Heralding the Way to a New World

Portrait of Florence Nightingale, courtesy of the Wellcome Library, London

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) is best-known as the founder of modern nursing. Prior to her innovative work in the field, nursing was seen as lowly work to be completed by servants or less reputable women. Nightingale campaigned relentlessly to establish a respected profession and to improve health standards, publishing more than 200 works in this quest. She was also an accomplished statistician and a dedicated social reformer, focusing much of her work on woman suffrage, midwifery, access to the medical profession, the treatment of sex workers, and medical services for Indian women.