Great Men and Women

1. When and where was Florence Nightingale born?

- In the year 1820, in the city of Florence, Italy, Florence was born.
2. What was Florence named after?
- She was called Florence after the Italian city, Florence.
3. Where did the family go, after the birth of Florence?
- They returned to their home in England.
4. How were Mr. and Mrs. Nightingale?
- They were fine people, but they were not very well suited to
each other.
5. How were Mr. and Mrs. Nightingale not very well suited to each
other?
- The mother was pretty gay, rather selfish and loved pleasure,
the father was pleasant and kind, but rather lazy.
6. How was Mr Nightingale lazy? Why?
- He was content to spend his days in hunting and fishing reading
and travel, because he had enough money to be able to live
without serious works.
7. Why was little Florence an unhappy child?
- Because her mother didn’t understand her. Her pleasant home
life was not the kind of life which she wanted. She had a great
deal of imagination and escaped into a dream world. She
didn’t feel at all close in spirit her mother.
8. How was Florence’s home life pleasant?
- Florence and her elder sister had their horses, dogs, cats and
birds to play with. But Florence had a feeling that she was
different.
9. How was the teaching of Parthe and Florence done?
- Most of the teaching of the two girls was done by their father
and by a lady teacher who came to the house.

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10. How was the plane of teaching the two girls brought difficulties,
although the father was a good teacher?
- Parthe was not interested in the lessons in history and language
which the father gave them, so Florence became a
companion of her father in the library, and Parthe the
companion of her mother in the living room. This division in the
family increased and the results were not pleasant.
11. Why is it possible for us today to know much about Florence?
- Because she used to write down all her thoughts and her
feelings.

1. What strange experience did Florence have when about

sixteen years old?
- In one of Florence’s writings we read the following “on February
7, 1837, God spoke to me and called me to his service, this
wasn’t a dream, for she declares that she heard a voice
outside herself speaking a loud in words.
2. How many times had “voices” spoken to her?
- She wrote that during her life “voices” had spoken to her at four
different times.
3. Did the voice make it clear to her what she was to do?
- No, it didn’t.
4. Did the idea of nursing come to her mind yet?
- No, it didn’t.
5. Why was Florence at peace at that time?
- Because she felt certain that one day God would speak again.
6. What had Florence done before the idea of nursing came to her
mind?
- She’d doctored her dolls, she’d cared for her animals, and
she’d liked babies.

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1. How were the years before the way became clear most difficult
ones?
- She travelled in Europe, she was gay in London, then came
illness, unhappiness and misunderstandings with her sister and
her mother.
2. What were the two events which helped her to believe that her
life-work was to be was nursing?
- Her grandmother fell sick and she was allowed to take care of
her. Also she was allowed to nurse the sick among the poor
people of their village.
3. What important thing did she learn from this service?
- It was commonly believed that to be a good nurse one had
only to be a woman and to be kind and helpful. Florence came
to believe that a nurse must be trained and know what to do
and when and how to do it.
4. How and where could Florence get this necessary training for
nursing?
- Suddenly she had an idea. Not too far from her home there was
a hospital, and the head doctor of the hospital was a family
friend. She would ask her family to let her work.
5. What happened when Florence asked her family to let her work
in a nearby hospital?
- A storm broke. Her father was very much displeased. The
mother was frightened, then very angry and then burst into
tears. No one was on her side.
6. How did Florence meet her family reaction to work as a nurse?
- She was lost, her courage was gone.
7. “I can see no reason for living on. I shall never do anything, and
am worse than dust and nothing”. Comment.
Florence said these words to herself to express her sadness and
misery to her family’s bad reaction to her working as a nurse.

