By Dasha Matthews
Florence Nightingale was born May 12, 1820 in Florence, Italy. She was an English social reformer and statistician and is credited with being the founder of modern nursing. She was born into a rich upper-class family and was known to have a very serious demeanor but was very charming to those who met her.
Nightingale’s most famous contribution occurred during the Crimean War. On October 21 of 1854, Nightingale and a staff she trained, were sent to care for wounded soldiers at the Ottoman Empire. During her first winter serving as a nurse the death toll for soldiers was at an all time high. After the arrival of Nightingale and her staff of 34 volunteer nurses, there was a significant decline in the death rate of soldiers. Nightingale believed that the majority of deaths came from poor nutrition, lack of supplies, stale air, and overworked soldiers. When she returned home she collected data and evidence which she then presented before the Royal Commission in hopes to resolve these issues. Her experience while serving as a nurse during the war later influenced her career, as she became a strong advocate for sanitary living conditions for soldiers. Nightingale gained the nickname “The Lady with the Lamp” from her hard work and dedication. The Times wrote, “She is a “ministering angel” without any exaggeration in these hospitals, and as her slender form glides quietly along each corridor, every poor fellow’s face softens with gratitude at the sight of her. When all the medical officers have retired for the night and silence and darkness have settled down upon those miles of prostrate sick, she may be observed alone, with a little lamp in her hand, making her solitary rounds.”
In 1857, the Nightingale Fund was established to train nurses as a form of recognition for Nightingale’s work during the war. Nightingale used the £45,000 from the fund to open Nightingale Training School at St. Thomas’ Hospital. The school is now known as Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery. Nightingale died on August 13, 1910 at the age of 90 years old.