Florence Nightingale (artifacts 4)

Florence Nightingale (May 12, 1820 – August 13, 1910), was a famous English nurse. She helped create the modern techniques of nursing. She helped a lot of wounded soldiers during the Crimean War to get better. She was the first female to receive the Order of Merit, the highest honour awarded to a British person. As a nurse she adopted the name 'The Lady with the Lamp' because at night, she checked on the wounded soldiers and always carried 'The Lamp' with her. Florence Nightingale was a wonderful women who fought the odds of not living a life expected by her family. She helped make modern nursing possible. Florence Nightingale was born into a very rich, upper class British family in 1820 in Florence, Italy. She was named after the town where she was born. The family moved back to London when Florence was a young girl.


Her parents expected her to become a wife and a mother but in 1845 she decided to become a nurse. While she was training she campaigned for better conditions for poor people in Britain. In 1854 Florence was working in Harley Street in London when the Crimean war started. She read many reports about the poor treatment of sick and injured soldiers. Shortly afterward she traveled to Crimea to see for herself. She found the hospitals crowded and dirty.


Florence realized that soldiers died more often from diseases like cholera than from their injuries in war. She used her knowledge of math and statistics to show the British government that providing better conditions for sick and injured soldiers would help them win the war. While she was working in Crimea she became known as “The Lady with the Lamp” because she would walk around the hospital in the evening carrying a lamp and check on the soldiers. When she returned to England she started a school for nurses at St. Thomas’s hospital in London.

In 1907, Florence Nightingale became the first woman ever to be awarded the Order of Merit by Queen Victoria. Florence died in 1910 in London. There are many statues of her in Britain, including one in Waterloo Place in London and a Florence Nightingale museum, also in London.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0hQJlioytI

Reflection questions:

1) a. What main topic does the artifact relates to? In what way?

ans: This artifact relates to the main topic Human health – advancement of medicine, because this artifact is about florence, and she's the one who create the modern techniques of nursing and made nursing possible in modern life.

b. Which other main topic does it also relate to?

ans: It also relates to inventions.

2) Why did you choose this artifact, and how much time did you spend creating and /or processing it?

ans: I chose this artifact on florence nightingale because I think she's an important person in history, and there are lots of interesting fact about her. In addition, her story isn't so complicated and so informative. I spend around 50 minutes on this artifact.

3) What insights and understanding have you gained from the creation and/or processing of this artifact?

ans: I understanded how people can be so altruistic, and willing to help wounded soldier (that is not a happy thing, looking at wounds that are the solutions of battles).

4) Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas? Why, or why not?

ans: I don't think this artifact reflected my best work because I did not spend a lot of time on it. Also, I cannot find a suitable video introducing the life of florence.

5) Rate this artifact on a scale of -5 to 5 (0 is neutral) for the following four criterion.

a. Impact on the quality of your portfolio. 1
b. Impact on your level of enjoyment and happiness. 0
c. Impact on your learning. 1
d. Level of creativity and Originality. 0

ans: 1

6) Any additional comments.

ans: No comment.