Biography

Nightingale, Florence

Florence Nightingale May 12, 1820 sister of mercy and social activist of Great Britain.

Biography

Born May 12, 1820 in Florence in a wealthy aristocratic family. Her father, William Edward Nightingale, was a wealthy landowner, and her mother, Francis Smith, was not inferior to him in origin and wealth. After the marriage, her parents went on a honeymoon trip that lasted three years. They lived for a long time in Italy, where their daughters were born: the eldest Parthenope and the youngest, Florence. The latter received a name in honor of the city where she was born - Florence[ 8]. The girl received an excellent education: she knew ancient Greek, Latin, French, German and Italian; many of these subjects, as well as philosophy, history, and mathematics, she mastered with the help of her father. She saw her main purpose in delivering people from disease and death. At the age of 20, she decided to become a nurse, but her dream could come true only after 13 years, since the profession of a nurse in England was notorious. Parents and relatives were categorically against such a decision[ 9]. She was truly happy, having received the opportunity to visit the sick for several months in 1846, studying the organization of nursing while traveling through Italy, Egypt, Greece[ 10]. In 1850 she visited the Deaconess Institute in Kaiserwerth (Germany) and this became a turning point in her life[ 11]. Somewhat later, she continued to join nursing in the French hospital in Saint-Germain, which was under the patronage of the Catholic women's monastic congregation "Sisters of Mercy"[ 9]. Having overcome the resistance of the family, Florence, with the permission of her mother, left in 1851 for Kaiserwerth to the community of the sisters of Pastor Flender , where she received a nursing education. Relatives tried to avoid gossip in high society and announced that Florence had gone to the waters for treatment[ 12]. Relenting, the father went to meet his daughter and assigned her an annual annuity of 500 pounds sterling[ 12]. Since 1853, she worked for about a year as a manager (supervisor) of a small private hospital on Harley Street in London [ 13]. In this "institution for sick women of noble birth" she worked for free. According to her biographer Bernard Cohen, she was not entirely satisfied with her position in this position: “Although by the standards of the time she managed to create an exemplary medical institution, where access was open to patients from all classes of society and all faiths, she still felt dissatisfied that she could not achieve what she already considered her goal: to create a school where nurses would receive full-fledged professional training "[14].

Lithograph of the military hospital at the Selimiye Barracks , Istanbul, 1856

Her name becomes known, she receives invitations to other institutions. On October 21, 1854 [ 15], during the Crimean War, Florence, along with 38 assistants, among whom were nuns and sisters of mercy, went to field hospitals, first in the Selimiye barracks in the Scutari region in Istanbul, and then in the Crimea. Consistently implemented the principles of sanitation and care for the wounded. As a result, in less than six months, the mortality rate in hospitals decreased from 42.7% to 2.2 %[ 9][16].

In 1856, Florence, with her own money, put a large white marble cross on a high mountain in the Crimea above Balaklava in memory of the soldiers, doctors and nurses who died in the Crimean War. The Crimean War made Florence a national heroine. Soldiers returning from the front told legends about her, calling her "Lady with a Lamp" ( The Lady with the Lamp ), because at night, with a lamp in her hands, she herself went around the wards with the sick. In 1857, the American poet Longfellow immortalized this image in the poem "Saint Philomena ", where he wrote in particular: "In this hour of suffering, I see a lady with a lamp in her hands" ( 1857) [17].

