Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton: The Lives and Careers of History’s Most Influential Nurses

Florence Nightingale Was For A Time The Most Famous Woman In Britain If Not The World. We Know Her Today Primarily As A Saintly Character, Perhaps As A Heroic Reformer Of Britain's Health Care System. The Reality Is More Involved And Far More Fascinating. In An Utterly Beguiling Narrative That Reads Like The Best Victorian Fiction, Acclaimed Author Gillian Gill Tells The Story Of This Richly Complex Woman And Her Extraordinary Family. Born To An Adoring Wealthy, Cultivated Father And A Mother Whose Conventional Facade Concealed A Surprisingly Unfettered Intelligence, Florence Was Connected By Kinship Or Friendship To The Cream Of Victorian England's Intellectual Aristocracy. Though Moving In A World Of Ease And Privilege, The Nightingales Came From Solidly Middle Class Stock With Deep Traditions Of Hard Work, Natural Curiosity, And Moral Clarity. So It Should Have Come As No Surprise To William Edward And Fanny Nightingale When Their Younger Daughter, Florence, Showed An Early Passion For Helping Others Combined With A Precocious Bent For Power. Far More Problematic Was Florence's Inexplicable Refusal To Marry The Well Connected Richard Monckton Milnes. As Gill So Brilliantly Shows, This Matrimonial Refusal Was At Once An Act Of Religious Dedication And A Cry For Her Freedom As A Woman And As A Leader. Florence's Later Insistence On Traveling To The Crimea At The Height Of War To Tend To Wounded Soldiers Was All But Incendiary Especially For Her Older Sister, Parthenope, Whose Frustration At Being In The Shade Of Her More Charismatic Sibling Often Led To Illness. Florence Succeeded Beyond Her Wildest Dreams. But At The Height Of Her Celebrity, At The Age Of Thirty Seven, She Retired To Her Bedroom And Remained There For Most Of The Rest Of Her Life, Allowing Visitors Only By Appointment. Combining Biography, Politics, Social History, And Consummate Storytelling, Nightingales Is A Dazzling Portrait Of An Amazing Woman, Her Difficult But Loving Family, And The High Victorian Era They So Perfectly Epitomized. Beautifully Written, Witty, And Irresistible, Nightingales Is Truly A Tour De Force. Entails And Abolitionists -- One Big Happy Family -- Wen And Fanny, Ben And Anne, Sam And Mai -- Lea Hurst And Embley -- A Privileged Victorian Childhood -- In Father's Library -- Doing Europe In Style -- Coming Out -- Problems With The Nicholsons -- Mrs. Nightingale Says No -- Florence Nightingale Is Tempted -- De Profundis Clamavi Domine -- Breaking Free -- Managing Harley Street -- Britain Goes To War -- Steeped Up To Our Necks In Blood -- Woman Trouble -- Spring At Last -- In The Crimea -- Living To Fight Their Cause -- Family Matters. Gillian Gill. Includes Bibliographical References. "Florence Nightingale was for a time the most famous woman in Britain - if not the world. We know her today primarily as a saintly character, perhaps as a heroic reformer of Britain's health-care system. The reality is more involved and far more fascinating. In a narrative as readable as the best Victorian fiction, acclaimed author Gillian Gill tells the story of this richly complex woman and her extraordinary family." "Born to an adoring wealthy, cultivated father and a mother whose conventional facade concealed a surprisingly unfettered intelligence, Florence was connected by kinship or friendship to the cream of Victorian England's intellectual aristocracy. Though moving in a world of ease and privilege, the Nightingales came from solidly middle-class stock with deep traditions of hard work, natural curiosity, and moral clarity. So it should have come as no surprise to William Edward and Fanny Nightingale when their younger daughter, Florence, showed an early passion for helping others combined with a precocious bent for power." "Far more problematic was Florence's inexplicable refusal to marry the well-connected Richard Monckton Milnes. As Gill shows, this matrimonial refusal was at once an act of religious dedication and a cry for her freedom - as a woman and as a leader. Florence's later insistence on traveling to the Crimea at the height of war to tend to wounded soldiers was all but incendiary - especially for her older sister, Parthenope, whose frustration at being in the shade of her more charismatic sibling often led to illness." "Florence succeeded beyond her wildest dreams. But at the height of her celebrity, at the age of thirty-seven, she retired to her bedroom and remained there for most of the rest of her life, allowing visitors only by appointment. Combining biography, politics, social history, and storytelling, Nightingales is a portrait of an amazing woman, her difficult but loving family, and the high Victorian era they so perfectly epitomized."--BOOK JACKET In 1872, Linda Richards was the first student to enrol in the first class of five nurses in the first American Nurse's training school. This school was run by Dr. Susan Dimock, at the New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston. Linda describes her nursing training: "We rose at 5.30 a.m. and left the wards at 9 p.m. to go to our beds, which were in little rooms between the wards. Each nurse took care of her ward of six patients both day and night. Many a time I got up nine times in the night; often I did not get to sleep before the next call came. We had no evenings out, and no hours for study or recreation. Every second week we were off duty one afternoon from two to five o'clock. No monthly allowance was given for three months." Upon graduating one year later, aware of how little she still knew as a nurse, Linda began her quest to acquire more knowledge and then pass this on to others by establishing high quality nurse training schools. As part of her quest, Linda Richards consulted with Florence Nightingale in England, and was a resident visitor in training at St. Thomas's & King's College Hospitals, London, and also the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Returning to the U.S.A. with Miss Nightingale's warmest wishes, Linda Richards did great pioneer work founding and superintending nurse training schools across the nation. She then went onto do the same in Japan. This is Linda Richards' fascinating story. A richly textured portrait of Florence Nightingale and her remarkable family describes what life was like growing up in a prosperous Victorian English family who had ties to the leading political and intellectual circles of the period, her determination to follow her own path in life, and the personal cost for her and her family. 35,000 first printing. Having done great pioneer work founding and superintending nurse training schools, the author shares her knowledge as a nurse. In her quest for knowledge, she consulted Florence Nightingale in England, and was a resident visitor in training at St Thomas'Hospital and King's College Hospital, London, and also the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) has been more than a national heroine. Her drive and energy transformed the Scutari hospital, which led to the recognition of the nursing profession, and won her the title of the "Lady with a Lamp". This is her biography. It is intended for ages 9-13. To get the measure of our four Nightingales, we need to go back to the time before Victoria became Regina and find the source of their wealth, their class identity, their social confidence, their philanthropic energy, their political influence, and their neuroses. A short, straightforward biography of Florence Nightingale, whose faith and drive transformed nursing and medical care during the Crimean War and made her a national heroine. For ages 9-13.