Major Concepts
Nursing
“What nursing has to do… is to put the patient in the best condition for nature to act upon him” (Nightingale, 1859/1992)
Nightingale stated that nursing “ought to signify the proper use of fresh air, light, warmth, cleanliness, quiet, and the proper selection and administration of diet – all at the least expense of vital power to the patient.”
She reflected the art of nursing in her statement that, “the art of nursing, as now practised , seems to be expressly constituted to unmake what God had made disease to be, viz., a reparative process.”
Human Beings
Human beings are not defined by Nightingale specifically. They are defined in relationship to their environment and the impact of the environment upon them.
Environment
The physical environment is stressed by Nightingale in her writing. Nightingale’s writings reflect a community health model in which all that surrounds human beings is considered in relation to their state of health.
Health
Nightingale (1859/1992) did not define health specifically. She stated, “We know nothing of health, the positive of which pathology is the negative, except from the observation and experience. Given her definition that of the art of nursing is to “unmake what God had made disease,” then the goal of all nursing activities should be client health.
She believed that nursing should provide care to the healthy as well as the ill and discussed health promotion as an activity in which nurses should engage.