History
Who is more important in the history of medicine, Florence nightingale or Mary seacole? (8marks)
I think that Mary Seacole was more important in the history of medicine than Florence nightingale because they were both noticed for their nursing care of soldiers during the Crimean War. Nightingale is still a well-known historical figure, but Seacole was soon forgotten
Nightingale's work brought the field of public health to national attention. She was one of the first in Europe to grasp the principles of the new science of statistics and to apply them to military and later hospitals. She worked endlessly to care for the soldiers themselves, making her rounds during the night after the medical officers had retired.
Mary Seacole was a Jamaican healer with expertise in tending victims of cholera and yellow fever epidemics. When the Crimean War began, Seacole went to London and volunteered her services as a nurse to the War Office, other military agencies, and Florence Nightingale's nursing group. She was told by all that her services were not needed. She went to the Crimea at her own expense and worked fast to care for the sick and wounded, often going onto the battlefield to aid the fallen.
She became quite well known in the Crimea and back in England. Her autobiography, ‘The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands’, was published in 1857 and was very popular for a while. Then Mary Seacole faded from public attention for almost 100 years. In the 1970’s Mary Seacole was rediscovered and has become a symbol for Black nurses, civil rights groups, and the women's liberation movement. Almost every article available compares her with Florence Nightingale and suggests that Mary Seacole was pushed aside and soon forgotten because she was Black.
Florence Nightingale spent most of her life campaigning for improved conditions in hospitals and, possibly due to her colour and status, was largely successful in changing attitudes to nursing as a profession. While
I think that Mary Seacole was more important in the history of medicine than Florence nightingale because they were both noticed for their nursing care of soldiers during the Crimean War. Nightingale is still a well-known historical figure, but Seacole was soon forgotten
Nightingale's work brought the field of public health to national attention. She was one of the first in Europe to grasp the principles of the new science of statistics and to apply them to military and later hospitals. She worked endlessly to care for the soldiers themselves, making her rounds during the night after the medical officers had retired.
Mary Seacole was a Jamaican healer with expertise in tending victims of cholera and yellow fever epidemics. When the Crimean War began, Seacole went to London and volunteered her services as a nurse to the War Office, other military agencies, and Florence Nightingale's nursing group. She was told by all that her services were not needed. She went to the Crimea at her own expense and worked fast to care for the sick and wounded, often going onto the battlefield to aid the fallen.
She became quite well known in the Crimea and back in England. Her autobiography, ‘The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands’, was published in 1857 and was very popular for a while. Then Mary Seacole faded from public attention for almost 100 years. In the 1970’s Mary Seacole was rediscovered and has become a symbol for Black nurses, civil rights groups, and the women's liberation movement. Almost every article available compares her with Florence Nightingale and suggests that Mary Seacole was pushed aside and soon forgotten because she was Black.
Florence Nightingale spent most of her life campaigning for improved conditions in hospitals and, possibly due to her colour and status, was largely successful in changing attitudes to nursing as a profession. While