By Regina F. Fernandez
Who is Florence Nightingale?
Florence Nightingale was born in 1820 in Florence, Italy. Yep, she was named after the city of her birth! Her English parents, Frances Nightingale and William Shore Nightingale, were taking a trip to Italy when Florence was born. Florence grew up in England in a wealthy family where she had the privilege of being homeschooled by her father. I say “privilege” because, at that time, most girls were not educated and were expected to get married and form a family at a young age. As a teenager, Florence heard a call from God encouraging her to help people who suffer, so she decided to become a nurse. Sadly, at that time, nurses were seen as poor and unskilled women that worked in places where people die. So, of course, Florence had a hard time trying to convince her parents to allow her to study nursing. They wanted her to get married instead of having a less respectable job. Finally, she convinced her father to allow her to study nursing in Germany for three months. She continued her training in Paris with the Sisters of Mercy and then moved back to London and got her first job at a hospital for gentlewomen (in other words, for educated women). Here, Florence was promoted and became the manager of the hospital. She carried out administrative duties, organized the nurses, and implemented good hygiene practices to create a clean environment for the patients. She also helped control a cholera outbreak by improving sanitization. Importantly, Florence’s efforts to improve healthcare were later recognized by the British government.
Dirty Hospitals in a Time of War
In 1854, Russian troops fought against the French, Turkish, and British in the Crimean War. The British thought that they were going to win the war, however, it took them longer than expected. Unfortunately, as in any war, many soldiers were wounded and had to be taken to the hospital. According to newspapers, the hospitals were dirty, lacked sufficient medical supplies, were overcrowded with wounded soldiers, and didn’t have enough doctors and nurses. So guess who came to the rescue? Florence! The Minister for War, Sidney Herbert, asked Florence to recruit a group of nurses to help take care of the wounded soldiers. Florence, along with 38 nurses, headed towards to British Camp. As expected, the conditions in the hospital were terrible. Florence and the nurses brought supplies, cleaned the hospital and washed the bedsheets, provided nutritious food to the soldiers, and more. During the night, Florence carried a lamp and checked on the soldiers to make sure they weren’t missing food or water and that they were feeling well. This is how Florence got the nickname of “ Lady with the Lamp” (Figure 2). The work of Florence and the nurses resulted in the survival of many soldiers. Importantly, the success of Florence in reducing the death rate by improving sanitary conditions was revolutionary and led to the development of new public health standards.
The news about Florence’s great work traveled quickly and reached Queen Victoria’s ears. In 1856, when the Crimean war was declared over, Queen Victoria invited Florence to discuss how to improve the conditions of the British camps. This meeting led to the creation of the Royal Commission for the Health of the Army which aimed to improve the sanitary conditions of military hospitals.
Florence was also devoted to improving nursing education. In 1859 she published a book called “Notes on Nursing: What it is, and What it is Not” where she provided advice on how to take care of patients. Her advice was focused on creating an adequate environment for the patient, taking into account lightning, ventilation, noise, etc. This same advice was then taught at the Nightingale Training School for Nurses at St Thomas’ Hospital in London, the nursing school that Florence founded in 1860. Today, this school is known as the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care at King’s College London. The work that Florence did to promote and improve nursing education resulted in turning nursing into a respected profession. Nowadays, she is known as the founder of modern nursing.
The Nurse Who Loved Math
In addition to being an excellent nurse, Florence was an excellent statistician. During her time in the British camps, she collected data on the causes of death of the soldiers. She realized that before she got there, many of the soldiers didn’t die because of the wounds but because they got infected with some bacteria inside the hospital. To show that having a clean hospital increased the survival of soldiers, she created a new type of diagram called the Nightingale’s Rose Chart (Figure 3). Instead of showing many numbers, which sometimes can be complicated to understand, this chart depicts the information visually, which helps people understand it more easily. In 1858, she became the first woman to be a member of the Royal Statistical Society.
Florence the Heroine
Florence’s contributions to the field of nursing and healthcare were widely recognized. For example, in 1907, at the age of 87, Florence was the first woman to be awarded the Order of Merit for her work during the Crimean War. Three years later, Florence died at the age of 90 years old and still continues to be honored for her work in many different ways. International Nurses Day is celebrated on her birthday (May 12th), and there is a museum dedicated to her in London. She is also the subject of many artistic and literary works, including a poem by the famous Henry Wadsworth. In 1912, the International Red Cross created the Florence Nightingale Medal, which is awarded to a distinguished nurse every two years. I think that all nurses deserve this medal for their work in the COVID-19 pandemic!
References:
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/florence-nightingale
https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/florence-nightingale-1
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30992-2/fulltext
https://www.florence-nightingale.co.uk/florence-nightingale-biography/
https://archive.org/details/nightingalebiography00math/page/n9/mode/2up?view=theater