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1. How were hospitals in 1845?
- They were terrible places, dirty, crowded, badly arranged and
full of smells and disorder.
2. Why didn’t the family and friends want her to work in a hospital?
- The real reason was the nurses. For the most part of the nurses
were not trained and they were nor good women at all.
3. What did the head nurse of one large hospital tell Florence?
- She told Florence that in her many years of service she had
never known a nurse who did not drink heavily.
4. Why were the last eight years since Florence was free to follow
her desires the hardest?
- It is only because she was so determined that she kept on. She
refused to marry a man who she loved and it caused her
sorrow.
5. Why couldn’t Florence marry?
- Because she carried out the work to which she had been
called.
6. How did Florence devote herself to her work? How was Florence
interested in hospitals?
- She looked at reports about hospitals, learned of the number of
sick people and the kinds of diseases they had. She worked in
the early hours of cold mornings to increase her knowledge of
hospital conditions, then she joined her family in the usual life of
their home.

1. What happened to Florence in the spring of 1853?

- She was invited to take charge of a nursing-home for ladies
who could no longer pay for hospital care.
2. What was the group of people in charge of the nursing-home
planning for?
- The group of people in charge was planning to move the home
to another place and needed a person who would be able to
act as head.

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3. What did Mr. Florence agree to do?
- He agreed to give Florence five hundred English pounds each
year.
4. Why did Florence take up her new work though it was hard?
- Because it was satisfying work and she enjoyed it.
5. What did Florence look like at that time?
- She was tall, graceful and pleasant, with a sweet smile and a
friendly manner.
6. Why was the money arrangements with the hospital made to
her?
- Because Mr. Florence agreed to give her five hundred English
pounds a year.
7. What did Florence look like at that time?
- She was tall, graceful and pleasant, with a sweet smile and a
friendly manner.
8. Why was the money arrangements with the hospital made no
difference to her?
- Because Mr Florence agreed to give her five hundred pounds
each year.
9. What did the sick ladies, letters to Florence show?
- They showed that sick ladies liked Florence very much.
10. What was there beneath Florence’s friendliness and
sweetness?
- There was a will of steel.
11. “Thank you ... you are our sunshine …were you to give up, all
would soon fade away” “comment”
- These thanking words were sent to Florence by a sick lady
showing her love, respect and gratitude for all Florence’s efforts
and help.
12. How did Florence have a will of steel?
- She knew how to make people work together and how to
arrange the work in the best way.

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1. What do you know about the Grimean War?
- A war had broken out between England and Russia, and a
British army had been sent to destroy the Russian army in the
Grimea on the black sea.
2. Where did the Russian and British armies fight?
- In the Grimea on the Black Sea.
3. Why did many thousands of British soldiers die?
- Because they had not proper tents, or food, or doctor’s care,
when thousands were wounded they could not be cared for,
many suffered terribly and died.
4. How did people of England know about what had happened to
the British army?
- A newspaper writer from one of the important London
newspapers visited the battle fields, the camps and the
hospitals and wrote what he had seen and the terrible stories he
had heard.
5. How were the people of England when they read the articles?
- They were terribly angry. They demanded that something be
done and whose fault it was.
6. Who was Sidney Herbert? What did he do?
- He was one of the men was blamed. He held an important
government position. He was a friend of Florence and knew
about her work. In a letter to her he expressed his thoughts.

1. Why were women are needed in the hospital in Scutari?

- Because the wounded were treated very roughly, a number of
ladies have offered to go out but they have no idea about
what is like nor what their duties would be.
2. Who wrote to Florence about the Scutari hospital?
- Sidney Herbert, who held an important government position.
3. What did Sidney Herbert want?
- He wanted Florence Nightingale to accept the task of choosing
nurses and going out to do the work that needed to be done.

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4. What was Nightingale’s reply to Mr. Herbert’s letter? Why?
- She was ready and eager to do the task, to prove the value
and importance of nurses.
5. Why was going to Scutari a golden chance to prove the nurses’
worth?
- If women nurses were able to be of service to the sick and
wounded under the difficult conditions, then never again would
nurses and nursing be looked down upon.
6. Why wasn’t the task of finding nurses an easy one?
- Because time was short and thousands of the wounded and
the sick were not cared for.
7. Why were most chosen nurses going to scutari?
- Because they were paid more than they get in England.

