The Rose Diagram

Florence Nightingale's rose diagram is a beautiful image, but describes some horrifying numbers. It was published in 1859, the year after Dr. John Simon declared that death from infectious disease was practically speaking, unavoidable. The huge blue wedges show the overwhelming death toll from infectious diseases. No one ever made a decision because of a number. They needed a story. And Florence Nightingale’s graph more than anything is a story. After the catastrophe comes the redemption. Between the two of them, flushing out the sewers, carting away the dead horse, disinfecting the hospital buildings.