short biography of florence nightingale

History Classics
Your Profile
Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
This Day In History
History Podcasts
History Vault

Florence Nightingale

By: History.com Editors

Updated: April 24, 2023 | Original: November 9, 2009

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), known as “The Lady With the Lamp,” was a British nurse, social reformer and statistician best known as the founder of modern nursing. Her experiences as a nurse during the Crimean War were foundational in her views about sanitation. She established St. Thomas’s Hospital and the Nightingale Training School for Nurses in 1860. Her efforts to reform healthcare greatly influenced the quality of care in the 19 and 20 centuries.

Florence Nightingale: Early Life

Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820, in Florence, Italy to Frances Nightingale and William Shore Nightingale. She was the younger of two children. Nightingale’s affluent British family belonged to elite social circles. Her mother, Frances, hailed from a family of merchants and took pride in socializing with people of prominent social standing. Despite her mother’s interest in social climbing, Florence herself was reportedly awkward in social situations. She preferred to avoid being the center of attention whenever possible. Strong-willed, Florence often butted heads with her mother, whom she viewed as overly controlling. Still, like many daughters, she was eager to please her mother. “I think I am got something more good-natured and complying,” Florence wrote in her own defense, concerning the mother-daughter relationship.

Florence’s father was William Shore Nightingale, a wealthy landowner who had inherited two estates—one at Lea Hurst, Derbyshire, and the other in Hampshire, Embley Park—when Florence was five years old. Florence was raised on the family estate at Lea Hurst, where her father provided her with a classical education, including studies in German, French and Italian.

From a very young age, Florence Nightingale was active in philanthropy, ministering to the ill and poor people in the village neighboring her family’s estate. By the time she was 16 years old, it was clear to her that nursing was her calling. She believed it to be her divine purpose.

When Nightingale approached her parents and told them about her ambitions to become a nurse, they were not pleased. In fact, her parents forbade her to pursue nursing. During the Victorian Era , a young lady of Nightingale’s social stature was expected to marry a man of means—not take up a job that was viewed as lowly menial labor by the upper social classes.

When Nightingale was 17 years old, she refused a marriage proposal from a “suitable” gentleman, Richard Monckton Milnes. Nightingale explained her reason for turning him down, saying that while he stimulated her intellectually and romantically, her “moral…active nature…requires satisfaction, and that would not find it in this life.” Determined to pursue her true calling despite her parents’ objections, in 1844, Nightingale enrolled as a nursing student at the Lutheran Hospital of Pastor Fliedner in Kaiserwerth, Germany.

Florence Nightingale and Nursing

In the early 1850s, Nightingale returned to London, where she took a nursing job in a Middlesex hospital for ailing governesses. Her performance there so impressed her employer that Nightingale was promoted to the superintendent within just a year of being hired. The position proved challenging as Nightingale grappled with a cholera outbreak and unsanitary conditions conducive to the rapid spread of the disease. Nightingale made it her mission to improve hygiene practices, significantly lowering the death rate at the hospital in the process. The hard work took a toll on her health. She had just barely recovered when the biggest challenge of her nursing career presented itself.

Florence Nightingale and the Crimean War

In October of 1853, the Crimean War broke out. The British Empire was at war against the Russian Empire for control of the Ottoman Empire . Thousands of British soldiers were sent to the Black Sea, where supplies quickly dwindled. By 1854, no fewer than 18,000 soldiers had been admitted into military hospitals.

At the time, there were no female nurses stationed at hospitals in Crimea. The poor reputation of past female nurses had led the war office to avoid hiring more. But, after the Battle of Alma, England was in an uproar about the neglect of their ill and injured soldiers, who not only lacked sufficient medical attention due to hospitals being horribly understaffed but also languished in appallingly unsanitary and inhumane conditions.

In late 1854, Nightingale received a letter from Secretary of War Sidney Herbert, asking her to organize a corps of nurses to tend to the sick and fallen soldiers in the Crimea. Nightingale rose to her calling. She quickly assembled a team of 34 nurses from a variety of religious orders and sailed with them to the Crimea just a few days later.

Although they had been warned of the horrid conditions there, nothing could have prepared Nightingale and her nurses for what they saw when they arrived at Scutari, the British base hospital in Constantinople . The hospital sat on top of a large cesspool, which contaminated the water and the hospital building itself. Patients lay on in their own excrement on stretchers strewn throughout the hallways. Rodents and bugs scurried past them. The most basic supplies, such as bandages and soap, grew increasingly scarce as the number of ill and wounded steadily increased. Even water needed to be rationed. More soldiers were dying from infectious diseases like typhoid and cholera than from injuries incurred in battle.

The no-nonsense Nightingale quickly set to work. She procured hundreds of scrub brushes and asked the least infirm patients to scrub the inside of the hospital from floor to ceiling. Nightingale herself spent every waking minute caring for the soldiers. In the evenings she moved through the dark hallways carrying a lamp while making her rounds, ministering to patient after patient. The soldiers, who were both moved and comforted by her endless supply of compassion, took to calling her “the Lady with the Lamp.” Others simply called her “the Angel of Crimea.” Her work reduced the hospital’s death rate by two-thirds.

In addition to vastly improving the sanitary conditions of the hospital , Nightingale created a number of patient services that contributed to improving the quality of their hospital stay. She instituted the creation of an “invalid’s kitchen” where appealing food for patients with special dietary requirements was cooked. She established a laundry so that patients would have clean linens. She also instituted a classroom and a library for patients’ intellectual stimulation and entertainment. Based on her observations in Crimea, Nightingale wrote Notes on Matters Affecting the Health, Efficiency and Hospital Administration of the British Army , an 830-page report analyzing her experience and proposing reforms for other military hospitals operating under poor conditions. The book would spark a total restructuring of the War Office’s administrative department, including the establishment of a Royal Commission for the Health of the Army in 1857.

Nightingale remained at Scutari for a year and a half. She left in the summer of 1856, once the Crimean conflict was resolved, and returned to her childhood home at Lea Hurst. To her surprise, she was met with a hero’s welcome, which the humble nurse did her best to avoid. The Queen rewarded Nightingale’s work by presenting her with an engraved brooch that came to be known as the “Nightingale Jewel” and by granting her a prize of $250,000 from the British government.

Florence Nightingale, Statistician

With the support of Queen Victoria , Nightingale helped create a Royal Commission into the health of the army. It employed leading statisticians of the day, William Farr and John Sutherland, to analyze army mortality data, and what they found was horrifying: 16,000 of the 18,000 deaths were from preventable diseases—not battle. But it was Nightingale’s ability to translate this data into a new visual format that really caused a sensation. Her polar area diagram, now known as a “Nightingale Rose Diagram,” showed how the Sanitary Commission’s work decreased the death rate and made the complicated data accessible to all, inspiring new standards for sanitation in the army and beyond. She became the first female member of the Royal Statistical Society and was named an honorary member of the American Statistical Association.

Florence Nightingale’s Impact on Nursing

Nightingale decided to use the money to further her cause. In 1860, she funded the establishment of St. Thomas’ Hospital, and within it, the Nightingale Training School for Nurses. Nightingale became a figure of public admiration. Poems, songs and plays were written and dedicated in the heroine’s honor. Young women aspired to be like her. Eager to follow her example, even women from the wealthy upper classes started enrolling at the training school. Thanks to Nightingale, nursing was no longer frowned upon by the upper classes; it had, in fact, come to be viewed as an honorable vocation.

While at Scutari, Nightingale had contracted “Crimean fever” and would never fully recover. By the time she was 38 years old, she was homebound and bedridden and would be so for the remainder of her life. Fiercely determined and dedicated as ever to improving health care and alleviating patients’ suffering, Nightingale continued her work from her bed.

Residing in Mayfair, she remained an authority and advocate of health care reform, interviewing politicians and welcoming distinguished visitors from her bed. In 1859, she published Notes on Hospitals , which focused on how to properly run civilian hospitals.

Throughout the U.S. Civil War , she was frequently consulted about how to best manage field hospitals. Nightingale also served as an authority on public sanitation issues in India for both the military and civilians, although she had never been to India herself.

In 1908, at the age of 88, she was conferred the merit of honor by King Edward. In May of 1910, she received a congratulatory message from King George on her 90th birthday.

Florence Nightingale: Death and Legacy

In August 1910, Florence Nightingale fell ill but seemed to recover and was reportedly in good spirits. A week later, on the evening of Friday, August 12, 1910, she developed an array of troubling symptoms. She died unexpectedly at 2 p.m. the following day, Saturday, August 13, 1910, at her home in London.

Characteristically, she had expressed the desire that her funeral be a quiet and modest affair, despite the public’s desire to honor Nightingale—who tirelessly devoted her life to preventing disease and ensuring safe and compassionate treatment for the poor and the suffering. Respecting her last wishes, her relatives turned down a national funeral. The “Lady with the Lamp” was laid to rest in Hampshire, England.

The Florence Nightingale Museum, which sits at the site of the original Nightingale Training School for Nurses, houses more than 2,000 artifacts commemorating the life and career of the “Angel of the Crimea.” To this day, Florence Nightingale is broadly acknowledged and revered as the pioneer of modern nursing.

Florence Nightingale: Saving Lives With Statistics. BBC. Florence Nightingale. The National Archives, UK.

Sign up for Inside History

Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Networks. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details : Privacy Notice | Terms of Use | Contact Us

Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale was a trailblazing figure in nursing who greatly affected 19th- and 20th-century policies around proper medical care. She was known for her night rounds to aid the wounded, establishing her image as the 'Lady with the Lamp.'

(1820-1910)

Who Was Florence Nightingale?

Part of a wealthy family, Florence Nightingale defied the expectations of the time and pursued what she saw as her God-given calling of nursing. During the Crimean War, she and a team of nurses improved the unsanitary conditions at a British base hospital, greatly reducing the death count. Her writings sparked worldwide health care reform, and in 1860 she established St. Thomas' Hospital and the Nightingale Training School for Nurses. A revered hero of her time, she died on August 13, 1910, in London.

