The moving and inspiring story of Florence Nightingale

In March of that year, exhibitions and even a tribute from Real family marked the opening of the celebration for the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, better known in England as “The Lady with the Lantern”. The British nurse and social reformer is known as the founder of modern nursing, so her birthday is the International Nursing Day🇧🇷 Florence was instrumental in establishing new sanitation rules that are still adopted and essential today.

Born into the elite but involved with the people

Florence Nightingale was born into an English family with good social conditions, circulating as a young man among the British elite. Her mother dreamed of a marriage that would bring luxury to her two daughters, but Florence, the youngest, never felt comfortable with the world of luxury and often clashed with it. Philanthropy always attracted Florence, who took the initiative to help the less favored as a divine vocation, so much so that, at the age of 16, she decided that she would be a nurse.

The choice was not welcome at home. At the time, a well-born girl could not have a paid job, or rather, she should not have a job, but had to get married. She defied her parents by going to study nursing in Germany anyway. Seven years later she returned to England and impressed her employers at the hospital in Middlesex with her dedication. At the time, the cholera pandemic it decimated cities and countries, with poor sanitation conditions contributing to the spread of the disease. In the same way that she faced opposition from her parents, Florence decided to make it her mission to improve hygiene practices and managed to help reduce the death rate at Middlesex hospital with her procedure. Her personal health was affected during the process, but she never wavered in continuing to care for others before even thinking about herself.

The Crimean War and the Turn in Habits

When the Crimean War broke out in 1853, at least 18,000 British soldiers were hospitalized in a very short time. At the time, there were no female nurses on battlefields. However, deficiencies in caring for the wounded, who were in inhumane conditions, led the Secretary of War, Sidney Herbert, to ask Florence for help in organizing a group of nurses to help soldiers in Crimea. In a few days, 34 women led by her arrived in Constantinople and what they found seemed to be indescribably frightening. Contaminated water, patients lying on the floor in their own feces, rats, cockroaches… basic supplies like soap and bandages running out every hour. Typhus and cholera killed more than battle wounds. Florence put a stop to that.

And she didn’t do it alone. She sorted out hundreds of brooms and mops, selected the least sick, and everyone who could help clean the hospital from ceiling to floor. Meanwhile, she followed at all times that she was awake, tending to the sick and injured. She slept little. At night, she would circulate between the beds with a single lamp illuminating the way, hence the name she would come to be known, the lady with the lantern. The work led by Florence reduced the number of deaths by two thirds.

But she didn’t stop there. To improve sanitation, she ordered the creation of a special kitchen for patients with a more restrictive diet. She created a laundry room where linens were cleaned frequently, and to distract those already convalescing, she created a library. The measures were so successful that the English Army began to determine as a rule that all hospitals – in the country and where its soldiers were being treated – follow the instructions of what Florence did in Crimea. As a result, the Royal Army Health Commission was created in 1857.

Florence stayed a year and a half in Crimea and only returned to Great Britain when the conflict was resolved. She was received as a hero, something that shy Florence almost died of embarrassment because she hated being the center of attention. Queen Victoria presented her with a jewel, which came to be called the nightingale and a £250,000 prize.

Helping with stats too

Once home, Florence went to work with the Health Commission and help with the analysis of mortality data in the army. She was appalled when she learned that between 16,000 and 18,000 more soldiers died from easily preventable illnesses than from combat itself. One creation of hers helped to make the numbers even more visible: she literally drew a diagram (now called the Nightingale Rose Diagram) that showed the reduction in mortality in a way that there was no question of understanding for anyone who saw it. Florence’s measurements, designs, and dedication inspired new sanitation measures in the Army and beyond. For her mathematical upbringing, Florence became the first woman member of the Royal Statistical Society and was made an honorary member of the American Statistical Association.

The prize she received from the Queen, not surprisingly for those who followed her trajectory, was fully reverted to the creation of a hospital (Saint Thomas) and, within it, a nursing school for women.

It is not surprising the passion and admiration of the English for Florence Nightingale🇧🇷 Inspired by her story, many women started to want to study to be nurses.

disease and death

Being exposed to conditions that helped change made Florence a victim of disease as well. She contracted what they called “Crimean Fever” and was never able to recover 100%. At the age of 38 she could no longer get out of bed and would stay that way until her death. Not even her delicate condition prevented her from working. Even at home, she entertained politicians and advocated for health care reforms. She was an international authority – and much sought after – on all health and sanitation issues.

In August 1910, aged 90, Florence Nightingale suddenly fell ill. At first she seemed to have recovered. But within three days the symptoms worsened and she died suddenly at home in London. She had asked for a discreet funeral and burial, which was respected by her family, despite the British Government’s insistence on something bigger.

Today the original school of nursing created by her is a Museum, the Florence Nightingale Museumwhich brings together works in her honor, as well as the nurse’s personal objects.

O world nursing day it has been celebrated on her birthday since 1974. In such a painful year, where the initiatives that Florence defended still save lives, it is even more important to celebrate the life and example of someone who dedicated herself to saving lives. Our gratitude and admiration for all health workers is immense, but today we celebrate with more affection than ever.