1820

Florence Nightingale was born to a wealthy British family living abroad in Florence, Italy. Hence her name. The family returned to England the following year where Florence was raised.

1852

Florence was frustrated and bored with her position within society. These views were shared with many. Women were trapped at home with few options to entertain or better themselves. Their time and energy was to be given over to others. Here she laments about the torture of being read to: “And what is it to be “read aloud to’? The most miserable exercise of the human intellect. Or rather, is it any exercise at all? It is like lying on one’s back, with one’s hands tied and having liquid poured down one’s throat. Worse than that, because suffocation would immediately ensue and put a stop to this operation. But no suffocation would stop the other…”

  • A young single woman was not considered an adult

  • An adult single woman was considered a failure, an embarrassment and a financial burden to the family.

  • She was also expected to be on call to tend on sick family. Read about Agnes Pockles experience here. (and how she made a new discovery by observing water and soap after hours of washing dishes and caring for her sick parents).

  • Philanthropy was one of the few acceptable ways for women to leave the house and have a role within society [TCOTP, 2]

  • The rise of social religious activities also gave women a place in society as Christianity spread across the middle class England especially within the Unitarian and Quaker branches.

At the age of 30 Florence was finally allowed to attend the Institute of Protestant Deaconesses to train as a nurse. When she arrived in Germany, she was horrified by the poor hygiene but impressed by the devotion of the nurses. She returned home to England and accepted a position at the Hospital for Invalid Gentlewomen [TCOTP, 6].

1854

In October, Florence was asked to provide nursing services for British soldiers fighting in the Crimean War. She achieved a radical improvement in sanitary conditions in military hospitals. The conditions were dire, with a lack of basic sanitation causing a high mortality rate. Nightingale instituted hygiene practices that significantly reduced the death rate. She also wrote about her experiences and used statistical data to illustrate the need for sanitary reform in hospitals, which played a key role in her subsequent efforts to improve healthcare. Because of the extensive coverage by The Times, Florence soon became a household name and set an example for how middle-class women can have an important and significant impact on society outside of the home.

1856

Upon her return to England, she established the first secular nursing school in the world, the Nightingale School of Nursing at St. Thomas' Hospital in London. This marked the beginning of professional education in nursing, raising the standards and status of the profession.

1861

Frustrated with the lack of cooperation and coordination among woman as a whole, Florence often found herself frustrated. Though she seems to have felt like change wasn’t happening fast enough, she was slowly leading a revolution.

Selected References:

[TCOTP] M. A. Elston, “Catriona Blake, The charge of the parasols: Women’s entry to the medical profession, London, The Women’s Press, 1990