Background and Early Life

Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820, in Florence, Italy, the city which inspired her name. The younger of two daughters, Nightingale was part of an affluent British clan that belonged to elite social circles. Her mother, Frances Nightingale, hailed from a family of merchants and took pride in socializing with people of prominent standing. Despite her mother's interests, Nightingale herself was reportedly awkward in social situations and preferred to avoid being the center of attention whenever possible. Strong-willed, she often butted heads with her mother, whom she viewed as overly controlling.

Nightingale's father was William Edward Nightingale (having changed his original surname, "Shore"), a wealthy landowner who would be associated with two estates—one at Lea Hurst, Derbyshire, and the other at Embly, Hampshire. Nightingale was provided with a classical education, including studies in mathematics along with German, French and Italian.

From a young age, Nightingale was active in philanthropy, ministering to the ill and poor people in the village neighboring her family’s estate. Nightingale eventually came to the conclusion that nursing was her calling; she believed the vocation to be her divine purpose.

When Nightingale approached her parents and told them about her ambitions to become a nurse, they were not pleased and forbade her to pursue appropriate training. During the Victorian Era, where English women had almost no property rights, a young lady of Nightingale's social stature was expected to marry a man of means to ensure her class standing—not take up a job that was viewed by the upper social classes as lowly menial labor.

In 1849, Nightingale refused a marriage proposal from a "suitable" gentleman, Richard Monckton Milnes, who had pursued her for years. She explained her reason for turning him down, saying that while he stimulated her intellectually and romantically, her "moral…active nature" called for something beyond a domestic life. (One biographer has suggested that the rejection of marriage to Milnes was not in fact an outright refusal.) Determined to pursue her true calling despite her parents' objections, Nightingale eventually enrolled as a nursing student in 1850 at the Institution of Protestant Deaconesses in Kaiserswerth, Germany.

Crimean War

In the early 1850s, Nightingale returned to London, where she took a nursing job in a Harley Street hospital for ailing governesses. Her performance there so impressed her employer that Nightingale was promoted to superintendent. Nightingale also volunteered at the Middlesex Hospital around this time, grappling with a cholera outbreak and unsanitary conditions conducive to the rapid spread of the disease. Nightingale made it her mission to improve hygiene practices, significantly lowering the death rate at the hospital in the process.

In October 1853, the Crimean War broke out. Allied British and French forces were at war against the Russian Empire for control of Ottoman territory. Thousands of British soldiers were sent to the Black Sea, where supplies quickly dwindled. By 1854, no fewer than 18,000 soldiers had been admitted into military hospitals.

At the time, there were no female nurses stationed at hospitals in the Crimea. After the Battle of Alma, England was in an uproar about the neglect of their ill and injured soldiers, who not only lacked sufficient medical attention due to hospitals being horribly understaffed but also languished in appallingly unsanitary conditions.

Pioneering Nurse

In late 1854, Nightingale received a letter from Secretary of War Sidney Herbert, asking her to organize a corps of nurses to tend to the sick and fallen soldiers in the Crimea. Given full control of the operation, she quickly assembled a team of almost three dozen nurses from a variety of religious orders and sailed with them to the Crimea just a few days later.

Although they had been warned of the horrid conditions there, nothing could have prepared Nightingale and her nurses for what they saw when they arrived at Scutari, the British base hospital in Constantinople. The hospital sat on top of a large cesspool, which contaminated the water and the building itself. Patients lay in their own excrement on stretchers strewn throughout the hallways. Rodents and bugs scurried past them. The most basic supplies, such as bandages and soap, grew increasingly scarce as the number of ill and wounded steadily increased. Even water needed to be rationed. More soldiers were dying from infectious diseases like typhoid and cholera than from injuries incurred in battle.

The no-nonsense Nightingale quickly set to work. She procured hundreds of scrub brushes and asked the least infirm patients to scrub the inside of the hospital from floor to ceiling. Nightingale herself spent every waking minute caring for the soldiers. In the evenings she moved through the dark hallways carrying a lamp while making her rounds, ministering to patient after patient. The soldiers, who were both moved and comforted by her endless supply of compassion, took to calling her "the Lady with the Lamp." Others simply called her "the Angel of the Crimea." Her work reduced the hospital’s death rate by two-thirds.

In addition to vastly improving the sanitary conditions of the hospital, Nightingale instituted an "invalid's kitchen" where appealing food for patients with special dietary requirements was prepared. She also established a laundry so that patients would have clean linens. as well as a classroom and library for intellectual stimulation and entertainment.

Recognition and Appreciation

Nightingale decided to use the money to further her cause. In 1860, she funded the establishment of St. Thomas' Hospital, and within it, the Nightingale Training School for Nurses. Nightingale became a figure of public admiration. Poems, songs and plays were written and dedicated in the heroine's honor. Young women aspired to be like her. Eager to follow her example, even women from the wealthy upper classes started enrolling at the training school. Thanks to Nightingale, nursing was no longer frowned upon by the upper classes; it had, in fact, come to be viewed as an honorable vocation.

Based on her observations during the Crimea War, Nightingale wrote Notes on Matters Affecting the Health, Efficiency and Hospital Administration of the British Army , a massive report published in 1858 analyzing her experience and proposing reforms for other military hospitals. Her research would spark a total restructuring of the War Office's administrative department, including the establishment of a Royal Commission for the Health of the Army in 1857. Nightingale was also noted for her statistician skills, creating coxcomb pie charts on patient mortality in Scutari that would influence the direction of medical epidemiology.

While at Scutari, Nightingale had contracted the bacterial infection brucellosis, also known as Crimean fever, and would never fully recover. By the time she was 38 years old, she was homebound and routinely bedridden, and would be so for the remainder of her life. Fiercely determined and dedicated as ever to improving health care and alleviating patients’ suffering, Nightingale continued her work from her bed.

Throughout the U.S. Civil War, she was frequently consulted about how to best manage field hospitals. Nightingale also served as an authority on public sanitation issues in India for both the military and civilians, although she had never been to India herself.

In 1907, she was conferred the Order of Merit by King Edward , and received the Freedom of the City of London the following year, becoming the first woman to receive the honor. In May 1910, she received a celebratory message from King George on her 90th birthday.

Death and Legacy

In August 1910, Nightingale fell ill but seemed to recover and was reportedly in good spirits. A week later, on the evening of Friday, August 12, 1910, she developed an array of troubling symptoms. She died unexpectedly at around 2 p.m. the following day, Saturday, August 13, at her home in London.

Characteristically, she had expressed the desire that her funeral be a quiet and modest affair, despite the public's desire to honor Nightingale—who tirelessly devoted her life to preventing disease and ensuring safe and compassionate treatment for the poor and the suffering. Respecting her last wishes, her relatives turned down a national funeral. The "Lady with the Lamp" was laid to rest in her family's plot at St. Margaret's Church, East Wellow, in Hampshire, England.

The Florence Nightingale Museum , which sits at the site of the original Nightingale Training School for Nurses, houses more than 2,000 artifacts commemorating the life and career of the "Angel of the Crimea." To this day, Nightingale is broadly acknowledged and revered as the pioneer of modern nursing.

QUICK FACTS

Name: Florence Nightingale
Birth Year: 1820
Birth date: May 12, 1820
Birth City: Florence
Birth Country: Italy
Gender: Female
Best Known For: Florence Nightingale was a trailblazing figure in nursing who greatly affected 19th- and 20th-century policies around proper medical care. She was known for her night rounds to aid the wounded, establishing her image as the 'Lady with the Lamp.'
Science and Medicine
Astrological Sign: Taurus
Institution of Protestant Deaconesses at Kaiserswerth
Nacionalities
Death Year: 1910
Death date: August 13, 1910
Death City: London
Death Country: United Kingdom

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

CITATION INFORMATION

Article Title: Florence Nightingale Biography
Author: Biography.com Editors
Website Name: The Biography.com website
Url: https://www.biography.com/scientists/florence-nightingale
Access Date:
Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
Last Updated: May 6, 2021
Original Published Date: April 3, 2014
All churches are, of course, only more or less unsuccessful attempts to represent the unseen to the mind.
What the horrors of war are, no one can imagine.
I use the word nursing for want of a better.
Such education in women would indeed diminish the doctor's work—but no one really believes that doctors wish that there should be more illness, in order to have more work.
It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a hospital that it should do the sick no harm.
Hospitals are only an intermediate stage of civilization, never intended at all even to take in the whole sick population.
I think one's feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions, and into actions which bring results.
I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.
Were there none who were discontented with what they have, the world would never reach anything better.
Nursing in an art; and if it is to be made an art, it requires as exclusive a devotion, as hard a preparation, as any painter’s or sculptor’s work.

Women’s History

Deb Haaland

frida kahlo sits on a table while wearing a floral head piece, large earrings, a plaid blouse and striped pants, she looks off to the right

14 Hispanic Women Who Have Made History

maya angelou gestures while speaking in a chair during an interview at her home in 1978

5 Crowning Achievements of Maya Angelou

Ava DuVernay

Betty Friedan

Madeleine Albright

Greta Gerwig

Jane Goodall

Hillary Clinton

Margaret Sanger

Eleanor Roosevelt

Florence Nightingale

Often called “the Lady with the Lamp,” Florence Nightingale was a caring nurse and a leader. In addition to writing over 150 books, pamphlets and reports on health-related issues, she is also credited with creating one of the first versions of the pie chart. However, she is mostly known for making hospitals a cleaner and safer place to be.

Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820, in Florence, Italy. Although her parents were from England, she was born in Italy while they were traveling. Both Florence and her older sister Parthenope were named after the Italian cities where they were born. When they returned to England in 1821, the Nightingale family lived in two homes. They had a summer home in Derbyshire called Lea Hurst , and a winter home in Hampshire called Embley. Growing up in a wealthy family, Florence Nightingale was homeschooled by her father and expected to get married at a young age. However, when she was a teenager, Nightingale believed she received a “calling” from God to help the poor and the sick.

Even though it was not a respected profession at the time, Nightingale told her parents that she wanted to become a nurse. Her parents did not approve of her decision and wanted her to get married and raise a family. Nightingale still wanted to be a nurse and refused marriage. Eventually, her father allowed her to go to Germany for three months to study at Pastor Theodore Fliedner’s hospital and school for Lutheran Deaconesses. After finishing her program in Germany, Nightingale went to Paris for extra training with the Sisters of Mercy. By the time she was 33, Nightingale was already making a name for herself in the nursing community. She returned to England in 1853 and became the superintendent and manager of a hospital for “gentlewomen” in London.

When the Crimean War began in 1854, the British were unprepared to deal with the number of sick and injured soldiers. The lack of medical supplies, overcrowding, and unsanitary conditions caused many people to complain. Newspapers began to report about the terrible state of medical care. The Secretary of War, Sidney Herbert asked Nightingale to manage a group of nurses that would go treat the wounded soldiers. She agreed, and on November 4, 1854, Nightingale and 38 nurses arrived at the British camp outside of Constantinople. When they got there, the doctors were unwelcoming because they did not want to work with female nurses. However, as the number of patients increased, the doctors needed their help. The nurses brought supplies, nutritious food, cleanliness, and sanitation to the military hospital. They also provided individual care and support. Nightingale was known for carrying a lamp and checking on the soldiers at night, so they gave her the nickname “the Lady with the Lamp.” Within six months, Nightingale and her team transformed the hospital. The death rate went down from 40 percent to 2 percent because of their work.

When Nightingale returned from the war, she continued to improve the conditions of hospitals. She presented her experiences and her data to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1856. This data was the reason they formed a Royal Commission to improve the health of the British Army. Nightingale was so skilled with data and numbers that in 1858 she was also elected as the first woman member of the Royal Statistical Society. In 1859, Nightingale continued to spread her healthier medical practices by helping to set up the Army Medical College in Chatham. That same year, she published a book called Notes on Nursing: What it is, and What it is Not . Her book gives advice on good patient care and safe hospital environments. As a result of her efforts during the war, a fund was set up for Nightingale to continue teaching nurses in England. In 1860, the Nightingale Training School at St. Thomas’ Hospital was officially opened. In her later years, Nightingale was often bedridden from illness. However, she continued to advocate for safe nursing practices until her death.

Although Florence Nightingale died on August 13th, 1910 at the age of 90, her legacy continues. Two years after her death, the International Committee of the Red Cross created the Florence Nightingale Medal, that is given to excellent nurses every two years. Also, International Nurses Day has been celebrated on her birthday since 1965. In May of 2010, the Florence Nightingale Museum at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London reopened to honor the hundredth anniversary of Nightingale’s death.

Fee, Elizabeth, and Mary E Garofalo. “Florence Nightingale and the Crimean War.” American journal of public health vol. 100, no. 9 (2010): 1591. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.188607

Reynolds-Finley Historical Library. “The Life of Florence Nightingale.” The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Accessed May 1, 2018. https://library.uab.edu/locations/reynolds/collections/florence-nightingale/life

The Florence Nightingale Museum. “Florence Nightingale Biography.” Accessed May 3, 2018. https://www.florence-nightingale.co.uk/resources/biography/?v=7516fd43adaa.

The National Archives. “Florence Nightingale.” September 05, 2018. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/florence-nightingale/.

Photograph:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/COPY_1_11_34_1866-e1402062188591.jpg

MLA - Alexander, Kerri Lee. “Florence Nightingale." National Women's History Museum. National Women's History Museum, 2019. Date accessed.

Chicago - Alexander, Kerri Lee. "Florence Nightingale." National Women's History Museum. 2019. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/florence-nightingale.

National Geographic Kids. “Florence Nightingale Facts for Kids.” April 26, 2018. https://www.natgeokids.com/za/discover/history/general-history/florence-nightingale/.

Related Biographies

June Almeida

Regina Benjamin

Elizabeth Blackwell

Frances P. Bolton

Related background, women's history minute: edith clarke, women's history minute: flight, try it curate an online exhibit, brave girls virtual storytime: rosie revere, engineer.

Biography of Florence Nightingale, Nursing Pioneer

Important Figures
History Of Feminism
Women's Suffrage
Women & War
Laws & Womens Rights
Feminist Texts
American History
African American History
African History
Ancient History and Culture
Asian History
European History
Latin American History
Medieval & Renaissance History
Military History
The 20th Century
B.A., Mundelein College
M.Div., Meadville/Lombard Theological School

Florence Nightingale (May 12, 1820–August 13, 1910), a nurse and social reformer, is considered the founder of the modern nursing profession who helped promote medical training and raise hygiene standards. She served as head nurse for the British during the Crimean War , where she was known as "The Lady With the Lamp" for her selfless service to sick and injured soldiers.

Fast Facts: Florence Nightingale

Known For : Founder of modern nursing
Also Known As : "The Lady With the Lamp," "The Angel of the Crimea"
Born : May 12, 1820 in Florence, Italy
Parents : William Edward Nightingale, Frances Nightingale
Died : August 13, 1910 in London, England
Published Work : Notes on Nursing
Awards and Honors : British Order of Merit
Notable Quotes : “Rather, 10 times, die in the surf, heralding the way to a new world, than stand idly on the shore.”

Early Life

Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820, in Florence, Italy, to a comfortably prosperous family. She was born while her parents, William Edward Nightingale and Frances Nightingale, were on an extended European honeymoon. (Her father changed his name from Shore to Nightingale after inheriting his great-uncle’s estate in 1815.)

The family returned to England the next year, dividing their time between a home in Derbyshire in central England and a grander estate in Hampshire in the south-central part of the country. She and her older sister Parthenope were educated by governesses and then by their father. She studied classical Greek and Latin and modern French, German, and Italian. She also studied history, grammar, and philosophy and received tutoring in mathematics when she was 20, after overcoming her parents' objections.

From a young age, Nightingale was active in philanthropy, working with the ill and poor in the nearby village. Then, on Feb. 7, 1837, Nightingale heard the voice of God, she later said, telling her she had a mission, though it took some years for her to identify that mission.

By 1844, Nightingale had chosen a different path from the social life and marriage expected by her parents. Again over their objections, she decided to work in nursing, at the time a less-than-respectable profession for women.

In 1849, Nightingale refused a marriage proposal from a "suitable" gentleman, Richard Monckton Milnes, who had pursued her for years. She told him he stimulated her intellectually and romantically, but her "moral…active nature" called for something beyond a domestic life.

Nightingale enrolled as a nursing student in 1850 and 1851 at the Institution of Protestant Deaconesses in Kaiserswerth, Germany. She then worked briefly for a Sisters of Mercy hospital near Paris. Her views began to be respected. In 1853, she returned to England and took a nursing job at London's Institution for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen. Her performance so impressed her employer that she was promoted to superintendent, an unpaid position.

Nightingale also volunteered at a Middlesex hospital, grappling with a cholera outbreak and unsanitary conditions that further spread the disease. She improved hygiene practices, significantly lowering the death rate at the hospital.

October 1853 marked the outbreak of the Crimean War, in which British and French forces fought the Russian Empire for control of Ottoman territory. Thousands of British soldiers were sent to the Black Sea, where supplies quickly dwindled. After the Battle of Alma, England was in an uproar over the lack of medical attention and appallingly unsanitary conditions faced by the ill and injured soldiers.

At the urging of a family friend, Secretary of War Sidney Herbert, Nightingale volunteered to take a group of female nurses to Turkey. In 1854, 38 women, including Anglican and Roman Catholic sisters, accompanied her to the front. She reached the military hospital at Scutari, Turkey, on Nov. 5, 1854.

Deplorable Conditions

They had been warned of horrible conditions, but nothing could have prepared them for what they found. The hospital sat atop a cesspool, which contaminated the water and the building. Patients lay in their own excrement. Basic supplies such as bandages and soap were scarce. More soldiers were dying from infectious diseases such as typhoid and cholera than from injuries sustained in battle.

Nightingale headed nursing efforts, improved sanitation, and ordered supplies using significant funds raised by the London Times , gradually winning over the military doctors.

She soon focused more on administration than on actual nursing, but she continued to visit the wards and to send letters home for the injured and ill soldiers. She insisted that she be the only woman in the wards at night, carrying a lamp as she made her rounds and earning the title "The Lady With the Lamp." The mortality rate at the hospital dropped from 60% at her arrival to 2% six months later.

Nightingale applied her education in mathematics to develop statistical analyses of disease and mortality, in the process popularizing the pie chart . She continued to fight the military bureaucracy and on March 16, 1856, she became general superintendent of the Female Nursing Establishment of the Military Hospitals of the Army.

Return to England

Nightingale returned home in the summer of 1856, once the Crimean conflict was resolved. She was surprised to find that she was a heroine in England, but she worked against public adulation. The previous year, Queen Victoria had awarded her an engraved brooch that became known as the "Nightingale Jewel" and a $250,000 grant, which she used in 1860 to fund the establishment of St. Thomas' Hospital, which included the Nightingale Training School for Nurses.

She wrote a massive report in 1857 analyzing her Crimean War experience and proposing reforms that sparked a restructuring of the War Office's administrative department, including the establishment of a Royal Commission for the Health of the Army. She also wrote "Notes on Nursing," the first textbook for modern nursing, in 1859.

While working in Turkey, Nightingale had contracted brucellosis, a bacterial infection also known as Crimean fever, and would never fully recover. By the time she was 38 years old, she was homebound and routinely bedridden in London for the rest of her long life.

