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En este artículo describimos la vida y obra de Florence Nightingale, que es considerada una de las pioneras en la práctica de la enfermería. Su mayor éxito fue su participación en la guerra de Crimea donde junto a otras 38 enfermeras voluntarias reformaron y limpiaron el hospital, e hicieron caer la tasa de mortalidad desde el 40% al 2%. Por las noches recorría los pabellones a la luz de una lámpara mientras visitaba a los enfermos lo cual le valió el nombre de “La señora de la lámpara”. La reina Victoria le otorgó la Cruz Roja Real y, en 1907, fue la primera mujer condecorada con la Orden al Mérito. Ella tuvo sólidos conocimientos en estadística y matemáticas lo cuales les fueron útiles para su labor de enfermera. A 114 años de su fallecimiento, vayan estas líneas como homenaje a la que se considera la precursora de la enfermería moderna de la Argentina y del mundo. Se comenta su influencia indirecta sobre la Escuela de Enfermería del Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires.

We describe Florence Nightingale’s life and works. She is considered a pioneer in nursing practice. Her participation in the Crimean War, together with 38 other voluntary nurses, was mainly in the cleaning and refurbishing of the hospital in Scutari, making the mortality rate to fall from 40% to 2%, this being her greatest success. She used to make her rounds at night in the wards under the light of a lamp, and therefore she was named “The Lady with the Lamp”. Queen Victoria bestowed on her the Royal Red Cross, and she was the first woman to be honored with the Order of Merit in 1907. She had solid knowledge on Statistics and Mathematics, which were useful for her nursing job. A hundred years after her death, let these words be a homage to the Nursing profession, and to who is considered a precursor of modern nursing in Argentina and in the whole world.

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BACKGROUND: William Osler was generally regarded as the greatest and most respected physician of his time. This paper describes Osler's life, his philosophy and views. He was an outstanding clinician who emphasized bedside teaching and observation. He possessed an extraordinary charm that inspired many others. As Professor of Medicine at four institutions in three countries, he was a great influence on medical education. He was a prolific writer, and his textbook became the most popular and widely read treatise on medicine in the world. He also was a medical historian, a classical scholar, and an avid bibliophile. He emphasized the value of hard work and ongoing education. His compassion and concern for patients and colleagues reflected his personality. We summarize Osler's descriptions, and some of his aphorisms. His wisdom is as relevant now, as it was in his time. Osler blended the art and science of Medicine perhaps better than anyone else, and remains a valuable role model for students and physicians more than ninety two years after his death.

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