The greatest heroes are those who do their duty in the daily grind of domestic affairs, whilst the world whirls as a maddening dreidel
Florence Nightingale
How much do you know about Florence Nightingale?
Florence Nightingale became famous for her work treating injured soldiers in the Crimean War. See if you can fill in the blanks in the story below to learn a bit more about what she did there.
Florence revolutionises hospitals
When Florence Nightingale came back from the Crimean War, she wanted to make hospitals in Britain better. She saw that many soldiers were suffering and knew things needed to change. Florence wanted nurses to have proper rules and training so they could take good care of patients. She wrote a book called Notes on Nursing to share her ideas. Many people think this book helped start modern nursing.
In 1860, Florence opened a school for training nurses at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. The new nurses learned all the important things Florence developed in Crimea. This was a big step in making nursing a respected job.
Back then, hospitals still had a lot of problems. Many patients got sick or died because doctors didn’t wash their hands or clean their tools properly. This made it easy for diseases to spread. Florence knew that better hygiene was needed to keep patients safe, but the hardest thing was to convince the men in charge that she was right.
Florence uses maths to prove her points
Florence knew that nothing was going to change unless she could persuade the doctors and government that she could improve things. She needed proof. So she recorded all the information that she could, and presented it in a way that was easy to understand. She was one of the first people to use graphs to represent information, so that even people who couldn’t easily understand the figures, could see what was happening. This is the diagram that showed how many soldiers were dying from preventable diseases (in blue), as compared to dying because of their wounds (in red).
Florence’s hard work paid off. She convinced people that her methods could save lives, and that nursing should be taken seriously. By the time she died in 1910, there were over 60,000 well-trained nurses in Britain. Nursing had become a skilled and respected profession.
Florence Nightingale showed everyone how important nurses are. Because of her, nurses today are well-trained and provide excellent care to patients. Her work changed hospitals forever, making them safer and better places for everyone.
Before and After at Scutari Hospital
Spot the difference! See if you can guess what Florence did and then click each spot to see if you were right.
Learn more about Florence Nightingale
Create your own lantern
Florence Nightingale earned her famous nickname, “The Lady with the Lamp,” because of her nightly rounds to check on her patients. As the dark hours fell, Florence would walk through the hospital wards, holding a Turkish lantern to light her way.
The soft glow of her lamp brought comfort and hope to the soldiers, who knew that Florence was there to care for them, even in the quiet of the night. On the left you can see the actual lamp that Florence carried on her nightly rounds.
When you see artist’s portraits and statues of Florence, she often has an oil lamp or a “genie” style lamp, but her actual lantern was this Turkish fanoos, made of coiled wire and fabric.
You can click below to download instructions that will show you how to make your own lamp!
Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole
Florence wasn’t the only nurse working to make things better for the soldiers in The Crimea. Mary Seacole was a Jamaican/Scottish woman who travelled to the war zone of her own accord to see what she could do to help. She learned herbal medicine from her mother who had been a healer in Jamaica, and she set up a place called the “British Hotel”, where soldiers could get rest, good food, and healthcare.
On the right are some statements that apply to either Florence Nightingale OR Mary Seacole. Can you work out which is which? Drag the statements to the correct box to see if you’re right!
What’s in the box?
Florence did not have much medical equipment compared to modern nurses. She took a small box of supplies to help treat the soldiers. Can you work out what was in her medical box?
Be careful – some of these things are modern and Florence would not have had them! Hover your mouse over each item to see what it is.
Design your own Hospital
Now it’s your turn to design your very own hospital! Think about everything Florence learned about keeping patients safe and healthy:
- Important Features: What are the most important things you need in your hospital to keep it clean and to take good care of patients?
- Making It Great: How will you make your hospital a wonderful place where people want to go when they need help?
- Name Your Hospital: Don’t forget to give your hospital a special name!
Download the powerpoint below to help you create your hospital:
Have fun creating your hospital, and making it the best place for people to recover!
Florence Nightingale died in 1910, at the age of 90. Amazingly, we have a recording of her voice which was made just before she died. It’s quite difficult to hear what she is saying, but listen carefully and see if you can work it out.
After Florence’s voice, you’ll hear an actress repeating Florence’s words, so that you can understand what she is saying!
We hope you have enjoyed learning about Florence Nightingale!
Florence did some incredible things, at a time when women were only expected to become wives and mothers. Being a nurse was not seen as a suitable job for a well-off young lady, but Florence went against what was expected of her, and became one of history’s great people.
She was not only a nurse, but a teacher, a designer and a mathematician. What do you think was her greatest achievement?