THE INSPIRING STORY BEHIND THE LAMP

Florence Nightingale – The Lady with the Lamp

Discover the life, achievements, and lasting impact of the nurse known as "The Lady with the Lamp."

Photo by Junior REIS on Unsplash

Early Years

Florence Nightingale was an English social reformer who is known for being the founder of modern nursing

She was born on May 12, 1820, in a wealthy upper-class British family in Florence, Italy

Her name was derived from where she was born.

Right from her childhood, Florence Nightingale displayed acts of philanthropy

She took up serving sick and impoverished individuals in the village adjacent to where her family had their property.

At sixteen years of age, she knew that she wanted to join nursing because it was God’s calling for her.

Struggle for Ambition

As Nightingale sought to confide in her parents regarding her dream of becoming a nurse, their reaction was negative.

In fact, her parents tried everything to prevent her from taking up a profession as a nurse.

This was because it was the tradition for a girl like Nightingale to marry into a wealthy family rather than follow an occupation such as nursing which was looked down upon as a humble job

At the age of 17 As she was already twenty-four years old, she rejected a marriage offer from a proper 'gentleman,' stating that her moral active nature needed fulfillment, which could not be fulfilled in this lifetime

Disregarding her parent’s objections, Florence Nightingale joined the nursing program at Lutheran Hospital in Germany in 1844 since there was no institution for nurses in England.

During the early 1850s, Nightingale moved back to London, where she got employed as a nurse at Middlesex Hospital taking care of sick governesses.

Her excellent service earned her a promotion from her employer to the rank of Superintendent within a year.

As difficult as this duty was, considering the fact that there was an outbreak of cholera in the facility, it provided her with an opportunity to make hygiene better in order to reduce mortality rates.

The Crimean War started between England and Russia in October, 1853 The English army that had been sent to Crimes in southern Russia had gained victory very quickly.

There was rejoicing back home as this war which had begun in a distant place seemed to be fun.

However, soon disturbing reports started coming through; there were suffering and wounding soldiers in dire circumstances.

Florence Nightingale was called upon to provide help and she arrived in Crimes along with a team of 38 nurses in the autumn of 1854

The hospital was an old building that was collapsing.

Florence Nightingale went with her nurses into a hospital filled with many soldiers who had been hurt during the war.

There were no enough beds to put all these patients on, thus most of them were lying on the floor covered in blood.

Lack of basic facilities such as medicines, soap and even bandages was very prevalent and the place was infested with rodents.

She, along with her staff, started working.

She got her nurses to scrub their wards, corridors and lavatories.

She organized their kitchens and created their laundry system.

She was on duty for twenty hours straight every day, spending the last hour with the wounded soldiers, having her lamp with her always.

Thus, she was called "The Lady with the Lamp". In six months' time, the mortality rate amongst her patients dropped from 420 in a thousand to just twenty-two.

Photo by The Cleveland Museum of Art on Unsplash

Comprehension

Acknowledgment and Recognition

The great works done by Florence Nightingale made her the most loved and respected woman in her period.

In return for the services of Florence Nightingale, Queen Victoria gifted Florence Nightingale a gold brooch named "Nightingale Jewel" and also awarded her with an amount of 25,000 $ from the British government

Later Period

She was confined to bed because of 'Crimean fever at 38 years old. She lived in Mayfair, London, and continued to work for healthcare reforms

She also acted as an expert advisor to the issues related to public health sanitation in India, but she had never gone to India herself.

In 1860, Florence Nightingale foundation of professional nursing at St. Thomas' Hospital in London marked the birth of the first secular nursing school in the world, which was started by Rino’s College, London

Death and Legacy

On August 13, 1910, aged 90 years, she passed away in her sleep at 10 South Street, Mayfair, London

Her wish regarding her own funeral was to have a very private and modest ceremony, which led to her family not accepting a national funeral for her body.

"The lady with the lamp" was buried in her family burial ground in St Margaret’s Church, Hampshire, England. Her birthday, May 12, is celebrated every year as "International Nurse’s Day"