Florence Nightingale: Angel in the Dark

By Jenn Kennedy, BSN, RN, PMH-BC

Clinical Nurse Educator/ANR Chair

The legacy of Florence Nightingale has never been more important than during this year: the 200th since her birth. Also dubbed the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, 2020 has been a climactic year for everyone in health care. Also called the Lady of the Lamp and Angel of the Crimea because of her work in the Crimean War, Nightingale was a light in dark times for many. During the current pandemic, the work of nurses and other medical caregivers has similarly become like a light in the dark. And they continue to prioritize something of which Nightingale was the first nurse to insist: “Every nurse ought to wash her hands… frequently” (Glasper, 2020). Lo! In that house of misery A lady with a lamp I see Pass through the glimmering gloom, And flit from room to room.

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In letters to her sister, Nightingale mentioned calls from God to devote her life to the service of others. While in Cairo, she wrote, “God called me in the morning and asked me would I do good for him alone without reputation” (Chaney, 2006). She viewed her mission from God as so important that she never married or had children, fearing it would hinder her work.

Nightingale was a ray of hope for the soldiers in Crimea, much like nurses have been for patients and families this year. Medical professionals have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and have guided the way through the fear and unknown like lamps in the darkness. As we honor the 200-year-old legacy of Florence Nightingale, let’s continue to shine.

Article References

Glasper, A. (2020). Celebrating Florence Nightingale and her contribution to nursing. British Journal of Nursing, 29(13), 790–791.

(2020) Tribute to... FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE. Community Practitioner, 93(3), 21.

Chaney, E. (2006). Egypt in England and America: The Cultural Memorials of Religion, Royalty and Revolution. Sites of Exchange: European Crossroads and Faultlines. Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi.