Watching the news and seeing how a new Cold War between NATO and Russia is developing over the Crimean Peninsula, I wondered what the world would have looked like if a certain Florence Nightingale would not have traveled to the same peninsula some 160 years ago.
In October 1853 an alliance of France, Brittan, the Ottoman Empire, Sardinia and the Austrian Empire declared war on Russia over a dispute about the rights of Christians in the Holy Land (the land that roughly comprising Israel and Palestine today). The alliance believed that Catholic Christians should be in charge while Russia backed the Orthodox Christians. Running battles were fought from October 1853 until peace was brokered in March 1856.
Armies at that time were made up along socio-economic lines. If you were blessed to have been born into an aristocratic family you would likely have become an officer. If mom and dad had been labourers, well, your future would have been in the trenches.
Although weapons used during this war were not as sophisticated and lethal as anything used today, injuries could be gruesome. And as medical facilities were not as hygienic or well-equipped to deal with the casualties, it is claimed that the number of death due to poor medical treatment equaled, if not exceeded, the number of people killed on the battlefield during this war. That was until Florence Nightingale arrived.
Her hands-on no-nonsense approach saved the lives of many, mainly because she introduced a system whereby the injured were treated according to their injuries and not according to their background, status or high-pitched voices. If she hadn’t done so, priorities would have been decided upon by the commanders.
Just imagine what it would have been like if Florence Nightingale had not have traveled to the Crimean Peninsula and had not strived for improved healthcare. Who would your company's management send for treatment first if the entire company collapses during one of their business lunches in a fancy restaurant away from your site?
When several people are injured it is always difficult to determine whom to treat first. Generally speaking each person should be quickly assessed to determine the severity of the injury and to establish in which order the patients should be treated and which additional services should be called upon.
Unfortunately there are different methods used all over the world to classify emergencies. But it can be safely assumed that looks, wealth and influence should NOT be considered a measurement to determine the priority of treating injured people.
Florence Nightingale's legacy is that today we prioritize an injury if it is immediately life threatening, immediately health threatening or if it is a non-emergency that still requires a response.
We should be grateful for Florence Nightingale �s legacy, as without her efforts the world would have been less-diverse and many wars would have lasted much longer. It is a sad reality that, whether we like it or not, cannon-fodder is always available in abundance.
Just make sure you don't become cannon-fodder by taking the lead and showing leadership in determine whom to treat first.
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