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Florence Nightingale

by Ally from Palmer


Florence Nightingale

My hero is Florence Nightingale. She was best known for her part in the Crimea War, in which she saved countless soldiers lives. But what do you know about what happened to her before the war? What did Nurse Nightingale do when her work in Turkey was done? And where did her inspiration for helping others spring? 

The year was 1820, and on a little girl was born to Fanny and William Nightingale in Florence, Italy. Though Florence had been born in Italy she was, in fact, English. Florence Nightingale was part of a wealthy family of four. She had one sister, two years her senior, named Parthenope. Even at a young age Florence had been captivated by her lessons, the thirst for knowledge in her soul could not be quenched. Her studies included: Greek, Latin, French, history, mathematics, and philosophy. Florence held disdain for her life of luxury when so many others could hardly put food on the table- if they could at all. Her mother, sister, and Florence herself visited the poor to give them food. While her mother and sister did this out of a strange feeling of obligation, Florence truly wanted to help. She started taking extra visits without her mother knowing, giving them food, clothes, and money. When her mother learned of her youngest escapades, she forbid Florence to take any extra visits saying she'd catch disease if she kept this up and it was a miracle that Florence wasn't already on her deathbed. 

Her mother relished in throwing grand parties for no reason other than to socialize and look into suitors for her two daughters, but Florence had no intention of marrying. While her sister Parthenope would happy enough to sit around in a large house and hold dinner party after dinner party, Florence was determined to have a life of meaningful consequence. Despite her mother's words to not go visit the poor, she went anyway, spending nearly all her free time helping in any way she could. When Florence was just seventeen years old she heard a voice telling her to do good with her life. She was convinced she had heard from God, and set out to follow what she believed to be his will. The problem was, she wasn't sure how she was to do it. When her family whisked her away to travel Europe and socialize with the rich she was momentarily distracted from her goal, but it wasn't long after they had begun the travels that Florence's journals were soon filled with accounts on refugees and notes on the poverty that she encountered. 

As soon as they had returned to England Florence focused herself on studying. First it was mathematics that held her attention, Florence Nightingale discovered a friend in her aunt Mai who supported her and her goals. Aunt Mai told Florence's mother Fanny that Florence should have advanced math lessons; Fanny's response was to pull Florence home. Florence was not happy in the least, she hated parties and she hated fuss, but that is exactly what she got upon her return. Outward appearance to a bystander would be that of an obedient daughter, but this was not so. In the early mornings Florence would get up and learn mathematics with her aunt in secret. Florence only felt content when she was caring for sick in the poor districts and that is when it struck her to be a nurse. 

Florence's goal appeared unreachable. At this time in history hospitals were not held in high esteem, far from it. Hospitals were nasty places that did more harm than good to their patients, and even nurses were often old, intoxicated, and unlearned women. The nursing profession was seen as distasteful, something to be left to the poverty ridden women. For someone of her status to become a nurse, Florence knew it would be a fight, but she was driven. She bought every book on nursing, medicine, sanitation, and hospitals she could get her hands on, holed herself in her room and studied. Many a notebook was filled with notes on anything and everything she read. After learning the material, she became an expert on the subject. Her mother still wanted her to marry, as she turned down various suitors, Florence was adamant in her goal of becoming a nurse; despite her mother's many pleas. She began to write to various government officials, and to her delighted surprise found that she was not alone in her quest for changes in hospitals. In her letters with the politicians she learned of Kaiserwerth, a hospital that operated through the women of the church in Germany. Concerning the medical field of the day, that was about as respectable as it got, but the Nightingales still would not have it. Florence finally had a break down after the pressure of being a respectable daughter grew too much. Some of Florence's friends took her away from her oppressing family to see Rome and recover. But more importantly they encouraged her ambitions to not be the 'dutiful daughter', and reach for her dream of becoming a nurse. Florence met a man on her travels by the name of Sidney Herbert, a politician, becoming good friends. Her mood still was not lifted completely though. This time she visited the Kaiserwerth hospital in Germany. When Florence  learned more on proper care of patients, she was more driven than ever to become a nurse.

With a little help from Sir Sidney Florence's determination paid off. At thirty years old she became the head of a hospital in London. She set about fixing things to the way they should be at hospitals. Florence threw open every window, new sheets on every bed, every ward scrubbed till it shined, fresh flowers, good food, and every patient was bathed in hot water, the way she believed things should be in a  hospital. The staff was floored, some of which she fired on the spot while others left of their own accord. After a while people began to get better at Florence's hospital, this fact alone did not fly under the radar. And just when Florence had got the hospital up, running, and doing things right- an epidemic hit London. It was cholera, and though Florence could do nothing for the thousands dying in the poorer districts, she made sure her patients were doing well. Then war was declared between Turkey and Russia in 1853, and England offered aid to the Turks. Florence requested to mobilize a team of nurses to aid the military hospital in Scutari when she learned of the thousands of soldiers dying not from battle wounds, but from disease and infection. Her wish was granted. The Crimean war had begun.

