1820-1910
Nurse

Middle-Class Upbringing. Florence Nightingale was born into a solidly upper-middle-class family. She and her elder sister, Panthenope, were educated by governesses until her Cambridge-educated father took over the task, teaching his children about the classics, the Bible, and contemporary politics. At age twenty Florence Nightingale overcame her parents' objections and was allowed to receive tutoring in her preferred subject, mathematics, at which she excelled. Becoming a tutor herself, she grew particularly interested in the application of statistical methods to social and political problems.

Answering a Call. In 1837, Nightingale believed God called her to a life of service. Strongly influenced by the example of the Sisters of Saint Vincent de Paul, whom she encountered during a visit to Egypt, she sought to become a nurse, even though that profession was not considered appropriate for an educated woman. In 1851 she received three months of nursing training...