Abstract: Florence Nightingale is the creator of an independent nursing profession. Development and establishment of nursing abroad. The role of Florence Nightingale in nursing. Sayings of Florence Nightingale about nurses

Florence Nightingale biography of a nurse and public figure in Great Britain.

Florence Nightingale short biography

Born May 12, 1820 in Florence. In her youth she traveled around Europe accompanied by family friends. In 1849, she attended the Institute of Deaconesses in Kaiserwerth (Germany) and returned to England with the firm intention of becoming a sister of mercy.

In 1853 she became the manager of a small private hospital on Harley Street in London.
In October 1854, during the Crimean campaign, Florence, along with 38 assistants, among whom were nuns and sisters of mercy, went to field hospitals, first in Scutari (Turkey), and then in Crimea. Consistently implemented the principles of sanitation and care for the wounded. As a result, in less than six months, mortality in hospitals decreased from 42 to 2.2%.

In 1856, Florence, with her own money, erected a large white marble cross on a high mountain in 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. The soldiers called her “the lady with the lamp,” because at night, with a lamp in her hands, like a kind, bright angel, she walked around the wards with the sick.

In 1856, she suffered a stroke, which confined her to a wheelchair for more than half a century. However, this did not stop Nightingale from working.

On her return to England (1856) Nightingale was tasked with reorganizing the army medical service. In 1857, the government allocated funds to organize a commission to implement the necessary reforms. In 1859, Herbert again became Minister of War; with his help, Nightingale ensured that hospitals were equipped with ventilation and sewage systems; hospital staff were required to undergo the necessary training; Strict statistical processing of all information was carried out in hospitals. A military medical school was organized, and awareness-raising work was carried out in the army about the importance of disease prevention.

Nightingale was also a mathematician, engaged in statistical research, and became an innovator in the use of infographic methods in statistics, in particular, she used pie (sector) charts. In 1859 she was elected a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and subsequently became an honorary member of the American Statistical Association.

She wrote Notes on the Factors Affecting the Health, Efficiency and Management of British Army Hospitals (1858) and How the Sick Should Be Nursing (1860).

During the war, Nightingale managed to collect a large sum of money by subscription, with which in 1860 the world's first school of Sisters of Charity was organized at St. Thomas's Hospital in London. Soon, graduates of this school began to create similar institutions at other hospitals, and even in other countries. Thus, Emmy Caroline Rape, who studied at this school in 1866-67, became a pioneer in creating a system for training sisters of mercy in Sweden.

Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820 into an aristocratic English family. She received a fairly comprehensive education, which was then only received by men. Contemporaries of Florence Nightingale noted that she was a talented person and could realize her abilities in a wide variety of fields, but her choice was medicine.

Florence's desire to serve in the hospital was categorically opposed by the entire family. At that time, degenerate women worked in hospitals and were not hired for any other work. The hospital was a place where patients got worse, not better.

In 1851, despite the protest of her family, Florence went to Germany to a community of deaconesses, which had its own hospital and school for training in caring for the sick. Having passed her exams brilliantly, the girl returned home, and in 1853 she went to Paris to get acquainted with monastic hospitals and undergo training with sister nuns.

After returning home, Florence Nightingale was asked to take over the management of the nursing facility. This infuriated the Nightingale family, and Florence was forced to leave the family and go to England.

At the age of 33, Florence Nightingale took the position of superintendent in an institution for the care of sick women from high society in London, where she fully demonstrated her organizational abilities and professional nursing skills.

In October 1854, during the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale, along with 38 assistants, went to field hospitals, first in Scutari (Turkey), and then in Crimea. The sisters of mercy saw a terrible picture: the hospital was overcrowded, lice-ridden wounded and sick were lying in the corridors on straw among sewage, rats were running on the floor, there was a shortage of the most necessary things - medicines, linen, food and fuel.

The appearance of women in the hospital was greeted by doctors with hostility. At first they were even forbidden to enter the wards and were assigned the dirtiest work and the most hopeless patients. However, Florence Nightingale managed to prove that the wounded need constant competent care after medical interventions. Consistently implementing the principles of sanitation and care for the wounded, she achieved amazing results. Florence Nightingale organized the work of the hospital in such a way that the mortality rate in it decreased from 49 to 2%. It was she who increased the number of wards in hospitals in order to eliminate overcrowding of the wounded, and organized kitchens and laundries. Florence believed that the job of the sisters of mercy was to save the wounded not only physically, but also spiritually: to take care of their leisure time, organize reading rooms and help establish correspondence with relatives. At night, she walked around the wounded with a lamp in her hand, for which she was nicknamed the Lady with the Lamp.

