International Nurses Day: Florence Nightingale and other nurses who inspired in history

International Nurses day is celebrated with gusto and enthusiasm across the world to honour the nurses who work tirelessly to take care of the sick and wounded until they are hale and hearty again. The occasion is also celebrated in honour of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Here are some of them who did not give up in healing the wounded, established nursing centres and educated others about the science of nursing. 

Florence Nightingale

This year marks the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale. Nightingale was born in the UK in 1820. She was a statistician and a social reformer who later became the foundational philosopher in modern nursing. During the Crimean war, she was put in charge of nursing the British and allied soldiers in Turkey. According to reports, while taking care of the wounded soldiers, she used to make many rounds in the night, therefore, giving her the nickname ‘Lady with the lamp.’ It was her efforts to formalise nursing that the first scientifically based school, Nightingale School of Nursing was established in London. 

Clara Barton

Barton, born in 1821, later founded the American Red Cross. She was an educator and an independent nurse during the American civil war from 1861 to 1865. She initially worked for the International Red Cross but later lobbied for an American branch. According to reports, many soldiers have given account that she risked her life multiple times to bring supplies to soldiers on the field. 

Walt Whitman

Whitman, known today for his work in journalism and literature also volunteered as a nurse to serve the wounded in the American Civil war. According to the Nursing Center, Whitman tended to the sick, listened to the stories of soldiers and wrote letters for them. He estimated he had visited "more than 100,000 wounded soldiers" by the end of his service.

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Margaret Sanger

Sanger, born in 1879 is known as the founder of ‘Planned Parenthood.’ It was she who popularized the term ‘Birth Control’. In 1916, she opened first birth control clinic in the United States. She was also a zealous advocate for woman's rights and a eugenics enthusiast. She is an important figure in the reproductive rights movement. 

Mary Seacole

Seacole was a Jamaican-British nurse who set up the 'British Hotel' behind lines during the Crimen war. She described it as "a mess-table and comfortable quarters for sick and convalescent officers", and provided succour for wounded servicemen on the battlefield. As a woman of mixed race, she overcame double prejudice to become a pioneering nurse. According to reported accounts, she also visited the battlefield, sometimes under fire, to nurse the wounded, and became known as 'Mother Seacole'.

Read: International Nurses Day: Politicians, Celebrities Pay Respects To Frontline Warriors

Mary Carson Breckinridge

Born in 1881, she was an  American Nurse Midwife and the founder of the Frontier Nursing Service. Breckinridge turned to nurse to overcome the travails of her children's deaths and her divorce and joined the American Committee for Devastated France. It was during this time that she served as volunteer director of Child Hygiene and District Nursing.

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