1. Who was Florence chosen by to do a such a difficult task?

- She was chosen by the government.
2. How were Mrs. Nightingale and sister Parthe more friendly?
- They hurried to London to help Florence.
3. How did the party of nurses get to Constantinople?
- They crossed over to France went by train to south of France,
and from there took a ship to Constantinople and went on
shore.
4. Why was the sea voyage unpleasant for Miss Nightingale?
- The sea voyage was very stormy and poor Florence spent all
the time in bed, seasick.
5. When did the party of nurses reach Constantinople?
- On November 3, 1854.
6. What did the party of nurses reach Constantinople?
- A cold wind was blowing, hungry dogs were fighting and a
dead horse was floating by the sea shore.

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1. What was the gigantic building built for?
- It was built for Turkish soldiers and now used as a hospital.
2. What did the hospital look like?
- It looked like a splendid giant’s palace, built around a
courtyard, in front of a square were miles of rooms and halls
with broken floors and wet walls. One part had been burned
and was no longer used.
3. From what did the wounded soldiers die?
- Wounded soldiers brought into the building died from diseases
caught in the building than died from their wounds.
4. What was the hospital like in winter?
- The hospital was without supplies that a hospital needs, even
supplies such as knives, forks, spoons and shirts.
5. What did the rules say about giving soldiers new supplies?
- They army rules said that when a soldier came to a hospital he
should bring with him his bag containing his clothes and other
things which the army had given him.
6. Why couldn’t the wounded soldiers bring their bags with them at
a hospital?
- Because their bags had been thrown away on left behind in the
disorder of battle, by the soldiers who were glad to escape with
their lives.
7. Why were the army rules very silly and cruel?
- Because the men in charge of these supplies on hand, refused
to give them out, saying that soldiers should have kept their
own. These were army rules.
8. “Sorry, my good fellow, yes should have kept your own. These
are army rules”
- These words were said by the men in charge of the supplies to
the supplies to the soldiers who lost their own in the battle they
refused to give them these supplies, saying that soldiers should
have kept their own.

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1. How did Florence and her party of thirty-eight nurse find their
residence in the hospital?
- They were given a few rooms which had been occupied by the
three doctors. The rooms were very small and dirty and there
was nothing in them except rats, insects, three chairs and the
body of a dead Russian officer.
2. How did the doctors meet the party of nurses?
- The doctors in the hospital weren’t happy to see the nurses
arrive because they did not want them there saying what a
group of women could do in a hospital of soldiers!
3. How did the doctors decide to treat the nurses?
- The doctors decided to pay no attention to them.
4. What did Miss Nightingale decide to do about the doctor’s
disregard? Why?
- Miss Nightingale, for her part, was determined that the nurses
must not work in the hospital unless they were invited to do so
by the doctors. They must wait to be asked. Because nurses
must help doctors and carry out their orders. It would be unwise
for them to work alone.
5. How long did the nurses wait and what did they do?
- They waited almost a week, they sat around, making bandages
and waiting.
6. What was the first chance to help?
- It was with the food in the kitchens where conditions were
terrible and the cooks were very careless. Florence was at last
allowed to enter the kitchens and see that the sick had well-
cooked and more suitable food.