On her return to England in 1856, Florence Nightingale was tasked with reorganizing the army medical service. With the support of the Secretary of War, Nightingale ensured that hospitals were equipped with ventilation and sewage systems; hospital staff were required to undergo the necessary training; Strict statistical processing of all information was carried out in hospitals. A military medical school was organized, and awareness-raising work was carried out in the army about the importance of disease prevention. In her book “Notes on Hospitals,” Miss Nightingale showed the connection between sanitary science and the organization of hospital business. She resolutely opposed the “corridor system” of keeping patients, defending the need to introduce a pavilion system.

It was Florence Nightingale who created the training system for paramedical and junior medical personnel in the UK.

The school created by Nightingale became a model for training managerial and teaching nursing staff. She insisted that nursing schools be taught by professional nurses and that hospitals be run by specially trained registered nurses. Florence Nightingale believed that nursing as a profession is different from medical practice and requires special knowledge that is different from medical knowledge.

During her career, Florence Nightingale wrote a number of works that provided invaluable service for the development of nursing care. Doctors of that time valued the book “How to Care for the Sick” very highly, considering it an outstanding teaching aid. Having studied the social and economic conditions of life in India, F. Nightingale published a number of articles in which she expressed the idea that prevention is better than cure. In “Introductory Notes on a Stay in an Institution” (1871), Miss Nightingale concluded that childbirth was safer at home, since in a hospital there was a high risk of cross-infections.

Florence Nightingale spent her entire life defending the equal rights of all people to care and treatment during illness and to die with dignity. The British government appreciated her contribution to the development of medical care and awarded her the Royal Red Cross in 1883. In 1907, Florence Nightingale was awarded one of the highest British Orders of Merit.

In 1912, the League of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent established the Florence Nightingale Medal, still the most honorable and highest award for nurses throughout the world.

Florence Nightingale - sister of mercy, founder of nursing, public figure in Great Britain, author of a number of works on medicine (“Notes on nursing”, “Notes on hospitals”, etc.).

Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820 in Florence, where her parents, English aristocrats, were traveling. Being a fairly progressive person, Florence's father made sure that the girl received a comprehensive education, which at that time was available only to men.

Particular attention was paid to the study of languages ​​- French, German, Greek. In addition, Florence was instilled with excellent manners and taste.

As contemporaries noted, she was a very talented person and could apply her knowledge in any field of activity. However, Nightingale dedicated her life to serving people.

Since childhood, Florence was deeply concerned about the problems of the disadvantaged. Spending the summer outside the city, she could observe how the lives of workers in weaving factories and handicraft groups went on. Rudeness, fights, appalling poverty, the sight of sick and neglected children were forever etched in the girl’s memory.

By the age of 17, an irresistible desire had formed in her soul to devote herself to medicine and somehow alleviate the suffering of the unfortunate.

Such plans did not meet with understanding from loved ones, who believed that the young aristocrat had no use for it. The relatives’ fear was justified: the hospitals at that time were run down and dirty, chaos reigned in the wards, and patients in rags came from slums and shacks.

However, the persuasion of relatives could not shake Florence’s confidence in the correctness of her chosen path. Traveling with her family to different countries, at the first opportunity she inspected medical institutions, getting acquainted with the specifics of their work, and at home she tried to organize home care for the sick and helpless.

In 1849, Nightingale rejected another marriage proposal. “No more love... no more marriage,” she wrote in her diary. Neither the despair of her family nor the anger of her mother could stop the young woman.

She left her home and went to Germany, where in 1851 she began working at a medical institution in Kaiserwerth, which consisted of several wards with 100 beds and a school for children.

There was a strict regime here: deaconesses (servants) had to get up at 5 in the morning and work until late in the evening. But Florence, despite the constant fatigue and hard work, was happy: her dream had come true. She sent enthusiastic letters home: “I’m in Kaiserwerth. That's life. I am healthy..."