Working mostly from home, she founded the Nightingale School and Home for Nurses in London in 1860, using funds contributed by the public for her work in the Crimea. Nightingale collaborated with Elizabeth Blackwell , the first woman granted a medical degree in the United States, on starting the Woman's Medical College in their home country of England. The school opened in 1868 and operated for 31 years.

Nightingale was blind by 1901. In 1907 King Edward VII awarded her the Order of Merit, making her the first woman to receive that honor. She declined a national funeral and burial at Westminster Abbey, requesting that her grave be marked simply.

Her condition worsened In August 1910, but she seemed to recover and was in good spirits. On August 12, however, she developed a troubling array of symptoms and died around 2 p.m. the following day, August 13, at her home in London.

It's difficult to overstate the contributions that Florence Nightingale made to medicine, including her work on sanitation and hygiene and on organizational structures, and especially to nursing. Her fame encouraged many women to take up nursing, and her success in founding the Nightingale School and Home for Nurses and the Woman's Medical College opened the field to women around the world.

The Florence Nightingale Museum , at the site of the Nightingale Training School for Nurses, houses more than 2,000 artifacts commemorating the life and career of the "Angel of the Crimea" and "The Lady With the Lamp."

" Florence Nightingale Biography ." Biography.com.
" Florence Nightingale: British Nurse, Statistician, and Social Reformer ." Encyclopedia Britannica.
Nightingale, Florence. "Notes on Nursing: What It Is, and What It Is Not." Dover Books on Biology, Paperback, 1 edition, Dover Publications, June 1, 1969.
Biography of Mary Seacole, Nurse and War Hero
Florence Nightingale Quotes
Biography of Elizabeth Blackwell: First Woman Physician in America
Dorothea Dix
Women Scientists Everyone Should Know
The Crimean War
Emily Blackwell
Biography of Queen Victoria, Queen of England and Empress of India
Life and Work of Leonora Carrington, Activist and Artist
Biography of Elizabeth Arden, Cosmetics and Beauty Executive
Get to Know These 91 Famous Female Scientists
Biography of Bessie Blount, American Inventor
Biography of Agatha Christie, English Mystery Writer
7 Motivational Quotes to Memorize Before the Big Exam
Biography of Catherine Howard, Queen of England

Biography Online

Florence Nightingale Biography

Short bio of Florence Nightingale

Born in 1820 to a wealthy family, Florence was educated at home by her father. She aspired to serve others, in particular, she wanted to become a nurse. Her parents were opposed to her aspirations – at that time, nursing was not seen as an attractive or ‘respectable’ profession. Despite her parents’ disapproval, Florence went ahead and trained to be a nurse. Florence later wrote that she felt suffocated by the vanities and social expectations of her upbringing. On one occasion, sitting in her parent’s garden, she felt a call from God to serve others. She resolved to try and follow God’s will in being of service to others.

Florence had the opportunity to marry, but she refused a couple of suitors. She felt marriage would enslave her in domestic responsibilities.

In 1853, the Crimea war broke out. This was a bloody conflict leading to many casualties on both sides. Reports of the British casualties were reported in the press; in particular, it was noted that the wounded lacked even the most basic of first aid treatment. Many soldiers were dying unnecessarily. This was a shock to the British public, as it was one of the first wars to be reported vividly in the press back home.

Later in 1855, Florence Nightingale was asked (with the help of her old friend Sydney Herbert) to travel to the Crimea and organise a group of nurses. Many of the initial applicants were unsuitable, and Florence was strict in selecting and training the other nurses. Nightingale was helped in using nurses trained by Elizabeth Fry’s school of nurses. Nightingale was an admirer of Fry, who amongst other things campaigned for better prison conditions.

Florence was very glad to be able to take up the post and put in to use her training as a nurse. They were based at the staff hospital at Scutari. She was overwhelmed by the primitive and chaotic conditions. There were insufficient beds for the men and conditions were terrible; the place smelt, was dirty, and even had rats running around spreading disease. Speaking of Scutari Hospital, Florence Nightingale said:

“The British high command had succeeded in creating the nearest thing to hell on earth.”

In the beginning, the nurses were not even allowed to treat the dying men; they were only instructed to clean the hospital. But, eventually, the number of casualties became so overwhelming the doctors asked Florence and her team of nurses to help.

A contemporary of Florence Nightingale was Jamaican nurse, Mary Seacole , who worked on her own initiative from a base in Balaclava near the front line.

By the time she returned home, she had become a national heroine and was decorated with numerous awards including one from Queen Victoria .

Florence Nightingale at St Thomas Hospital

After the war, she didn’t appreciate the fame but continued to work for the improvement of hospital conditions, writing to influential people encouraging them to improve hygiene standards in hospitals. It was after her return from the Crimea that some of her most influential work occurred.

With the help of donations to the Nightingale Fund, she was able to found a training school for nurses at St Thomas’s Hospital, London. In (1859) she wrote Notes on Nursing. This became a standard reference book for those entering the nursing profession and also the general public who wished to learn basic techniques. Her writings and example were highly influential in the direction of nursing in the Nineteenth Century. She inspired nursing in the American Civil War, and in 1870 trained Linda Richards, who returned to the US where she developed the nursing profession in America.

Nightingale was a pioneer in using statistical methods to quantify the effect of different practices. She also had an ability to present dense statistical data in an easy to read format. She made extensive use of pie charts and circular histograms to clarify the essential points.

Ironically, she found that some of her own methods of treating soldiers decreased recovery rates. But, this scientific approach to dealing with hospital treatment helped to improve standards and the quality of care.

As well as nursing, Nightingale was concerned with other areas of social reform. This included better health care in Workhouses and schools and reform to the prostitution laws which often victimised female prostitutes. Nightingale was also concerned about the famine in India and made detailed investigations into the standard of sanitation and hygiene in India. Nightingale took a practical approach, endeavouring to improve aspects of life

“I never lose an opportunity of urging a practical beginning, however small, for it is wonderful how often in such matters the mustard-seed germinates and roots itself.”

Nightingale also wrote about the role of women in society – she called for women to be less passive and take a greater role in society.

“Why have women passion, intellect, moral activity — these three — and a place in society where no one of the three can be exercised?”

– Cassandra (1860)

Nightingale herself was a leading pioneer in taking an active lead in the political life of the country at a time when female activism was rare. At the same time, Nightingale didn’t always agree with women’s rights activists and could be dismissive of other women:

“I have never found one woman who has altered her life by one iota for me or my opinions.”

Religious views

Florence Nightingale took an active interest in religious and spiritual issues. She was a member of the Church of England but took a broad ecumenical approach – believing there was truth in different Christian denominations and also Eastern religions. She also wrote on mysticism and the religious practice of seeking divinity from within.

“Where shall I find God? In myself. That is the true Mystical Doctrine. But then I myself must be in a state for Him to come and dwell in me. This is the whole aim of the Mystical Life; and all Mystical Rules in all times and countries have been laid down for putting the soul into such a state.”

Florence Nightingale – Notes from Devotional Authors of the Middle Ages (1873-1874)

Florence Nightingale died at the age of 90 in 1910.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “Biography of Florence Nightingale”, Oxford, UK. www.biographyonline.net , 25th Nov 2010. Last Updated 8th March 2019.

Florence Nightingale Links

Florence Nightingale Quotes
Florence Nightingale at BBC
Florence Nightingale Museum

One Comment

Thank you for your amazing article! Do you mind giving me your name so I can give you credit for your works in my bibliography?

April 27, 2017 3:08 PM

Local Histories

Tim's History of British Towns, Cities and So Much More

A Brief Biography of Florence Nightingale

By Tim Lambert

Her Early Life

Florence Nightingale was born in the city of Florence, Italy on 12 May 1820. She was the second daughter of wealthy parents (her elder sister was called Parthenope). When she was young Florence was very interested in mathematics. She was also a devout Christian and when she was 17 she felt God was calling her to serve him. At first, Florence was not sure how God wanted her to serve but by 1844 she was convinced she was to nurse the sick.

Her parents, William and Frances disapproved because at that time nursing was not a respectable job. Her family tried to talk Florence out of it but she was determined. A man named Richard Monckton Miles tried to persuade Florence to marry him but she refused even though she adored him. Florence Nightingale was determined to sacrifice herself.

Nevertheless, it was several years before she got any nursing experience. In 1851 she went to Kaiserwerth in Germany to learn. Then in 1853, she was given her first post, reorganizing a small hospital in Harvey Street, London, The Institution for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen in Distressed Circumstances.

Florence In The Crimean War

As a result of her work Sidney Herbert, the Secretary of War invited her to go on a mission to soldiers wounded fighting the Russians. (At that time Britain, France, and Turkey were fighting Russia. Nightingale sailed with 38 nurses to Turkey on 21 October 1854.

They arrived at Scutari Hospital in November. However, an alarming number of soldiers in Scutari Hospital died of disease while under Nightingale’s care. (The death rate in Scutari was higher than in other, similar hospitals). So in 1855, the British government sent a sanitary commission to investigate. They found the hospital at Scutari was built over a blocked sewer. The commissioners flushed the sewer and improved ventilation in the hospital. As a result, the number of deaths in the hospital dropped dramatically.

Even though the death rate in her hospital was very high and it only fell when the sanitary commission did its work Florence became a heroine to the public.

Nightingale returned to Britain in 1856. She was commissioned to investigate the living conditions of British soldiers in peacetime. In 1858 she published her findings as Notes on Matters Affecting the Health, Efficiency, and Hospital Administration of the British Army . This work contained many statistical analyses.

Though she is usually remembered as a nurse Florence was a talented statistician. In 1858 she became the first woman member of the Royal Statistical Society. In 1874 she became an honorary member of the American Statistical Society. Florence did NOT invent the pie chart (it was invented by William Playfair in 1801). For her work, Nightingale used polar area diagrams (invented by a Frenchman named Andre-Michel Guerry in 1829).

