The Lady with a Purpose
“The very first requirement in a hospital is that it should do the sick no harm.”
~Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing
It would be easy to fill this blog and many others with the inspiration quotes and saying of this remarkable woman who stood against the stigmas and the establishments of the male dominated medical world of the 1850’s. Born to a well to do family on May 12, 1820, her parents expected her to grow up with the classical education of the time and then marry a suiter of good upbringing and means then have her own family. When she first approached her parents at age 16 with the notion of becoming a nurse, her parents were horrified and forbade her from becoming a nurse. The nursing profession was looked upon as a lowly profession and was considered greatly beneath her stature and station by her parents. At age 17, Florence refused to marry a suiter who was presented to her even though she found him intellectually and romantically stimulating, so strong was her desire to help those in need. In 1844 Florence entered nursing school and upon returning to London she found employment in a Middlesex hospital for ailing governesses. After just one year of working in the hospital she was recognized for her hard work, compassion and care of the patients that she was promoted to head nurse. While at this post, Florence focused her attention on the cleanliness and sanitary conditions of the hospital and greatly reduced the number of lost lives in the process.
The events that launched Ms. Nightingale into the history books was her courage and methods that she documented during her time as a nurse for the British army during the Crimean War. Leading a team of 34 other nurses, Florence entered into the army base hospital in Constantinople to find wretched conditions were more wounded were dying of illness than from their wounds. Conditions of raw sewage in the halls, rodents and pestilence, contaminated water, and a shortage of sterile bandages was the battle that faced the nurses when they arrived and this was the first thing Florence tackled when she settled in. Enlisting the service of the least infirmed, she set about to scrub the hospital clean top to bottom improving the cleanliness of the hospital throughout. Florence worked tirelessly night and day, as she walked the halls at night carrying a lamp to check on the condition of the patients, she earned the moniker of The Lady with the Lamp. In additional to improving the sanitary conditions a great deal for the patients of the hospital, Ms. Nightingale developed a number of guidelines and services that contributed to improving the quality of care for the wounded during their hospital stay. By her efforts and new methodologies employed in the care of the wounded, she was able to reduce the deaths of the soldiers from illness by two thirds. While serving for the army, Florence wrote an 830-page report analyzing her experience and proposing reforms for other military hospitals which prompted sweeping changes by the British War Office’s administrative department, including the establishment of a Royal Commission for the Health of the Army in 1857.
Returning home after a year and a half, she was welcomed as a national hero and was awarded an engraved brooch by the Queen (known as the Nightingale Jewel) and a gift of £250,000 from the British government. Florence took the money and helped establish a hospital that had the Nightingale Training School for Nurses within. Florence Nightingale passes away on August 13, 1910 and will always be best known for her tireless efforts of preventing disease and ensuring safe and compassionate treatment for the poor and the suffering. The mother of modern nursing laid the groundwork for elevating the profession of nursing to a highly esteemed position it has today. We all need to give thanks to Florence and the those who followed whose main goal was the improved care of those in need of medical service. As we continue to celebrate nurses this week, take time today to thank a nurse for their hard work and compassion. I hope everyone has a great weekend and please, take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together. (This is a modified reprint of an article I wrote in 2016 but the sentiment still holds true today as it did then).
Wm Reid
Best Home Care Services
325 N Eastern Ave
Connersville, IN 47331
765-827-9833
wmreid@bhcshealth.com
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