After working in Germany for two years, she returned to London, where the Private Benefactors Commission Hospital opened. Florence, full of enthusiasm and a sincere desire to help people, was faced with indifference from the hospital management, who put profit and prestige first and paid little attention to the health of patients.

In March 1854, England and France entered the war with Russia. A close friend of the Nightingale family, Sidney Herbert, who at that time held the post of Secretary of Military Affairs, officially suggested that Florence organize a detachment of nurses to be sent to the battlefield.

She set to work with enthusiasm and, in a short time, gathered a detachment of 38 nuns and sisters of mercy and left for Scutari (Turkey). The picture that appeared before Florence's eyes was terrifying:

The hospital consisted of several dilapidated barracks, dirty and neglected, where there was no linen, no patient care items, no proper medical care.

Nightingale, along with other sisters, began titanic work: they cleaned the barracks, organized hot meals, and cared for the sick.

Florence wrote angry letters to London, in which she spoke about the catastrophic situation in hospitals, shameful for England, about the high mortality rate among the wounded, and mercilessly denounced the organizers of the military medical work, who were afraid of personal responsibility and did not know what to do.

“These are not gentlemen, not well-mannered, not businesslike, not people of feeling,” she said about them. Nightingale herself showed “steel endurance”, perseverance and unprecedented efficiency, and a natural ability to captivate people with her.

Among her nurses there was not one who was afraid of difficulties, and Florence called herself “the main mistress” of caring for the sick and “a servant for any (dirty) work.” According to the memoirs of contemporaries, “she walked around the barracks every night, without fear of any infection.” She was called “The Woman with a Lantern, Bringing Light and Goodness.”

Florence emerged victorious from the conflict with the military authorities. Her activities quickly became known in London. A special fund of 50 thousand pounds sterling was collected, which was placed at her full disposal.

Thanks to this, she was able to organize decent care for the sick, based on the principles of sanitation. As a result, mortality in hospitals decreased from 42% to 2.2%. Over two years of hard work, Florence achieved tremendous success and won the well-deserved love and respect of her compatriots.

Newborn girls were named after her, and her portraits were displayed in store windows. Nightingale's return to England was marked by a gala meeting and reception.

In 1865, Nightingale was tasked with reorganizing the army medical service. The government allocated funds to implement the necessary reforms, so Florence could radically change the situation in hospitals.

And although she often had to deal with misunderstanding on the part of conservative-minded superiors, she still ensured that hospitals were equipped with ventilation and sewerage systems, clearer disease statistics were kept, and staff were required to undergo special training.

One of the magazines of the time wrote: “Miss Nightingale showed what a nurse should be and was: strict and merciful, courageous and restrained in the face of suffering, equally attentive to patients of different classes of society...”

In 1869, Nightingale established a school to train nurses at St. Thomas's Hospital in London. Her students received thorough scientific training. Florence emphasized that “at its core, nursing as a profession is different from medical practice and requires special knowledge,” and that “specially trained nurses must take on the task of managing hospitals.”

At this time, at the insistence of Nightingale, awareness-raising work was carried out in the army about the importance of disease prevention.

A year later, Florence published the book “Notes on Nursing,” which radically changed the public’s views on the essence of nursing. Emphasizing cleanliness, fresh air, silence, and proper nutrition, she characterized nursing as “the action of using the patient’s environment to promote his recovery.”

The most important task of the sister, according to Nightingale, was to create conditions for the patient under which nature itself would exert its healing effect. She called nursing an art, but she was convinced that this art required “organization, practical and scientific training.”

In addition, the book revealed some of the psychological characteristics of a sick person and expressed the revolutionary idea that the key to a patient’s recovery is not a successfully performed operation, but constant competent care after medical intervention.

Florence believed that the job of the sisters of mercy was to save the wounded not only physically, but also spiritually: to take care of leisure time, organize reading rooms, and establish correspondence with relatives. Her idea still sounds modern: “We need to look after the healthy so that they do not become sick.”

Florence was the first to show the influence of environmental factors on human health, thus laying the foundations of modern prevention.

The English government highly appreciated Nightingale's services. She found many like-minded people among prominent statesmen: Carlyle, Gladstone, Kingsley. Florence's organizational work has found recognition in many countries around the world. She achieved the opening of schools at hospitals for training nurses and actively taught in them herself.

