Letter to Miss Luckes
1893-06-19

[Page 1 of 12]
Private
June 19/93
10, South Street,
Park Lane. W.
My dear Miss Lückes‚
I am always so glad from
you to hear - & I hope not
in unfavourable circumstances.
Your last question I will
answer first:
1. R. Charter: Before you
receive this, you will hear
that it was published on
Saturday. And the "London"
will probably have received
a copy of a letter which is
proposed to make known
what those who have opposed
the Charter in the Nursing
interest on public grounds
consider the essential
modifications in favour of
[Page 2 of 12]
what we have contended for
on those public grounds.
There are several essential
differences for the better
from the draft Charter -
E.g. Even the word "Register"
entirely disappears.
Nursing is not placed entirely
under the Medical profession
- Bye-laws are to be referred to the Pr. Council
etc etc etc
I will not anticipate the
"London" conclusions.
It was well worth while to
place before the Privy Council
the Conclusions of the most
experienced people.
For, after all, is it not
[Page 3 of 12]
the great thing to get the
Hospitals to improve
their training?
To stop that is what the danger of the draft
Charter lay in.
To forward that is what
we are all striving for -
& what must be our strenuous
& Continual attempt, & of
those who come after us.
For we are only on the very
threshold of Nursing.
Into the future our work,
we may hope, will open a
better way.
We must not be surprised if the
R.B.N.A. do not perceive the
difference between the actual & the
draft Charter. But now. Let there
[Page 4 of 12]
be peace in Israel.
2. Your Quarterly Court
will not harm you -
nor your "Fisher". And
your Chairman's "almost
"daily visits" will do good
3. Thank you for sending me
your "Sick Cookery" class -
-paper.
"Demonstrations" are
almost useless, as we find
not only in Hospitals, but
in the vast number of
"Technical Education" classes
now sprinkled over the country.
To do any good, the pupils
must do everything with
their own hands - must
not they?
[Page 5 of 12]
2
4. How glad I am that
you have a good prospect
of efficient & kindly
"assistants" settling down to
their work.
But what I always long
for for you is a good
"Home Sister" (Class Mistress)
(Mother of Probationers) -
Where you have all under
2 years as Probationers, of
course it must be different
from where for one year
the Probationers are in a
separate Home mothered
by a Home Sister.
But you have all your
Nursing Staff, Probationers, or
[Page 6 of 12]
otherwise, in one Home
now, have you not?
- none outside of your
Home
5. Your Maternity Nursing
will be most useful
when it is carried out.
I conclude it is for Nurses
to attend the Out-Patients.
- & to teach the poor mothers
how to manage their infants
- how to feed, wash & clothe
them etc. This is such a
very great item in the
National Health. & so
neglected.
The "Charity Org. Soc.", reviewing
our "Health at Home" pamphlet
(what we have been doing in Bucks)
[Page 7 of 12]
says: how inferior is the human
mother to the animal mother
in intelligent care of their
offspring. You never see a
cow trying to make her calf
eat grass. And a cat licks
her kittens all over in the
first ¼ of an hour.
I never knew a trained
Midwife who had the least
idea of showing the mother
what to do with her infant.
The Midwife recommends
boiled bread!! for the infant
And neither mother nor
infant are properly washed.
I don't see that we are
much better than the poor
Hindoos in this respect
[Page 8 of 12]
I am so glad that Guy's 
is doing so well in this
matter. Thank you for
telling me. Is there any
report that I could read?
6. Thank you very much
for your Sisters' book.
And while I wish you
had a Home Sister to
help you with the
Probationers, I feel that
we the Hospitals have no organized
system of helping & training
the new-made Sister to her
Sisters' duties. Such a book
as yours is much wanted.
Still as you point out a Sister's
duties are different in a one Ward
all under her own eye where she
is really the Head Nurse, & the key
[Page 9 of 12]
3
to the whole situation, from
what they are in a cluster
of 4 separate wards.
I think we shall, as you say,
"ultimately win the day"
"with our own" "weapons",
if those "weapons" are - to
get the Hospitals to improve
their training, not by
party spirit, more or less
unfriendly, - but by patient,
careful, hopeful work, and
a friendly rivalry with all others.
I hope to see you soon
as you kindly wish it. For
the last 6 months I have
[Page 10 of 12]
been very ill - often entirely
forbidden to see people,
even my own, & almost
unable to do the most
pressing business.
But I am better now - &
I shall hope to see you - tho'
we are both so occupied -
before you go on your much
needed holiday
Mr. Burdett has published
a verbatim report of the
proceedings before the Privy
Council, called 'The Battle
'of the Nurses'. What
an unfortunate name!
[Page 11 of 12]
God bless you & your
work -
ever yours sincerely
F. Nightingale
I am so anxious to hear
from you - but yet I
always dread lest those
interesting letters are
written by night
F.N.
Excuse a thousand interruptions,
tho' I am writing - at least I
began at 5 - a.m.
[Page 12 of 12]
Private
Miss Lückes
The London Hospital
White Chapel
F.
19/6/93