Grooming nurses for the new century. Analysis of nurses' registers in London voluntary hospitals before the First World War.

This paper reports on the analysis of nurse probationer registers from 1903 to 1912. The analysis exploring characteristics of the 'modern', reformed nurse. Registers from four London voluntary hospitals were used (St Mary's (Paddington), Westminster, St Thomas's and the London Homoeopathic Hospitals). Socio-demographic data (age on entry, own previous and fathers' occupations, home addresses, wastage rates and reasons for leaving early) and personal characteristics were recorded from the total sample of 500. The 'good, kind and reliable' rather than the 'clever' nurse was preferred by the recording matrons. Relevant extracts from the British Nursing Journal and the Nursing Times are used to support discussion of data in the registers. This paper was first presented at the History of Nursing Millennium Conference in Edinburgh in July 2000.