1854 When the Crimean War broke out, the war report of Time magazine reporter William Rosa revealed that the wounded and sick in Britain "lacked the most common simple appliances in the wards", which shocked British society and aroused the public's attention to nursing work. The then Prime Minister Sidney Herbert naturally thought of inviting his friend Nightingale to do it well, which coincided with Nightingale's wish. As soon as the call for nurses came out, women from various Christian groups readily responded, and Nightingale had to make a choice. She called for "nurses with healthy vision" and "regardless of religious denominations, whether Roman Catholic nuns, Protestant deacons, Christian hospital nurses, Anglican nuns, etc." . She and 38 nurses went to the first-line Scutari Hospital and started her great and noble nursing career. At that time, materials were scarce, water sources were insufficient and sanitary conditions were extremely poor. She overcame all kinds of difficulties, improved hospital logistics service and environmental sanitation, established hospital management system, and improved nursing quality, so that the mortality rate of the wounded and sick dropped sharply from 42% to 2%. Nightingale not only showed extraordinary organizational ability, but also showed touching care for the wounded and sick. During the operation, she helped the doctor to relieve the patient's pain: cleaning and dressing the wound and nursing the wounded; Write letters to soldiers to give comfort; Burying the unfortunate dead and offering sacrifices to them ... often working more than 20 hours a day. When night fell, she carried a small oil lamp, along the rugged path, and in the camp four miles away, she checked the sick and wounded bed by bed. The soldiers affectionately called her "the lady with the lantern", "the goddess with the lantern" and "the angel of Crimea". The wounded and sick wrote: "The lights are swaying and floating, and the cold night seems to be full of warmth ... We have hundreds of wounded people lying there. When she came, we scrambled to kiss her slender figure floating on the wall and then lay back on the pillow contentedly. " This is called "kiss on the wall". Therefore, "nurses holding lamps" and "nursing college students burning candles and wearing hats" have also become the common theme of Nightingale commemorative stamps and special stamps for nurses.
Angels of Crimea
1853, the war between Russia and Turkey was caused by religious opposition. At that time, Britain and France, which tried to stop Russia's southward policy, went to war to support Turkey. The main battlefield is the Crimean Peninsula, which stands out in the Black Sea, so it is called "Crimean War". In the second year of the war, 1854, nightingale organized a team of 38 nurses to go to the battlefield at the request of the commander-in-chief of the army. She is thirty-four years old. In the next two years, she carried out heroic rescue activities. Therefore, she is called "the angel of Crimea", and her name has been recorded in the history books of the world.
At that time, the young Russian officer Tolstoy served in Crimea. He once wrote: "The so-called war is not an orderly and beautiful scene in which military music is played in unison, drums are ringing, flags are flying, and riding generals are graceful. Its real situation is bloodshed, pain and death. " (The Complete Works of Tolstoy Volume II, translated by Bai Ye Nakamura, published by Hehe Learning Publishing House). As Tolstoy described, the battlefield at that time could not distinguish between friends and enemies, showing a very tragic scene.
The scene in the British field hospital where Nightingale is located is also terrible. Wounded soldiers keep coming in, and the number of cholera patients has also increased sharply, but medical supplies, food and materials are extremely insufficient. Moreover, it is said that the buildings of field hospitals are extremely unsanitary, so many soldiers who came here were infected with the plague and died. Nightingale almost died because she grew up in a very superior family environment and was not so strong. But she survived all these difficulties. She wrote in the letter: "Crimean fever, dysentery, measles and so on. Now I have tasted all the diseases brought by the water and soil here. Therefore, I believe that my body can fully adapt to the water and soil climate here, and I am ready to stand the test of this war with the soldiers. " (The Life of florence nightingale, written by Cecil Uzdam and Smith, translated by Michiko Wushan, Modern Publishing House) Moreover, there is obvious discrimination in the medical team. Those doctors who pretend to be authoritative don't care about nightingale and other nurses at all, and don't even let them walk into the ward. Excellent nurses observe patients very carefully, sometimes even more accurately than doctors. Therefore, nurses must be respected and never despised. But at that time, the society showed ignorance and incomprehension about the work of nurses everywhere. It is said that it is in this environment that she is responsible for cleaning, washing, eating and even all the supplies. She is busy with housework all day. But she didn't mind these things, and still insisted: "We have our mission." If you are an ordinary person, I am afraid you will be full of resentment and change your ambition in such a bad situation and cruel working conditions. But she didn't change her original intention and carried her mission to the end.
