Hospital Sisters and their Duties

Eva Charlotte Ellis Luckes (1854-1919) was a pioneer of nursing training and friend of Florence Nightingale. In 1880, aged only twenty-six, she became Matron of the London Hospital, the largest hospital in England, a post she held until her death. During her time there she improved working conditions for the nurses and trained her own staff, recognising the importance of a knowledge of anatomy and physiology, but never losing sight of the primary duty of a nurse to care for a patient’s needs. She opposed proposals for the registration of nurses as she believed it would endorse lower standards of training than those she espoused. Her popular textbook for ward sisters was first published in 1896 and provides practical advice on ward and staff management and training of probationers, emphasising the importance of the sister as role model and mentor to her staff. This is the 1893 third edition.