In the early 1800s, hospitals were squalid pits of disease where patients were as likely to die as to be cured. Yet the work of one woman brought about a dramatic change. Florence Nightingale was born to a wealthy family in 1820. But she did not want to lead an idle, pointless life. Instead, she decided to work with the sick, although at that time, many hospitals were sordid, rowdy places. In 1852, after a lot of arguments, her father allowed her to train in a hospital in Germany. In 1853, Nightingale took over a run-down hospital in London and made it run cleanly and efficiently. …
