Natasha McEnroe, director of The Florence Nightingale Museum in London, will give a talk on Thursday, April 4, titled “From Personality to Profession: The Florence Nightingale Museum and the History of Nursing.”
McEnroe will discuss the role of “personality museums” in the sphere of medical history. Such museums can have a dual purpose, raising awareness of the medical past, but also acting as a point of coalescence for professional groups. These groups often share a strong emotional attachment to a historical figure, and seldom can this be seen more strongly than with Florence Nightingale and nursing. Managing these relationships poses a challenge, however; how does a museum maintain a balanced, objective historical perspective while also navigating the cult of celebrity?
The lecture will be at 6 p.m. in the Ford Auditorium at the Allen Memorial Medical Library, with a reception to follow in the Dittrick Museum Galleries. RSVP by Monday, April 1, to jennifer.nieves@case.edu or 216.368.3648. More information can be found online.