Wonderful Nightingale hospitals but why no Seacole?

You'll be pleased to hear ofcourse I agree with you. peaches50

When I was growing up in London there was the Nightingale Hospital, St Thomas's. The nurses were known as the Nightingale Nurses.

Mary Seacole had a much harder time of it than did Florence who was from a privileged background and was best friends with Liz Herbert, the wife of the Secretary of State for war.

Far from being the wrong time to discuss these wonderful women. It is surely the best time.

Just read about Mary Seacole and agree that her work is as worthy of recognition as Florence Nightingale but maybe now is not the appropriate time to be pushing the issue.

Here in north Wales our health board Betsi Cadwaladr is named after a woman who worked alongside Florence nightingale so we probably don’t need a hospital naming as well.

Just to say we have a lot of Nightingale mentions here in Romsey where she was born. My GP practice bears her name. I think the name and what she did is easily recognised without putting down Mary Seacole. If people are worried all of the field hospitals could be named differently. Maybe just get on with Nightingale, enough to do at present.

I thought it was because of the way Florence nightingale designed ward lay out, ie 42 beds 21 either side in a row with good(ish) visibility of patients.
Such as has been done at the Excell.

Silverlining and Pantglas

I agree, and yes, silverlining that is exactly the reason why.

Mary Seacole certainly has her place in history but it was Florence Nightingale who realised the importance of hygiene in infection control, principles still followed today.
Her nurses were issued with scrubbing brushes and handwashing with soap was of prime importance.

That is the message today too.

LullyDully I thought she was born in Florence in Italy? Hence her name.

LullyDully I agree, yes.

I don't particularly care what the hospitals are currently called, but I do think dismissing Mary Seacole and her achievements is wrong and that setting the two women up against each other to laud one and denigrate the other is what has always been done to women. Both women made great strides and provided medical help. Mary Seacole was never given the acknowledgement that Nightingale received and there is still a feeling that recognising her work somehow means Nightingale is not given credit. Nightingale worked with the medical establishment and developed nursing and care. Seacole worked independently using her own money and practicing a brand of herbal medicine which was common in Jamaica, she worked at the battle front, so much closer to the action than Nightingale. There is no doubt that her acheivements should be more widely acknowledged and someone should have named at least one of the temporary hospitals after her. It's probably too late now and shows that her name is still not something which immediately comes to most people's minds.

Yes, of course she was born in Florence but the family home was in Wellow, Romsey. Sorry sloppy thinking.

A swanky new hospital was built here a few years ago and given a swanky new name. However, locally we call it Larbert as that is where it is. Actually I don’t know what the real name is.
I don’t care what temporary hospitals are called but I am glad we have them.