| Florence Nightingale | |
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Real Name |
Florence Nightingale |
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Born |
1820 |
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Died |
13 August, 1910 |
Origin[]
Florence Nightingale In Kid Eternity #2
Florence Nightingale 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 wounded established her image as the “Lady with the Lamp.” Her efforts to formalize nursing education led her to establish the first scientifically based nursing school—the Nightingale School of Nursing, at St. Thomas’ Hospital. She also was instrumental in setting up training for midwives and nurses in workhouse infirmaries.
Florence sensed a ‘calling’ from God at an early age and believed she was destined to do something greater with her life. As a child, she was very academic and particularly interested in mathematics. Her religion gave her a strong sense of moral duty to help the poor and, over time, she held a growing belief that nursing was her God-given vocation. Paid nursing suffered a reputation as a job for poor, often elderly women. Despite parental concern, she persisted in her ambition, reading anything she could about health and hospitals. Eventually she persuaded them to allow her to take three months’ nursing training at an inspirational hospital and school in Dusseldorf. Aged 33, she then became superintendent of a hospital for ‘gentlewomen’ in Harley Street, London.
In 1854, reports flooded in about the dreadful conditions and lack of medical supplies suffered by injured soldiers fighting the Crimean War. The Minister of War, a social acquaintance, invited Florence to oversee the introduction of female nurses into the military hospitals in Turkey. With a party of 38 nurses, Florence arrived in Scutari that November and set about organising the hospitals to improve supplies of food, blankets and beds, as well as the general conditions and cleanliness. The comforting sight of her checking all was well at night earned her the name ‘Lady of the Lamp’, along with the undying respect of the British soldiers.
Recent commentators have asserted that Nightingale's Crimean War achievements were exaggerated by the media at the time, but critics agree on the importance of her later work in professionalising nursing roles for women. Her social reforms included improving healthcare for all sections of British society, advocating better hunger relief in India, helping to abolish prostitution laws that were harsh for women, and expanding the acceptable forms of female participation in the workforce. Nightingale was a prodigious and versatile writer. In her lifetime, much of her published work was concerned with spreading medical knowledge. Much of her writing, including her extensive work on religion and mysticism, has only been published posthumously.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Florence Nightingale before January 1, 1929 are public domain.
Some Notable Appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Movie appearances[]
- The Victoria Cross (1912)
- Florence Nightingale (1915)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Kid Eternity #2, 17
- True Comics #2
- Polly Pigtails #19
- Wonderworld Comics #3
Notes[]
- The Florence Nightingale Effect (trope where a nurse falls in love with her patient) was named after her, it should be noted that she never experienced this, and would probably view it as abuse.
- The annual International Nurses Day is celebrated on her birthday.
- In the Pokémon Anime, Tracey references Florence Nightingale in the episode The Joy of Pokémon