Subsidiary Notes as to the Introduction of Female Nursing into Military Hospitals

What it is

This is a written report by Florence Nightingale, published in 1858 and presented to the Secretary of State for War. Only five hundred copies were printed, at Nightingale's own expense, and it was not issued to the public. It is held by the Wellcome Collection.

Why it matters

In this report, Nightingale gives her own honest assessment of what went right and wrong when women nurses were introduced into military hospitals during the Crimean War. As a confidential document meant to guide future policy, it shows her working directly to shape government decisions about military nursing, revealing her role as a reformer and policy advisor, not just a nurse.

Look closer

• Why might Nightingale have paid for this report herself rather than wait for the government to publish it?
• What does the marking 'private and confidential' tell you about who this document was meant for?
• How might a confidential government report differ from a book written for the public?