Florence Nightingale was one of the most influential figures in medical history on the borderline of the 19th and 20th century. She became famous and titled as a “Lady of the Lamp” after her nursing in the military camp for her strong desire to help relieve pain and sufferings of the seriously wounded soldiers.
Biography:
Florence Nightingale was born in Florence, Italy on May 12, 1820. She and her two younger sisters were raised in a wealthy and influential British family that belonged to the elite class of the society. Her mother, Frances Nightingale came from a well-known merchant's family and inherited a valuable skill of sociability and quick-thinking. However, Florence was a very shy child since her early childhood and prefer to rather …show more content…
However, Florence was particularly interested in social studies and philanthropy which forced her to start helping poor, ill people in the county nearby her estate. In the end she concluded that being a nurse is her divine vacation decided by God and by following this path she will be able to fulfil her full life potential. Nevertheless, her parents were not satisfied with her decision and forbade her to pursue a medical education or perform any nurse related work experience. According to the societal norms in Britain of Victorian Era young ladies from the elite clans were expected to marry a rich and ambitious man. This marriage supposed to preserve the social status of both the families in the society and increase the overall financial earnings. At this time only lower-class women worked as a menial labour on a regular basis. However, Florence Nightingale was a stubborn believer and in 1850s she rejected a marriage proposal from an intelligent and well-mannered gentleman. This gentleman was Richard Monckton Milnes who loved young lady Nightingale for years. She justified her rejection by stating that God has called to follow another path that was …show more content…
In 1954 she was sent as a part of the 38 member group of nurse to take care of British soldiers fighting in the Crimean War that aimed to terminate further expansion of the Russian Empire across the Europe . Nightingale’s group arrived to the military hospital in Scutari which at that time was under the patronage of the Sidney Herbert, the Secretary of War. She personally witnessed badly wounded soldiers dying in the horrible sanitary conditions from severe infections. However, ten times more soldiers died from quickly spread out viral diseases such as typhus, typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. None of the nurses and nuns present in the military camp took a good care of the wounded soldiers as proper medication and sterile equipment were in shortage and infections spread out at the speed of light. There was not any clean linen, their clothes had not been washed for a long time, so all the stains were filled with bugs, lice and fleas. Moreover, walls and roof of the hospital were greasy and dirty with rats sneaking around the soldier’s beds which enhanced the probability of getting viral infection. The hospital didn’t have any spare towels or soap and there was only 14 baths available for the total of 2000 soldiers. The death rate in this hospital was much higher
Biography:
Florence Nightingale was born in Florence, Italy on May 12, 1820. She and her two younger sisters were raised in a wealthy and influential British family that belonged to the elite class of the society. Her mother, Frances Nightingale came from a well-known merchant's family and inherited a valuable skill of sociability and quick-thinking. However, Florence was a very shy child since her early childhood and prefer to rather …show more content…
However, Florence was particularly interested in social studies and philanthropy which forced her to start helping poor, ill people in the county nearby her estate. In the end she concluded that being a nurse is her divine vacation decided by God and by following this path she will be able to fulfil her full life potential. Nevertheless, her parents were not satisfied with her decision and forbade her to pursue a medical education or perform any nurse related work experience. According to the societal norms in Britain of Victorian Era young ladies from the elite clans were expected to marry a rich and ambitious man. This marriage supposed to preserve the social status of both the families in the society and increase the overall financial earnings. At this time only lower-class women worked as a menial labour on a regular basis. However, Florence Nightingale was a stubborn believer and in 1850s she rejected a marriage proposal from an intelligent and well-mannered gentleman. This gentleman was Richard Monckton Milnes who loved young lady Nightingale for years. She justified her rejection by stating that God has called to follow another path that was …show more content…
In 1954 she was sent as a part of the 38 member group of nurse to take care of British soldiers fighting in the Crimean War that aimed to terminate further expansion of the Russian Empire across the Europe . Nightingale’s group arrived to the military hospital in Scutari which at that time was under the patronage of the Sidney Herbert, the Secretary of War. She personally witnessed badly wounded soldiers dying in the horrible sanitary conditions from severe infections. However, ten times more soldiers died from quickly spread out viral diseases such as typhus, typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. None of the nurses and nuns present in the military camp took a good care of the wounded soldiers as proper medication and sterile equipment were in shortage and infections spread out at the speed of light. There was not any clean linen, their clothes had not been washed for a long time, so all the stains were filled with bugs, lice and fleas. Moreover, walls and roof of the hospital were greasy and dirty with rats sneaking around the soldier’s beds which enhanced the probability of getting viral infection. The hospital didn’t have any spare towels or soap and there was only 14 baths available for the total of 2000 soldiers. The death rate in this hospital was much higher