence is the state in which a patient in recovery exists—the stage before full health returns. Distinguishing convalescence from ill health is necessary because these two states require different modes of care. The approach to treating someone who is fully ill necessarily differs from that for treating a patient who can recover to a state in which illness is essentially not present.

Health

Health can refer to the physical state of a patient or to overall wellbeing. It can connote physical or mental health—or both. The definition of health is broad that it can refer to anything regarding the condition of the patient. Unless paired with a negative word (e.g., “ill health”), it typically connotes a positive condition.

Nursing

Nursing is the skill of caretaking to support health. Nightingale notes that nursing refers not only to what’s generally considered (i.e., the administration of medicine) but to everything that contributes to a patient’s health and recovery. In the text, nursing implies an art and an acquired skill, though the term is used more broadly elsewhere to refer to anyone called by this title, regardless of their level of skill or love of the practice.

Observation

In discussing the importance of observation, Nightingale is specifically referring to the practice of the experienced nurse taking careful note of everything a patient says, does, or fails to do. Observation is about more than making a list of factual statements, however; it requires synthetic judgment and analysis. Taking specific circumstances into account—i.e., observing a patient—results in a particular course of aiding the patient’s recovery, and nothing can replace the simple necessity of a well-trained nurse carefully and constantly observing a patient.