Florence Nightingale:The Founder of Modern Nursing

By: McKinzie M.

Early Years

Florence Nightingale…• …Was born on May 12, 1820 in Florence, Italy• …grew up mostly in Derbyshire, England

Nightingale developed a very broad education and disliked the fact that there weren’t many opportunities for females in

her social circle.

Hospital Visits

Nursing was seen as an occupation that didn’t require

schooling or smarts, it was considered to be lower than

being a prostitute at the time, But Florence didn’t care.

She continued visiting hospitals for eleven years.

First Job

On a vacation to Germany Florence stopped by at a hospital and school for nurses.

Florence came back in a year and took three months of training.

She was now qualified to accept the position of Superintendent of the Establishment for

Gentlewomen during Illness.

The Crimean War

A year after Nightingale began her job; the Crimean War began when France, Britain, and Germany

declared a war on Russia. Florence got put in charge of the introduction of female nurses into hospitals for

the wounded in Turkey. On November 4, 1854 Nightingale was the “Lady-In-Chief” and 38 new

nurses arrived in Scutari. The women were not well respected at first by the male doctors and medics, but as soon as a new shipment of wounded soldiers came

in the nurses all kept very busy. The nurses would help with medical purposes but also helped with

personal duties, too. They helped mend the soldiers’ spirits and take care of letters to home and sending

pay to families

Better Hospitals

Florence paid to make the hospital and better, healthier, cleaner place for patients, with her own money.

She bought the basics which includes bandages, extra clothes, scrub brushes, and better food. Before she came many of the

hospitals were very unsanitary and did not have many if any of the

things she was providing.

“Lady with the Lamp”

Nightingale sent letters back to

London with tips on how to improve the

conditions. She would always walk around at night with a lamp in hand, comforting the sick. This is how

she earned the nickname “Lady with

the Lamp”

The Nightingale Fund

At home Florence’s fame grew and by November 1855 a subscription was started to show the nation’s

gratitude for her works and services. The introduction of modern nursing was a great success and the money collected help Florence continue her legacy of making

hospitals a better place. Through the Florence Nightingale Fund she still visited different hospitals

and kept making them better places.In 1860 money from the Nightingale Fund was used to create a new nursing school at St. Thomas’ Hospital. It

was called the Nightingale Training School. The students would receive a year of training that had

some lectures but mostly it was hard work that was done under the close supervision of the ward sister

Notes on Nursing

Nightingale also published her best known work, Notes on Nursing, in 1860. Since then it has been translated into 11 different languages

and is still in print today. The principles she explained in

her book are still being used today. Florence believed that

infections would occur in poorly ventilated and dirty places. This led to many

hospitals becoming much more sanitary.

“Crimean Fever”

During her service in the Crimean War Florence got a disease called “Crimean

Fever”. Even after recovering from the illness, the patient would have a life full of pain and ill health. Florence was often bed ridden for the rest of her days. But even through her

illness she continued to work hard to improve health standards. Because of her great efforts

Queen Victoria gave Nightingale the Royal Red Cross in 1883. She was the first woman

to receive this award ever

The Death of Nightingale

At the age of 90 Florence died at home on August 13th, 1910. An burial was offered in

Westminster Abbey but Nightingale’s relatives refused and insisted she was

buried in the family plat at East Wellow, Hampshire. Memorial services were held

all over London, including Liverpool Cathedral and St. Paul’s Cathedral

The End

Works Cited• Bloy, Marjie. "Florence Nightingale." Victorian Web. 06 Jan 2009.

15 Jan 2009 <http://www.victorianweb.org/history/crime/florrie.html>

• Bois, Danuta. "Florence Nightingale." Distinguished Women of Past and Present . 15 Jan 2009 <http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/biographies/nighting.html>.

• "Florence Nightingale." eSSORTMENT. 15 Jan 2009 <http://www.essortment.com/all/florencenightin_rviv.htm>.

• Florence Nightingale Museum. Florence Nightingale Museum. 15 Jan 2009 <http://www.florence-nightingale.co.uk/cms/>.

• "LIFESAVER HERO: FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE." My Hero. 15 Jun 2004. 15 Jan 2009 <http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=f_nightingale>.