Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale is best remembered as the “lady with the lamp,” but her efforts in nursing made a lasting impact. She was the pioneer of nursing as we know it today, and she also set the standard for hospital sanitation methods.

Because of her efforts, hospitals were cleaned and sanitized. This helped prevent endless deaths due to filth and disease. These changes saved many lives.

Florence was born on May 12, 1820, in Florence, Italy. She was named after this city. She was born to a wealthy family. They were surprised when Florence announced that she wanted to become a nurse, turning down many invitations to marry. At this time, nurses were usually working class women. Her desire to be a nurse was reinforced when she met Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female doctor in the United States. They were crusaders for changes in health care.

During the Crimean War, Nightingale volunteered her services to care for the wounded soldiers. Nightingale was appalled with the conditions she found in the army hospital. Diseases such as dysentery, typhus, and cholera were killing more soldiers than the war wounds.

Nightingale worked to change the cleanliness and sanitary conditions at the hospital. One of her greatest achievements was to set up a nursing school and to bring nursing to a level of respect.