International Nursing Day falls on May 12

Florence Nightingale - the Founder of the nursing profession :

By A. A. F. Rifca

This day May 12th is named as the International Nursing day to honour the birth of Florence Nightingale the founder of the modern nursing profession.

Her invaluable service rendered to nursing and the devotion of establish the standards of the nursing profession systematically and scientifically is celebrated through the world as the International Nursing Day.

Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820, to well-to-do parents at their temporary residence in Florence Haly named for her birth place she grew up in Derbyshire. Hampshire and London where her family maintained temporary homes. Nightingale was educated largely by her father William Edward and mother Frances Smith.

After her parents refused her request to study nursing at a hospital, Nightingale was persuaded to study parliamentary reports in three years. She was expert on public health and hospitals.

Over her parent’s objections she visited hospitals in England and Continental Europe in 1846. A friend send her the year book of the Institution of Protestant Deaconesses at Kaiserswerth, Germany. Four years later Nightingale entered the same institution and was trained as a nurse in 1853. She was appointed superintendent of the institution for the care of sick gentlewoman in London.

On March 24, 1854 with the support of Britain and France, Turkey declared war on Russia who invaded Crimea. During this war, series of articles appeared in newspapers including London Times which told about the dreadful conditions in Crimea especially the lack of care for the wounded and sick. There were not enough linen to make bandages and in some cases the wounded had no care for a week. Nightingale was shocked when she read the article appeared in the London Times.

Florence Nightingale at once set about getting official permission to take a band of nurses to Crimea. Her plan was sent to Sidney Herbert who had become secretary of war but a strange coincidence he wrote to her at the same time asking for her help and their letters crossed in the mail.

She was appointed head of the nurses in the military hospitals in Scutaria, Turkey in November 1854. She arrived Constantinople (now Istanbul) in Turkey with 38 other volunteers. When she arrived more men were dying from fever and infection than from the battle wounds. She found the hospitals crowded, filthy and badly managed. One of Nightingale’s first requests was for scrubbing brushes.

Against the opposition of the military commanders she introduced new rules of cleanliness and hygiene, organized food supplies and ensured the wounded were properly cared for.

Almost immediately the numbers of soldiers who died in hospital was greatly reduced and she worked 20 hours everyday without a break. At night she used to carry a lantern while visiting the patients at the hospitals. She became known to them as ‘Lady with the Lamp’.

News of her success reached England and on her return she raised money to found a proper nurses’ school in 1860. She established the Nightingale School for nurses at St. Thomas’ Hospital, London and community health nursing service in Liverpool.

Her ‘Notes on Nursing’ was published in the same year. In 1907 Florence Nightingale became the first woman to be appointed to the order of merit. ‘First role of nursing to keep the air within as pure as without was the motto behind her noble profession.

She continued to write vast quantities of letters and notes until she was almost eighty years old. At last Florence Nightingale herself had to have nurse but often offer nurse had tucked her in for night she would get out of bed to tuck in the nurse. On August 13, 1910 this grand old Lady fell asleep and did not wake up again.

International Nurse Council established in 1899 has taken action to name May 12th as the International Nursing Day as a mark of honour to Florence Nightingale who’s birth day falls on May 12th who contributed unique service to nursing profession and hence this day is commemorated annually as the International Nursing Day.