In 1860 Florence Nightingale opened the Nightingale Training School for Nurses at St Thomas Hospital. She greatly raised the standards of nursing. Every probationer who entered the school was interviewed by Florence and supervised by her. In old age, Florence suffered from ill health and she went blind. By the mid-1890s Florence was an invalid. However, she was awarded the Order of Merit in 1907.

Florence Nightingale died on 13 August 1910.

Last revised 2024

MacTutor

Florence nightingale.

... worsted work and practising quadrilles,

... her zeal, her devotion, and her perseverance would yield to no rebuff and to no difficulty. She went steadily and unwearyingly about her work with a judgement, a self-sacrifice, a courage, a tender sympathy, and withal a quiet and unostentatious demeanour that won the hearts of all who were not prevented by official prejudices from appreciating the nobility of her work and character.

... preventable or mitigable zymotic diseases

... had clearly marked out ... to be a single woman.

References ( show )

Biography in Encyclopaedia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/biography/Florence-Nightingale
Obituary in The Times See THIS LINK
B Johansson ( ed. ) , God Bless You My Dear Miss Nightingale ( Stockholm, 1977) .
M Keele, Florence Nightingale in Rome ( New York, 1981) .
I B Cohen, Florence Nightingale, Scientific American 250 ( March 1984) , 128 - 137 .
S Stinnett, Women in Statistics : Sesquicennial Activities, The American Statistician 44 (2) (1990) , 74 - 80 .

Additional Resources ( show )

Other pages about Florence Nightingale:

Times obituary
Multiple entries in The Mathematical Gazetteer of the British Isles ,
Miller's postage stamps

Other websites about Florence Nightingale:

Dictionary of National Biography
Plus Magazine
Agnes Scott College
Florence Nightingale Museum
Sci Hi blog
Google doodle

Honours ( show )

Honours awarded to Florence Nightingale

Popular biographies list Number 60
Google doodle 2008

Cross-references ( show )

History Topics: Statistics index
Societies: American Statistical Association
Other: 10th May
Other: 2009 Most popular biographies
Other: 21st October
Other: Churches
Other: Jeff Miller's postage stamps
Other: London individuals N-R
Other: Most popular biographies – 2024
Other: Other Institutions in central London
Other: Oxford individuals
Other: Popular biographies 2018

World History Edu

Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale’s Biography & Greatest Accomplishments

by World History Edu · August 5, 2021

Florence Nightingale was an English-born nurse who is generally revered as the founder of modern nursing. A diligent humanitarian activist, statistician and social reformer, Nightingale achieved greatness by selflessly tending to injured soldiers during the Crimean War (1853-1856). Inspired from an early age, she was a strong humanitarian who devoted bulk of her life to the service of people in need.

Nightingale’s humanitarian efforts saw her appeal for hunger relief in India as well as advocated healthcare for everyone in her country. Her commitment to patient care and unbridled compassion are just some of the reasons why she remains remembered to this day.

What else was this renowned nurse known for? Discover 10 achievements of Florence Nightingale, the Mother of Nursing and one of Britain’s most iconic personalities of the Victorian era.

Florence Nightingale – Biography and Achievements

Florence Nightingale: Fast Facts

Birthday : May 12, 1820

Place of birth : Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Italy

Died : August 13, 1910

Place of death : Mayfair, London, England, United Kingdom

Cause of death : Heart failure

Father: William Edward Nightingalae (1794 – 1874)

Mother : Frances (“Fanny”) Nightingale (1788 – 1880)

Siblings: Frances Parthenope

Specialty: Sanitation, Statistics, Hospital hygiene

Notable Awards : Royal Red Cross (1883), St John (LGSTJ) (1904), Order of Merit (1907)

Best known for : Nursing injured soldiers during the Crimean War

Institutions : Selimiye Barracks, Scutari (in present day Turkey), King’s College London

Nickname: “The Lady with the Lamp”

Florence Nightingale’s calling to the humanitarian profession

Born in Florence, Tuscany, Italy, Florence Nightingale grew up in an affluent and well-networked English family. Contrary to what many people would have done, Florence chose to pursue humanitarian causes.

It’s been said that she was partly inspired on to that part by some charitable works of her parents – Frances Nightingale and William Edward Nightingale. For example, her paternal grandfather, William Smith, was a well-known Unitarian and abolitionist. It’s also been said that Florence believed her path to humanitarian causes came as a result of receiving calls from God at the age of 17.

In spite of her parents’ (mostly from her mother) resistance to her choice of profession, Florence Nightingale remained resolute as she pursued a career choice in nursing. She was well into her 30s before she made it known to her parents that she would stick with nursing as a career. Then and there, she knew she was bound to devote the rest of her life to service of people in need.

Nightingale shunned her sister’s and mother’s advice for her to live the life that was expected of any affluent English woman. She certainly could have done so as she was described as extremely attractive and graceful.

In her diary while visiting Egypt in the winter of 1850

Her first nursing gig

The early 1850s saw Florence Nightingale spend a couple of years abroad, touring places in Europe and Egypt. Around that same period, Nightingale took a six-month training course at Kaiserswerth-am-Rhein in Germany. That training broadened her knowledge in care giving and the setting up of humanitarian projects.

Kind courtesy to the very generous stipends given to her by her father, Nightingale did not have much difficulty following her path as a superintendent at the Institute for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen in Upper Harley Street, London.

Tags: Crimean War England Famous Nurses Nurses

MOST POPULAR

The life of Florence Nightingale

The founder of modern nursing, and the lady with the lamp….

Discover how one remarkable woman changed the face of nursing forever in our Florence Nightingale facts…

Have you or your family ever been poorly and had to go to hospital? Did you notice all the hard work the nurses were doing to care for the patients and help them get better?

Today, nurses are recognised as important , super-skilled professionals . But that hasn’t always been the case. Believe it or not, at the start of the 19th century, nurses usually had no training at all, and they weren’t even paid for the ‘menial’ work they did! But one woman changed all that… meet the amazing Florence Nightingale .

Florence Nightingale facts

Who was florence nightingale.

Born : 12 May 1820 in Florence, Italy Lived in : England, UK Occupation : Nurse Died : 13 August 1910 Best known for : Founding modern nursing Also known as : Lady with the Lamp

Florence Nightingale was born in the city of Florence, Italy , on 12 May 1820 whilst her parents were enjoying a long honeymoon. And yup, you guessed it – that’s how she got her name! Her parents were called William and Fanny Nightingale , and she had one older sister, too – Frances Parthenope , AKA ‘Pop’.

William Nightingale was a wealthy banker and was able to provide his family with a very privileged life. They had servants and two lovely houses – a winter home in Hampshire and a summer home in Derbyshire.

At the time that Florence was a youngster, most girls didn’t go to school – in fact, many didn’t receive any education at all! But William was keen for his daughters to learn, and gave them lessons in lots of different subjects, including science, history and maths.

What did Florence Nightingale do?

In Victorian Britain , wealthy women like Florence weren’t expected to work – their job was to marry and look after the home. Daily life was spent seeing to servants, entertaining guests, reading, sewing and attending social events. But Florence saw something very different for her future. When she was 16 years old, she believed she heard a voice from God calling for her to carry out important work to help those suffering . She wanted to be a nurse.

When Florence broke the news to her parents, they weren’t too happy! Nursing was not a respectful profession and, what’s more, hospitals were filthy, horrible places where sick people died – certainly no place for wealthy girl like Florence! William tried hard to change his daughter’s mind, but Florence was determined. In 1851, he gave in, and allowed Florence to study nursing at a Christian school for women in Germany . There, she learned important skills in caring for patients and the importance of hospital cleanliness .

It wasn’t long before Florence put her new skills to the test. By 1853 she was running a women’s hospital in London, where she did a fantastic job improving the working conditions as well as patient care.

Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable Florence Nightingale primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!

The Crimean War

In 1854, the Crimean War broke out – a war with Britain, France and Turkey on one side, and Russia on the the other. British troops went off to fight in the Crimea – an area in the south of Russia, now part of Ukraine. News soon reached home of soldiers dying from battle wounds, cold, hunger and sickness, with no real medical care or nurses to treat them. Help was needed fast, and the Minister for War – called Sidney Herbert – knew just the person… He asked Florence to lead a team of nurses to the Crimea!

When they arrived, the nurses found the Army hospital in Scutari (the area where wounded soldiers were sent) in a terrible state. It was overcrowded and filthy, with blocked drains, broken toilets and rats running everywhere. Imagine the smell! There weren’t enough medical supplies or equipment, and wounded soldiers had to sleep on the dirty floor, without blankets to keep warm, clean water to drink or fresh food to eat. Not surprisingly, disease spread quickly and most of the soldiers died from infection.

Florence Nightingale to the rescue!

Florence knew that the soldiers could only get well again if the hospital conditions improved. With funds from back home, she bought better medical equipment and decent food, and paid for workmen to clear the drains. And together with her team, she cleaned the wards , set up a hospital kitchen and provided the wounded soldiers with quality care – bathing them, dressing their wounds and feeding them. As a result of all the improvements, far fewer soldiers were dying from disease.

Why was Florence Nightingale the Lady with the Lamp?

Florence Nightingale truly cared for her suffering patients . At night, when everyone was sleeping, she’d visit the soldiers to make sure they were comfortable. She’d also write letters home for those who could not write themselves. Since Florence carried a lantern with her on her night visits, the soldiers would call her ‘ The Lady with the Lamp’ .

Florence after the Crimean War

By the time Florence returned to England in 1856, she’d made quite a name for herself. After newspapers wrote about her work in the Crimea, people thought of her as a heroine. Queen Victoria wrote her a letter to say thank you for everything she had done. Cool, eh?