In 1873, the Nightingale House School of Sisters was opened in New York. Florence's modern contribution to the development of medical care was so highly appreciated. Nightingale herself was awarded the Royal Red Cross in 1883, and in 1907 one of the highest British Orders of Merit.

Nightingale spent the last years of her life alone, entertaining herself by reading the works of Shakespeare, as well as ancient philosophers. She died on August 13, 1910 in London, leaving behind a huge number of medical schools, hospitals and a series of books devoted to medicine: “Notes on Hospitals”, “Notes on Nursing”, “Army Sanitary Administration and Its Reform”.

Florence's birthday - May 12 - is declared World Nurses Day, and the 50 most outstanding of them are awarded every two years by the International Committee of the Red Cross with the Medal named after them, established in 1912. F. Nightingale.

In the history of mankind there are such unique personalities, attention to which remains riveted even many years after their death. This is largely due to their very active activities during life, aimed at implementing various positive endeavors. We will pay close attention to one of these legendary persons named Florence Nightingale, whose biography will be discussed in this article.

Birth

The future nurse was born on May 12, 1820 in Florence, Italy. By the way, it was thanks to the name of the city that our heroine got her name. The girl grew up in a family of aristocrats. Due to this, Florence Nightingale (her biography is briefly given below) was able to become a very educated person. She brilliantly knew several languages ​​at once: French, Italian, German, Latin, ancient Greek.

Dream

The young woman considered her calling to be tirelessly helping people protect them from death and various diseases. That is why, at the age of twenty, she decided to become a sister of mercy. However, in the end, Florence Nightingale, whose biography is worthy of imitation by many modern people, was able to fully realize her dream only after 13 years. This happened because this profession was then considered extremely unprestigious. In addition, the girl’s family was also categorically against her idea, in every possible way preventing the young lady from realizing her dream.

The beginning of the way

In 1846, the energetic Nightingale felt truly happy because she had the opportunity to care for patients during trips to Greece, Egypt, and Italy. In 1851, Florence visited Germany, where she found herself in a community of deaconesses, which had its own hospital to care for suffering and sick people. After some time, the girl passed her exams very well and returned to her homeland. And in 1853 she moved to Paris in order to learn from the nun sisters and study monastic hospitals.

Leadership position

After a successful internship in the capital of France, Florence Nightingale, whose biography in English was published in many countries around the world, took a high post as manager of one of the small private clinics in London, where she cared for elderly and sick women who were part of the high society of local society. Thanks to this, her name became famous and she began to receive invitations to begin working together in other similar institutions.

In the war zone

In the autumn of 1854, the terrible battles of the Crimean War raged. Many volunteers helped the wounded as best they could. Florence Nightingale did not remain indifferent to the grief of others. Her biography says that, together with her assistants, of whom there were 38 people, she first arrived at hospitals in Turkey, and a little later directly to Crimea. There, the nurses saw a terrible picture: the hospital premises were literally crammed with wounded. People lay in the corridors on straw next to their own sewage, rats ran brazenly between people without any fear. And with all this, there was a catastrophic shortage of all medicines, bed linen, food and even fuel.

How was Florence Nightingale greeted at the medical institution? The biography of this merciful sister suggests that initially local doctors perceived her and the other women who arrived with her with strong, undisguised hostility. Visiting assistants were assigned to do the dirtiest and most disgusting work. But over time, Florence managed to convince doctors that patients after surgery were in dire need of constant and competent care.

As a result of such active work of a purposeful lady, she managed to reduce the mortality rate from 42% to 2%. In addition, Florence Nightingale (the biography and achievements of the Italian inspire respect) achieved an increase in the number of wards in hospitals, which made it possible to get rid of the overcrowding of wounded people. She also ensured the smooth running of the laundry and kitchen facilities. Our heroine sincerely believed that every sister of mercy should not only take care of the wounded physically, but also help them ensure spiritual development: read books, establish correspondence with family and friends.

Florence had a very extraordinary habit, which consisted in the fact that every night she without fail visited all the patients in the hospital, carrying a lamp in her hands. For this she was given the nickname Lady with the Lamp.

