Florence Nightingale: The Wounded Soldier’s Friend Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) is regarded as the founder of modern nursing. The Nightingale Museum in London includes such curiosities as the lantern she carried on her rounds to the wounded during the Crimean War, more than a thousand of her letters, and her pet owl, Athena. This volume, composed shortly after her death, contains the dramatized story of her life. It is just one of many that appeared, but is among the best examples, and has been credited with inspiring many to consider nursing careers.