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1. What brought serious trouble to the British army?
- Conditions in Grimea became worse and worse. The rain, the
mud, the lack of food and shelter, the cold of the early winter,
all working together brought serious trouble to the British Army.
2. How were the conditions very bad in the British army?
- There were no bed clothes, not enough medicines and other
supplies. The sick lay on the floors covered with dirt. The hospital
was crowded with thousands of wounded and sick and
suffering and dying.
3. Why did doctors turn to Florence nightingale?
- Because the work of this hospital, crowded with thousands of
wounded and sick and suffering and dying, was in complete
disorder.
4. What did the doctors understand when the conditions began to
improve?
- They understood that there was one person in Scutari who had
the money and the power and could get things done. Miss
Nightingale had a large amount of money from London which
she could use.
5. What did Miss Nightingale do with the money she had from
London?
- She bought two hundred of brushes and quantities of rough
cloth to clean the dirty floors. She rented a house, hired
washerwoman to wash the soldiers’ clothes. She sent to the
markets and bought the supplies needed, such as knives, forks,
scissors and combs, soap and tables, shirts and pots.
6. What happened at the beginning of December?
- News came that 600 more sick and wounded were on their way
from Black Sea. The hospital was completely filled, there was no
place to put them.
7. What could they do to put this large number of the sick and
wounded soldiers?
- The burned part of the building which was not used could only
be repaired.

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8. Who was the person who could give orders to have it repaired?
- There was no one except Miss Nightingale.
9. How did Miss Nightingale get the soldiers’ clothes washed?
- She rented a house, hired washer women and the clothes were
made clean.

1. How did she get the hospital repaired?

- She rented a house, hired 200 workmen and put them to work.
When the sick and wounded arrived their beds were ready.
2. “We felt we were in heaven” comment.
- These words were said by one of the sick men when he got off
the dirty boat which had brought them to Scutari and was
received by Miss Nightingale and the nurses with clean beds
and warm food.
3. Why were the relations between Miss Nightingale and the
nurses always unhappy?
- Nightingale felt it was necessary to have orders and obedience
within her group of nurses, because she wanted to prove to the
world the value of women nurses. She knew that a few women
working among thousands of men brought difficulties that
made the obedience to her orders necessary. A few nurses
hated Miss Nightingale and felt that she was too firm and
difficult to please.
4. Why did some nurses complain?
- Some nurses complained because they were forbidden to
enter the sick-rooms after 8 o’clock at night. Some complained
because they were not allowed to give a sick soldier the good
food they knew he needed unless the doctor had ordered it.
Some complained about the ugly caps they were forced to
wear.
5. How was the life of Miss Nightingale at this time?
- Her life was very busy and difficult. Her health had never been
very good, she seldom left the hospital to go anywhere. The
food was almost unbeatable. She was sometimes on her feet

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 for 24 hour and the living conditions at Scutari were most
undesirable.
6. Why did the men admire Miss Nightingale?
- Because she was able to make them stop using bad words in
their talk, to stop drinking and get them to write to their families.
She gave them courage to let the doctors operate on them
without complaint.

1. What did Miss Nightingale do when spring time came?

- She went up to the Grimea, to Balaclava, to visit the hospital
there.
2. What happened to Florence in the Crimea?
- She came down with a high fever, and was seriously ill, for two
weeks she lay between life and death.
3. How was the hospital at Scutari when the men heard the news
of her illness?
- They turned their faces to the wall and wept. All their trust was in
her.
4. How was the news of her illness received in England?
- The news was received with great sorrow and when word came
that she was getting better, people stopped one another in the
streets to tell the good news.
5. What did Miss Nightingale do after getting better?
- When she was able to move. She returned to Scutari and after
a few weeks she was back in the hospital again.
6. What was Miss Nightingale’s work like at this time?
- Her work at this time fell into two parts. The first was during the
terrible winter of 1854-5. She received the support of all. The
second was from the spring to her return to England in the
summer of 1856.

