Today is Valentine's Day, and I would like to use this document to all the medical staff who are fighting on the front line
Any modern hospital is dominated by two professions. One is a doctor and the other is a nurse. They are also called medical workers and are revered as "angels in white".
By the end of 2017, the total number of registered nurses nationwide exceeded 3.8 million. Worldwide, there are more than 200 million registered nurses. Every year on 12 May, all nurses celebrate their own holiday, International Nurses Day. Why is May 12 a holiday for nurses around the world? Because, this day is the birthday of nightingale, the goddess of lanterns.
Today, we're going to introduce the story of Nightingale.
Nightingale, full name "Florence Nightingale". Nightingale was a descendant of the English nobility, but was born in Florence, Italy. On May 12, 1820, Nightingale's parents gave birth to her while traveling in Florence, Italy.
Nightingale's family environment is quite superior, but she has compassion for the poor people, just like she wrote in her diary: "No matter what time, my heart can never let go of those who are suffering..." For this reason, Nightingale often gave food, medicine, clothing, etc. to the poor around her to solve their urgent needs.
In December 1844, a tragedy in London deeply touched Nightingale. At that time, a poor man was admitted to a factory hospital in London, and due to the backward medical environment, the poor man unfortunately died. When the news broke, the London public made a harsh accusation against the factory hospital. Nightingale thought differently.
Nightingale believes that the cause of the poor man's death is the backward medical environment of the factory hospital, so it is necessary to focus on improving the medical environment of the hospital and providing good medical care for patients. So Nightingale ignored his family's objections and went to the hospital as a nurse.
In fact, nursing is an ancient profession. As early as 250 BC, nurse training schools were established in ancient India to train male nurses. Since then, with the exception of a very few nuns, the vast majority of nurses in hospitals have been men. At the beginning of the 19th century, more and more women joined the nursing workforce. However, at that time, the hospital was poorly managed, the medical level was very backward, and the quality of nurses was also very low, mostly ignorant, rude, and alcoholic women.
Nightingale vowed to change that. On 12 August 1853, Nightingale opened a nursing home at 1 Harley Street in London to provide more comfortable and convenient care for the sick.
In March 1854, Britain and France intervened in the Crimean War, sending joint troops to fight the Russian army. In this war, the British soldiers due to the very poor medical conditions and the lack of sufficient medical personnel, resulting in a high mortality rate of 42%, exceeding the mortality rate on the battlefield. This means that most soldiers did not die on the battlefield, but in field hospitals.
When Nightingale learned of this situation, she was very distressed. In October of that year, Nightingale, with the consent of The British War Department Director Hybert, led 38 nurses to the Crimean battlefield to work in the British Field Hospital.
Nightingale took out 30,000 pounds to purchase medicines and medical equipment for the British Field Hospital, and focused on rectifying the operating room, canteen and laboratory to improve the living environment and nutritional conditions of the wounded soldiers. Under the careful care of Nightingale and others, in just 6 months, the death rate of british wounded soldiers dropped from 42% to 2%.
During this period, Nightingale did everything himself, often carrying an oil lamp at night, walking on a rugged mountain road, going to a ward 4 miles away, inspecting the ward, and calming the mood of the wounded soldiers. The wounded soldiers affectionately called her the "Lantern Goddess".
One wounded soldier wrote emotionally: "The lights are flickering and drifting, and the cold night seems to be full of warmth." Hundreds of us wounded lay there, and when she came, we struggled to kiss her slender figure floating on the wall. ”
This is the famous "Kiss of the Wall Shadow".
Now, when nurses graduate, they hold a kind of "hat and candle" ceremony, and the burning candle symbolizes the Nightingale spirit of "burning yourself and illuminating others".
Nightingale's efforts on the Crimean battlefield were not in vain, and countries saw the importance of nursing work and began to establish and improve modern nursing systems.
After Nightingale returned to England, he established a nurse training school to train professional nurses and opened the door to modern nursing education. Since Nightingale recruited only female nurses, male nurses gradually withdrew from hospital nursing positions.
Nightingale dedicated her life to the cause of nursing and was revered by British soldiers as "Our Lady", making countless British people proud. In December 1907, King Edward VII of the United Kingdom awarded Nightingale a Medal of Merit – the first time in British history that such an order had been awarded to a woman.
On August 13, 1910, Nightingale died of illness in London, England, at the age of 90. Two years later, in 1912, the 9th International Congress of the Red Cross, held in Washington, D.C., approved the establishment of the Nightingale Medal and designated May 12 as International Nurses' Day.