2016-12-20 Tue

Florence Nightingale, more famously known as the “The Lady with the Lamp” or “An Angel of Mercy” was depicted on withdrawn banknotes of England.

The 10 Pounds banknote - Florence Nightingale, were issued by the Bank of England from 20th February 1975 to 1992, and ceased to be a legal tender from 20th May 1994. The obverse of these notes featured a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the reverse features a portrait of Florence Nightingale along with a hospital scene showing her work at the Selimiye Barracks in Scutari as a British army hospital during the Crimean War.

Florence Nightingale was an English social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing. She was a guiding force in the improvement of sanitary conditions in field hospitals in British military installations in battle locations. She became a notable personality and a Victorian icon due to her dedication.

She is also credited with professionalising nursing roles for women. Nightingale also started a professional nursing school in St. Thomas’ Hospital in London in 1860.

Her pioneering work in nursing is recognised all over the world and in her honour the “Nightingale Pledge” taken by new nurses, and the “Florence Nightingale Medal” is the highest international distinction a nurse can achieve, and the annual “International Nurses Day” is celebrated around the world on her birthday i.e. 12th May.

Florence Nightingale's image appeared on the reverse of £10 Series D banknotes issued by the Bank of England were indeed yet another tribute to this “Angel of Mercy”.