Florence Nightingale
Early years
Florence Nightingale was born in Italy on 12 May 1820 and was named Florence
after her birthplace. Her parents, William Edward and Frances Nightingale were a
wealthy couple, who had toured Europe for two years on their honeymoon.
During their travels their first daughter, Parthenope, was born in Naples (Parthenope
being the Greek name for the city), followed one year later by Florence.
On returning to England the Nightingales divided their time between two
homes. In the summer months they lived at Lea Hurst in Derbyshire, moving to
Embley in Hampshire for the winter. Lea Hurst is now a retirement home and
Embley is now a school.
Call from God
Florence and Parthenope were taught at home by their Cambridge University
educated father. Florence was an academic child, who loved her lessons and found
studying easy, while her sister excelled at painting and needlework.
Florence grew up to be a lively and attractive young woman, admired in the
family’s social circle and she was expected to make a good marriage, but
Florence had other concerns.
In 1837, whilst in the gardens at Embley Florence had what she described as
her ‘calling’. Florence heard the voice of God calling her to do his work, but
at this time she had no idea what that work would be.
The years of struggle and the visit to Kaiserswerth
Florence developed an interest in the social questions of the day, made
visits to the homes of the sick in the local villages and began to investigate
hospitals and nursing. Her parents refused to allow her to become a nurse as in
the mid-nineteenth century it was not considered a suitable profession for a
well educated woman.
While the family conflicts over Florence’s future remained unresolved it was
decided that Florence would tour Europe with some family friends, Charles and
Selina Bracebridge.
The three travelled to Italy, Egypt and Greece, returning in July 1850
through Germany where they visited Pastor Theodor Fliedner’s hospital and school
for deaconesses at Kaiserswerth, near Dusseldorf.
The following year Florence Nightingale returned to Kaiserswerth and
undertook three months nurse training, which enabled her to take a vacancy as
Superintendent of the Establishment for Gentlewomen during Illness at No. 1
Harley Street, London in 1853.
The Crimean War
In March 1854 Britain, France and Turkey declared war on Russia. The allies
defeated the Russians at the battle of the Alma in September but reports in The
Times criticised the British medical facilities for the wounded.
In response, Sidney Herbert, the Minister at War, who knew Florence
Nightingale socially and through her work at Harley Street, appointed her to
oversee the introduction of female nurses into the military hospitals in Turkey.
On 4 November 1854, Florence Nightingale arrived at the Barrack Hospital in
Scutari, a suburb on the Asian side of Constantinople, with the party of 38
nurses. Initially the doctors did not want the nurses there and did not ask for
their help, but within ten days fresh casualties arrived from the battle of
Inkermann and the nurses were fully stretched.
The ‘Lady-in-Chief’, as Florence was called, wrote home on behalf of the
soldiers. She acted as a banker, sending the men’s wages home to their families,
and introduced reading rooms to the hospital. In return she gained the undying
respect of the British soldiers.
The introduction of female nurses to the military hospitals was an
outstanding success, and to show the nation’s gratitude for Miss Nightingale’s
hard work a public subscription was organised in November 1855. The money
collected was to enable Florence Nightingale to continue her reform of nursing
in the civil hospitals of Britain.
When Florence Nightingale returned from the Crimean War in August 1856, four
months after the peace treaty was signed, she hid herself away from the public’s
attention.
In November 1856 Miss Nightingale took a hotel room in London which became
the centre for the campaign for a Royal Commission to investigate the health of
the British Army. When Sidney Herbert was appointed chairman, she continued as a
driving force behind the scenes.
By 1860 the Royal Commission had resulted in an Army Medical School, greatly
improved Army barracks and hospitals, and the best army statistics in Europe.
During the decade from 1862 her main concerns were the health of the Army in
India and the state of Indian public health, the development of irrigation and
the system of land tenure.
For her contribution to Army statistics and comparative hospital statistics
in 1860 Florence Nightingale became the first woman to be elected a fellow of
the Statistical Society.
In 1865 she settled at 10 South Street, Mayfair, in the West End of London
and apart from occasional visits to Embley, Lea Hurst and to her sister at
Claydon House she lived there till her death.
Nightingale School for Nurses
Florence Nightingale’s greatest achievement was to raise nursing to the level
of a respectable profession for women.
In 1860, with the public subscriptions of the Nightingale Fund, she
established the Nightingale Training School for nurses at St Thomas’ Hospital.
Mrs Sarah Wardroper, Matron at St Thomas’, became the head of the new school.
The probationer nurses received a year’s training which included some lectures
but was mainly practical ward work under the supervision of the ward sister.
Miss Nightingale, as she was always called by the nurses, scrutinised the
probationers' ward diaries and reports.
From 1872 Miss Nightingale devoted closer attention to the organisation of
the School and almost annually for the next thirty years she wrote an open
letter to the nurses and probationers giving advice and encouragement. On
completion of training Miss Nightingale gave the nurses books and invited them
to tea. Once trained the nurses were sent to staff hospitals in Britain and
abroad and to establish nurse training schools on the ‘Nightingale Model.’
In 1860 Florence Nightingale’s best known work, Notes on Nursing, was
published. It laid down the principles of nursing: careful observation and
sensitivity to the patient’s needs. Notes on Nursing has been translated into
eleven foreign languages and is still in print today.
Public Health
Florence Nightingale’s writings on hospital planning and organisation had a
profound effect in England and across the world. Miss Nightingale was the
principal advocate of the ‘pavilion’ plan for hospitals in Britain.
Like her friend, the public health reformer Edwin Chadwick, Florence
Nightingale believed that infection arose spontaneously in dirty and poorly
ventilated places. This mistaken belief nevertheless led to improvements in
hygiene and healthier living and working environments.
Florence Nightingale also advised and supported William Rathbone in the
development of district nursing in Liverpool and many Nightingale trained nurses
became pioneers in this field.
Old Age
Although Florence Nightingale was bedridden due to illness contracted in the
Crimea for many years, she campaigned tirelessly to improve health
standards,publishing 200 books, reports and pamphlets.
In recognition of her hard work Queen Victoria awarded Miss Nightingale the
Royal Red Cross in 1883. In her old age she received many honours, including the
Order of Merit (1907), becoming the first woman to receive it.
Florence Nightingale died at home at the age of 90 on 13 August 1910 and,
according to her wishes, she was buried at St Margaret’s, East Wellow, near her
parent’s home, Embley Park.
Florence Nightingale was more than a romantic heroine. Her farsighted reforms
have influenced the nature of modern health care and her writings continue to be
a resource for nurses, health managers and planners.
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