Nightingale made great sacrifices in the work of nurses. In order to take care of soldiers, sometimes they stand all day without rest. Sometimes, on the contrary, I have to kneel there for hours to tie bandages. As the fighting was extremely cruel, the soldiers died one after another. Nightingale expressed deep sympathy for many soldiers who died in cold and loneliness. She very much hopes that "there will be no more soldiers who die alone in frustration", so she tries her best to care for and encourage the dying soldiers in front of her. Seeing her running here and there for a while, the soldiers even thought there were several nightingales in the hospital! Moreover, she is also responsible for something unrelated to nursing work, that is, she must write a lot of letters. A large number of soldiers die every day. Because of the interruption of contact, relatives in their hometown are very concerned. Even if they wrote to the military organs, it was hard to expect the officers who claimed to be authoritative bureaucrats to give cordial answers at that time. Therefore, relatives of soldiers sometimes naturally write to nightingale. And she was as busy as a bee, reading one by one and replying sincerely one by one. She wrote a reply to a soldier's wife, which is still preserved today. This is a letter telling his wife that her husband, a soldier, has died unfortunately. Her words are full of sympathy and meticulous care, and even if they are not related by blood, they have to be read through with tears. She also put a subsidy application form in the letter, explaining in detail how to go through the formalities and help the other party come up with various ideas. She wrote a lot of letters in her life. According to Thomas, the producer of nightingale's works, "one saying is that there are 10 thousand letters, and the other is that there are 10 thousand letters." She writes for neither reward nor fame.
She just wants to accomplish her mission. This fully shows her lofty image. However, despite her great and sincere dedication and efforts, she encountered many objections and interferences. Of course, a large number of soldiers who are directly cared for by kindness are sincerely grateful and trust her. On the other hand, there is also the trust given to her by soldiers, full of despicable slander and jealousy. Therefore, a hundred years ago and now, people's minds have not made any progress. However, she has gone beyond this point and made progress. She is the real brave, who can carry out the established mission from beginning to end. She made such a record in the nursing memo: "What is all the so-called' sense of mission'? I thought it was like this: finish the work in order to realize the lofty ideals that you think are' most correct' and' most perfect', rather than being' reminded' because you are not active. " (The first volume of Nightingale's works, edited by tommasi, Tanzboy, etc. "Do what others say" is not an act based on a sense of mission, but a conscientious act. "Others don't say, do it yourself", this is the precious spirit. She went on to write: "This is' working wholeheartedly', and in order to accomplish her' mission' … everyone should have this spirit. ..... If a nurse doesn't care about the patient in pursuit of the perfect realization of the ideal, then no matter what others do, she can't care with great enthusiasm. " She emphasized that in order to successfully complete her mission, she can take the initiative to work without instructions from others, which can be called "single-minded". I think a person's life is determined by what work he has done and how much happiness he brings to the present society and family. I'm afraid the key lies in whether to do your best to complete your mission, whether to let your life burn fully, and bring benefits to the times and society through this flame. It is often said that compared with men, women are passionate, emotional and easy to lose their minds. However, once you set a tall and correct goal and have a sense of mission, you can exert a unique and great power that men do not have. Nightingale's great career fully illustrates this point.
Create modern nursing work with hard sweat
Later, florence nightingale was called "the angel of Crimea", and her fearless image on the battlefield was widely known. But she is famous as a "great man" because she is the founder of modern medical work. Her anecdotes in the Crimean war are just the starting point of her great career in her long life. And because of overwork on the battlefield, she never got rid of her illness all her life. On the one hand, nightingale struggled with the diseases that afflicted her, but at the same time, she was not limited to nursing work, but actively engaged in more important national work such as hospital reform and improving health conditions in India. Today, she is called the starting point for nurses in the world to create modern nursing work and is regarded as a model for nurses. Her deeds tell us that when you set a starting point and live for your beliefs, even if you are sick, it will not be an obstacle to you. The key to success lies in whether you stick to it or not. In addition, what amazed me was the scope of Nightingale's activities and her ingenious conception ability to create this situation. The real value of a person who has set a life goal and acted on it lies in that he can become an educator and practitioner and adapt to multi-level social activities.
She started as an ordinary nurse, gradually expanded her activities, and finally laid the foundation of modern nursing system. She cherishes life, so her vision gradually expands from one person to a family, a region, a country and even the world. She lives not only as a philanthropist, but on the basis of kindness. In order to save more people, she often makes extremely calm and thorough analysis and consideration, and constantly puts forward suggestions for improvement to the British government and the War Department. To this end, many people have been offended. However, she has been fighting against laziness and ignorance in society that put the weak in unnecessary death. In short, she didn't end her life as an ordinary nurse. It should be said that in the process of completely completing the nursing work, she has opened up a large fertile ground for her mission. She has clear ideals about all aspects of nursing work. It may be the strong belief of living for a lifetime's mission that gives her a strong and tireless thinking ability. Through her own thinking, she arranged and synthesized everything she heard and saw to form a new idea. And in order to realize this new idea, go forward bravely, regardless of the criticism and praise of the world. Nightingale wrote in a letter when she was in Crimea: "Today, nursing is only a small part of my work." (The Life of florence nightingale, written by Cecil Uzdam and Smith, translated by Michiko Wushan, Modern Publishing House) Since then, she has been responsible for all the work of managing and operating the hospital. She must be deeply aware that in order to carry out adequate nursing, not only doctors and nurses need to work together, but everyone must cooperate. She has realized that in order to achieve welfare and health goals, many people need to unite and organize. It can be said that from then on, she embarked on the road of life to complete a greater mission. Her thoughts on modern nursing system were formed in the practice at that time. In addition, although she was born in the upper class, she was able to actively contact people from all walks of life through nursing work, which is also a valuable experience to promote her diversified thinking ability.
