Woman In History - Florence Nightingale: The Lady With The Lamp

Florence Nightingale, who was also called "The Lady with the Lamp," was the founder of modern nursing. She was a celebrated nurse, English social reformer, writer and statistician. She was born on 12 May, 1820 in Florence, Italy. Florence became known during the Crimean War where she was notable for making rounds at night with a lamp to treat wounded British soldiers, thus earning her the nickname, "Lady with the Lamp."

                                       
                                      Florence Nightingale from Wikipedia

Ms Nightingale's ability to introduce sanitary conditions where the soldiers were recuperating led to the reduction of deaths by two-third. She laid the foundation for professional nursing with the establishment of her nursing school, St. Thomas' Hospital in London. The nursing school was the first of its kind and now part of King's College London.

Although Florence was born abroad, her family moved back to England when she was one year old and she continued to live her life in London. She was born into a rich, upper class family to William Edward Nightingale and Frances Nightingale nee Smith. She defied family pressure to train as a nurse instead of becoming a wife and mother. She was also a notable statistician. Her Notes on Nursing gave health guide to many people especially those with poor literacy skills.

Miss Nightingale was believed to be chaste, choosing to serve humanity and devote herself to a religious calling. She died on 13 August, 1910 in London, United Kingdom. She was 90 years old at the time of her death. Her contributions to the nursing field is well respected across the globe. Her works have continued to educate and inspire many women and men who are interested in the field.

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