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Working Nurse l WorkingNurse.com 21 June 10–July 15, 2019 The Matron of Brownlow Hill The previous challenges of her short nurs- ing career paled before what awaited Jones at her next job: as superintendent of the infirmary at Brownlow Hill, one of Liverpool's three workhouses. Overcrowded, understaffed and filthy, the Brownlow Hill hospital was one of the worst hospitals in England. Many respectable Englishmen of the time felt the terrible conditions of the workhouses were only what paupers deserved. Even Nightingale condescendingly dismissed the workhouse inmates as "more untameable [sic] than lions." However, a local merchant, William Rathbone, felt otherwise and began pri- vately funding the training of nurses to care for the poor in his district. At Nightingale's suggestion, Rathbone hired Jones as matron of the Brownlow Hill hospital, lead- ing a staff of 12 Nightingale Nurses to begin transforming the fetid infirmary into a proper hospital. Although Jones believed in the cause, she was not enthusiastic about this daunt- ing task. The infirmary's nurse/patient ratio in the early days was 1:100. Not sur- prisingly, patient acuity was disastrously high and staff morale decidedly low. "I am almost distracted between sickness and anxiety and [staff] drunkenness," Jones wrote. "How little I can do!" In the infirmary's early days, the nurse/patient ratio was 1 to 100. Not surprisingly, patient acuity was disastrously high and staff morale decidedly low. Despite her doubts, she gave it her all, working grueling 18-hour days. In addition to nursing, administration and training, she took the time to give weekly (and later daily) bible readings and even arranged for patients to receive fresh bread. Inspired by this effort, Nightingale began pushing for nationwide legal reforms. In 1867, Parliament amended the Poor Law to provide a taxpayer-financed medical relief fund, separate from the workhouses. Death and Remembrance Unfortunately, Jones could not enjoy the fruits of this victory. In early 1868, she con- tracted typhus from one of her nurses and died on February 19. She was only 35 years old. Nightingale gave the eulogy at her funeral. The Lady Chapel of Liverpool's Anglican cathedral later commemorated Jones's life with a stained glass window. No static monument could really capture the scope of her achievement: a dramatic elevation of the standard of care for England's poorest patients. Jones had once written, "There is no reason whatsoever why workhouse hospitals should not be like the best private hospitals for the sick." In just three years, she made hers exactly that. ____________________________________________ Amanda Ghosh is a freelance writer specializing in the healthcare industry. She has worked as a well- ness director, adjunct instructor, and contributed to public health initiatives on three continents. Reach her at www.ghoshamanda.com. WN