Today in History

May 12, 1820
A Lamp is Lit
Florence Nightingale is born in Florence, Italy to British parents, William and Frances Nightingale. At 25 she rebels against the expected domestic role for a woman of her upper-class status and becomes a nurse, serving most notably in the Crimean War, 1854-56. A leading advocate for improved medical care, she highlights the importance of sanitary conditions in hospitals, noting the majority of soldiers' deaths were resulting not from their wounds but simply from poor living conditions. In 1860 she establishes the first school for training nurses. Three years before her death at 90 in 1910, she is the first woman to receive the Order of Merit from the British king.



Today's Feature History Article

Rogone

A Neonatal Niche

Medical companies ignored the needs of premature infants, inspiring a nurse to become an entrepreneur





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