Florence Nightingale was born in 1820 to a wealthy British family. Throughout her youth, her father oversaw her extensive education; she was taught language, philosophy, mathematics, history, and literature. Her interest in nursing manifested itself at a very young age as she would often help relatives and nearby villagers who had fallen ill.

At sixteen years old, the religiously devout Florence felt herself divinely called toward the nursing profession. This vocation was strongly opposed by her family, for nursing in the mid-nineteenth century was a low-paying profession for middle-class laborers with little to no training. Her frustrated hopes and feelings of grief inspired her to write the semi-autobiographical essay “Cassandra” in 1852—though it was not published until 1928. This work was written as a criticism of the limitations placed on women of the English upper-class as Nightingale felt that the bounds of her own social position kept her from pursuing her dreams of nursing. She also explored the unequal opportunities available to Victorian men and women.

During her period of professional frustration, Nightingale spent much of her time Europe and Asia. While in Germany, she was allowed to study in Kaiserswerth where she was taught nursing and hospital administration. After a short stint as the superintendent of a small hospital for gentlewomen, Nightingale left England to work as a military nurse in the Crimean War. Upon her arrival, she was distressed by the unsanitary hospital conditions. Nightingale insisted upon basic hygiene such as clean bandages, regular cleanings, and sufficient nutrition for the wounded soldiers.

Following the war, the now respected nurse returned to England to open the Nightingale School of Nursing at St. Thomas’ Hospital which became a respected school for female study. Before her death in 1910, she was honored as the first female recipient of the British national award the Order of Merit.

Additional Readings: 

McDonald, Lynn, and Florence Nightingale. Collected Works of Florence Nightingale : An

Introduction to Her Life and Family, Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2002. 

"Florence Nightingale." Britannica Academic, Encyclopædia Britannica, 13 Jan. 2021. 

“‘Cassandra’ by Florence Nightingale .” Florence Nightingale Museum, www.florence

nightingale.co.uk/cassandra-by-florence-nightingale/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.