Long before people knew what aerobic or anaer- obic microorganisms were, nurses knew when to open or close the windows. Nurses helped women give birth and nursed the babies when mothers were unable to or when mothers die
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Long before people knew what aerobic or anaer- obic microorganisms were, nurses knew when to open or close the windows. Nurses helped women give birth and nursed the babies when mothers were unable to or when mothers died during or shortly after childbirth. The first flight attendants were nurses. For centuries, nurses have gone about the business of caring for peo- ple, but they have not always done so quietly. Who were the risk-takers? Who advocated on behalf of the patient and the profession? In times when nursing was considered “women’s work” and women were not politically active, the major trailblazers were female.
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) (Fig. 1.1) has been called the founder of nursing. Her story and her contributions are numerous enough to fill
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many volumes. She was born of wealth and was highly educated. When she was very young, she realized she wanted to be a nurse, which did not please her parents. Conditions in hospitals were poor, and her parents wanted her to pursue a life as a wife, mother, and society woman.
Nightingale worked hard to educate herself in the art and science of nursing. Her mission to help the British soldiers in the Crimean War earned her respect around the world as a nurse and adminis- trator. This was no easy task because many of the soldiers at the Barrack Hospital at Scutari resented her intelligence and did what they could to under- mine her work.
The relationship between sanitary conditions and healing became known and accepted due to Nightingale’s observations and diligence. Within 6 months of her arrival in Scutari, the mortality rate dropped from 42.7% to 2.2% (Donahue, 1985, p. 244). She insisted on proper lighting, diet, cleanliness, and recreation. She understood that the mind and body work together and that
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