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She Revolutionised Statistics. So Why Do We Only Remember Her as a Nurse?
Gender stereotypes continue to overshadow women’s true contributions to history
On February 8, 1855, The Times published a report on Florence Nightingale’s work during the Crimean War that would shape her public image for generations to come:
She is a ‘ministering angel’ without any exaggeration in these hospitals, and as her slender form glides quietly along each corridor, every poor fellow’s face softens with gratitude at the sight of her. When all the medical officers have retired for the night, and silence and darkness have settled down upon these miles of prostrate sick, she may be observed alone, with a little lamp in her hand, making her solitary rounds.
From that moment on, and thanks to a slew of similar romanticised depictions, Nightingale became known as ‘The Lady with the Lamp’ — a saintly, self-sacrificing nurse who tended to wounded British soldiers in the dead of night. Even today, this is still primarily how we remember her.
But while this portrayal honours her compassion, it also obscures the true extent of her contributions.
Florence Nightingale wasn’t just a caregiver. Most importantly, though, what really saved countless lives, both then and now…
