UK starts exhibition to celebrate Florence Nightingale's bicentenary

A new exhibition marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale opened Sunday at a museum named after her in London.

The exhibition, running from Sunday to March next year at the Florence Nightingale Museum in the grounds of St. Thomas' Hospital, presents 200 items that explore the reasons for Nightingale's international fame and enduring influence.

Among the items that never displayed before, there is a gold watch she wore while working in the Scutari hospital between 1854 to 1856 during the Crimean War, and her family album that has passed down through generations.

The museum also exhibits the lamp she carried on her nightly rounds of the wards during the Crimean War, for which she was called the legendary "lady with the lamp".

Her medicine chest, writing case, the first nursing uniform designed by her, as well as an audio recording of her voice, were also among the key exhibits.

Regarded as the founder of modern nursing, Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, in which she organized care for wounded soldiers. She revolutionized nursing while suffering physical illness during the later years of life and established the world's first professional nurse training school in the St. Thomas' Hospital in 1860.

David Green, director of Florence Nightingale Museum, said the opening date of the new exhibition coincides with the International Women's Day to pay a special tribute to the female icon in British history.

Green told Xinhua that many people from different countries, including China, are still influenced by Nightingale's spirit and legacy, and he praised the great job and sacrifices made by Chinese nurses during the current battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak.

"I think they are invoking the same passion, commitment, energy, diligence, these sort of things Florence held so dear. And I am sure they are doing amazing job, just as Florence did," he said.

He added that they need also to take care of themselves at the same time, as nursing is always a tiring and challenging job that requires bravery, sacrifices and exposure to risk.

The exhibition is part of a year-long celebration of Nightingale's bicentenary across Britain.

Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820 and died in 1910. Her birthday is marked as the International Nurses Day every year.