I'm so glad you've written about her like this! Her data-viz work in particular is groundbreaking and it was only recently that it started getting the acclaim it deserved - Scientific American did a piece on it in 2022 that got a lot of attention:
>>"Nightingale's stories showcased how poor sanitation and overcrowding caused unnecessary death. She constructed her arguments from easy-to-understand comparisons. For instance, Nightingale brilliantly framed army mortality by contrasting it with civilian mortality. She showed how, for example, peacetime soldiers living in army barracks died at higher rates than civilian men of similar ages. Her graphics made it impossible to deny the realities represented by the data: army administration needed dramatic reform.
Nightingale's diagrams received broad coverage in the press. Within months after the first batch was published, the issue of overcrowded barracks was debated in both houses of Parliament, which moved to reform the sanitary conditions of the army. This resolution was backed by four subcommissions focused on sanitary construction, health codes, a military medical school and military statistics. Within a couple of years the quality of British Army data soared under the leadership of a Nightingale ally. The new data-collection operation—eventually lauded as the best in Europe—also proved the success of the sanitary reforms: mortality from preventable disease among soldiers declined to less than that in the comparable civilian population."<<
Since grade 8, when my English teacher suggested I do a biography of Florence Nightingale, I have liked her... Thanks for the deep-dive into her notes!
They really, really do! I'm fascinated by how figures like Nightingale start off keeping traditional commonplace books in childhood and then transform their note-taking habits as they mature.
I was thinking of the traditional markers (like indexes and topics) that make it so that the British Library catalogued this particular notebook as a commonplace book and not Nightingale's other notebooks. I generally agree with you, though, that there is no "right' way to keep a commonplace book.
"They mature along with the writer" — this is what I keep seeing in my own notebooks. The form of the noting changes as the understanding deepens. What starts as recording becomes discovering. 🐦⬛
I didn’t know abt her note taking. How appropriate for nurses’ appreciation week. I should reread her bio again. How much cleaning keeps us healthier. Not to take for granted clean water and soap. I sent this to nurse friends.
Such a great post, and I learned more than what I already knew about her. Huge bonus! I knew about her observational skills which guided me I my own practice as a Clinical Nurse Specialist.
Lovely post, Jillian (again): "The lady with the pencil" — yes. This is the reframe the whole story needed. What strikes me about Nightingale is that she understood something memoirists know in their bones: the writing isn't the record of the thinking. It IS the thinking. The notes, the charts, the Rose Diagram, she wasn't documenting conclusions, she was finding them. The pencil was how she got to truth precise enough to change policy. And the lamp, which everyone pictures. That's the icon. The pencil is the instrument. Even her nurse evaluations: "perfectly sober" as the highest praise. Economical, observational, precise. She was always writing toward something larger than the sentence. 🐦⬛
I'm so glad you've written about her like this! Her data-viz work in particular is groundbreaking and it was only recently that it started getting the acclaim it deserved - Scientific American did a piece on it in 2022 that got a lot of attention:
>>"Nightingale's stories showcased how poor sanitation and overcrowding caused unnecessary death. She constructed her arguments from easy-to-understand comparisons. For instance, Nightingale brilliantly framed army mortality by contrasting it with civilian mortality. She showed how, for example, peacetime soldiers living in army barracks died at higher rates than civilian men of similar ages. Her graphics made it impossible to deny the realities represented by the data: army administration needed dramatic reform.
Nightingale's diagrams received broad coverage in the press. Within months after the first batch was published, the issue of overcrowded barracks was debated in both houses of Parliament, which moved to reform the sanitary conditions of the army. This resolution was backed by four subcommissions focused on sanitary construction, health codes, a military medical school and military statistics. Within a couple of years the quality of British Army data soared under the leadership of a Nightingale ally. The new data-collection operation—eventually lauded as the best in Europe—also proved the success of the sanitary reforms: mortality from preventable disease among soldiers declined to less than that in the comparable civilian population."<<
Ah, I saw that article! And then forgot to cite it. Here's the link for anyone reading the comments & interested in it: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-florence-nightingale-changed-data-visualization-forever/
And, thanks for your comment Mike--you're one of my favorite science writers on Substack!
Aw. ❤️ Thank you, gosh. And you're one of my favourite writers on Substack, period! Love your work.
The radial diagrams are cool!
I thought so too, Allen!
Amazing. Yes, the data is more immediately comprehensible when a visual component is added. What a brilliant person.
So true--and such a brilliant design! I've been adding more visualizations to my own notes as a bit of an experiment.
Right? She didn't just display the data, she found the form the argument couldn't be denied in. The proof and the shape becoming the same thing. 🐦⬛
Fantastic. Everyone knows the name, of course... but I didn't know more about her than that. Thanks Jillian.
Right?! I feel this way about most famous historical figures. They are usually way more interesting than we realize.
Not just a nurse; also a formidable medical scholar.
Indeed.
Since grade 8, when my English teacher suggested I do a biography of Florence Nightingale, I have liked her... Thanks for the deep-dive into her notes!
How wonderful that she's been in your life since 8th grade!
Commonplace books - they have a habit of turning up with some of the most interesting people. Thanks for calling this new linkage to my attention.
They really, really do! I'm fascinated by how figures like Nightingale start off keeping traditional commonplace books in childhood and then transform their note-taking habits as they mature.
Not sure there is a 'traditional' commonplace book. Each seems to have a style of its own. But you are right that they mature along with the writer.
I was thinking of the traditional markers (like indexes and topics) that make it so that the British Library catalogued this particular notebook as a commonplace book and not Nightingale's other notebooks. I generally agree with you, though, that there is no "right' way to keep a commonplace book.
"They mature along with the writer" — this is what I keep seeing in my own notebooks. The form of the noting changes as the understanding deepens. What starts as recording becomes discovering. 🐦⬛
Jennifer, You have captured so well the implication of my comment about maturing -- 'recording becomes discovering.' Well put.
And same back! 🐦⬛
Very interesting!
Thanks, Nina!
I didn’t know abt her note taking. How appropriate for nurses’ appreciation week. I should reread her bio again. How much cleaning keeps us healthier. Not to take for granted clean water and soap. I sent this to nurse friends.
Fantastic post, Jillian.
Oh, thank you, Jolene!
This is very good. Thanks for writing this interesting and useful article. She was an effective change agent.
Such a great post, and I learned more than what I already knew about her. Huge bonus! I knew about her observational skills which guided me I my own practice as a Clinical Nurse Specialist.
So wonderful to hear from a nurse! Thanks, Donelle!
Lovely post, Jillian (again): "The lady with the pencil" — yes. This is the reframe the whole story needed. What strikes me about Nightingale is that she understood something memoirists know in their bones: the writing isn't the record of the thinking. It IS the thinking. The notes, the charts, the Rose Diagram, she wasn't documenting conclusions, she was finding them. The pencil was how she got to truth precise enough to change policy. And the lamp, which everyone pictures. That's the icon. The pencil is the instrument. Even her nurse evaluations: "perfectly sober" as the highest praise. Economical, observational, precise. She was always writing toward something larger than the sentence. 🐦⬛
Yes! I couldn't agree more: writing is thinking.
I’m thrilled to learn of her info-graphics! So much can be digested and understood so much more quickly with a picture for some of us!
Loved leading this, very inspiring!
Wonderful! I'm a huge Florence Nightingale fan (who isn't :)