(1820-1910), an English nurse and social activist, founder of the modern system of care. She was born May 12, 1820 in Florence in a wealthy family. In England, her father had two estates, where he spent his childhood, Florence; where she received a good education. From 1837 to 1839 traveled with his parents to Europe. Seeing how many people suffer from diseases, Florence became interested in the problems of caring for the sick, visited the hospital. Winter 1847-1848 she held in Rome, and in 1849 he traveled to Italy, Greece and Egypt. On the way back visited the Institute of deaconesses in Kaiserswerth (Germany). In England, she returned with a determination to become a nurse. The following year Florence spent three months at the school sisters of mercy in Kaiserswerth. Two weeks studied in Paris, but illness forced her to interrupt classes. Formal training Florence Nightingale limited to these three and a half months. In 1853 she became the head of a small private hospital in Harley Street, London. When the Crimean War, the War Minister S.Herbert Nightingale asked to go to the front and to establish service care for the wounded in field hospitals. In October 1854, Florence, along with 38 assistants, among whom were nuns and professional nurses as Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, went to the first field hospitals at Scutari (Turkey), and then to the Crimea. Here she consistently implement the principles of sanitation and nursing care for the wounded. As a result, less than six months in the hospitals mortality fell from 42 to 2.2%. On his return to England in 1856 Nightingale immediately set about reorganizing the army medical service. In 1857, the government has allocated funds for the organization commission of the necessary reforms. In 1859 the Minister of War once again became Herbert, and use it to Nightingale has ensured that hospitals were equipped with ventilation and sanitation; hospital staff are required to attend the necessary training; hospitals were strict statistical processing of all information; was organized by the medical school; conducted awareness of the importance of disease prevention. Working as a nurse, Florence Nightingale gained vast experience, which she shared in books Remarks about the factors that affect the health, efficiency and management of hospitals of the British Army (Notes on Matters Affecting the Health, Efficiency and Hospital Administration of the British Army, 1857) and How to care for the sick (Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It Is Not, 1860). In recognition F.Naytingeyl during the war, for it was collected by subscription large sum of money. All these funds had been spent on the organization in 1860 the world's first school of the Sisters of Charity Hospital of St. Thomas in London. Soon graduates of this school have started to create similar institutions in other hospitals. With their participation was organized system of skilled care at home. Until 1872 Florence Nightingale was an expert of the British army on medical care of sick and wounded. In 1883, Nightingale was the British "Royal Red Cross", and in 1907 became the first woman who was awarded the Order "For Merit". In 1908 she was granted honorary citizenship of the City of London.Nightingale died in London on August 13, 1910.
