FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE

 FROM SAMPATH’ DESK:

 


  

FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE

(Lady with a lamp)

(விளக்கேந்திய சீமாட்டிகைவிளக்கேந்திய காரிகை)

(दीपकवाली महिला)

(12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910)

 

The President of India, Madam Droupadi Murmu, on 22.6.2023, conferred the National Florence Nightingale Awards for the years 2022 and 2023 on 30 nursing professionals at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi for their utmost dedication, unfailing duty, and determined selfless-service to the ailing human community.

 

Curiosity now arises to know about Florence Nightingale, who was fondly and affectionately called ‘LADY WITH A LAMP’.

 

She was born to her British parents in Florence, Italy, and was named after her place of birth. Florence Nightingale was a British nurse, social reformer, statistician, and the founder of modern nursing - all rolled into one. She was credited with being the foundational philosopher of modern nursing and her name has become synonymous with the profession.

 

During Crimea War (1853-1856), Florence Nightingale led a group of 38 officially sanctioned women who arrived at the Barrack Hospital, Scutari (now known as Uskudar in Istanbul) to treat the sick and wounded British troops. Once she arrived at the hospital, she witnessed an overwhelming number of injured soldiers, many of them with extremely traumatic experiences slithering and squirming in pain. She could see how destructive and devastating a war was that could cause human misery. Still worse, many had contracted other infections too, including the then much-dreaded Cholera.

 

As a nurse, she observed the following cardinal principles, tenets, and doctrines - in word and deed. Show sympathy and empathy to patients in all your words and acts - Observe and monitor the sick closely - Be punctual and constantly attentive to them - Don’t wake up a sleeping patient - Avoid unnecessary noise, particularly gossip inside or outside the room - Ensure clear view, sunlight and ventilation for the sick - Obtain accurate information of each patient, give them personalized service, and be confidential - Never take things lightly however small they were - Respect the patient psychology and act accordingly - Children are much more susceptible and prone than grown people to insalubrious influences and deleterious effects of patients around with infections; so, give them special attention. She advised the nursing community to follow suit.

 

Her lofty ideals were - the Pavilion system of buildings, isolation wards for those afflicted with specific communicable diseases, creating a comfort zone for patients, cleanliness to the core, nurses to be trained and re-trained based on new cases coming up, taking meticulous care of patients, and the like. She held dear to her heart the internal and external environment for the patients. This included their bed and bedding, food, light, patients’ personal cleanliness as well as that of the room and outside environs. She asked the nurses to desist from misrepresentation. She had a holistic perspective to include not only body, mind, and bio-social, but the spiritual element of each patient as well. Not just her nurses but the entire doctors and healthcare personnel held her in high esteem for her selfless life in the service of the ailing. 

 

The Florence Nightingale Museum situated at the very site of the ongoing Nightingale Training School for Nurses is now home to more than 2000 artifacts showcasing and commemorating the life and career of this ‘Angel of Crimea.’

 

She was decorated with the following awards:

 

Royal Red Cross (1883)

Lady of Grace of the Order of St. John (LGSU) – 1904

Order of Merit (1907) Scientific Career

 

Needless to say, she is a role model and inspiration for not only those aspiring for a career in nursing but also the serving nurses.


Her birthday (May 12) is celebrated as INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY.

 

To quote her own words, “I always feel as if God has said: Mankind is to create mankind.”

 

 

(R.SAMPATH)

26/6/2023

Comments

  1. Your article is superb. Nurses take excellent care of patients. They are the first responders. A doctor will diagnose and give medication, but it is the nurse who with their healing touch and words cure the mental worries too. As aptly said Florence was the forerunner.

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  2. Florence Nightingale

    Sampath ji,

    We cannot praise you enough or thank you enough for the kind of knowledge you share with all of us. Because of your articles, I have learnt there are several dates which are dedicated to honour several people who have left their footprints in the sands of time and the annals of history, and bequeathed their inspiring legacy to benefit the mankind.

    As children we all have heard of “The Lady with the Lamp” and how she took care of the wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. What many of us may not know is that she was showered with awards and decorations in recognition of her work.

    After reading your article and trying to understand her, I feel Florence Nightingale was a wonderful woman, who, renouncing and sacrificing all the comforts and luxuries offered by the homely life, dedicated herself to the selfless service of the sick and the wounded with a missionary zeal. Her innate intuitive inclination with intense natural flair and fervour for nursing the sick and wounded was impressive and matchless.

    Florence had all the good traits and qualities of simplicity, humility, unassuming thoughts, precious and pristine perseverance, unflagging enthusiasm in her work, indefatigable and live volcano zeal to do more than her best to serve the soldiers. She tried to accomplish what others would have been hesitant even to venture into pleading their inability with a murmur 'well-nigh impossible', and if at all they undertook the plunge, would have left it midstream.

    I remember the poem of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who immortalised Florence in his poem 'Santa Filomena’. Just a few lines from the poem:-

    Lo! in that house of misery
    A lady with a lamp I see
    Pass through the glimmering of gloom
    And flit from room to room.

    And slow, as in a dream of bliss,
    The speechless sufferer turns to kiss
    Her shadow, as it falls
    Upon the darkening walls.

    Thanks Sampath ji, for this lovely article which gave me the opportunity to read and recollect a lot about this “Angel of Crimea”.

    Kamala Subramanian
    27.6.23

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