Abstract

Florence Nightingale paid close attention to the epidemics in British India and actively participated in the prevention and control from the 1850s to the end of the 19th century. Three components of her work are collecting necessary data，formulating reform proposals，and directing sanitary practices. Her early work focused on the sanitary state of British army in India which are reflected in the report of the Royal Commission. Since the 1870s，with the in-depth understanding of the causes of the epidemics，she has gradually turned attention to the Indian people and began to focus on complex political and social structures. She promoted epidemic prevention and control from the aspects of health legislation，social customs，school education，and famine relief. Nightingale’s work on epidemic prevention and control relies on the colonial medical system in British India，its “ civilizing mission” reflects the asymmetrical relations between the colonizer and the colonized.

Published on International Medical Historical Review, Issue 2, 2022.