William Ogle and Florence Nightingale

Mortality rates were high at the Derbyshire General Infirmary and the standard of care was quite poor. Between 1864 and 1866 William Ogle, the then Superintendent of the Infirmary and founder of the Derby Medical Association (founded in 1862) entered into a correspondence with Florence Nightingale. He wanted to enlarge the Infirmary, improve the standard of care, and establish a training school for nurses.

Before Florence Nightingale came along, nursing was not seen as a skilled profession. Nor did the position command any respect. Nursing was seen as menial, rough and largely working-class work.

In literature, nurses were depicted as gin-sodden and prone to larceny, such as Sarah Gamp in Charles Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit.

Take a look as the insignia pictured here in the Supplement to the Nursing Record from 1888. The right insignia is a red cross but on the left is an umbrella crossed with a bottle of grog

Until Florence Nightingale came along. After her impact on nursing during the Crimean War, Florence set up the first nurse training school in the world, at St Thomas' in London in 1860. Her nurses received training and were then sent to hospitals throughout Britain. As a consequence of her correspondence with William Ogle, she sent Elizabeth Kilvert to be the first lady superintendent of the Derbyshire General Infirmary in November 1866. Elizabeth brought with her four other trained nurses.

Ogle extended the hospital and built the Nightingale Wing in her honour. The Wing was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on the 17th of December 1872.