August 13th last was 115th anniversary of the death of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910).
Immortalised as the “The Lady with the Lamp” for her care of wounded soldiers in war, she left an impressive legacy of innovative and reforming work far, beyond the limitations this image suggests.
In November 1854, under pressure from the public, authorities in Britain dispatched Nightingale and an initial group of 38 female nurses to respond to the immense suffering of troops fighting in the Crimean War (1853-1856).
Many were dying from preventable diseases and causes other than wounds. Severe deficiencies in logistics and wrangling over jurisdiction fuelled the suffering. Nightingale wrote subsequently of how there was “not a sponge, not a rag of linen” to support her initial efforts.
Men waited days on the shoreline at t
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