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1. Why was the second part of Florence’s work an unhappy one?
- There were people in the hospital and in the army who became
her enemies.
2. Why did head doctors and officers speak against Miss
Nightingale and her work?
- When the people of England learned of the bad conditions
among common soldiers, the disorder in the hospitals and in the
army, there was a storm of complaint. Some of the head
doctors and officers didn’t like this and tried to blame Miss
Nightingale and spoke against her and her work and wanted
her to leave.
3. Who spoke against Miss Nightingale at this time?
- The officers and head doctors spoke against her, tried to blame
her and wanted her to leave.
4. How did some officers treat the soldiers?
- They treated common soldiers like mere animals.
5. What was the other aim, Miss Nightingale added to her work?
- She was determined to improve the conditions among
common soldiers.
6. Why did Miss Nightingale believe, the soldiers behaved in a bad
way?
- Because they were given no chance to behave differently.
7. How could common soldiers behave differently in a good way?
- Soldiers could behave differently in a good way if they sent
money quickly and safely home, if they gave them schools,
gave them books and games and amusements.
8. How did Miss Nightingale feel about the soldiers?
- She felt that she must look after the soldiers, not only when they
were ill, but when they were well.

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1. What did Miss Nightingale do for the soldiers?
- She opened a small reading-room. It was furnished with tables
and chairs, maps and pictures. She wanted to hire a teacher to
teach those who couldn’t read or write, but she was refused.
She made a custom of spending and the soldier’s money was
sent on safely and quickly to their families in England. From her
own money she bought paper and pens and ink and
newspapers.
2. What was the result of Miss Nightingale’s work?
- The picture of the common soldier as a drunken beast
disappeared and never to return.
3. Why did the soldiers bring their money to her?
- It wasn’t easy to send money to the soldier’s families she
therefore made a custom of spending in her room and the
soldiers brought their money to her and the money was quickly
and safely sent on to England.
4. Why was Florence’s task ended and she could go home?
- Because peace came between Russia and England and in July
the work in hospital became lighter and the last sick soldier left
the Scutari hospital.

1. Why wasn’t going home an easy matter?

- For all England wished to honour her.
2. Why did people of England wish to honour her?
- During the months of war, wounded and sick thousands had
written home about her and her loving care, they wanted to
show her what they thought of her and her work.
3. How were the plans being made to welcome her home?
- There were to be crowds of cheering people, music, speeches
and gifts.
4. How did the government want to honour her?
- The government wished to send her home on warship.

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5. How did Miss Nightingale travel home?
- She went on a regular ship, under the name of “Miss Smith” to
southern France. Then across France by train, by boat to
England, then on to London and home.

1. How was Miss Nightingale after the war?

- She was tired out and ill, But there was much work to do.
2. What did Florence went to do for the soldiers?
- She was determined to fight to bring about better conditions
among the common soldiers in the army, for she knew how bad
they were.
3. What was the first thing Florence had to do to bring about better
conditions among the common soldiers?
- She must first gain the respect of those in power in England.
4. Why did she feel that people in power would never respect her
or listen to her?
- They would never respect her or listen to her, so long as the
public praised her and looked upon her as someone in a story-
book.
5. Why did she want to destroy her frame?
- Because people in power in England would dislike her and
would not believe that such a woman had anything useful to
offer.
6. How did Miss Nightingale purposely set out to destroy her
frame?
- After her return to England she never appeared in public, never
made a speech, never attended a party she wanted the public
to forget her.
7. What did most people believe after they’d heard nothing of Miss
Nightingale?
- They believed that she was probably dead.
8. How old was Florence when she returned home from Scutari?
- She was only thirty-six years old.

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1. What were Florence’s life aims?
- Two great aims were ever before her improving the conditions
of the common soldier in the army, and making nursing a well-
paid respected life-work for women.
2. What were the results of Miss Nightingale’s efforts to nursing?
- Because of her, nursing is what it is today. The Nightingale
Training School for Nurses was started near one of the large
hospitals of England. The fine training that thousands of young
women received here during the years that followed has
greatly changed nursing all over the world. The little book on
nursing which she wrote at this time is still interesting to read.

1. What happened in Miss Nightingale’s later years?

- Kings and queens honoured her; government officers and
famous doctors came to her for advice about hospitals; nurses
and the sick poor for whom she worked were grateful to her.
2. How old was she when she died?
- She was ninety years old.
3. What is marked on her grave stone?
- F.N. BORN 1820….Died 1910.

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