Nightingale, circa 1858
Upon returning to England in early July 1856, Nightingale set herself the goal of reorganizing the army medical service[ 18]. Despite opposition from the War Department (Eng. War Office ), she managed to achieve that in 1857 the Royal Commission on Health Problems in the Army (Eng. Royal Commission on the Health of the Army )[ 17]. Despite the fact that at that time women could not be members of the commission of this level, Nightingale had a strong influence on the activities of the commission, providing her with a huge amount of information that was included in the commission's report. In order to convince the government of the need for reform, Nightingale provided her statistical studies when social statistics[ en ] were still in their infancy (see below). In 1858, the official conclusion of the commission was made public: "The parliamentarians highly appreciated the proposed reforms of health care in the army and considered their implementation a priority "[ 19]. In 1859 Herbert again became Minister of War ; with his help, Nightingale ensured that hospitals were equipped with ventilation and sewage systems; hospital staff must have received the necessary training; in hospitals, strict statistical processing of all information was carried out. A military medical school was organized, explanatory work was carried out in the army on the importance of disease prevention[ 20].
In 1859, Nightingale was elected a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society[ 21] and subsequently became an honorary member of the American Statistical Association[22].
Notes on Factors Affecting the Health, Efficiency and Management of British Army Hospitals. on Matters Affecting the Health , Efficiency and Hospital Administration of the british Army , 1858) and How to Care for the Sick ( Notes on Nursing : What It Is and What It Is Not , 1860). For the first time, the work of F. Nightingale “How to care for the sick” was translated into Russian and published in 1905 in St. Petersburg.
In 1860 Florence opened the Nightingale Probationary School for Sisters of Mercy at St Thomas' Hospital in London, donating some £50,000 raised by subscription in England for the Nightingale Foundation. For a number of reasons, she did not head this institution, but the principles of its work were based on her ideas: “1) professional training of nurses should be carried out in hospitals specially created for this purpose; 2) nurses should live in such conditions that would ensure proper moral behavior and discipline” [9]. Soon, graduates of this school began to create similar institutions at other hospitals [ source not specified 3325 days] and even in other countries. So, Emmy Karolina Rape, who studied at this school in 1866-1867, became a pioneer in creating a system of education for sisters of mercy in Sweden. Later on, according to the model of her school, schools were created in Europe and America, and the nurses themselves taught. In 1864 in Geneva, on the initiative of Henri Dunant created a humanitarian organization, the International Committee for Relief of the Wounded, which became an integral part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The Swiss took as a basis some of Nightingale's recommendations set out in Notes [ 23].
1910
Nightingale was opposed to marriage[ 24], but her hand was sought by several men. In 1847, she nearly agreed to marry the British poet and politician Richard Milnes . Reluctantly, she nevertheless refused him, after which she wrote in her diary: “I think that he suits me in everything - both in feelings and in mind. However, I believe that the part of me that constantly demands action will not be satisfied with living with him . At the age of 81, she became blind[ 24]. Nightingale died in London on August 13, 1910; She was buried at St. Margaret's Church in East Willow , Hampshire .

World recognition and memory

In 1883 Nightingale was awarded the Royal Red Cross and in 1904 she was made a Lady of Charity of the Order of St. John . In 1907 she was awarded the Order of Merit ^[28] .

Monument to Florence Nightingale

In 1912, the League of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent (since November 1991 called the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies ) established the Florence Nightingale Medal , still the most honorable and highest award for sisters of mercy around the world.
On May 12, Florence Nightingale's birthday, the world celebrates International Nurse's Day .
The Florence Nightingale Museum ^{[ en ]} operates in London , the expositions of which present exhibits that clearly illustrate the important biographical and heroic pages of the life of this ascetic.
Several feature films and documentaries have been shot about the life and fate of Florence Nightingale. In 1951, the British historical film Lady with a Lamp ^{[ en ] directed by} Herbert Wilcox was released , starring Anna Neagle . Films directed by Daryl Duke (1985) and Norman Stone (2008) are also dedicated to F. Nightingale.
The portrait of Florence Nightingale is featured on the reverse side of the £ 10 notes that were in circulation from 1975-1994 ^[29] .
Nightingale crown ^{[ en ]} on Venus and the asteroid (3122) Florence are named after her .
Depicted on a postage stamp of Germany in 1955, and in 1988 depicted on a Hungarian stamp dedicated to the 125th anniversary of the International Red Cross.
In 2002, she took 52nd place in the " 100 Greatest Britons " poll, dedicated to identifying the hundred greatest personalities in British history.
In 2020, Mattel released a collectible doll as Florence Nightingale as part of its Inspiring Women series ^[30] .

Florence Nightingale effect

In honor of F. Nightingale, a psychological syndrome or effect is named ( eng. Florence Nightingale effect ), which manifests itself when a doctor or nurse caring for a patient begins to have feelings for him, which can develop into love ^[31] .