Madeleine Albright

Helen Keller

Whenever she went in her journey through Europe  ,she always sought first the places where some kind of good work was being for the afflicted  and needy .More than ever  ,she was convinced that it was useless trying to be pioneer in a movement that did not exist in her own country. She must not merely point the way.

Soon all over the world  ,Florence became expert  on the building of the hospitals .More windows and better ventilation resulted and the drainage system was improved .Laundry rooms and clean kitchens also became a part of her style of hospitals. 

In the year 1853 when Florence was thirty –three years old she took up the job of superintendent at the Institute for the care of sick Gentlewomen in London. This news made her mother and sister weep and get angry but news made her  but Florence was stubborn . With full enthusiasm Florence started to reorganize the hospital. Soiled and stinking bed lien were removed ,brooms and dusters were bought, she installed hardworking house keepers and in a short time she became a specialist in her field .She was loved by both patients and women because of her sympathetic nature.  

In 1859 she published `Notes on Nursing ; what it is and what it is not ` .It was a revolutionary  work where ,besides hygiene and basic health she wrote about the need for a sensitive approach to the suffering of the sick person .Today this is accepted as a slogan for all medical institutions .Her Nightingale Training School `was a success. There   was a demand worldwide for Nightingale nurses. They were disciplined   , given neat uniforms and had a room for themselves .Gradually nursing got transformed into a respectable profession. 

Florence wanted efficient workers .She was taking revolutionary decisions so many even opposed her .But there was a kind in her and her sharp mind and keen sense of observation was admired by many. Initially the committee was aghast by her list of requirements but they were very impressed by her ideas of improvement of the hospital .She concentrated on her job and started planning how to recruit of farmers to join nursing. 

In November 1907 ,King Edward VII awarded Florence Nightingale the Order of Merit.. Florence Nightingale changed and shaped the role of women of her time. She derived great joy from the letters she received from the globe .She made people change  their  attitudes towards soldiers .She sensitized people towards childbirth ,the poor and the sick and suffering .Hospital buildings underwent major reforms .She enabled wide-ranging workhouse reforms by pressing for an Act of Parliament.

Florence Nightingale was one of God` s most gifted beings. She was a perfectionist yet she had a very gentle voice and manner. Her clarity of mind and inner strength were extraordinary .Every time we see a hospital ,to our mind comes the picture of `The Lady with lamp `  who was the founder of it all –nursing ,preventive medicine, cleanliness and food –al proved with a long and through research!

Page - One .... Two