Returning to England Florence found that she was famous. This time of service affected her health and she was an invalid for much of the remainder of her life.

It was here that she earned the name “The Lady with the Lamp” as she walked through the hospital at night with a lantern checking on patients. The doctors at first refused her help until increased fighting, casualties and death forced them to turn to Florence where her practice reduced the numbers of deaths by two-thirds. In 1854 England was at war with Russia and Florence was asked to take 38 nurses to work in the military hospitals of the Crimean War. Her first work was with a charity hospital in London where she stressed cleanliness, organization, nutritious meals and bells so that patients could summon nurses. Still Florence continued to educate herself about the world of medicine by visiting hospitals and orphanages on the European continent, talking with doctors, and keeping copious notes, until her parents reluctantly accepted her decision. The idea horrified her family because nursing in 1850 was not a respectable profession for a girl of her social standing.

As Florence grew, she felt God wanted her to help people and sensed that nursing was her calling. What really interested Florence, though, was playing hospital and caring for sick dolls. Summary: Florence Nightingale was reared with every advantage: wealth, devoted parents, a fine library and a classical education, travel, and association with the great artists, writers and politicians of the day.

Florence Nightingale by Demi