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Florence Nightingale was born in Florence, Italy in Villa Columbia on May 12, 1820. Florence was named after her birth place just like her older sister Parthenope, who has the Greek name of Naples. Florence was the daughter of the wealthy landowner William Nightingale of Embley Park Hampshire, and his wife Francis Nightingale born 1788 who was a sibling of ten children. William was part of the antislavery movement and both William and Francis Fanny were Unitarians.
In England the Nightingales had two homes. They spent the summer months at their home in Lea Hurst in Derbyshire then moving to Williams home town Embley in Hampshire for the winter. Lea Hurst was later turned into a retirement home and Embley was turned into a school. Florence and her father were good friends and he treated her as a companion rather than a daughter, he took responsibility for her education by teaching her and her sister at their home. Florence was a competent student and William taught her Greek, Latin, French, German, Italian, History, Philosophy and Mathematics. She also excelled in Literature, Music, Drawing and the Domestic arts.
Fanny Nightingale came from a stanch Unitarian family, she was a domineering women who was primarily concerned with finding her daughter a good husband. However Florence had other ideas for her future, thus writing in her diary just before her 17 th birthday, her entry read; On February 7 th, 1837, God spoke to me and called me to his service. (Anglican Theological Review, 1996) Although she had no idea of what this calling meant, it was from this day she decided to remain single forever. It was around this time when Florence rejected her first proposal of marriage to a man named Lord Houghton a man whom she dearly loved. (Anglican Theological Review, 1996) Five years later Florence met Richard Monckton Miles who becomes her dear friend, to which he would like to be more, however that occurs later in her life. (Bull, 1985) Florence suffered from trances and dizzy spells to which she would lose consciousness for a few minutes or even longer and when she would regain consciousness she was unaware of what had just occurred and sometimes of her surroundings. In current biographies it is written that these trances may have been a form of epilepsy, which was unheard of in that era. (Kiefer 2000). These trances made Florence fear that she was unworthy of god and meant she was unworthy of her calling. Until the spring of 1844 she came to believe her calling was to heal the sick.
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. It was here in 1844 when her journey into nursing began. Florence decided to devote herself to works of charity in hospitals and elsewhere as catholic sisters do. (Cook, 1942) It was that year that her cousin Henry Nicholson proposed marriage but once again she declined. In 1846 Florence was let into a secret, Lord Ashley told her about the government reports called Blue Books. She started to become a self-taught expert on hospitals and sanitation.
The next year Richard Monckton Milne's Proposed to Florence and revealed his great love for her. Not to her families surprise but to their disappointment she once again declined. In her diary entry Florence reveals the reason behind her refusal. I have moral, an active nature which requires satisfaction and that, I would not find in his life. I could not satisfy this nature by spending a life with him in making society and arranging domestic things (Monteiro 1974). However their are contradictions to when she actually refused the proposal Smith (1950) quotes that after seven years of waiting Florence finally rejects his proposal in 1849 after much agonising, she concludes that she could not have work of her own if she chooses to follow her heart into this society marriage.
Marriage would destroy her chance of serving God s call. Where as the Anglican Theological Review (1996) quotes that she refused straight after the proposal. Florence accompanies Selena and Charles Bracebridge on a trip down the Nile and through Greece in 1849. It was July 31 st 1850 she managed her first visit to the institute Protestant Deaconesss at Kaiserswerth Germany. Her first visit ended on July 6 th. It wasn t until July 6 th 1851 when Florence returned to Kaiserswerth as a student after her Father gave her permission to study nursing for three months, until October 7 th.
The training enabled her to take up a vacancy as a superintendent of the Establishment for Gentlewomen during Illness at No 1 Harley St August 12 th, 1853. (Strachey, 1925) It was in 1852 when Florence wrote her first book Cassandra but on the advice of her friends she never published it. Women are never supposed to have any occupation of sufficient importance not to be interrupted, except suckling their fools; and women themselves have accepted this, have written books to support it, and have trained themselves so as to consider whatever they do as not of such value to the world as others, but that they can throw it up at the first claim of social life. It is because most of her statements in this book are like the one above that she was advised not to publish Cassandra as it went against society s beliefs. (Monteiro 1974) In March 1854 Britain, France and Turkey declared war on Russia this was the Crimean war. The allies defeated the Russians at the battle of the Alma in September but reports from The Times criticised the British medical facilities for the wounded.
In response to the report Sidney Herbert the minister at war, who knew Florence socially through her work at Harley St, appointed her to oversee the introduction of female nurses into military hospitals in Turkey, Florence and 38 other nurses served in Scutari during the war. (Cook, 1942) Florence was mostly known for her dedication to her patients. Florence was also instrumental in getting the conditions of the hospital improved. No longer did the wounded die from unsanitary conditions. It was here during the war where Florence became The Lady With The Lamp as at night she would often Patrol the wards carrying a dim light to make sure that everything was satisfactory and no one was in need of help.
