History of Nursing
The history of nursing encompasses the story of the largest section of the health care workforce, in war and peace, home and hospital. It includes the nursing care of adults, mothers and babies, children, and people with a learning disability or mental health problem. Use this guide as a starting point to find information resources related to the history of nursing including books, journals, archives and exhibitions.
Books
            Anionwu E (2021) Dreams from my mother. Revised edn. London: Orion publishing.                            
            Borsay A and Dale P (2015) Mental health nursing: the working lives of paid carers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Manchester: Manchester University Press.                            
            Cohen S (2018) The district nurse: a pictorial history. Barnsley: Pen & Sword History.                            
            Corduff E (2021) Ireland’s loss - Britain’s gain: Irish nurses in Britain nightingale to millennium. South Croydon: Rainbow Valley Books.                            
            D'Antonio P (2013) Routledge handbook on the global history of nursing. Abingdon: Routledge.                            
            Gates B, Griffiths P, Atherton H L et al. (2020) Intellectual disability nursing: an oral history project. Bingley: Emerald.                            
            McGann S, Crowther, A and Dougall R (2009) A history of the ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ, 1916-1990: A voice for nursing. Manchester: Manchester University Press.                            
            Nightingale F (2012) Notes on nursing: what it is and what it is not. New York: Dover Publications.                            
            Palmer, J (2021) Nurse memoirs from the Great War in Britain, France and Germany. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.                            
            Palmer D (2014) Who cared for the carers? A history of the occupational health of nurses, 1880-1948. Manchester: Manchester University Press.                            
            Rafferty A M (2021) Germs and governance: the past present and future of hospital infection, prevention, and control. Manchester: Manchester University Press.                             
            Rappaport H (2022) In search of Mary Seacole: the making of a cultural icon. London: Simon and Schuster.                            
            Sweet H and Hawkins S (eds.) (2015) Colonial caring: A history of colonial and post-colonial nursing. Manchester: Manchester University Press.                            
            Williamson, L. (2023) The global voice of nursing: a history of the International Council of Nurses from 1899 to 2022. Geneva: International Council of Nurses.                            
            Wood, P (2022) New Zealand nurses: caring for our people 1880-1950. Dunedin: Otago Press.                             Book subject searches
Journal articles
Journals
Exhibitions and Events
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Explore some of the past and present exhibitions at the ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ's Library and Museum in London.                                
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Check our upcoming events.                                
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Special Collections
Historical Journals
The ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ Library and Museum holds an unrivalled range of English language nursing journals from around the world. The earliest issues date back to 1888 with titles covering a wide variety of nursing fields.
If you are a member of the ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ you have access to a of 22 nursing journals from the ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ Collection covering dates from 1891 to 1986. It contains information about nursing, hospitals, wards, staff, illness and diseases, medicine and treatments, hospital equipment and events.
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Digitised journal available online.                                
 
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Viewable by appointment at the ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ Library and Heritage Centre.                                
 
Archives
- ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ Archive 1916 – present. Search the Archives Catalogue (Ref No = ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ*)
 - Personal Papers. Search the Archives Catalogue (Ref No = C*)
 - Badges and medals. Search the Archive catalogue (Any Text = badge).
 - Oral History collection. Search the Archives Catalogue (Ref No = T)
 - Photographic collection. Images are available in the Archive catalogue (search Any Text = photograph)
 - Postcard collection. Search the Archives catalogue (Any Text = postcard)
 - Records of other nursing organisations. Search the Archives catalogue (Ref No = QNIS*)
 
- ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ Archive
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ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ Members can explore the records of past events, such as Congress and Annual General Meetings, using the Digital Archive for Members.                                 
 
This subject guide relates to:
            Diane McCourt
Editor of this guide
ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ Library and Museum
Upcoming events relating to this subject guide
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                    19 Nov 2025
                        Online
                                        Sensing Spaces: The History of Colour, Art and Care
Join us for an online talk on the history of colour in twentieth-century British hospitals.
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                    27 Nov 2025
                        London
                                        Nursing HIVstory: Remembering the AIDS Pandemic
Join us in exploring the stories of nurses, midwives and support workers during the early years of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
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                    03 Dec 2025
                        Online
                                        In Conversation with Nursing Pioneers: Going Digital
Join us for an online talk exploring the pioneering achievements in digital nursing.
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                    22 Jan 2026
                        Online
                                        A History of Activism: the Radical Nurses Group
Join us for an online talk exploring the The Radical Nurses Group's activism work.
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                    18 Feb 2026
                        London
                                        Enough is Enough! Health in Cartoons
Join this talk on the history of nursing cartoons.
 
Page last updated - 17/09/2024