Florence Nightingale, the "Lady with the Lamp", was a guiding force in the improvement of sanitary conditions in field hospitals of the British military installations in battle locations. She is best known as an English social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing.

Florence Nightingale came to prominence during the Crimean War where she served as the manager of the nurses tending to the wounded soldiers. She gave nursing a highly favorable reputation and became an icon of Victorian culture, famously known amongst her soldiers as "The Lady with the Lamp" making rounds of wounded soldiers at night.

A 10 Pounds British banknote of 1988 issued by the Bank of England in the Pictorial Series D features Florence Nightingale to honor this fine lady! Designed by Harry Eccleston, the banknote was issued on 20 February 1975. This banknote portrays the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in state robes, while the reverse has the portrait of Florence Nightingale, with a hospital scene showing her work at the Selimiye Barracks in Scutari as a British army hospital during the Crimean War.

After the conclusion of the Crimean War, she became an advocate for improved sanitation in the British military, and also of establishing nursing colleges to train professional nurses. Today her birthday is celebrated as International Nurses Day all over the world.

Image Courtesy: www.theguardian.com