In hmolscience, Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) [RGM:269|1,250+] was an Italian-born English social theorist—colloquially known as the founder of modern nursing—noted for her studies and usages (Ѻ) (Ѻ) of Belgian mathematical astronomer Adolphe Quetelet’s 1830s social physics and social mechanics theories, recast the applied form of what she called “social or moral economy” (Ѻ), a two cultures namesakes variant, and for her physical humanities like proposal that Quetelet’s social mechanics be taught at Oxford. [1]
Quetelet
Nightingale, at some point, was tutored or at least in the circle of Belgian statistical mathematician, astronomer, and social physics pioneer Adolphe Quetelet (1796-1874). Sometime, in his last years (1871-74), Quetelet gave Nightingale copies of his Social Physics (1835) and Anthropometry (1871), telling her, via culling from Newton’s “I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore” quote (Ѻ), that these two books were only two pebbles in front of the great sea of truth—a story reported by Nightingale, in her 7 Feb 1891 letter to Francis Galton on the social physics chair proposal (below), as follows: [3]
“Quetelet gave me his Physique Sociale and his Anthropometrie. He said, almost like Sir Isaac Newton: ‘These are only a few pebbles picked up on the vast seashore of the ocean to be explored. Let the exploration be carried out’.”
Nightingale, thereafter, seems to have taken Quetelet’s suggestion to heart.
Oxford | Chair of Social Physics
In 1874, on the passing Belgian social physics pioneer Adolphe Quetelet, Italian-born English social theorist Florence Nightingale, in her “In Memorandum”, proposed that social physics should be taught at the University of Oxford; in 1876, she discussed the idea with Oxford administrative reformer Benjamin Jowett (1817-1893), who offered to leave money in his will for the chair, suggesting that it be named after her father (i.e. Nightingale Chair of Social Physics); in 1890-91, she spent a year-and-a-half lobbying to see the chair established, including discussion with Francis Galton, among others, the following being an example statement:
“I think the [following] needs doing: [we need] a scheme from someone of high authority as to what should be the work and subjects in teaching ‘social physics’ and their practical application, in the event of our being able to obtain a statistical professorship or readership at the University of Oxford.”
— Florence Nightingale (1891), “Letter to Francis Galton”, Feb 7
Jowett, e.g., in 1891, discussed the proposal with Alfred Marshall who gave his opinion that the “government ought to do it”. [2] The chair, dispite Nightingale's efforts, was never realized.
Froude
Nightingale was an associate of Goethean human chemistry promoter James Froude, who published some of her work when he was editor of Fraser’s Magazine. [4]
References
1. Ball, Philip. (2001). “The Physical Modeling of Society: A Historical Perspective” (abs) (pdf); A Talk Presented at Messina, Sicily; in: Physica A, 314(1-4):1-14, 2002.
2. (a) Nightingale, Florence. (2003). Florence Nightingale on Society and Politics, Philosophy, Science, Education and Literature: Collected Works of Florence Nightingale (editor: Lynn McDonald) (§: Proposal for a Chair in Social Physics, pgs. 105-28; see also: pg. 11). Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
(b) Benjamin Jowett – Wikipedia.
3. (a) Nightingale, Florence. (1891). “Letter to Francis Galton”, Feb 7.
(b) Nightingale, Florence. (2003). Florence Nightingale on Society and Politics, Philosophy, Science, Education and Literature: Collected Works of Florence Nightingale (editor: Lynn McDonald) (§: Proposal for a Chair in Social Physics, pgs. 105-28; quote, pg. 113). Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
4. Nightingale, Florence. (1994). Suggestions for Thought by Florence Nightingale: Selections and Commentaries (editors: Michael Calabria and Janet Macrae) (pg. xxx). University of Pennsylvania Press.
External links
● Florence Nightingale – Wikipedia.
