Florence Nightingale, An Amazing Woman Who Changed History

Women's History Month: Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale is best known for making nursing the profession it is today. Let’s learn a little more about this remarkable woman.

Early On and A Voice from God

Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820, in Florence, Italy, but she grew up in England in a wealthy family.

When Florence was 16, she thought she heard a voice she believed was God. The voice told her she should dedicate her life to treating the suffering. That is when Florence decided she would become a nurse.

Although her father initially disapproved, he finally agreed to send Florence to nursing school in Germany in 1851.

Florence excelled in nursing school and returned to London in 1853 to run a women’s hospital. She began to notice that patients were getting sick and dying while in the hospital rather than getting better. She started to think that this was due to the filthy conditions rather than the reason the person came to the hospital in the first place.

The Crimean War: The Lady with the Lantern

People were starting to notice Florence Nightingale’s work, and in 1854, she was asked to go to the front lines of the Crimean War to care for the sick and wounded soldiers.

When Florence arrived, she was faced with horrible conditions. The wounded soldiers were being forced to sleep on the floors that were filthy and covered with sewage. They were cold and hungry.

There was also very little medicine or medical supplies available. So, Florence used funds from back home to ship medical equipment and supplies she knew the soldiers needed. She also paid to have the plumbing fixed, the hospital cleaned, and fresh food and water brought in.

Almost immediately, the soldiers started getting better. Florence convinced the army they could win if they invested in better hospital conditions so soldiers could recover and return to battle.

Florence worked in the army hospital for two years, becoming known as The Lady with the Lantern. At night, while everyone rested, Florence visited the wounded soldiers, ensuring they were comfortable and not in pain.

Florence Nightingale: a Hero

Florence Nightingale was seen as a hero when she returned to England in 1856. Many believed her work helped the army win the Crimean War.

Queen Victoria was very impressed and asked to meet with Florence. Together, they started a reform in England to improve the cleanliness of hospitals and provide better training to doctors and nurses.

In 1860, Florence opened the Nightingale Training School for Nurses in London. Becoming a nurse was finally recognized as a respectable profession.

Twenty years later, Queen Victoria awarded Florence Nightingale the Royal Red Cross Medal. Florence was the first person ever to receive this award.

Florence Nightingale changed the focus of medicine from simply treating disease to understanding how and stopping disease from spreading.

In 1907, Florence Nightingale was the first woman to receive the Order of Merit for all her work. Three years later, in 1910, she died of a heart attack.

Florence Nightingale will always be remembered for changing how hospitals are run and how the sick are treated. She made nursing a respectable profession. That is why International Nurses Day is celebrated on May 12, her birthday.