Celebrating Nightingale
THE LEGACY OF THE FOUNDER OF MODERN NURSING IS JUST AS RELEVANT IN 2020 — THE BICENTENARY OF HER BIRTH
Canadian nurses are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, just as British nurse Florence Nightingale was on the frontlines during the Crimean War from 1854 to 1856, when the British Empire was at war with Russia for control of the Ottoman Empire.
Recognized as the founder of modern nursing, Nightingale was much more than the ‘lady with the lamp,’ known for her bravery and compassion. She was also a leader in infection control and sanitation, as well as a statistician.
And this year marks the bicentennial anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth on May 12, 1820, in Florence, Italy — which happens to coincide with the World Health Organization’s International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. While the public pays tribute to healthcare workers during COVID-19, many healthcare workers also want to pay tribute to the woman who inspired generations of nurses.
Nightingale came from a wealthy family but felt she had more to give to the world. At the request of the British government, she led a team of nurses to Scutari Hospital in Turkey during the Crimean War, where she found wounded men sleeping in filthy, overcrowded rooms, often dying from diseases like typhus and cholera rather than their battle wounds.
“This was before germ theory, so more soldiers were dying in the hospital than on the battlefield,” says Anne Clark, a retired nurse and Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) board member.
When Nightingale arrived at Scutari Hospital, “it was total chaos,” says Clark. So she immediately set to work improving hygiene practices at the hospital, such as basic cleanliness and handwashing — lowering the hospital’s death rate in the process by two-thirds. During this time she wrote an 830-page report that proposed reforms to other military hospitals and led to the Royal Commission for the Health of the Army in 1857.
“I think it’s fascinating that today, with COVID-19 — this unseen enemy — the two things we rely on are basic cleanliness and handwashing,” says Clark. “Her legacy is just as relevant today as when she went to the Crimean.”
Well respected by soldiers and physicians alike, Nightingale returned to England a national hero, and in 1860 established the firstof-its-kind Nightingale Training School for Nurses at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London. At the time, nursing was not something “that nice young ladies would ever consider,” says Clark. But Nightingale changed that, turning nursing into a highly respected profession.
She was also a social activist, campaigning for universal access to healthcare regardless of one’s ability to pay. “That was pretty revolutionary for that day and age,” says Clark. “She was a great reformer and … she was also good at mathematics and used statistics to prove her theories.”
Her mathematical and statistical skills tend to get lost in the mythology of the ‘lady of the lamp,’ says Clark. Less well known is the fact that Nightingale became the first female member of the Royal Statistical Society in 1858. Her ability to translate data into a visual format — and easily demonstrate how sanitation decreases death rates — inspired new standards of sanitation in hospitals.
As a pioneer of evidence-based healthcare, Nightingale also advocated for a holistic approach to health and healing. In recognition, she was awarded the Order of Merit in 1908, at the age of 88, by King Edward.
“She was so ahead of her time; she did not stick to her prescribed role in society. In the day and age when women were not allowed to go to university, she was made a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society,” says Clark. “She broke many barriers.”
Her life’s work still serves as an inspiration to nurses today. “Nightingale is our hero and role model as we struggle to conquer this COVID-19 virus,” says Clark, “and reflect on her insight and teachings.”
Clark, now retired, worked as a full-time nurse for 36 years; she’s currently part of a working group of retired nurses who are organizing events to celebrate Nightingale’s 200th anniversary.
A Nightingale Gala is held every year in
“Nightingale is our hero and role model as we struggle to conquer this COVID-19 virus and reflect on her insight and teachings.” –ON Aboard member Anne Clark
Ottawa by the Canadian Nurses Foundation to raise funds for nursing education (the gala has been postponed until October, in light of COVID-19). “Social media is how she’s going to be celebrated until we can start being back in-person and face-toface,” says Clark.
To honour her legacy, five new temporary hospitals in the London area and two in Ireland — which are treating COVID-19 patients — have been named after Nightingale. Clark also hopes that Nightingale will become a bigger focus in school curriculums. “That would be a fitting legacy in Canada,” she says.
For more information on celebrating Nightingale, visit nightingale2020.ca.