Her diagram

How Nightingale’s diagram helped to save millions of lives

Her diagram showed for the first time that epidemics could be stopped by non-medical means, before the cause of the disease was properly identified.

She used the diagram to convince Britain to pass a strict Public Health Act

The new Public Health Act increased average life span from 40 years to 60

Before this, epidemics were a major cause of death:

  • 4 in 10 deaths were from infectious dsease
  • Half of all urban children were dying before age 5
  • In Liverpool, average life span had fallen to only 26 years

Click here to see how she designed her diagram

Click here to see how she explained her diagram

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