Remembering the Lady of the Lamp

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Remembering the Lady of the Lamp
感谢白衣天使

As with natural disasters such as earthquakes, war exacts a heavy psychological toll on those of its victims fortunate enough to avoid death or injury. Ironically, one of the first recorded sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder was a person who defined the very nature and development of modern nursing techniques.

Florence Nightingale was born in 1820 to a well-off English family living on inherited wealth. Educated mainly by her father, she enjoyed a privileged and comfortable childhood. A profound religious experience at the age of sixteen eventually led to her doing charity work in hospitals rather than accepting either of two marriage proposals, much to the horror of her deeply conservative family.

True horror was to confront Florence as soon as she arrived at a military hospital in Turkey in 1854. She had already acquired a reputation for her nursing expertise and had been asked to help treat British soldiers wounded in the Crimean War. She was devoted to duty even amid appalling conditions and earned herself the nickname \"Lady of the Lamp\" for her habit of doing the rounds late at night.

Badly traumatized by her experiences, the now-famous Florence Nightingale never again made a public appearance after returning to England. Despite suffering ill health until she died in 1910, she worked tirelessly behind the scenes to establish training schools and get nursing accepted as a recognized profession. Nowadays, her worldwide legacy bears witness to her efforts.

　　战争，如同地震等其他的自然灾害一样，让那些幸免遇难的人们的心灵上也留下难以磨灭的创伤。有这样一个曾患过“战后精神创伤压力失调症”的病人，正是由于她解释了现代护理技术的性质，才确立了发展的护理技术的方向。?

　　1820年佛罗伦斯南丁格尔出生在英国一个继承了大批遗产的富裕家庭。父亲对她进行的教育，让南丁格尔享受了一段优裕和舒适的童年时光。十六岁时的一次让她难忘的宗教体验，使她毅然投身医院的慈善工作。她曾拒绝了两次求婚，这样的决定让极为保守的家人震惊万分。

　　1854年，南丁格尔抵达土耳其的战地医院，这次她开始面对真正的恐惧。当时由于她专业的护理技术而颇受敬重，因此被要求帮助和照顾在克里米亚战争中受伤的英国士兵。在那样令人恐惧的环境里，她仍能全力以赴地投入工作，而且因为她有夜间巡视病人的习惯，使她赢得了“油灯女士”的美名。

　　这番经历使她的精神受到重创，佛罗伦斯南丁格尔返回英国之后就不再公开露面。1910在年她去世前，尽管健康状况一直不佳，她仍不遗余力地致力于培训学校的幕后工作。由她创建的训练学校，让护理工作成为了倍受肯定的专业。现在，她的遗物传遍世界的各个角落，成为她努力的最好见证。