Talk:Florence Nightingale

much of the wp article, which is being rewritten, focuses on Nightingale's intimate relationships and lends credence to a rumor of mental and psychosomatic illness. These are stereotypical faults of biographers of women. After Nightingale returned to Britain from the Crimea. she was essentially bedridden until her death. Considering that this was the pre-antibiotic era and that she was directly exposed to any number of patients with infectious disease, as well as the unsanitary conditions of the hospitals while in the Crimea, it seems odd to assume, for example, that she had "psychosomatic fevers' rather than an undiagnosed chronic infection. This is why I dropped that phrase. Additionally, although elevated temperatures can be factitious (fake,) outside of the possible exception of the ultimate yoga master - they are never psychosomatic.

This article needs to be fleshed out with details of her work. My plan is to use quotes from her rather recently published essays. Nancy Sculerati MD 10:42, 16 November 2006 (CST)