Mistaken Beliefs
During and prior to the 1800's many people beleived in the Miasma theory, or the belief of diseases being transmitted through bad air. Florence like many other health care workers supported the Miasma theory. It was easy for many people of this time to believe diseases were carried through "bad air" because there was very bad smells being produced in the neighborhoods throughout London. Florence traveled to many places to discover the unsanitary conditions. Fortunately, Florence was a hudge believer in sanitation, much like Edwin Chadwick, another health care worker of the 1800's. Florence and Chadwick both dismissed the germ theory. They were afraid that if the germ theory was relevant than all doctors and nurses would relate every illness to the germ theory, which would keep people from caring about sanitation. Luckily sanitation is important because it is a way for germs to be kept away.