Introducing the History of Nursing
Updated 24.02.06
In this Bibliography we aim to introduce you to some trustworthy texts which provide an introduction to the history of nursing.
Robert Dingwall, Anne Marie Rafferty and Charles Webster, An Introduction to the Social History of Nursing, London: Routledge, 1988.
This is the most recent addition to the general texts on British nursing history. The book makes good use of a wide range of scholarship and re-examines some earlier views on history very carefully. Several specialities get a chapter each -; midwifery, mental health nursing and community nursing. In the last chapter the account is brought up to Project 2000. However the authors have not yet tackled the important issues raised by recruitment of nurses from the new commonwealth. There are notes to each chapter and 14 pages of Bibliography.
Brian Abel-Smith, A History of the Nursing Profession, London: Heinemann, 1960.
This was the first major contribution to British nursing history which came from 'outside'. Brian Abel Smith was Professor of Social Administration at the London School of Economics. He made it very clear in his introduction that this book was about the politics of nursing and he did not attempt to examine the detail of what it was like to be a nurse or to write a history of nursing care. Although first published in 1960 it has been re-issued several times and is still worth consulting. The book is logically structured and includes a good index and the foot notes are detailed. The photographs will interest you.
Monica Baly, Nursing and Social Change, London: Routledge, 1995.[NB Third Edition].
You will notice that we have specified the Third edition of this book. First published in 1973, it was thoroughly revised for this latest edition. The last nine chapters are written by subject experts. Some deal with specialities such as mental health nursing, others tackle important themes such as the history of research. There is an index and each chapter ends with a list of references and suggestions for further reading.
Biographies
Biographies make interesting reading and can make a subject come alive. If you are interested in the 'registration' issue a useful book which includes biographies of some of the key leaders at that time is
Susan McGann, The Battle of the Nurses, London: Scutari Press, 1992.
Illustrated histories
Nurses are photogenic and they have been involved in much drama. There are some illustrated histories of nursing. Looking through these books can be fun and fascinating. Just be careful and remind yourself that many of the pictures have been chosen to put a romantic gloss onto a story. You should not limit your reading to these books.
Stella Bingham, Ministering Angels, London: Osprey, 1979.
Histories of medicine
Several books were published to celebrate the recent 50th Anniversary of the NHS. The book edited by Irvine Loudon includes chapters on midwifery, nursing, children in hospital and the patients' view. Copious illustrations - a good read.
Irvine Loudon, ed. Western Medicine An Illustrated History, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Roy Porter's book covers the history of medicine from antiquity to the present in 833 pages! An extensive index makes it easy to search for your interests. Further reading is suggested for all the chapters. Interesting illustrations.
Roy Porter, The greatest benefit to mankind. A Medical History of Humanity from Antiquity to the Present, Edinburgh: Polygon, 1992.
Histories of the NHS
The 50th Anniversary was also a stimulus to the production of some histories of the service. Nursing is clearly part of the story but both these books have a wider agenda.
Geoffrey Rivett, From Cradle to Grave. Fifty Years of the NHS, London: King's Fund, 1998.
Charles Webster, The Health Services since the War, Volumes 1 and 2, London: HMSO, 1988 and The Stationery Office 1996.
History of Nursing regulation
Celia Davies, Abbigail Beach Interpreting Professional Self-Regulation A History of the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing London: Routledge, 2000.
This is a study of the work of the UKCC (and to a lesser extent the National Boards) set up under new legislation in 1979 to regulate nurses, midwives and health visitors. A collaboration between a historian (AB) and sociologist (CD), it is a detailed work of record and interpretation based on a scrutiny of archives and records together with a number of background interviews with participants. It charts and interprets the patterns of development of regulation to 1998. The study includes a consideration of the new and hostile political climate surrounding professional self-regulation prompted by events in medicine. It also traces the lobbying by statutory bodies around the clauses of the Health Act 1999.
The first nursing regulatory body'covering nursing was the General Nursing Council (GNC) set up following the Nurses Act 1919. A history of this organisation was published in 1969.
Eve Bendall & Elizabeth Raybould 'A History of the General Nursing Council for England & Wales1919-1969' London: H K Lewis, 1969.
Beyond the UK
To date we do not have a book on the history of ethnicity in British nursing. Nursing in the commonwealth is only beginning to be explored. You might like to look at
Shula Marks, Divided Sisterhood. Race, Class and Gender in the South African Nursing Profession, London: The Macmillan Press Ltd., 1994.
History of nursing in the US has an extensive literature. We only suggest two books here. Hine's book tackles race in nursing and Reverby offers a sound synthesis of scholarship.
Darlene Clark Hine, Black Women in White, Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1989.
Susan Reverby, Ordered to Care. The dilemma of American nursing 1850-1945, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987 [reissued in paperback 1998].
