Dorothea Dix. An inspirational crusader for political reform and provision of mental health care services.
Traditionally nursing history, that is nurses' collective memory, unique skills and collective experiences, was passed down in a fragmented way throughout training and career. Now nurses are beginning to recognise how vital the study of nursing history is, not only as a tool of unification, but also as a source of pride. Nurses as individuals need to expand their breadth of nursing history knowledge in order to achieve a conscious identity for nursing in the future, not least politically where the future absolutely depends on a sense of collective achievement in the past. The life and works of Dorothea Linde Dix provide a foundation in the political history of nursing and an inspiration for its future.
Donnelly
P
P
University of Dundee, Scotland.
D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000266:history*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000266:history; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000266:history*; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000266:history; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States