The real hero is a modest man.
1856 After the Crimean War ended, Nightingale returned to Britain and was warmly welcomed by the people. Because of the praise of the soldiers who returned home early, she was honored as a hero by the masses and her reputation was greatly shocked. However, she is not complacent because of people's praise. The horror of the Crimean war and her desire for further reform occupied her whole body and mind. Regarding what is a "real hero", florence nightingale has a passage that begins like this: "If the so-called hero refers to a person who has done noble work for others, then," she went on to say, "such a person must be modest and prudent, not arrogant and impetuous." (The Collection of Nightingale, Volume III, edited by tommasi, Tanzi Bojing, Modern Publishing House Edition) When it comes to heroes, people often think of an image that is high-spirited, arrogant and complacent. But she said that "a person who is neither arrogant nor impetuous, modest and prudent" is the hero. Although some people think they are great, they are actually just a little doll-like person in the world. Only those who lack real strength are arrogant. Modesty is to face yourself frankly and actively reflect the inner world of self-growth and expansion. Modest people are always generous and can understand things correctly. Arrogant people are always restless and easily succumb to vanity. If a hero is a "person who works for others", it can be said that his essential condition is naturally to have a noble personality, deep kindness and actions taken from it. Nightingale also said: "If women handle important tasks in their daily lives as they do in major events, or do better to make everyone a hero, then nurses who contribute to others every day are heroes." (ditto) Heroes not only appear on the vigorous stage, but also in great and magnificent works. Among those who silently contribute to others every day, there are also real heroes. Dedication to others will make you really feel happy and fulfilled. The sense of accomplishment brought by "unpaid behavior" can make your most precious life full of colorful vitality.
Nightingale's great success and selfless work spirit in Crimea have won worldwide praise. The importance of nursing work has been recognized by people, and nursing work has been concerned by the society since then.
1856 after the war, nightingale left the field hospital and returned to London with her sick body. The British public donated huge sums of money in recognition of her achievements. Nightingale used this fund as the "Nightingale Fund" and founded the world's first nursing school at St. Thomas Hospital in London on 1860. Later, it began to train midwives and nurses in workhouses, which promoted the development of nursing work and nurse education in western European countries and around the world. She stressed that nursing is a non-religious occupation, and nurses with scientific training and excellent quality must be responsible for nursing education and management. Working with weak physical passion, she devoted her life to cultivating nursing talents, established the social status of nursing and the scientific status of modern nursing, and made nursing an important part of modern medicine and a respected profession. Modern nursing is the product of social development, and the emergence of professional nurses is the result of the continuous improvement of specialization in the process of modernization, and it is also an important victory of women's self-improvement movement. The qualification of professional nurses should be limited by the standards of nurse education, and the registration and licensing system should be adhered to. Nightingale has many works. Her masterpiece Nursing Work Record (published in 1858) became a best seller at that time and was translated into many languages, which is a classic work of modern nursing.
1867, in Waterloo Square, London, the Crimean Monument was built, and a bronze lamp statue was cast for florence nightingale, next to the bronze statue of Sidney Herbert.
1907, the British government awarded nightingale the highest medal of honor, which was the first time that the medal was awarded to a woman. The great revolutionary mentor Marx praised this gentle and strong woman twice in his manuscript: "No local man has enough perseverance to break this set of stereotypes and can take action according to the needs of the situation regardless of the rules. Only one person dares to do this, and that is a woman, Miss Nightingale. She was sure that all the necessary items were in the warehouse, so she led a few brave people to really pry open the lock and steal her Majesty's warehouse, and claimed to the petrified quartermaster that I finally had everything I needed. Now please tell Britain what you see! I will take full responsibility! "
19 10 one night, nightingale, a 90-year-old tired old man, died peacefully in her sleep. In order to commemorate her forever, the International Association of Nurses and the International Red Cross designated her birthday-May 12 as the International Nurses' Day, and decided to name the highest honor award for nurses, the Nightingale Award, after Nightingale. Starting from 19 12, the nightingale award is awarded to outstanding nurses from all countries every two years. Many outstanding nurses who have made outstanding contributions in China have won the Nightingale Award. Nightingale lamp, which warms the hearts of the wounded and sick, will always shine on the road of nursing. In her own words, her lifelong service is: "The kingdom of heaven is in our hearts, but we must make it visible."