Letter from Florence Nightingale to Lord Raglan, 1855

Florence wrote to Lord Raglan from Scutari Hospital pointing out deficiencies in medical arrangements for the sick and wounded:

'The comforts of the sick do not depend so much upon the skilful surgeon even, as upon the careful orderly, and the constant change of these continually neutralizes the orders of the former. My Lord, I know well that what I am going to suggest may be simply impossible. But I also know that hundreds of lives may depend upon it. Two things occur to me as desirable. (1st) An exceptional Order for the moment from the Commander in Chief that the Convalescents, if good Orderlies, be not sent away to the Crimea.

(2nd) That the Commander in Chief call upon the Commanding Officers to select ten men from each Regiment as Hospital Orderlies to form a depôt here (not young soldiers, but men of good character).

Also three Sergeants from each Regiment, for upon the non-commissioned officer, who now is recalled as soon as he begins to learn his duty when placed in charge of a ward, depends most of the good order of that ward'.

One of 13 in-letters and copies of out-letters, November 1854-May 1855. Consisting of correspondence between FM Lord Fitzroy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan, Commander in Chief, and Florence Nightingale, at Scutari, and Martha Clough, at Balaklava.