David Gentilcore, Food and Health in Early Modern Europe: Diet, Medicine and Society, 1450-1800 (London: Bloomsbury, 2016), pp. x, 249, £19.99, paperback, ISBN: 978-1-4725-3497-2.

The stories shared in this book show contemporary readers that within nurses’ disciplinary heritage there exists vast knowledge and skills to address these challenges, if nurses will broaden their view to encompass not just a narrow slice of current scientific evidence but also the sound evidence and theoretical wisdom that the discipline has amassed since Nightingale sailed for Scutari and transformed military medicine. She saved lives and money, both of which are pressing concerns today. The women whose stories are shared in this volume exuded a powerful sense of mission, whether spiritually or socially motivated. Each faced considerable odds in furthering her cause. Because of this, we find their stories compelling and their accomplishments inspiring even today. These kinds of stories always offer hope that sociopolitical structures can be breached or altered when social justice demands it. Just as social justice demanded that vulnerable populations be served during the lives of these ten women, and just as they responded to and surmounted the challenges they faced, so must we all be galvanised to advocate health care that is accessible, safe, and effective in promoting population health today.