Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale was a social reformer, statistician, the founder of modern nursing, and, overall, an inspirational woman.

Born in Florence in 1820, Nightingale was part of an affluent British family, but she never was interested in social climbing was quite uncomfortable when socializing. Instead, she found her passion for philanthropy, helping the ill and poor people in the village near her family’s estate. At age 16, she found her calling to become a nurse, but her parents prohibited her. Her parents wanted her to marry a gentleman and settle down, but she knew that she would never be content, especially not at 17. Furthermore, in 1844, she enrolled in the nursing school in the Lutheran Hospital of Pastor Fliedner in Germany. In the early 1850s, Nightingale returned to London to take a nursing job, and her employer promoted her to the superintendent within just a year of being hired. Because of a cholera outbreak and the rapid spread of the disease, she focused on improving hygiene practices; this significantly lowered the death rate at the hospital.

"So never lose an opportunity of urging a practical beginning, however small, for it is wonderful how often in such matters the mustard-seed germinates and roots itself" - Florence Nightingale

In October of 1853, the Crimean War broke out where the British were the Russians were fighting for control of the Ottoman Empire. Thousands of British soldiers were sent to the Black Sea, but supplies quickly ran out. There were no female nurses in the hospitals in the Crimea, but there was an outcry in England about insufficient medical attention and unsanitary conditions. Thus, the Secretary of War contacted Nightingale directly and asked her to organize nurses to help the soldiers. She, along with 34 nurses, sailed to the Crimea soon after.

Nightingale and her nurses were shocked when they saw the conditions of the hospital in Constantinople; there were rodents and bugs, and all of the basic supplies, including water and soap, were scarce. Infectious diseases such as cholera were killing more soldiers than the battles. Despite these challenges, Nightingale immediately worked on cleaning and cared for the soldiers herself. She attained the name "the Lady with the Lamp," because, without fail, she would make her rounds every evening carrying a lamp. Additionally, she was called the "Angel of the Crimea" because she reduced the hospital's death rate by two-thirds.

Not only did she have an incredible impact on nursing, but she also reduced deaths by using statistics. Nightingale helped to create a Royal Commission which employed leading statisticians to analyze army mortality data, but her ability to translate the data into a visual format, called the polar area diagram or the “Nightingale Rose Diagram,” demonstrated the importance of the work done by her Sanitary Commission. New standards for sanitation were made for the army and beyond. She became the first female member of the Royal Statistical Society and was named an honorary member of the American Statistical Association.

Thanks to Florence Nightingale and that first decision to go to nursing school at age 17, sanitation techniques have progressed so far and saved countless lives. Her work in S.T.E.M. inspires me and many other girls to this day.