Medicine Through Time - Nightingale and Healthcare in Britain, 1837-1901

About this Course

About the Course

In this course, Dr Jonathan Memel (Bishop Grosseteste University) explores the career of Florence Nightingale in the context of British healthcare and nursing during the 19th century. In the first module, we provide an introduction to public health in 19th-century Britain. In the second module, we turn to look at the connection between urbanisation and public health in Britain, focusing specifically upon the rise of written accounts reflecting upon this rapidly changing environment. In the third module, we then shift focus to the prevalent beliefs and preventative methods practiced by this increasingly urbanised British society. In the fourth module, we change direction and take a look at health in the home, focusing on the importance of domestic settings for the administration of medical treatments, especially among the lower classes and for less serious illnesses. Finally, in the fifth module, we look at the developments that took place in nursing during the 19th century, giving particular attention to the life and career of Florence Nightingale.

About the Lecturer

Dr Jonathan Memel is a lecturer in English at Bishop Grosseteste University. He specialises in 19th-century literature and culture, in particular the life and work of Florence Nightingale, having undertaken a research fellowship on the AHRC project ‘Florence Nightingale Comes Home for 2020’ (www.florencenightingale.org). His most recent publication is the volume Florence Nightingale at Home (2020), which he co-authored with Dr Richard Bates, Professor Anna Greenwood and Professor Paul Crawford.