Florence Nightingale OM RRC |
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Born |
Florence, Tuscany |
12 May 1820
Died | 13 August 1910 Park Lane, London, England, United Kingdom |
(aged 90)
Nationality | British |
Institutions |
Selimiye Barracks, Scutari King's College London |
Known for | Pioneering modern nursing |
Notable awards |
Royal Red Cross (1883) Lady of Grace of the Order of St John (LGStJ) Order of Merit (1907) |
Signature |
Florence Nightingale, OM, RRC (/ˈflɒrəns ˈnaɪtᵻŋɡeɪl/; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing.
She came to prominence while serving as a manager of nurses trained by her during the Crimean War, where she organised the tending to wounded soldiers. She gave nursing a highly favourable reputation and became an icon of Victorian culture, especially in the persona of "The Lady with the Lamp" making rounds of wounded soldiers at night.
Some recent commentators have asserted Nightingale's achievements in the Crimean War were exaggerated by the media at the time, to satisfy the public's need for a hero. Nevertheless, critics agree on the decisive importance of her follow-up achievements in professionalising nursing roles for women. In 1860, Nightingale laid the foundation of professional nursing with the establishment of her nursing school at St Thomas' Hospital in London. It was the first secular nursing school in the world, now part of King's College London. In recognition of her pioneering work in nursing, the Nightingale Pledge taken by new nurses, and the Florence Nightingale Medal, the highest international distinction a nurse can achieve, were named in her honour, and the annual International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on her birthday. Her social reforms include improving healthcare for all sections of British society, advocating better hunger relief in India, helping to abolish prostitution laws that were over-harsh to women, and expanding the acceptable forms of female participation in the workforce.