But Florence had no care for fame, and even though the war was over, there was still work to be done. She set about writing letters to important people telling them what was wrong with Army hospitals, and in September 1856 she met with Queen Victoria to discuss ways to improve military medical systems. Huge reform took place – the Army started to train doctors, hospitals became cleaner and soldiers were provided with better clothing, food and care. Go, Flo!

In 1860, the Nightingale Training School for Nurses opened at St Thomas’s Hospital in London. Not only did the school provide excellent nurse training, it made nursing a respectable career for women who wanted to work outside the home.

How is Florence Nightingale remembered?

Florence suffered from illness for much of her later life, largely because of all her hard work helping sick people. In fact, during her final 40 years she spent many days confined to her bed. But she was greatly appreciated for everything she did for nursing, and for saving the lives of thousands of people . In 1907, Florence became the first woman to receive the Order of Merit , an award given by the queen for super-special work.

Sadly, Florence Nightingale died on 13 of August 1910, but she will forever be recognised as the founder of modern nursing.

What do you think of our Florence Nightingale facts? Leave a comment below and let us know!

WELL DONE, YOUR COMMENT HAS BEEN ADDED!

She is so kind and she helped all the soldiers by writing letters to their family

Florence nightingale was AWESOME!

Thanks for it I respect Florence Nightingale and for her work

I love her, she is so kind and loving

wow she just so cool i love her so much

it's so amazing

Thank you for all the facts. it was very amazing to find this facts.

Great information!!

She was a powerful, kind spirited individual. Amazing!

She was great

sooo cool I'm so inspired!

she was an amazing lady

I think that the information is really helpful and it helped me with my speech. Thank you

My mother was a nurse and simply adored this remarkable lady and also mother Theresa. And it is so important that we look back with pride of their extrodinary sacrifice over many years. Where are they today. God bless them both,

wow she is awsome

Florence Nightingale is wonderful indeed. She's amazing. I wish I can be good like her.

I love all the information!

What a great story!

Wow! That story was so inspiring!

amazing story

Very helpful in class, Thanks for the Help!

That story was amazing.I leaned lots.I'm exited to hear more intresting stories like this one.

I love Florence Nightingale!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very interesting!

She's amazing!

she sounds like a great woman

I love Florence!!!

That story was just amazing! I am impressed! I can't wait to hear some more ( olden day ) stories !

I think that they are very interesting and you know lots of facts because I learnt about Florence Nightingale and you still know more!

CUSTOMIZE YOUR AVATAR

More like general history.

The life of Alan Turing

The Amazing Adventures of Charles Sturt

Skara Brae facts!

The life of Nelson Mandela

Sign up to our newsletter

Get uplifting news, exclusive offers, inspiring stories and activities to help you and your family explore and learn delivered straight to your inbox.

You will receive our UK newsletter. Change region

WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

COUNTRY * Australia Ireland New Zealand United Kingdom Other

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and will receive emails from us about news, offers, activities and partner offers.

You're all signed up! Back to subscription site

Type whatever you want to search

More Results

You’re leaving natgeokids.com to visit another website!

Ask a parent or guardian to check it out first and remember to stay safe online.

You're leaving our kids' pages to visit a page for grown-ups!

Be sure to check if your parent or guardian is okay with this first.

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Publications
Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

Advanced Search
Journal List
Med Pharm Rep
v.93(4); 2020 Oct

Florence Nightingale bicentennial: 1820–2020. Her contributions to health care improvement

Dinu i. dumitrascu.

1 Department of Anatomy, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Liliana David

2 Department of Nursing, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Dan L. Dumitrascu

3 2 nd Department of Internal medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Liliana Rogozea

4 Department of the History of Medicine and Department of Nursing, Transilvania University, Brasov, Romania

In 2020 we celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of Florence Nightingale and 110 years from her death (1820–1910). This gives us the opportunity to remember her life and her achievements. She is mainly known for her contribution to the foundation of modern nursing in the British Empire and subsequently to the world. Besides her personal engagement in the Crimean War, she organized a professional training for nurses, wrote the first textbook on nursing (“Notes on Nursing”) and took public positions in favor of health care and philanthropic funding. She was a militant for the rights of the women and for social justice. She was a pioneer of medical statistics and hospital management. Her activity is acknowledged worldwide.

This year we celebrate one of the most famous health care providers of the world: Florence Nightingale. Beside representing the “mother” of modern nursing, she was very much engaged in improving the life of war victims, of women and of deprived persons. Considering the importance of this bicentennial, we review here her biography and her work and contributions to medical progress.

Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820, in Florence, Italy. In her honor, this day will become, starting with 1965, the International Nurses Day. Her name was given by her parents in recognition of the city where they lived at that moment. Florence Nightingale left this world in London on August 13, 1910, after a very intense life filled with many accomplishments [ 1 ]. Her youth portrait is presented in figure 1 .

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is cm-93-428f1.jpg

Florence Nightingale, lithographic reproduction of 1857 (private collection).

From the youngest age she developed a strong feeling of philanthropy and expressed the wish to help others. Therefore, she refused the common life path of ladies of that time, rejected advantageous marriage proposals and engaged in the study of nursery against the wish of her family [ 2 , 3 ]. Despite the wish of her parents she insisted and started nursing studies at the level of that time, in Germany. She chose Kaiserwerth, now part of Dusseldorf, where a well-known deaconry run by protestant nuns existed since 1836 thanks to the couple Theodor and Friederike Fliedner [ 4 ]. At that time, she could care for patients only in women rooms, while male patients were allocated to male care givers. At night female nurses were not allowed in rooms for male patients. She continued her training in nursing also in France [ 1 , 2 ]. Later she returned to England and since 1853 she worked in a home called the Institute for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen [ 5 ]. These early years of activity were in fact the prologue of her lifelong work, which started with the onset of the Crimean War.

Participation to the Crimean War and care of wounded and ill soldiers

The so-called Crimean War was in fact a pan-European war in which Russia was confronted with most major European powers contesting tsarist empire spread over Europe to the detriment of Ottoman Empire. The conflict started in 1853 with the occupation of Moldavia and Walachia by Russian troops and spread in Crimea, where the main and bloodiest battles were engaged until the end of 1856. The fights were intense and massive casualties were produced. The British Empire participated to the Crimean War and needed medical service for its army. Florence Nightingale travelled there together with her dedicated staff to care for the wounded on the battlefield and on field hospitals. She became famous for the lamp she always had with her to see the wounded during night, hence her nickname “the lady with the lamp”.

She was an example of enthusiasm and abnegation and motivated her staff (many of them nuns) to take care of those in need in the improvised hospital in Scutari, Turkey, where she worked. There she was able to reduce mortality to 10%. Beside the possibility to actively offer care and support to the victims of war, she drew a few conclusions: the need to organize a nursing system able to provide assistance during war but also during peace; the need to care and protect casualties of the war and prisoners of war. Indeed, everything was missing: hygiene regulations, medicines, skilled assistance, food [ 6 ].

In this respect her conception converged very much to that of Henri Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross in 1863, inspired by the terrible impressions of the Solferino battlefield that he visited just after the battle, in 1859.

It is well known that every prominent person has detractors, and the same happened to Florence Nightingale. A Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole claimed over Florence Nightingale the overhand of infirmary care and disputed her merits from the point of view of the negritude movement [ 1 , 7 ].

Founding of modern nursing

Her activity during the Crimean War was well reflected in the contemporary journals and increased the awareness of the need to launch an efficient nursing training and system. Florence Nightingale again was ahead of her time and created in London a nursing school in St Thomas Hospital. She also wrote the “Notes on Nursing”, probably the first textbook on nursing. For her activity she needed and received philanthropic funding.

Soon the Civil War started in the United Stated of America and Florence Nightingale served as an adviser for American nurses. She also trained the first American nurse Linda Richards (1841–1930).

In the following decades, her disciples became important disseminators of the training of Nightingale and contributed to the establishment of a quality nursing in the United Kingdom, which served as an example for other countries as well.

Despite a mysterious disease that disabled her now and again during the second half of the 19 th Century (maybe brucellosis?), she remained very much engaged in the care of ill people and in the education of nurses.

Contributions to surgery

Florence Nightingale did not have a direct surgical activity, but dealing with war injuries involves a lot of surgery. Her activity must have included hemostasis, wound cleaning and dressing, prevention of infection. As many health care providers of that time, she was long time not convinced by the existence of pathogenic germs; nevertheless, after the work of Pasteur and others became known, she was cautious in preventing the transmission of infections. She was decisive in the creation of the British Army Medical Service and thus her achievements are a corner stone for military surgery [ 8 ]. Therefore she is even now veneered for her personal commitment in war medical health care [ 9 ].

Other contributions

Beside nursing and military and civil healthcare she had important contributions to the healthcare system management, to medical statistics, to emancipation of women, for social equality [ 1 ]. She emphasized the importance of numbers, i.e. of statistics in healthcare providing: number of beds, number of patients, number of cases etc. [ 10 – 12 ]. These data served her to take decisions in regard to hospital administration and public health measures [ 13 , 14 ]. Her public interventions were always disseminated by journals and were influential for the public health policies of that time.

Cultural echoes

Not only in the United Kingdom, but throughout the world there are hospitals, streets, nursing schools who bear her name. The impact of the life and work of Florence Nightingale is largely reflected on different memorabilia: lithographs ( Figure 1 ), postcards, stamps ( Figure 2 ), coins, etc.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is cm-93-428f2.jpg

Stamp issued by United Nations Vienna office on 12 May 2020.

The Florence Nightingale Museum in London contributes to the perpetuation of the personality and achievement of Florence Nightingale. Figure 3 represents a painting from this Museum (published with the kind permission of the Museum director).

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is cm-93-428f3.jpg

Nursing activity of Florence Nightingale in Scutari Hospital (Florence Nightingale Museum, photograph 2019; with permission of the Museum).

