Chotard Doll

Friends,  

Today we celebrate Florence Nightingale; she will be forever remembered as “The Lady with the Lamp,” the caring nurse moving through the hospital to check the wounded soldiers from the war in Crimea. 

But her life story is very much larger. Born in Florence, Italy, for which she was named, into a wealthy and liberal British family, she received an advanced  education, developing an ability to collect and sort data which earned her later acclaim as a statistician. 

At the age of 17 she received what she recognized as  calls from God, which began her life of service. She chose to enter nursing, although her family disapproved, considering it inappropriate for a woman of her status in society.  

Best known for introducing  hygiene into Crimean military hospitals, she founded the first nursing school in London, wrote Notes on Nursing, which became the classic introduction to nursing care. Nurses who benefitted from her instruction served in many locations, including America.  

She worked tirelessly to improve conditions of health and promoted several political measures which improved conditions for prostitutes and all levels of British society.  She lived her life as a Christian, serving those in need and leaving a remarkable legacy.  

The account of her life reads like a chronicle of service and offering of her knowledge and skills, including over 200 books, pamphlets and articles. 

If you know or encounter a nurse today, praise her for her service and her inheritance from Florence Nightingale! 

Faithfully, 

—Chotard