Rebecca Strong

Mrs Strong was only connected to Dundee for four or five years, but in that time, she transformed nursing conditions and training at Dundee Royal Infirmary [DRI].

Having trained under Florence Nightingale at St Thomas’ Hospital in London, Mrs Strong is credited with being the first nurse ever to take a temperature – with a thermometer 2 feet long!

In 1873, the newly-arrived superintendent of DRI, Dr Robert Sinclair, had found a very unsatisfactory state of affairs regarding conditions and nursing practices in the hospital – Rebecca Strong was appointed the following year to turn the situation around. Her work set the standard for the future development of excellence in nursing.

Rebecca Strong and Dr Fairlie [footstep ten] are celebrated opposite the gates of the former Dundee Royal Infirmary.

Image of a group of hospital staff outside DRI. Late 19th century. Copyright Dundee Local Studies Library