Florence Nightingale on Health in India

Bonnie White is a Ph.D. candidate in the History Department at McMaster
University.

Florence Nightingale worked for 40 years to bring health reform to the
people of India. Although her work initially focused on the British
soldiers serving in the country, she increasingly worked toward
bettering the health and well-being of the Indian people. Following the
Crimean War, Nightingale turned her attention toward finding solutions
to the underlying problems that plagued Indian society, including
preventable mortality resulting from poor sanitary conditions, and
famine, which she believed was the result of an unhealthy living
environment.

Following the other volumes in this series, Gérard Vallée argues that
Nightingale’s work in India was part of her “call to service” in
1837, which she interpreted as a “mission to save lives.”
Vallée’s detailed introduction provides important background
information for understanding the place and meaning of the material
presented in the collection. It also provides the reader with the
necessary historical, social, political, and scientific context for
Nightingale’s reform efforts in India and her political contacts in
England.

In 1857, Nightingale committed herself to the cause of health-care
reform in India. Following the adoption of the India Act by Parliament
in 1858, the British army was reorganized and concerns about efficiency
and the human condition meant that greater emphasis was placed on the
fate of Britain’s soldiers. Although Nightingale never visited India,
Vallée argues that she successfully carried out her work from her home
in England and that her knowledge of the county and its people was
gathered from personal contacts and the work of the royal commission on
India.

Though the collection covers a vast range of topics—from
Nightingale’s work on sanitation and public heath, to education,
social reform, political development, and religious concerns—Vallée
seamlessly guides the reader through the complexities of Nightingale’s
efforts. Of particular interest is the attention paid to Nightingale’s
political contacts in England, the obstacles she encountered, and her
tireless efforts to convince those around her of the need for
health-care reform. While the collection is primarily focused on
Nightingale, the documents contained in Volume 9 provide fascinating
insight into Britain’s political climate in the mid- to late 1800s.