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Who is Florence Nightingale?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Florence Nightingale was a Victorian woman who is perhaps most remembered for her contributions to the field of nursing. In addition to being a pioneer in the nursing field, this remarkable woman also contributed to the gains of the women's rights movement, and she was an accomplished author and mathematician. Many people who are familiar with her in the context of nursing are surprised to learn that she was a very talented statistician.

Nightingale was born in 1820 to upper-class parents. She was named for Florence, Italy, the city in which she was born; her sister Parthenope was also named for a Mediterranean settlement. Florence Nightingale had an extremely fortunate birth, because in addition to being well-heeled, her parents were also the descendants of compassionate reformers, including members of the Abolition movement. Nightingale's parents encouraged her to seek an education, with her father acting as her tutor before turning her over to James Joseph Sylvester, a noted mathematician of the time.

Florence Nightingale was influential in ensuring proper sanitation procedures are used in hospitals and clinics.
Florence Nightingale was influential in ensuring proper sanitation procedures are used in hospitals and clinics.

In 1837, Florence Nightingale experienced what she felt was a call from God, and by 1845, she had become determined to go into nursing. Her parents were dismayed, and attempted to dissuade her from a career in nursing, but she overrode them, feeling that the call was too strong to ignore. By 1853, she was a nursing superintendent in a private hospital in London.

At the outbreak of the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale formed a team of nurses and insisted on traveling to the front to work in field hospitals. For the 1800s, this sort of thing was unheard of, and military officials agreed only reluctantly. Florence Nightingale turned out to be a tireless nurse on the front, earning the nickname “The Lady with the Lamp” in reference to her tendency to roam the wards after dark with a lamp to check on her patients. She also agitated for significant reforms to improve conditions in field hospitals, and is often credited with being one of the first people to substantially improve medical care for injured soldiers.

On her return to London, Florence Nightingale continued her career as a nurse, reformer, and writer, lobbying especially hard for the impoverished citizens of London. She initiated a number of public health campaigns, founded a nursing school which still exists today, and promoted better sanitation in British hospitals, among many other things. She was honored for her efforts in 1883 by Queen Victoria with the Order of the Red Cross, and again in 1907 by King Edward VII with the Order of Merit.

The career of Florence Nightingale would have been notable in any era, but it is especially remarkable when one considers the fact that the Victorian Era was a difficult time for professional women, and Nightingale faced considerable opposition from the medical community because of her gender. She also had to contend with chronic illness, being bedridden in the later years of her life, and ultimately dying at age 90 in her sleep.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a PublicPeople researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a PublicPeople researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

OceanSwimmer

@alex94: This is the actual Nightingale Pledge:

“I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician, in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care. “

~~~

alex94

What is the Florence Nightingale Pledge?

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    • Florence Nightingale was influential in ensuring proper sanitation procedures are used in hospitals and clinics.
      By: WavebreakmediaMicro
      Florence Nightingale was influential in ensuring proper sanitation procedures are used in hospitals and clinics.