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