The Lady with the Lamp
Florence Nightingale is popularly known as the lady with the lamp. Florence Nightingale was born in Italy in 1820 in a respectable family. From her childhood, she wanted to be a nurse. Her parents did not approve of her ambition to be a nurse. But she was determined to pursue her ambition. When she was thirty-three years old, she worked in a nursing home in London.
Soon after a war called the Crimean War broke out in a foreign land. She heard of the sufferings of the wounded soldiers. She made up her mind to go to the war. With a number of other nurses, she started off to see what she could do.
She found that there was a lot of work to be done. The soldiers had no proper food or clothing or medicine. Many died from negligence. Florence did not feel discouraged. In the face of considerable official opposition, she organized the nursing service to relieve the sufferings of the British soldiers wounded in the war. She and her nurses worked hard to improve things. At night she was often seen passing along the beds with a lamp in her hand. That is why she came to be called 'The Lady with the Lamp'. Her system was adopted and developed in many parts of the world. The Red Cross Movement, which renders service to the suffering people, grew out of her work.
She did not care for personal comfort and happiness. Her whole life was spent in the service for others. She was indeed a remarkable woman. She died in 1910. Future generations will always remember her.