Florence Nightingale
May 1820 - August 1910
Compassionate Lady of the Lamp
by Rit Nosotro First Published:: 2003( )
Rejoice a child is born! Who?, What?, When?, Where?, Why?, How? Florence Nightingale was born on the exciting day of May 12, 1820. She was called Florence because she was born in the bustling city of Florence, Italy. Her father, who was born in 1794, was an extremely rich banker. Her mother, who was born in the year of 1788, had 10 siblings! Florence also had a sister who was only one year older. Fascinated with the beauty of their daughter, Florence's parents rejoiced over her birth.
Florence grew up to be an extraordinary compassionate young lady. Although her family was evidently rich, had three elegant houses and were very well respected, they gave to the poor, but definitely did not mix or get to know them. Wait a minute, Florence would try to help them and she knew many of them well. Her aunt Hannah would frequently enlighten Florence with the Lord's Word. On the wonderful day of February 7, 1837 God called Florence to serve him through nursing. She heavy heartedly rejected three marriage proposals, because if she accepted to marry she would not be able to accomplish what God wanted of her life, but instead she would be locked in with social life like her fashionable mother and stylish sister, Parthenope. Florence sought training to be an honorable nurse, but since nursing was one of the worst jobs and was so repulsive, most of the nurses were even drunks, her parents absolutely refused. Broken-heartedly she became a brilliant self-taught nurse. Since Florence was definitely not allowed to get involved with nursing, she decided to assist the poor as much as possible. Achieving this Florence was bestowing her compassion.
Eventually she took control of her own life and became a skillful nurse. What could happen now? Suddenly the Crimean War started! Did I tell you that back in those days soldiers were considered mules? Who changed that? Well, let's see. Who was in the War and when did it start? The Crimean War started in the year of 1854, when England, France and Sardinia aid Turkey against Russia. Florence took 38 of the greatest nurses she could find to help the awfully wounded soldiers. To their frustration, the stubborn doctors at the hospital they went to nurse the ailing warriors, inconveniently, did not allow the magnificent nurses to aid the unwell. Sometimes Florence could not take full control over her life.
The conditions of the hospital were repulsive and overly polluted. No type of beds was used, not even hay! There was no sanitation at all. The sewage system was all stopped up and the men had to go in buckets, which were never cleaned out, would overflow. The drinking water was disgusting; it was polluted and was almost mud. Sometimes it even had body parts in it. Because of the pollution and unsanitary conditions, most of the men got Cholera, a typical disease back then and could be deadly. The buckets were at both ends of the halls (back then they didn't have any comfortable rooms in the hospital, but had long halls in which you slept on the hard and freezing floor). Because the buckets were at both ends of the halls, the beds at the ends were called the deathbeds. You can tell that the conditions of the hospitals were extraordinarily disgusting and unsanitary.
Gradually the doctors trusted Florence more and more and let her and the 38 nurses do the magnificent work. They got comfortable clothes and beds. She was magnificently able to stop Cholera, unplug the sewage system and improve the drinking water. Most important of all, she changed people's way of thinking (which is probably the most challenging and difficult thing to do). Now soldiers were not considered mules, but they were respected men like all others. Nurses were not drunks and nursing became a respectable job throughout the world. Although everything was going well, Florence got ill with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in 1851 and almost died. She was 37 years old. Everybody that she knew was extremely worried about her for she could not do anything. Fortunately she got better and quickly got to work again. The deadly war ended in the month of July 1856. Everybody started trusting Florence and seeking her advice.
While she lived, Florence did not know this, but she became one of the greatest influences on nursing. Henri Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross, proclaimed that Florence Nightingale influenced his brilliant ideas. In January 1874 Florence's father died. Her mother died in February 1880. In 1890 her sister Parthenope died. In her later life, Florence founded the Nightingale Training School. In August 1910 Florence Nightingale was 90 years and three months old. She fell asleep and did not wake up again. Why was she called the lady of the lamp? During the Crimean War she walked the long 4 miles of the hospital every night. Now most of our nursing methods come from Florence. Dying peacefully, Florence had no idea what she had wonderfully done to improve nursing.
