BALOO'S BUGLE

BALOO'S BUGLE - (September 2016 RT / October 2016 Prog Ideas) Page 10
In 1860 she founded the Nightingale School and
Home for Nurses in London, England, teachingthe
nurses how to be kind and compassionate while
treating their patients. She used funds contributed
by the public to honor her work in the Crimea.
By 1901, Florence Nightingale was completely
blind. The King awarded her the Order of Merit in
1907, making Florence Nightingale the first
woman to receive that honor.
Florence Nightingale declined the offer of a
national funeral and of burial at Westminster
Abbey, requesting that her grave be marked
simply.
"Nurses dispense comfort, compassion, and caring
without even a prescription." Val Saintsbury
Other Famous Nurses
As you read above, Nursing was a profession that
was taken up by girls and women of the lower
class during the 19th century. It was not
considered to be a well-accepted profession for
women and the public perception of nurses was
not very high. But, women like Florence
Nightingale with their kindness, selflessness and
desire, to help people in need, changed the outlook
of society towards nursing. Nurses became the
backbone of the medical profession, without
whom the sick and injured would have been lost.
During war-time, the duties of nurses made them
front-runners in hospitals, who gave emotional
support and showed kindness to the injured
soldiers away from home. They became the most
respected women who not just lent a helping hand,
but kindly and compassionately lent a patient ear
to the sick who wanted to share their woes.
Famous nurses throughout history helped change
the future of medicine with their courage and
intelligence. Here are some famous nurses in
history who will always be admired by the
medical community for their compassionate acts
and altruistic dedication.
Famous Nurses in the Civil War
The Civil War saw many heroes emerge from
different walks of life, and women were not left far
behind with their acts of courage and kindness.
Many women dedicated their life to help the sick
and injured men to get them back on their feet
Dorothea Dix
She was a US nursing pioneer who was a strong
advocate for the mentally ill patients and even
prisoners. She was the driving force behind the
first mental asylums to be started in the United
States. She was not only an outspoken social
activists, but was the Civil War Superintendent of
Union Army of Nurses. Dorothea Dix asked the
MA legislature for reforms in 1843 to end the
inhumane conditions the mentally ill were kept in.
Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Todd Lincoln was not only the first lady of
America, but a tireless nurse. She was a welleducated
woman from Lexington, Kentucky who
married Abraham Lincoln. She is remembered for
her dedication in tending wounded soldiers during
the Civil War.
Clara Barton
One of the most famous women in American
history Clarissa Harlowe Barton is known as the
'Angel of the Battlefield'. During the Civil War,
she carried supplies to the battlefield and is known
as the founder of Red Cross.
"The door that nobody else will go in at, seems
always to swing open widely for me." Clara Barton