The light that never goes out

Sarah Miller
MSMU Class of 2026

(3/2023) Florence Nightingale, portrayed in movies like The Lady With The Lamp, is widely known in the STEM field and would even be named the grandmother of nursing because of the vast amount of things she accomplished in her lifetime. From when she was born in 1820, until her passing in 1910, Nightingale encompassed her dominant nursing values through her wartime stories, which influence generations and the healthcare environment even today.

To introduce and put into perspective her legacy, every single new nurse has to say the Florence Nightingale pledge before getting inducted into the nursing practice; one notable line in the pledge is, "I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully." Nightingale upheld faithful and exceptional values within her nursing career, and although she wouldn't be as known without her profession, the pledge backs up her monumental character traits and personality. The pledge is a remarkable piece that will forever be intertwined in the nursing curriculum, impacting people worldwide by setting the scene for their upcoming years in nursing.

My family consists of all nurses, and this pledge encompasses so much history for many individuals, and often has had a generational effect. My grandmother, mother, and sister are, or were, nurses; without them, I feel as if I couldn't have inherited a better family. Although Florence came from a very wealthy family and was named after the city she was born in, the famously beautiful Florence, Italy, she had many struggles along the way. She experienced many mental health struggles that impacted her nursing towards the end of her life. When she previously would go help soldiers, she suffered from PTSD and depression. Later she even struggled with Bipolar Personality Disorder, which sadly, made her unable to help soldiers.

Florence made her debut during the Crimean War. She was an influential individual who would go around helping wounded soldiers at nighttime with her lamp. Because of her impact and light she had in the war, Florence had the first nursing school named after her in Britain. Her iconic lamp guided her through the night and helped her practice nursing. A plethora of soldiers would have died without her help. She kept her stations as clean and as sterile as they could be during the time, which she found helped keep soldiers from dying and getting infections. She then inspired mandates during nursing practices that are carried out even today, especially in ensuring that people receive the best ethical and holistic care they can in the safest way possible. If it was not for Florence, we would have had different standards than we have now.

Florence was originally a statistician, where her reputation in the mathematics and STEM fields blossomed. While she was employed as a statistician in Britain, Florence was helping the British in the Russia-British Crimean War. When she was in the war, she found that there would be many more deaths without the sterilization tactics that she used. She also found that unhealthy living conditions and conditions that didn't give the soldiers a serene setting prohibited overall wellness, leading to more deaths. She was investigating throughout the entirety of the war why people were dying and what preventative measures could be used to help them. However, Florence kept pushing and helping people at night, with her light always accompanying her. During this time, residential areas for soldiers were affecting them more than their battle wounds, which is when different approaches to care were followed. The leading cause of death was dysentery, a gastrointestinal disease caused by bacteria, or typhus/cholera, which Florence helped fix by sterilizing and maintaining a clean workspace.

Florence stated that she received a calling from God to help others and that her work in academia, although flourishing, did not satisfy her need to help others. She was selfless, like all nurses and doctors today. Florence helped shape the ethical standards used in nursing practice, which is one of the most pivotal parts of nursing. She wrote over 150 books, contributing 10-fold to the healthcare community. She was a faithful woman, exceptional in her fields. She even created the first pie chart, which has helped statisticians and educators in the realm of mathematics to portray data in a simple chart effectively.

I would place Florence as one of the most influential women in history, especially in today's disastrous times. If it were not for her, healthcare workers all over would be struggling, but she truly has a light that never goes out. Her legacy will forever live on, especially with her contributions to the Crimean war.

As I am writing this paper, I cannot help but think: if Florence were alive today, what would she do? 2020 was deemed the year of the nurse and midwife by the World Health Organization because of the heroic practices of nurses and healthcare providers at the beginning of Covid-19. I think she would be proud of this, but that she would be disappointed in all the PPE that was unavailable during the crisis, which ultimately left nurses unprotected and vulnerable. Without Florence's strong view on sanitation in the workplace, she would be half the woman she was back then. She testified in front of the British Cabinet to supply nurses and providers during the war with protective barriers for sick patients. I also think that Florence would be on the front lines helping in the Russia-Ukrainian war, even with the tensions and high-power weapons in use today. Her selfless person should never be forgotten; and if she were living amidst the many sad tensions in the world right now, Florence would be thinking of the good, and how to make this disastrous time of the provider better and more efficient so that ultimately, fewer lives are lost.

With her lamp lighting the way, Florence always advocated for the people who are not seen and not heard, which should be something that all people stand for: helping people in need so that they can help others too. This Women's History Month, ask yourself, what would Florence do?