'There is a huge lacuna in the historiography of the history of pre-reform nursing and nurses in England so Alannah Tomkins’ new book would be welcomed in any event. However, this book is a more than a simple gap-filler: it is a treasure trove of information and analysis which makes use of a dizzying array of primary sources and archival material to create a picture of nursing in this era. In the process Alannah has challenged the few previous attempts to investigate the subject, which are primarily based on post-reform writers with their own agendas, and as a result she is able to overturn existing stereotypes of these nurses as slovenly drunkards with a cruel streak. The book is worth reading for the bibliography alone.'
Sue Hawkins, UK Association for the History of Nursing

Introduction
1 Domestic nursing by women: ideals and experiences
2 Nursing the Metropolis: the ancient London hospitals of St Thomas’s and St Bartholomew’s
3 Nursing provincial infirmaries 1735-1820
4 Nursing in Royal Chelsea Hospital
5 Nursing by men: an issue of identity
6 Nursing in wartime 1793-1815
Conclusion