Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820. She was named Florence because her parents were visiting Florence, Italy, at the time. The nightingale family returned to england the next year.
Florence spent her childhood at the Nightingales' large home in Hampshire, England. Florence did not go to school. Instead, her parents hired a governess to teach her and her sister, Parthe, to read, write, draw, and do needlework at home.
Later, Mr. Nightingale taught the girls Greek, Latin, French, Italian and German. He taught them history and math. Florence's taught them how to run a household, too. Florence studied hard and was especially good at math. At a time when only wealthy children got education, their schooling prepared Florence and Parthe for the future.
But Florence also liked to daydream. In her imagination, she had exciting adventures and changed the world. From the time she was 6 years old, Florence wanted to use her skills. What good is my education, she wondered, if I can't use it to make the world better?
"The first thought I can remember, and the last, was nursing work," Florence later wrote. Florence helped sick relatives whenever she could. She cooked good food for them, read to them, and talked with them. She took food, clothes, and medicine to poor people. But Florence's parents id not want her to become a nurse. They wanted her to marry and settle down. Once, when Florence asked if she could spend three months studying at a hospital, her parents became very angry. Florence's mother was so upset by Florence's desire to become a nurse that she said, "We are ducks who have hatched a wild swan."
But Florence was stubborn. She wanted to care for sick people. Secretly, at night, she began reading about hospitals by candle light. She wrote to friends about health care. She tried to figure out why people were dying.
At this time, there were no female doctors in England. No one knew that germs made people sick. No one realized that if a doctor only washed his hands, he would not spread sickness to his patients.
Florence visited a hospital in Germany. Her parents were furious. In 1851, stubborn Florence told her parents she was going back to the hospital in Germany and they couldn't stop her.
Florence's visit to the hospital changed her life. Florence worked long hours with little food. She observed patients. She watched doctors in action. She made notes on how to better organize the hospital.
in 1853, when she was 33 years old, Florence's hard work paid off. She got a job in a London hospital with only 25 patients. Florence could nurse, but she wouldn't be paid. Although her father disapproved, he gave her money. Florence immediately improved the hospital. She bought better food at cheaper prices. She saved money on medicines. She made sheets and covers for beds.
Another big change came in 1854, when England joined Turkey in a war against Russia. Thousands of British soldiers went to fight. Many soldiers were wounded, others got sick but the hospitals for the men were horrible. There was little food. Everything was filthy. The soldiers had no warm clothes in winter. Medical supplies were scarce. Something had to be done.
One British government leader knew Florence's work. He suggested that she could go to Turkey as superintendent of nurses. With some of her own money, clothes, and medical supplies, and with 38 nurses she had picked herself, Florence sailed to Turkey.
Florence had seen bad hospitals before, but nothing had prepared her for what she found in Turkey. Thousands of sick or wounded soldiers were crowded into rooms crawling with lice, mice, rats, fleas, and cockroaches. There was a shortage of clean water to drink and to wash wounds with. Few men had blankets or even beds. The soldiers had only hard bread and spoiled meat to eat.
Florence and her nurses cleaned the hospital. They got better water and prepared better food. They found knives, forks and toothbrushes for the men. They let fresh air into the hospital. They sent books for the men and even found teachers for those who couldn't read. They had 2 red horses removed from the sewer. Every night, Florence walked through the hospital helping her patients. The grateful soldiers called her the lady with the lamp. Soon fewer soldiers were dying from sickness or infected wounds. Before Florence had arrived, 42 out of every 100 soldiers in the hospital had died. After Florence's improvements, only 2 out of 100 died!
Florence became famous. Queen Victoria wrote to her and talked with her. People gave her money to build the Nightingale Training School for nurses. One song writer wrote, "May God give her strength, and her heart never fail, / One of heaven's best gifts is miss nightingale."
Florence helped start the red cross and red crescent organizations, which today help millions of people around the world combating disease and improving their living conditions. She inspired thousands of men and women to become nurses. Florence helped others begin nursing schools using her methods. She wrote books and articles to improve hospital conditions worldwide.
