Historical recovery heroes ‐ Florence Nightingale

Abstract

Florence Nightingale was one of the most influential women of the 19th century. She is most closely associated with the Crimean War and the subsequent development of the nursing profession. Before shewent to the Crimea, she had experienced episodes of depression. While in the Crimea she contracted brucellosis and although she returned to England a national heroine, she lived the life of an invalid for several decades. Despite her physical and mental health problems, she produced over 200 reports, pamphlets and books, not just on nursing, but on a wide variety of other topics. This phenomenal productivity has led some authors to suggest that she may have had bipolar disorder.

Citation

Wakely, E. and Carson, J. (2011), "Historical recovery heroes ‐ Florence Nightingale", Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 24-28. https://doi.org/10.5042/mhsi.2011.0055