There are many different famous people in the world, George Washington, Thomas Edison, Jane Goodall! These many famous people have made great inventions, sacrifices for others, or maybe making the world a better place to live. Florence Nightingale was one of those amazing heros in the world; she changed hospitals in many ways including making them cleaner, getting new supplies for hospitals, and treating patients with kindness, and helping them.
Florence Nightingale was a very important person in history; she changed many things. Florence Nightingale was born into a very wealthy family, on May 12, 1820; Nightingale had one older sister. Nightingale was born in Florence Italy, which was how she got her first name. From a young age Nightingale loved to play with her dolls. Though Nightingale did not play with her dolls like most girls did. She would act as a nurse to her dolls, nursing them back to health. Florence Nightingale was a very determined girl, which impacted the events during her life. Nightingale had a good education growing up. Her father taught her math, history, philosophy, and a few foreign languages; while her mother taught her household work. As a young child she was active in helping other people, she enjoyed helping others, and liked working hard. Since Nightingale grew up in a wealthy family mostly everything was done for the family. She never had to do chores, or help her mother in the kitchen; this was because other people worked for the family, and did all these chores. Nightingale did not like this, she did not like that she never had to work hard; Nightingale always had a drive in her, and didn’t really like just enjoying herself since she believed in working hard.
One day, Florence Nightingale was sitting in a special place in the trees at one of the estates her parents owned (they owned 2 estates). She sat in peace until finally a thought struck her; she felt as though she had calling. Nightingale considered that her calling might be that she needed to help others. She had always seen people in distress when her mother brought her to places that were where poor people lived. Florence Nightingale wanted to help those poor unfortunate people. In 1844, Nightingale told her mother and father that she wanted to go to nursing school. Her parents refused to her idea, but she was determined, stubborn Florence Nightingale, and she wanted to become a nurse no matter if her parents refused. Her mother told her that being a nurse as a wealthy young women was not very fitting; especially since not many nurses were women at this time. Nightingale was so determined to become a nurse that she read books about nursing, and tried to learn about nursing by herself. Finally, when Nightingale was 31 in 1851 her father let her go to Kaiserswerth, Germany to become a nurse. Her mother still did not think this was a good idea, but her father said it was best for Florence Nightingale.
Soon in 1853 Florence Nightingale got her first job at a place called The Establishment for Gentlewomen During Illness. She enjoyed being a nurse there very much even if it was against her mother and father’s will. In 1854 Nightingale got a letter from the government asking her to be a nurse in Turkey for the Crimean War. She was very excited and agreed to the offer. When Nightingale came to the hospital the floors were dirty, men were laying on the floor, and rodents and bugs were scampering up and down the hospital halls. The other nurses with Nightingale were horrified at the site of the hospital. Florence Nightingale knew she had to do something about this. Many people died in the hospitals, and Nightingale was determined to make a change about this problem. 18,000 soldiers were sent to hospitals because they were suffering in The Crimean War. As time went on, Nightingale made changes! She scrubbed floors until they were clean. She told other people to help her with these jobs. Nightingale also decided to take it upon herself and buy new supplies for the military hospital, since there was a shortage of many supplies there. Florence Nightingale worked day and night. At night she carried a lamp around at night. This lamp meant either care for sick, concern for welfare of a soldier, or freedom for women. Florence Nightingale then made charts for nursing; these charts showed how the amount of soldiers that died in the hospital decreased because of the cleaner hospital, and supplies. When Florence Nightingale requested that the hospital get new supplies they disagreed. So Nightingale went to buy new supplies with her own money. These supplies were bandages, medicine, and blankets. Although many people congratulated Nightingale for her good work, some of the men in the military hospital did not appreciate the way Nightingale did things. They said that women nurses were not right. This did not bother Nightingale because she was strong willed.
In 1856 Nightingale returned from the Crimean War to England. Florence Nightingale got many rewards for her good work that she did in hospitals. All Florence Nightingale wanted to do is make hospitals cleaner and lower the death rate in hospitals. Nightingale did not accept much praise, and she wanted to keep working. Even as Nightingale got older she worked. She sent notes to hospitals telling how to make hospitals cleaner. In 1860 Florence Nightingale established St. Thomas Hospital, and Nightingale Training School for Nurses. The Nightingale Training School for Nurses was in London. Florence opened up the school so other people could learn the many Nightingale also wrote a book called “Notes on Nursing”! This book explained how cleaner hospitals change the death rate, and many other important information about nursing. Finally, after many years of being a nurse and changing hospitals Nightingale retired, at age 73 in 1893. Soon she died on August 13, 1910.
Overall, Florence Nightingale was a very important person in history. She helped many people in hospitals, and showed others that making hospitals cleaner can decrease the amount of people who died. Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale is now always known as the one who started ‘modern nursing’, and the one who made hospitals cleaner.
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