May 12, 1820 to August 13, 1910
I met Florence Nightingale when I was ten years old, she was the heroine in a book I was given for my birthday. I was so taken by her story that she became the basis for that year’s public speaking topic and as a young adult a role model for me as I trained to become a nurse.
|This is the book that I read and click here to link to Amazon|
Florence Nightingale was born May 12th, 1820, and 194 years later her example continues to influence and motivate young women and men.
Florence was born into a family of privilege with a tradition of taking on issues of social justice, her maternal grandfather was the abolitionist William Smith.
As a woman she was expected to marry well and Florence believing that God had a different purpose for her life she repeatedly propositioned her parents to allow her to become a nurse. In 1851 they gave their permission and Florence spent three months training in Germany before becoming a hospital nurse in England.
The unsanitary conditions under which wounded British soldier’s in the Crimean War were having to endure resulted in the British minister of war seeking Florence’s helping. Thus the “Lady-with-the-Lamp” was born as Florence Nightingale supervised a team of 38 nurses in Turkey.
A lady with a lamp I see
Pass through the glimmering gloom,
And flit from room to room
On England’s annals through the long
Hereafter of her speech and song
That lights its rays shall cast
From portals of the past
A Lady with a Lamp shall stand
In the great history of the land,
A noble type of good
Upon her return to England Florence established the Nightingale Training School at St Thomas' Hospital in London where she trained nurses and influenced the operations of hospitals in the human and sanitary care of the sick and injured.
In 2014 we can still see Florence Nightingales influence in the training of nurses and the guiding principles that under pin the operation of our hospitals.
In the mid 1950's Florence Nightingales story set a young girl on her path to become a nurse and later a social worker. Let’s continue to tell Florence Nightingales story and motivate future generations of care givers both young women and young men.
If you would like to read more about Florence Nightingale please visit these websites: