Florence Nightingale Research Papers

Florence Nightingale: The Foundation of Modern Medicine

Medicine in the mid-1800s was unorganized and illogical, especially in Europe. The majority of citizens lived in poor or working class neighborhoods, and could not afford clean water or sewage facilities. Cities were congested with garbage and human waste. As the population boomed, people were living in cramped apartment buildings and group homes to conserve costs and resources. Disease was rampant throughout European cities. The combination of waste and close quarters led to devastating disease outbreaks (“On the State”). Doctors and scientists had not yet discovered how various viruses and diseases spread, and paid no attention to sanitation. It was rare for hospitals to be regularly
disinfected, and hand washing was only viewed as a waste of a precious water (“Birth of Nursing”). The prospect of deadly diseases spreading was amplified during war. During war, too many soldiers were packed into small tents. There was not enough time, money, or thought to disinfect or clean. More soldiers died from disease than battle related wounds during this time (Miké). Open cuts were met with unclean hands, and sick soldiers were not separated from the healthy. Immune systems were already weakened by combat, and could not fight off the fierce spread of bacteria. Illness became a larger threat than rival forces. Disease outbreaks during war could wipe out half of an entire army in the span of a month (“Birth of Nursing”).
Florence Nightingale was a British nurse, mathematician, and powerful force in the medical world who lived during this time (“Learn to Pitch”).
She completed the bulk of her work between 1850 and 1870 (World of Health). Nightingale changed medicine as it is today. She was the first effective force in sanitation and cleanliness, seeing bacterial contamination as the cause for illness and disease (“On the State”). She introduced the idea of caring for each patient, making them as comfortable as possible and checking on them multiple times a day. Nightingale changed how the entire world viewed disease, illness, and cleanliness. She especially reformed medicine within the military (Miké). She changed the entire profession of nursing, focusing more on sanitary practices and intense care for all patients (“Birth of Nursing”). Furthermore, Nightingale was a successful woman in a time when women’s views and rights were suppressed in England and around the world. She struggled with sexism throughout her life of ground-breaking work (“Learn to Pitch”). Florence Nightingale reformed modern medicine and nursing with her work during the Crimean War, her creative use of statistical data to improve health care, and her contribution to founding the British Red
Cross.
The Crimean War was fought between Russia and an alliance of Britain, France, and the Ottoman Empire. The War lasted from 1853-1856. It was a principally unorganized and dangerous war (Miké). Hospitals in general during the mid-1800s were unsanitary because of the lack of knowledge on bacteria and safety. War hospitals were especially unsanitary. With their unorganized nature, war hospitals were overcrowded and filthy (“On the State”). Ten times as many soldiers in the Crimean War were dying from diseases,such as Cholera and Typhus, than battle wounds (“Learn to Pitch”).
Florence Nightingale lead a group of thirty-eight nurses to a Crimean War Hospital in Scutari, Turkey to help control the bad conditions. Without the hospital’s consent, Nightingale completely took over. She created a sanitary kitchen, and a sanitary laundry facility for the hospital. She obtained safe supplies using private funds (Miké). After Nightingale had only been on site for six months, the death rate among British soldiers fell from 47.2% to 2.2% (“Learn to Pitch”). By the end of the Crimean War, when she was only 36, Nightingale was regarded as a British national hero. Because of Florence Nightingale, the Crimean War was the final war experience in which more British soldiers died from disease than combat (World of Health). With her experience from the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale went on to reform medical care for the entire British Military, gaining the support of Queen Victoria (“Florence Nightingale and the Red Cross”). Nightingale opened the first professional nursing school in the world shortly after the Crimean War (“Birth of Nursing”).