Echoes of Florence Nightingale’s activity in Romania

Most scholars of the history of medicine are familiar in Romania with this name. However, not many know in detail her biography. Unfortunately, there are no monographs dedicated to her to our knowledge.

Some papers about her are in the press, but for general information, not for those with advanced interest in her. Most of them were published in the observation of her bicentennial. One single medical paper indexed in the EBSCO database can be retrieved [ 1 ]. Her spirit is however reflected in some papers on nosocomial infections [ 15 ].

Conclusions

Florence Nightingale had an enormous contribution to the development of health care. She is indeed the founder of modern scientifically based nursing. Her achievement should be better reflected and disseminated by historians of medicine.

Your browser is not supported

Sorry but it looks as if your browser is out of date. To get the best experience using our site we recommend that you upgrade or switch browsers.

Find a solution

Premier Christianity uses cookies Read our cookie policy .

Skip to main content
Skip to navigation

Back to parent navigation item
Sponsored Content
Current Issue
Acclaimed novelist Marilynne Robinson on Reading Genesis, imagining heaven and (not) insulting God
The once-supreme Marvel franchise is in trouble. Could it be a metaphor for the Church?
Bored with your small group? Here’s how to make it brilliant
Latest comment
Chine McDonald
Lucy Peppiatt
Chris Llewellyn
Natalie Williams
Joseph D'souza
George Pitcher
Chris Goswami
Lois Tverberg
Krish Kandiah
Charlotte Gambill
Philippa Hanna
David Instone-Brewer
Carrie Lloyd
News Analysis
Testimonies
Thank God it's Monday
The Big Picture
Apologetics
Christian living
Family & relationships
Mental health
Royal Family

More from navigation items

The Christian faith of Florence Nightingale: The founder of modern nursing

By Karen Murdarasi 2020-05-12T00:00:00+01:00

The strange thing about Florence Nightingale is that she gets both too much and too little credit.

Too much for her brief role as the ‘Lady with the Lamp’ in the Crimean War; and not enough for everything she accomplished after that best-known period of her life – a period she regarded as a failure.

Florence Nightingale was born into a wealthy family in 1820, in the Italian city she was named after. Her parents had married in 1818, and both Florence and her older sister, Parthenope, were born during the Nightingales’ lengthy honeymoon in Europe. Although their money came from trade only a couple of generations back, Frances and William Nightingale were able to live lives of cultured leisure and bring their daughters up to be fashionable young ladies.

This lifestyle suited Parthenope very well. She excelled at music and drawing, suitably feminine pursuits. But Florence enjoyed discussions with her father about philosophy. William Nightingale educated the girls himself and Florence soon excelled at languages and mathematics. These accomplishments were only supposed to help her make stimulating dinner-table conversation, and were never intended to lead to a career, but Florence longed for more. Nursing was an early interest. Like many girls, Florence cared for her dolls but, as she grew older, she also tended to the sick on the family’s Derbyshire estate, often spending long hours at their bedsides. She was already forming theories about what was and was not helpful in healing ill people.

At the age of 16, Florence experienced a call from God into his service. Although initially unsure what form that would take, this belief in her vocation eventually led her to nursing. When Florence expressed her desire to become a nurse, however, her family was horrified. The stereotype of nurses at the time was of drunken women with loose morals who nursed the sick because they weren’t fit to do anything else. The only other kind of nurses were nuns.

Neither of these was a suitable occupation for a well-bred young lady. Unfortunately for her parents, their fashionable, intellectual life exposed Florence to many examples of independent women. She knew George Eliot and Elizabeth Gaskell, and became lifelong friends with Harriet Martineau, the first woman sociologist, and Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to graduate as a doctor. During her travels on the Continent, Florence had the opportunity to see well-run German hospitals with properly trained nurses. She was desperate to return there.

Her family’s opposition plunged Florence into depression. She expressed suicidal thoughts and could hardly get up in the morning. She had turned away several suitors, believing that marriage (for a woman) was incompatible with a life of action. Eventually, concerned about Florence’s mental health, her family allowed her to learn nursing in Germany. Florence never looked back.

Despite minimal training, she was soon (thanks to her wealth of social connections) placed in charge of the Institution for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen in London. Florence’s talent for administration became clear. She transformed the Institution and was ready for a new challenge – one that would soon present itself.

Into the crucible

Britain entered the Crimean War early in 1854, ill-prepared and disorganised. Administrative failures in the army supply chain massively increased loss of life. Conditions for treating injured soldiers were also atrocious. When the situation was reported to the British public, there was an outcry. Florence’s friend Sidney Herbert (whose wife, Elizabeth, had got her the position at the Institute) sent her a letter asking her to lead an expedition of nurses. Florence had already written to Elizabeth Herbert to ask the same thing!

Florence believed her call was to sacrifice whatever was necessary to do good

On arrival in Scutari, Turkey, Florence found a hospital built over a sewer, swimming in filth. Rats were everywhere and soldiers were crawling with lice. Beds crammed too close together, along with unsanitary practices like using the same cloth to wipe down several soldiers, ensured that the hospital was as likely to kill an injured soldier as cure him. Amputations in the hospital had a far higher mortality rate than those carried out on the battlefield. Germ theory was still to come, but through her own observations Florence was able to make useful recommendations. Sheets and clothing were boiled, ventilation was introduced, toilet buckets were emptied promptly, clean cloths were used for each patient, and nurses were required to wash their hands frequently. Florence also paid for more nutritious food for the patients out of her own pocket.

Florence took a keen interest in the soldiers’ mental and spiritual health. She arranged for them to send letters and wages home, and organised activities for them that didn’t involve alcohol. She comforted those for whom nothing could be done, writing to their families after their deaths. And, of course, she patrolled the hospital at night to check on the patients and offer a kind word to those who were suffering.

Returning soldiers started to spread the legend of the ‘Lady with the Lamp’, and it captured the public imagination. But she also dealt with the hostility of army doctors who resented being ordered around, and she contracted an illness that would plague her for decades – probably brucellosis from infected milk. By the time she returned to Britain she was so ill she thought she would soon die. But that was not to be and, instead, Florence succumbed to the cult of celebrity.

Partly stoked by her doting sister, Parthenope, ‘Nightingale fever’ seized the country. Prints of her portrait were being sold as keepsakes, and poems were being composed about her. Florence did not relish her new-found fame; she returned to Britain anonymously as ‘Miss Smith’, but she was canny enough to know that it could be enormously useful. Her ambivalent relationship with celebrity would continue throughout her life.

Illustration: Kev Jones for Premier Christianity

Faith and activism

Although Florence stopped attending church in her early 30s, doing God’s will was still her deepest motivation. Her family had been Unitarian (a sect that denies the Trinity) before they switched to the Church of England, and Florence’s religious views were shaped by this heterodox background. She was influenced by rationalism, denying the possibility of miracles and rejecting the idea of hell, but her rationalism also pushed her towards action. Rather than seeking a mystical experience, she believed that the call of God on her life was to sacrifice whatever was necessary in order to do good. So despite her ruined health, she continued her work.

On her return from the Crimea, Florence immediately pushed for an investigation into sanitary conditions during the war. She subjected the data she had collected to close analysis. What she found disturbed her. The Barrack Hospital, which she had personally supervised, had the highest hospital death rate. This was almost certainly due to its location on top of a sewer, which was not her decision, but she was determined that lessons should be learned. When the government tried to suppress the findings of the Royal Commission, she threatened to go public, forcing their hand. Florence used her contacts to lobby for a second Royal Commission, this time into the sanitary situation in India after a mutiny there in 1858. She wrote to many officers in the field to gather statistics, and her recommendations transformed conditions for Indian soldiers and their families. She had a growing sense that the British were not managing India well, and that the Indian people should be allowed to handle their affairs for themselves. In later life, she became an activist for Indian independence.

While never seeking glory for herself, Florence was ruthless in using her fame and her social connections to advance her causes, even having sympathetic politicians appointed to influential positions.

Later in life she used a public fund that had been set up in her honour to establish the first professional training school for nurses, attached to St Thomas’ Hospital. She spearheaded the model for the classic Victorian hospital building, with separate wards and plenty of windows. She also wrote a number of books, including her hugely popular Notes on Nursing .

Once germ theory became established, she promoted the use of antiseptic techniques during surgery. And all of this she achieved while she was confined to her apartments by ill health. Florence eventually recovered from the effects of brucellosis and was able to make a few rare public appearances in the 1880s, but soon old age began to take its toll. She gradually went blind, and in her final years her mind started to wander.

She became the first woman to receive the Medal of Honour in 1907. In 1910 she died at the age of 90, having lived to see the success of many of her reforms.

This article was first published in a print issue of Premier Christianity . Subscribe today to enjoy the print editions and full online access for only £4.95/month

Special Offer: 3 months for only £5.99

Don't Miss Out!

Secure a 3-month subscription to Premier Christianity for just £5.99!

Delve into our thought-provoking content throughout this reflective season. Begin your enriching journey with us today.

*offers available in multiple currencies, please enter your location on the subscription page

Is St Valentine’s Day a Christian festival?

2022-02-14T09:53:00Z By Karen Murdarasi

Karen Murdarasi isn’t sure there’s much historical accuracy in the myths and legends that surround the origins of St Valentine’s Day. But that doesn’t mean Christians shouldn’t take the opportunity it presents to love those around them well.

5 things you (probably) didn’t know about Easter

2024-03-28T11:16:00Z By Karen Murdarasi

Why do we eat chocolate eggs at Easter? What’s with school children making bonnets? And why is it called ‘Easter’ at all? Karen Murdarasi shares some little-known facts

What is Maundy Thursday all about?

2024-03-28T09:25:00Z By Karen Murdarasi

The roots of the oddly-named Thursday before Easter come from Jesus’ command to love one another, as well as his foot-washing example, explains Karen Murdarasi

More from Home

Vicky Walker

2021-04-01T00:00:00Z

Vicky Walker is a writer and speaker, among other things. She writes about life, arts and culture, faith, and awkward moments in the form of books, articles, stories, and more, and she tweets a lot.

