Florence Nightingale, the 'Lady with the Lamp', has often been used to encourage girls to lead lives of selfless service. She was not, however, a sweet or amenable woman, and did not share the ideals of many of those who have recommended her--for example, she thought the family, so much idealized, was a dangerous trap, and noted that Christ took a similar view. She was a kind of genius, enormously intelligent, meticulously educated by her father, and with a practical flair that was her great gift to the world and which continues to influence hospital design to this day.
1820-1910
Florence Nightingale who came to be known as "The Lady with the Lamp", was a pioneering English nurse, writer and noted statistician.
Inspired by what she took as a Christian divine calling, experienced first in 1837 at Embley Park and later throughout her life, Florence announced her decision to enter nursing in 1845. Nightingale worked hard to educate herself in the art and science of nursing, in spite of opposition from her family and the restrictive societal code for affluent young English women.
She cared for people in poverty. In December 1844, she became the leading advocate for improved medical care in the infirmarie. This led to her active role in the reform of the Poor Laws, extending far beyond the provision of medical care.
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