Lata Mangeshkar

Laura Bush

When we visit hospitals and see them sparkling and cheerful, we know all this is a result of the efforts put in by the courageous and intelligent lady. –Florence Nightingale .The nursing profession today owes a lot to the invaluable contribution of Florence Nightingale .She was a pioneer in the nursing field .Before she started her work nurses were largely untrained

Florence Nightingale was born at Florence ,in Italy ,on May 12,1820 .It was her parents ` fancy to call their children after the name of their birthplace, so that, although Florence was until then always understood to be a man`s name ,it was given to this future reformer in whose honor so many women have since borne it. Nightingale was raised mostly in Derbyshire, England and received a thorough classical education from her father.

Florence was very good looking  ,graceful, witty,  and full of life. In those days  ,young ladies were bred to be gentle and demure .They spent their reading books ,listening to music or doing embroidery work. But  Florence saw the uselessness of leading life in such a manner. Born in a aristocratic family  ,Florence Nightingale felt her talents would be wasted if she just played the role of a typical Victorian lady, that of wife and mother. 

Florence parents were wealthy well connected and associated with leaders in society and politics .It   was imagined what repugnance they regard that the strange desire on the part of their younger daughter  to take up as career that would bring her into contact with the fearful conditions then prevalent in hospital life. Every method was used to distract her from    those interest. But Florence   wanted to help the needy and her mind too was absorbed with that idea .But in those times it was certainly not   considered proper to do so. She set her sights on nursing as an outlet for her talents ,at the age of twenty –four .She wanted to work with the sick in hospitals .She was the first woman to break out the Victorian traditional mould. Her family was horrified and rejected the idea to totally because respectable women did not become nurses.

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