When the nurses arrived at Scutari they were not met with open arms as they had thought they would be, instead Florence and her team were met with resentment for being women from the officers and military doctors. The conditions Florence witnessed likely resembled a picture of hell. The sleeping mats, if the soldiers even had one, were packed with dirt and infested with lice. The lice was crawling over the patients who were too weak to get rid of them. There was no medicine, no bandages, no beds. Just four miles of filthy corridors filled with thousands of the sick and wounded. Despite the help she could provide the army doctors did not want Florence around and her team there. The very idea of women on the battlefield appalled them. Florence wanted to give her patients the attention they craved, army officers and doctors thought she was doing so needlessly. Florence could see the tight rope she trekked. When they first arrived the nurses were only permitted to the kitchens, but she worked with it. After cleaning the kitchen spotless Florence made a beef tea that was heaven compared to the greasy gunk the soldiers had been forced to eat previously. It wasn't until two battles at Balaclava with high casualties that the officers finally released Florence and her nurses from their quarantine. 

They could at last set to work, and there was work to be done. They needed everything! Beds, pillows, pans, clothes, cups and candles all ordered. Soldiers were cleaned, crisp sheets were placed on every bed, and every ward was scrubbed. Changes were made at the Scutari military hospital, but more people were dying than before Florence even came. Florence was baffled until two dead horses were discovered blocking the pipes. The problem was resolved soon enough. A French chef arrived shortly after that, and the food was made better than ever. Nurse Nightingale was on her feet for days at a time, at night she would quietly traverse the halls to make sure everyone was comfortable, lamp out-stretched before her. Florence's constant presence was comforting to the soldiers and it wasn't long before she was dubbed 'The Lady with the Lamp'. 

Florence had wished to check the other military hospitals that had been set up when the war began, and though she did end up going she ended working herself too hard and collapsed in fever. Nurse Nightingale had come down with cholera. She held on to life by two fingers for several weeks before the fever finally broke. Florence returned to Scutari weak but driven to continue her work, she was crestfallen at what greeted her. Squabbling nurses, officers, and doctors who were too 'busy' to notice that the entire hospital had been claimed by disorder. While back in England the nation was captivated by Florence Nightingale, selling little figurines of her, she herself was miserable back in Scutari, dealing with prejudice and bickering. A fund was set up to buy Nurse Nightingale a gift and enough money was donated for a nursing school to be formed. The Crimean war was ended in 1856, but Florence refused to leave before the last soldier left Scutari.    Florence then returned to England, and to her suddenly proud family, though she was aching with guilt for those whom she could not save.

Florence Nightingale hated fuss, despite that being exactly what she encountered on her arrival. She was famous, and her family finally accepted two things; first that she would never marry, and second that she would not give up on being a nurse. Not that they minded the latter since because she was famous now for it they were famous by association, and so they basked in the benefits that Florence herself wanted no part of. After Scutari it had dawned on Florence that other army hospitals and the nursing profession in and of itself desperately need reform. And she was determined to see it changed by her own hand. When a letter from Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert came inviting her to come visit Balmoral their castle in Scotland, Florence saw how she could use the meeting to her advantage. She brought statistics and notes about the hospital conditions she encountered during the Crimean War. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were impressed with Florence's approach and agreed to look into the conditions.

Florence was pushing herself, she stayed locked in her room reading and learning everything she could on army housing and hospitals in London. Florence ended up writing 'Notes on Nursing: What it is and what it is Not' and it quickly became a bestseller. She moved into a hotel in London and began working at home. Then Sir Sydney died. Florence threw herself into her work in an attempt to cope and once again worked herself to collapse. Secluding herself from the world Florence Nightingale might've stayed like that till the end of time, but her nursing school had fallen into chaos and her parents were ill. She split her time between the school and her parents until her parents died and the school was back on track. Florence returned to her home in London and rarely left her bed for the remainder of her life. In 1907 she was the first women to receive the royal Order of Merit by Edward VII, and hardly took notice. Florence Nightingale died August 13, 1910 in her sleep at age ninety.

In conclusion, Florence Nightingale revolutionized nursing and did what she believed was God's will even though she knew that she would be going against her family's wishes. For these reasons she holds my admiration. She was a strong woman with a fighting spirit. My hero is Florence Nightingale and this was her story.




Citation


Lethbridge, Lucy. Florence Nightingale. Saffron Hill, London: Usborne, 2004. 

     Print. The tale of Florence Nightingale's life before and after the Crimean 

     War.



- - -. "Florence Nightingale." bbc.co.uk. BBC America, 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. 

     

     An Short article and picture on the life of Florence Nightingale.


Page created on 4/15/2012 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 4/15/2012 12:00:00 AM

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