In 1858, she published her analysis of health in the British Army as an 860-page book. Copies were shipped to leaders ranging from Queen Victoria and the Prime Minister to newspaper editors and European heads of state. Whether looking at hospitals or communities, Nightingale believed that nature followed predictable laws when it came to disease. She said those disastrous early months in Crimea happened because people ignored these laws. ‘Nature is the same everywhere, and never permits her laws to be disregarded with impunity.’ She was also adamant about what had caused the problems. ‘The
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