A historical description of the tensions in the development of modern nursing in nineteenth-century Britain and their influence on contemporary debates about evidence and practice.
Modern British nursing developed from the mid-nineteenth century and was seen as a morally purifying activity and as a potential force for social cohesion. It was also considered an activity fit for women. However, it embodied a fundamental tension within Victorian sensibility between a kind of rationalistic utilitarianism and a faith in transcendent values. This paper explores this tension and suggests that it can be detected in current debates about practice and evidence in nursing in the contemporary context of a rise of managerialism in public services.
Traynor
Michael
M
Middlesex University, London, UK. m.traynor@mdx.ac.uk
D001294:Attitude to Health; D034462:Dissent and Disputes / Q000266:history*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000266:history*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D009014:Morals; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000266:history*; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000266:history*; D010687:Philosophy, Nursing / Q000266:history*; D011209:Power, Psychological; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D012938:Social Perception; D012945:Social Values; D006113:United Kingdom