Nightingale

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the article "Nightingale's Realist Philosophy of Science," by Sam Porter, which discusses the philosophy of the science of Florence Nightingale, in terms of her adherence to positivism and scientism, determinism, naturalism and epistemological absolutism. The paper examines Porter's analysis of Nightingale's philosophy and discusses each issue in relation to modern nursing practice.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Nightingale's firm belief in statistical analysis as a method of determining causation, her insistence on underlying causes of illness and health, and a firm belief in scientific knowledge as a basis for health and wellness, are clearly guidelines in modern medicine. Further, her instance that sociology plays an important role in health care has been vastly influential in modern nursing. Many in health care have moved beyond simply attempting to medicate the ill, and have begun to focus on underlying causes of health related issues, and on how to treat the entire individual. As one scholar noted, "Observation, not merely chemistry, must decide the care for the sick...Nightingale showed us the need for sympathetic treatment of each patient as a human being, with not only a body, but a mind, and a heart." (Allison Bashford, 2000, pg. 137)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Barker, P.J., Reynolds, W., and Stevenson, C. (1999.) The human science basis of psychiatric nursing: theory and practice. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 25, 25-34.
• Bashford, A. (2000.) Domestic scientists: Modernity, gender, and the negotiation of science in Australian medicine. Journal of Woman's History, 12(2), pp. 137.
• Lawler, J. Knowing the body and embodiment: methodologies, discourses, and nursing. In J. Lawler (Ed.), The Body in Nursing (pp, 38-45). Melbourne, Churchill Livingstone.
• Porter, S. (2001.) Nightingale's realist philosophy of science. Nursing Philosophy, 2, 14 - 25.
• Santos, A. (2001.) Normative Naturalism. In A. Santos (Ed.), Globalizing Feminist Bioethics (pp. 43-46). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

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