Nightingale was known as the “Passionate Statistician” (Miké) because of her use of humanity, graphs and statistics to broadcast the validity of her statements (“Learn to Pitch”). During the Crimean War, Nightingale invented the modern pie chart to show others how effective her nursing methods were. The new chart was visually appealing, and easy to understand. Nightingale used the Pie Chart to argue to Parliament why medical care needed to be reformed drastically. Parliament responded positively to the graph because it was easy for them to understand, and showed scientifically that Nightingale’s reforms were working wonders. The statistical data presented by Nightingale moved Parliament to allow for her medical reforms to be carried out. The men of Parliament were shocked by Nightingale. She was an intelligent woman, who was passionate, caring, feminine, and powerful. A combination of which they didn’t believe could exist. After her persuasive and intuitive presentation of the pie chart and other statistical information, Nightingale was briefed with the Istanbul Brunel Kingdom for a new hospital to be established, based off of her methods. Nightingale studied the effectivity of several medical tactics. She focuses on how overcrowding lead to a faster, more aggressive spread of a disease. Nightingale had a deep understanding of her audience, and knew that the most powerful way to present her findings was through simplistic, visually pleasing data presentation.
Nursing was not a common career path for wealthy young women.
Advanced medicine was a profession only known to men. Women were not considered to be smart or powerful enough to thrive in the medical world. They had almost no say in the workplace in general. Nightingale struggled with sexism her whole life. One of the most difficult things for her to do was establish the British Red Cross. Being a woman, it was virtually impossible for her to start her own organization. Her gender created a huge obstacle, so Nightingale was forced to find alternative ways to achieve her goal. She worked extremely closely with Henry Dunant, the future founder of the Red Cross. Working with Dunant was one of the only ways Nightingale’s views could be taken seriously among the general public, and the British government. Dunant came to Nightingale because he was inspired with her determination to give patients the best care, even in the worst of times. Nightingale explained her ideas and hopes to Henry Dunant, and together they formed the Red Cross in 1859. Many of the Red Cross’ principles are based off of Nightingale. Henry Dunant said the following about Nightingale and the Red Cross, “Though I am known as the founder of the Red Cross and the originator of the Convention of Geneva, it is to an English woman that all the honour of that convention is due. What inspired me to go to Italy during the war of 1859 was the work of Miss Florence Nightingale in the Crimea” (SOURCE). The Red Cross
continued to establish hospitals based of off Nightingale’s nursing methods. All British Red Cross nurses were sent to a nursing school established by Nightingale. The British Red Cross sent their nurses to hospitals all around the world that were based off of Nightingale’s reforms, ideas, and principles. World Red Cross day was held on Florence Nightingale’s birthday for 60 years. She was awarded the Order of Merit for her work with, and inspiration for the Red Cross. Delegates created the “International Nightingale Medal” for distinguished female nurses. Nightingale served on the Board of Directors for the British Red Cross for over 50 years. The British Red Cross has been an international aid foundation ever since it’s founding, saving lives during national and international crises.
Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was also inspired by Florence Nightingale. Barton began aiding wounded soldiers on the battlefield during the American Civil War. Barton used Nightingale’s modern nursing methods. Inspired by Nightingale’s nursing schools, Barton later opened several nursing schools in the US that taught nurses in Nightingale’s fashion, bringing Nightingale’s nursing methods to America.
Florence Nightingale reformed modern medicine and nursing with her work during the Crimean War, her creative use of statistical data to improve health care, and her contribution to founding the British Red Cross. Nightingale’s work led to the massive modern medicine movement, and opened up nursing and medicine as a viable and revolutionary career path for women. Nightingale’s work saved the lives of hundreds of millions of soldiers both directly and indirectly. By changing the way military medicine functioned, Nightingale massively decreased the effect of disease during wartime. Nightingale’s work is present in everyday life. The idea of hand washing, disinfecting, and feminism as a whole trace back to her. Not only did Nightingale reform medicine in a way that began an amazing new era of discovery, safety and sanitation, but also inspired women to take charge of their own career paths all around the world. Nightingale lead the way for women in medicine, science, and math. Her attitude shifted how the world viewed the relationship between patient and caretaker. Her work and discoveries shifted how the entire world viewed basic sanitation, cleanliness, care for patients, and women.