International Nurses Day (IND) is celebrated on May 12 every year around the world to acknowledge the contribution of nurses in society. On this day, the nurses who are the frontline warriors in the medical fraternity are honoured. In 1981, the nurses of New Mexico came up with a resolution stating May 6 as the National Recognition of Nurses Day. It is also the start of the Nurses Week, which ends on May 12, the birthday of one of the best-known nurses our planet has seen – Florence Nightingale. Among the significant initiative taken on this day are banquets and seminars conducted in the honour of nurses. Patients, particularly in hospitals, give flowers and cards to nurses to show their appreciation.

On International Nurses Day, we take a look at some of the most influential nurses we have in our history.

Linda Richards

She is one of the biggest names in the medical field because of her methods of record keeping. The USA and UK adopted her method of keeping individual patient medical records which immensely helped in their cure. A trainee under the legendary figure of Florence Nightingale, she was inducted in the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1994 in America.

Edith Cavell

Nurses indeed are god’s form who do not differentiate between patients. The legend of Edith Cavell was a classic example of this notion when she treated both English and French soldiers during the World War 1 in 1914. The German authorities took offence to her actions, and she was executed on October 12 1915.

Margaret Sanger

She formed the American Birth Control League in 1921, which paved the way for planned parenthood. Margaret Sanger saw her mother die due to complication arising from multiple pregnancies and hence dedicated her life to raising awareness about birth control. Her field was unique, and her through a process much ahead of her time.

Mary Seacole

A British-Jamaican nurse who overcame all odds to serve humanity in the Crimean War was Mary Seacole. Through her strong understanding of medicine and focus on cleanliness, Mary Seacole managed to save several lives. She set up the British Hotel in Crimea using her own funds to provide care for the sick.

Florence Nightingale

If there is one name all the nurses in the world look up to, it is that of British nurse Florence Nightingale whose love and compassion made her a nurse extraordinaire. She saved not only many lives in the Crimean War but also trained several other nurses. Some of the sanitation procedures she came up with drastically improved the survival rate of the wounded soldiers. She also helped abolish prostitution laws which were anti-woman.

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These names rank high in a long list of names who have brought get repute to their field. In the time of COVID-19, their role assumes even more important as the world fights a pandemic.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 11, 2020 02:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).