Florence Nightingale improved public health through her groundbreaking use of graphic storytelling. Surviving drafts of her diagrams give a rare peek into the celebrated nurse's creative process. | By infowetrust
In the summer of 1856 Florence Nightingale sailed home from war furious. As the nursing administrator of a sprawling British Army hospital network, she had witnessed thousands of sick soldiers endure agony in filthy wards. An entire fighting force had been effectively lost to disease and infection. The “horrors of war,” Nightingale realized, were inflicted by more than enemy bullets.
Nightingale arrived back in London determined to prevent similar suffering from happening again. It would be an uphill slog. Many government leaders accepted the loss of common soldiers as inevitable. They wrongly believed, for example, that communicable diseases were caused by unavoidable realities—the weather, bad diet and harsh work conditions. And the poor quality of army data made it impossible to know exactly how soldiers died.
With public attention drifting away from the concluded war, Nightingale knew that the opportunity for reform was fleeting. She worked 20-hour days, mostly behind the scenes, writing letters, wrangling data and publishing anonymously. She did not do it alone—a circle of experts, including statesmen, statisticians and scientists, united with her to break the policy makers' inertia and ineptitude.
Recognizing that few people actually read statistical tables, Nightingale and her team designed graphics to attract attention and engage readers in ways that other media could not. Their diagram designs evolved over two batches of publications, giving them opportunities to react to the efforts of other parties also jockeying for influence. These competitors buried stuffy graphic analysis inside thick books.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Chelsea Handler announces split with Jo Koy before one-year anniversary: 'It is best for us to take a break'Chelsea Handler revealed the end of her relationship with Jo Koy after nearly one year of dating, but credited the comedian with changing her life 'forever.'
Read more »
Carbon capture train concept could clean air as it zooms along the tracksDirect carbon capture facilities are land and energy intensive. But using a specially designed train car could change that forever.
Read more »
Shiba Inu Partners with Longtime Marvel CollaboratorsShiba Inu has formed a high-profile tie-up with Marvel’s go-to previsualization company
Read more »
Only One Third of US Adults Would Take an Immortality PillThey just want to die in peace.
Read more »
Hundreds of desert tortoises in need of new homesThe Arizona Game and Fish Department has about 260 Sonoran desert tortoises looking for forever homes.
Read more »
Solving Challenges of Data Acquisition in Retail: Alpha Capture in Digital Commerce | HackerNoonIn this part of the ‘Alpha Capture in Digital Commerce series’,we will explore the challenges of data acquisition in retail and discuss data science application
Read more »