Tom Holland

Tom Holland is an award-winning historian, biographer and broadcaster. He is the author of a number of books, including most recently, Dominion: The making of the Western Mind (Little, Brown). He has written and presented a number of TV documentaries, for the BBC and Channel 4,on subjects ranging from ISIS ...

Tola Mbakwe

Tola Mbakwe is a multimedia journalist for Premier.

Advertise with us
Jobs at Premier
Privacy Policy
Subscribe to Premier Christianity
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram
Writers A-Z

Site powered by Webvision Cloud

IMAGES

Florence Nightingale
A Brief History of Florence Nightingale: and Her Real Legacy, a
Biodata Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale Facts, Worksheets, Early & Personal Life
Biography of Florence Nightingale, 200th Birthday of World's First
Florence Nightingale Biography

VIDEO

florence nightingale biography in marathi
Florence Nightingale's legacy
Florence Nightingale and her group of nurses in Turkey
PARTY 3 CHAPTER 03: Enforcing a Report| The Life of Florence Nightingale AUDIOBOOK
FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE PODCAST OUT NOW #shorts #history #nursing #women
Florence Nightingale

COMMENTS

Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale (born May 12, 1820, Florence [Italy]—died August 13, 1910, London, England) was a British nurse, statistician, and social reformer who was the foundational philosopher of modern nursing.Nightingale was put in charge of nursing British and allied soldiers in Turkey during the Crimean War.She spent many hours in the wards, and her night rounds giving personal care to the ...
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), known as "The Lady With the Lamp," was a British nurse, social reformer and statistician best known as the founder of modern nursing. Her experiences as a ...
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale was a trailblazing figure in nursing who greatly affected 19th- and 20th-century policies around proper medical care. She was known for her night rounds to aid the wounded ...
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM RRC DStJ (/ ˈ n aɪ t ɪ ŋ ɡ eɪ l /; 12 May 1820 - 13 August 1910) was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing.Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, in which she organised care for wounded soldiers at Constantinople. She significantly reduced death rates by ...
PDF Biography of Florence Nightingale
Introduction. Florence Nightingale was a Victorian-era English woman who greatly improved the care. of sick and dying soldiers during the Crimean war. She was the lady carrying a lamp as she. made her way through the dark and damp halls of a make-shift hospital where hundreds of. men lay inches apart in unspeakable conditions.
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820, in Florence, Italy. Although her parents were from England, she was born in Italy while they were traveling. Both Florence and her older sister Parthenope were named after the Italian cities where they were born. When they returned to England in 1821, the Nightingale family lived in two homes.
Biography of Florence Nightingale, Nursing Pioneer
Updated on July 21, 2019. Florence Nightingale (May 12, 1820-August 13, 1910), a nurse and social reformer, is considered the founder of the modern nursing profession who helped promote medical training and raise hygiene standards. She served as head nurse for the British during the Crimean War, where she was known as "The Lady With the Lamp ...
Florence Nightingale Biography -Biography Online
Florence Nightingale (1820 - 1910) Biography | Quotes | Political and religious views. ... Short bio of Florence Nightingale. Born in 1820 to a wealthy family, Florence was educated at home by her father. She aspired to serve others, in particular, she wanted to become a nurse. ... "Biography of Florence Nightingale", Oxford, UK. www ...
Florence Nightingale
Lived 1820 - 1910. Immortalized as the lady with the lamp, Florence Nightingale was a highly intelligent, mathematically astute pioneer of better health outcomes. Her innovations resulted in lower death rates - first in hospitals, then in wider society. She formulated and implemented enormous reforms of nurse training and nursing practices.
A Brief Biography of Florence Nightingale
Her Early Life. Florence Nightingale was born in the city of Florence, Italy on 12 May 1820. She was the second daughter of wealthy parents (her elder sister was called Parthenope). When she was young Florence was very interested in mathematics. She was also a devout Christian and when she was 17 she felt God was calling her to serve him.
Florence Nightingale (1820
Named after the city of her birth, Nightingale was born at the Villa Colombia in Florence, Italy, on 12 May 1820. Her parents, William Edward Nightingale and his wife Frances Smith, were touring Europe for the first two years of their marriage. Nightingale's elder sister had been born in Naples the year before.
Florence Nightingale's Biography & Greatest Accomplishments
Florence Nightingale was an English-born nurse who is generally revered as the founder of modern nursing. A diligent humanitarian activist, statistician and social reformer, Nightingale achieved greatness by selflessly tending to injured soldiers during the Crimean War (1853-1856). Inspired from an early age, she was a strong humanitarian who ...
The Life of Florence Nightingale
Nightingale was known for providing the kind of personal care, like writing letters home for soldiers, that comforted them and improved their psychological health. Her group of nurses transformed the hospital into a healthy environment within six months, and as a result, the death rate of patients fell from 40 to 2 percent (5). In 1857 ...
Florence Nightingale facts for kids
Born: 12 May 1820 in Florence, Italy. Lived in: England, UK. Occupation: Nurse. Died: 13 August 1910. Best known for: Founding modern nursing. Also known as: Lady with the Lamp. Florence Nightingale was born in the city of Florence, Italy, on 12 May 1820 whilst her parents were enjoying a long honeymoon. And yup, you guessed it - that's how ...
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale was a pioneer in the field of nursing . She improved the care of sick and wounded soldiers. She also made nursing a respectable career for women.
Florence Nightingale: The Mother of Nursing
Florence Nightingale ( Figure 1 ), the founder of modern nursing of professional nursing, was born in Florence, Italy, on 1820, in an English family; she was named of the city of her birth. Florence learned mathematics, language, philosophy and religion (all subjects that later influenced on her work) from her father ( 1 ).
Florence Nightingale bicentennial: 1820-2020. Her contributions to
Biography. Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820, in Florence, Italy. In her honor, this day will become, starting with 1965, the International Nurses Day. ... Florence Nightingale travelled there together with her dedicated staff to care for the wounded on the battlefield and on field hospitals. She became famous for the lamp she ...
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale tells the story of her life and work, and shows how she grew up to become a nurse during the Crimean War. The story is told in the first person, and brought to life with a mix ...
Florence Nightingale: The Making of a Hospital Reformer
She is the director of the 16-volume Collected Works of Florence Nightingale (2001-2012) and the author of four short books on Nightingale. She is a cofounder of the Nightingale Society. As an environmentalist, she works as a volunteer on climate change. Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was a pioneer hospital reformer, although she is still ...
Florence Nightingale
Watch a short biography video of Florence Nightingale, the Crimean War nurse and social reformer who earned the nickname "The Lady with the Lamp." #Biography...
Florence Nightingale Biography and Activities for Kids
A Short Biography of Florence Nightingale. Florence was born in Italy and named after the city of her birth. But her father, William, was a rich British banker. When her family moved back to England in 1821, Florence grew up in the family homes in Hampshire and Derbyshire. Florence's family expected her to follow the path of other middle ...
The Christian faith of Florence Nightingale: The founder of modern
Florence Nightingale was born into a wealthy family in 1820, in the Italian city she was named after. Her parents had married in 1818, and both Florence and her older sister, Parthenope, were born during the Nightingales' lengthy honeymoon in Europe. Although their money came from trade only a couple of generations back, Frances and William ...
Florence Nightingale: a Short Story
Florence Nightingale was born in the beginning of the 19th century, in an important English family. From a very young age, she had a knack for humanitarianism, taking care of ill people who lived ...

Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale: Early Life

Florence Nightingale and Nursing

Florence Nightingale and the Crimean War

Florence Nightingale, Statistician

Florence Nightingale’s Impact on Nursing

Florence Nightingale: Death and Legacy

Sign up for Inside History

Florence Nightingale

Who Was Florence Nightingale?

Background and Early Life

Crimean War

Pioneering Nurse

Recognition and Appreciation

Death and Legacy

QUICK FACTS

CITATION INFORMATION

Women’s History

Florence Nightingale

Related Biographies

June Almeida

Regina Benjamin

Elizabeth Blackwell

Frances P. Bolton

Biography of Florence Nightingale, Nursing Pioneer

Fast Facts: Florence Nightingale

Early Life

Deplorable Conditions

Return to England

Biography Online

Florence Nightingale Biography

Short bio of Florence Nightingale

Religious views

One Comment

A Brief Biography of Florence Nightingale

Her Early Life

Florence In The Crimean War

Share this:

MacTutor

References ( show )

Additional Resources ( show )

Honours ( show )

Cross-references ( show )

Florence Nightingale’s Biography & Greatest Accomplishments

Florence Nightingale: Fast Facts

Florence Nightingale’s calling to the humanitarian profession

Her first nursing gig

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

MOST POPULAR

The life of Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale facts

What did Florence Nightingale do?

The Crimean War

Florence Nightingale to the rescue!

Why was Florence Nightingale the Lady with the Lamp?

Florence after the Crimean War

How is Florence Nightingale remembered?

What do you think of our Florence Nightingale facts? Leave a comment below and let us know!

WELL DONE, YOUR COMMENT HAS BEEN ADDED!

CUSTOMIZE YOUR AVATAR

The life of Alan Turing

The Amazing Adventures of Charles Sturt

Skara Brae facts!

The life of Nelson Mandela

Sign up to our newsletter

WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

You're all signed up! Back to subscription site

Florence Nightingale bicentennial: 1820–2020. Her contributions to health care improvement

Liliana David

Dan L. Dumitrascu

Liliana Rogozea

Participation to the Crimean War and care of wounded and ill soldiers

Founding of modern nursing

Contributions to surgery

Other contributions

Cultural echoes

Echoes of Florence Nightingale’s activity in Romania

Conclusions

Your browser is not supported

The Christian faith of Florence Nightingale: The founder of modern nursing