Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale was a celebrated English nurse and writer. According
to a survey, British people consider her to be one of the most famous British
persons along with outstanding scientists, writers and politicians.
She was born into a rich, upper-class family in 1820, in Italy. She got her
name Florence after the city of her birth, as there was a tradition in her family to
name the children in honour of the city they were born in. She got an all-round
education and according to the family’s status Florencewas expected to become a
faithful wife and attentive mother.
However, in 1844 Florence decided to become a nurse, despite the intense
anger and distress of her mother and sister. At that time nursing was seen as a job
that needed neither education nor special medical skills.
In 1854 the Crimean War broke out and Florence Nightingale offered her services
to the War Office and soon left for the Crimea with thirty-eight volunteer nurses.
They began their work in the main British camp, in the hospital. Very soon
Florence found out that hygiene was neglected, and fatal infections were common.
There was no equipment to cook proper food for the patients. Florence decided to
change the situation.
Nightingale managed to found a vast kitchen and a laundry. In addition to
her nursing work, she tried to organize reading and recreation rooms for the
wounded soldiers. She was on her feet for twenty hours a day and so were the other
nurses. Florence was called ‘The Lady with the Lamp’ for her habit of making
rounds round the hospital at night. She checked on her helpless patients.
Florence remained in the Crimea until 1856, then she returned to England.
In London Florence Nightingale visited Queen Victoria and persuaded the
Queen of the need to create a military hospital system. Soon Florence Nightingale
set up a training school for nurses, the first nursing school in the world. It is now
called The Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery and is part of
King's College in London. The annual International Nurses Day is celebrated
around the world on Florence’s birthday, the 12th of May.
In the Crimea camp, Nightingale got ‘Crimean fever’ and never fully
recovered. By the time she was 38 years old, she was seriously ill. She left her
house very rarely and had to stay in bed most of the time. Nevertheless, Florence
continued her work from her bed. She wrote many books, some of them became
the base of the curriculum at the Nightingale School and other British nursing
schools.
Florence Nightingale died in London in 1910, at the age of ninety. The
government offered to bury Florence in Westminster Abbey but her relatives did
not agree. However, the memorial service took place in St. Paul's Cathedral.
Florence Nightingale received a lot of honorable awards. Several books were
written about the life of ‘The Lady with the Lamp’ and a few films were shot about
her.

True/ False/ Not stated
1. Florence Nightingale was named in honour of her birthplace.
2. Florence’s family approved of her wish to become a nurse.
3. Medical education was essential to become a nurse in the 19th
century.
4. Florence Nightingale cooked for the wounded herself.
5. Florence Nightingale got her nickname because she often visited the
wounded at night.
6. Queen Victoria was impressed by Florence Nightingale’s work.
7. Florence Nightingale’s school for nurses was closed after her death.
8. Florence Nightingale was buried in Westminster Abbey.

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