Return to Foggy Albion

Returning to England in 1856, the active Nightingale was given the task of effectively reorganizing the army's medical service. With the support of the Minister of Defense, she was able to ensure that all hospitals were equipped with sewerage and ventilation systems. In addition, special requirements were placed on medical personnel. Medical institutions have also introduced special statistical processing of available data and incoming information. Also, lectures on disease prevention began to be held in military units.

The legacy of Florence Nightingale, whose biography will not leave anyone indifferent, also lies in the fact that it was she who introduced the system for training junior and mid-level medical specialists in Britain. At the same time, the woman wrote a book called “Notes on Hospitals,” where she points out the unacceptability of keeping patients in the corridors and demands a transition to the pavilion system.

Book creativity

What else is Florence Nightingale's legacy? Her short biography gives us the opportunity to learn that she was a member of the Royal Statistical Society. Her books deserve special attention, including: “Notes on Factors Affecting the Health, Efficiency and Management of British Army Hospitals”, “Introductory Notes on a Stay in an Institution” and others. Well, to this day doctors consider the book “How to Care for the Sick” to be a completely relevant publication that can be used in practice. And in 1871, the legendary nurse summed up that it is much safer for women to give birth at home than in a hospital, where there is a high risk of cross-infection.

Awards

In 1883, Florence Nightingale received the Royal Red Cross. In 1907 she was awarded the Order of Merit. And in 1912, a medal named after our heroine was established, which is still considered the highest award for any nurse on the planet.

In the capital of Great Britain today there is a Florence Nightingale Museum, in which exhibits are displayed to the public that perfectly demonstrate the most important biographical milestones in the life of this legendary woman.

An outstanding figure, the Englishwoman Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), played a major role in the development of nursing in European countries in the 19th century.

She was born on May 12, 1820 in Florence (Italy). in the wealthy aristocratic family of William Nightingale and Florence Smead. Florence received an excellent education. The father was in charge of his daughter’s education; he taught her Greek, Latin, French, German and Italian. She knew literature very well, studied mathematics and natural sciences, and studied painting and music. But a calm and prosperous life did not attract the girl. Florence was looking for an opportunity to help the poor and sick. The idea of ​​serving in a hospital came quite unexpectedly, like an inspiration. Florence understood that her family would oppose her noble plan, since working as a hospital nurse for a representative of secular society was considered an occupation unworthy of a noble woman.

Thanks to perseverance and perseverance, in 1851 she entered the community of sisters of Pastor F. Flendr in Germany, where she received nursing education. Two years later, Florence takes up the post of head of the hospital for teachers in London, she works as a nurse in a cholera hospital. The name Florence Nightingale becomes famous. She was offered to head the Royal Hospital, but the outbreak of the Crimean War (1853-1856) changed her plans.

“Notes on nursing”, “How to care for the sick” and many others, which receive the highest praise from doctors even today.

Florence devoted a lot of time and effort to training nurses. The nursing training system created by Nightingale served as the basis for modern nursing teaching throughout the world. In 1860, on Nightingale's initiative, a test school for sisters of mercy was opened in London at St. Thomas's Hospital. Upon graduating from school, the sisters of mercy pronounced a solemn oath composed by Nightingale, which included the following words: “With all my might I will strive to help the doctor in his work and devote myself to ensuring the health of those who turned to me for help.”

By 1901, Florence was practically blind, but with outside help she continued to correspond and communicate. In 1907, King Edward VII awarded her Britain's highest honor, the Order of Merit. This event was truly historical, since for the first time a woman was awarded this highest honor.

Florence Nightingale died on August 13, 1910 at the age of 90. She is buried in Hampshire, where her immediate family were buried. A year later, a monument to Florence Nightingale was erected in London. At the unveiling ceremony, the Mayor of London said: “This monument was erected to commemorate the outstanding services of the greatest Englishwoman of all time.”

The selfless woman became an example of service to people and a prototype of international charity. A medal with her image is awarded for the special services of distinguished nurses. On the reverse side of the medal is the inscription: “For true mercy and care for people, arousing the admiration of all mankind.” The medal was established in 1912. To date, about 1,000 people have been awarded this medal, including 46 Russian nurses.

Her ideas, views and beliefs were widely recognized and disseminated in many countries, allowing nurses to comprehend the essence of their profession. Modern researchers rightfully consider Nightingale to be the first nursing theorist and consider her work as the first conceptual model of nursing.