"Were there none who were discontented with what they have,
the world would never reach anything better."
Florence Nightingale



Monday, July 4, 2011

A Call to Action

Florence was born on May 12, 1820 in London, the second daughter to wealthy parents, William and Frances Nightingale.  Her formal education, supervised by her father, would serve to prepare her for a lifetime of leadership and social reform.  At 17, Florence experienced a divine calling to reject her family’s elite lifestyle, refuse marriage, and to put her education into action (Attewell, 1998).  She chose nursing against strenuous objections from her parents.

Florence began her nursing training at Kaiserswerth, Germany at the age of 30, finding it a worthwhile and suitable place for women to receive an education (Attewell, 1998).  In her travels throughout Europe over the next three years, she was impressed with the airy design of Lariboisiere Hospital in Paris.  It was there that her theories on environment management (light, fresh air, clean water) began to emerge.  These theories would soon be put to the test as the Crimean War broke out in 1854.

It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a hospital that it should do the sick no harm. Florence Nightingale

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