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 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.
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 Training 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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