Every year on 12 May, international nurses' day, why choose this day? It was in honor of a special woman. She was the world's first nurse in the true sense of the word, pioneering a nursing career that affects human life. Before her, nurses had a humble status, injuries and illnesses were laissez-faire, and when she appeared, nursing became a specialized technology, and nurses became admirable angels in white. She was the lantern goddess of the Crimean War, Nightingale.
Noble birth, but choose "lowly"
Nightingale was born in England in 1820 to high-class families, both of whom were aristocratic parents and had two homes in England alone. When he was a child, Nightingale lived a life of fine clothes and food, following his family through celebrities. However, in the face of staggered social interaction, it makes Nightingale seem out of place, she prefers to be alone, shy little girl is stubborn, the surrounding prosperity is not bright with her, Nightingale is more concerned about folk suffering.
The kind Nightingale gave love to strangers at the bottom of society. In England in 1842, when the starving people were in mourning under the economic crisis, Nightingale wrote in his diary, "No matter what time, my heart can never let go of those who are suffering." "Just as she was a child, she would mourn the death of the birds, and the noble lady who was miserable and compassionate began to help the poor with her own actions. Commit yourself to the huts of the poor and provide them with medicine and food.
All this is "outlier" in the eyes of the family, how can the daughter of the noble family go to such a dirty place? Stubborn and stubborn, Nightingale, facing the obstruction of his parents and sister, did not lose his ambition in the slightest. When caring for poor patients, Nightingale found that patients with care can alleviate a lot of pain. When a nurse begins to become her dream, despite the backlash from her family.
In the eyes of the British at that time, the hospital was synonymous with dirty mess, and the image of the nurse was a rude and ignorant woman. How could a high-society woman engage in such a "lowly" profession? Loneingle, isolated and helpless, chose a roundabout tactic after a hard encounter without success. First, after several years of cold war, and then under the pretext of traveling to distract himself, he came to the field to learn systematic nursing knowledge. In the end, she told her family her decision, and after an unexpected argument, Nightingale resolutely embarked on a journey as a nurse.
Lantern goddess, become a hero in war
Nightingale, who left his family, worked in orphanages and women's hospitals, put down the shelves of the nobility, and started with the simplest care. Had it not been for the Crimean War, Nightingale's life would have been a bland nurse. Everything changed in 1853, when, with the support of Britain, France and other countries, the Ottoman Turkish Empire went to war with Russia, and the two sides fought fiercely in Crimea, and the war was unprecedented from the beginning.
In order to compete for hegemony in Asia Minor, both sides invested a lot of troops, and naturally suffered heavy losses. Britain, as a belligerent, suffered a high mortality rate due to the lack of nurses and poor medical conditions on the battlefield. Hearing about the war, Nightingale took the initiative to apply for a field nurse, and she led 38 nurses to the battlefield filled with smoke. Escorting medicine and caring for the wounded, Nightingale, 36, became an angel in white on the battlefield.
From the beginning, Nightingale suffered a lot. The doctors on the battlefield, subject to traditional ideas and unwilling to see nurses overstepping their bounds, arbitrarily declared that "nurses are not allowed to enter the ward without the doctor's permission." After being barred from the ward many times in a row, Nightingale started with the most basic food and clothing. She changed clothes for the wounded and washed out ten thousand shirts in three months. In order to improve the accommodation conditions, the construction of the ward was paid for at his own expense.
The spirit of dedication and active service has not only touched the prejudiced doctors, but also touched countless wounded and sick people. Every night, Nightingale patrolled with a small oil lamp, and the rough path was like a fire, illuminating every corner of the courtyard. In just half a year, the death rate of the wounded dropped to 2%, and everyone affectionately called her the "Lantern Goddess". After the war, Nightingale was revered as a national hero.
The foundation of nursing care leads to medical transformation
"The lights are flickering and drifting, and the cold night seems to be full of warmth", Nightingale told the world with practical actions - the importance of nursing work. Her hands-on practice has also opened up a new and great profession for the majority of women. Nurses in the past were mostly ignorant, rude, alcoholic, untrained women, but Nightingale changed this image greatly. When she returned with her honors, she simply said softly, "I don't want to flatter, as long as the people understand me." ”
The move on the battlefield infected more British upper class. In 1855, the Nightingale Foundation was established in London, and British soldiers who participated in the war donated money. What is even more valuable is that the Queen of England not only donated a portrait of the Duke of Wellington, but also personally gave Nightingale a gold diamond brooch. The donated Nightingale created the "Nightingale Nurse Training School" at St Thomas Hospital in London, the world's first official nursing school.
Treat nursing as a science, not a religion. Improving the nursing education system and creating a modern nursing profession, Nightingale is at the forefront of the world. In order to promote the development of nursing, she also proposed the nursing idea of public health, using the community to promote preventive medicine. Under the influence of Nightingale, European and American countries have established Nightingale-style nursing schools, and with the vigorous development of nursing, it is internationally known as the "Nightingale era".
In addition to nursing practice education, Nightingale also has a deep theoretical foundation. During her lifetime, she left a large number of nursing books and lectures, such as Nursing Notes, Hospital Notes, Health Care and Disease Notes, etc., many of which are called classic works of nursing work. Nurses should choose people of good character and dedication, "integrity, honesty, and solemnity are indispensable, and obedience, moderation, cleanliness, and trustworthiness are their credoes."
postscript
"In the history of mankind, she is a holy model, and an angel with an oil lamp." In 1910, nightingale died at the age of 90, leaving mankind with a nursing career that has benefited so far. Her dedication to the nursing profession and her performance in the Crimean War are deeply remembered. Two years later, the International Council of Nurses proposed that Nightingale's birthday, 12 May, be designated as International Nurses Day, and the Nightingale Award became the highest recognition for nursing workers.