She often said If a patient is feverish or feels ill after food it is a fault of the nurses not the illness. (Strachey, 1925) With everything Florence had already done she decided to do more and decided to act as a banker and send money home to the soldiers families as there was no other trustworthy way for the soldiers to do it them selves. She asked authorities to set up an official service but they refused, so she appealed to Queen Victoria herself who over came the opposition. The soldiers brought in 1000 pounds a week, the men sent home almost 71, 000 pound in less than six months. With her own money she established a reading room with tables so soldiers could write letters home. She imported four school masters to give lectures which in turn had the halls overflowing. (Strachey, 1925) While visiting the front lines in 1855 Florence became extremely ill with Crimean fever which today is believed to be brucellosis. Some say she never fully recovered.
During the war in 1855 the nation showed their gratitude by donating money so Florence was able to continue her reform of nursing in the civil hospitals of Britain. There was an article in the Illustrated London News (24 th February 1855) quoting Although the public have been presented with several portraits of the lady who has so generously left this country to attend to the sufferings of the sick and wounded at constantinople, we have reassurance that these pictures are singularly and painfully unlike. We have therefore, taken the most direct means of obtaining a sketch of this excellent lady, in the dress she now wears, in one of the corridors of the sick A letter was also written to The Times (February 1855) about Florence and the heroin she was. Wherever there is disease in its most dangerous form, and the hand of the spoiler distressingly nigh, there is that incomparable woman sure to be seen; her benignant presence is an influence for good comfort even amid the struggles of expiring nature. She is a ministering angel without any exaggeration in these hospitals, and, as her slender form glides quietly along each corridor, every fellows face softens with gratitude at the sight of her. At the age of 36 in July 1856 the war ended.
On her way back home to Lea Hurst Queen Victoria and Prince Albert requested Florence to visit and to talk about her experience during the war. Florence returned to England as a national heroine. People were unaware of the conditions at war until Florence told the inside truth about conditions at war to her friend John Delane the editor of The Times who then reported it in the newspaper. People were deeply shocked and concerned. Florence then began a campaign to improve the quality of nursing in military hospitals. (Huxley, 1975) During October 1856 Florence gave an interview to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert about the quality of nursing in military hospitals and in 1857 gave evidence to the sanitary commission who then formed the Army Medical College. (Cook, 1942) Florence published two books in 1859 Notes on Hospital (1859) and Notes on Nursing (1859), with support from wealthy friends and John Delayed at The Times, Florence raised 59 000 pounds to which she used to improve nursing quality. (Huxley, 1975) In 1860 she figured out a way to improve nursing quality and spent her money to found the Nightingale School and Home for nurses at St Thomas Hospital. Sadly in 1861 Florence's good friend Sidney Herbert died Florence asked God to raise him from the dead however he did not come back alive.
Florence lost faith in God and he never spoke again. (Anglican Theological Review, 1996) It was in 1864 when Florence worked on setting up a home nursing system, hospital for birth, barracks for married soldiers, hospitals for the insane and poor, as well as helping to prevent practices from putting all the sick, poor people together. (Microsoft Encarta, 1995) Florence began to lose her concentration in 1867 In 1872 Henri Dunant founder of the Red Cross claims that Nightingales work influenced his ideas From 1872 Florence spent devoting her time to the organisation of the school and every year for almost 30 years sent letters of encouragement to the students. One of her letters (1873) gave advise to the nurses quoting. Nursing is most truly said to be a high calling, an honourable calling. But what does the honour lie in? In working hard during your training to learn and to do all things perfectly. The honour does not lie in putting on Nursing like your uniform.
Honour lies in loving perfection, consistency, and in working hard for it: in being ready to work patiently: ready to say not How clever I am! but I am not yet worthy; and I will live to deserve to be called a Trained Nurse (Monteiro, 1974) In January 1874 William Nightingale dies six years later in February 1880 Francis Nightingale dies. In 1883 Florence's sister falls ill with arthritis, Florence puts all her nursing expertise back into practise as she nurses her sister. At the age of 63 Florence is awarded with the Royal Red Cross by Queen Victoria. Panthelope passes away seven years later in 1890. In 1896 Florence becomes confined to her bedroom permanently. (Huxley, 1942) It is here when more contradiction begins about Florence Nightingales health.
Monteiro (1974) wrote that Florence went blind in 1895 Smith (1950) wrote that she went blind in 1907. In 1902 Florence could no longer read or write. She accepts services of a companion, housekeeper and secretary. In 1907 Florence is bestowed with the Order Of Merit by King Edward VII, It was the first time the order was awarded to a women. In 1910 After February, 1910 she no longer spoke (Smith, 1950) The end came when Florence Nightingale went to sleep at noon and never woke up. She was buried in East Willow, near her home in Embley Park.
Her tomb stone reads. F. N Born 1820 died 1910 (Cook, 1942) In 1915 the Crimean Monument in Waterloo Place, London, was erected in her honour. Today she is remembered as a symbol of selfless caring and tireless service.
Florence nightingale is synonymous with revolutionizing the nursing movement for women, however the public s perceptions of her achievements remain rudermentry compared to the remarkable accomplishments in her life time.
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