FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE'S USE OF STATISTICS In Victorian England, where Nightingale lived(1820- 1910), women had many social restraints. Her father, William Edward Nightingale, was a well-to-do land- owner; her family was in an affluent circle of the English society. Women of those days did not attend universities nor pursue professional careers but, instead, they were to marry and bear children However, Nightingale's father taught and educated her in language, the arts, writing, and mathematics. As Nightingale de stati tics provided an organized way of learning and lead to improvements in medical and surgical practices. She also developed a Model Hospital Statistical Form for hospitals to collect and generate consistent data and statistics.