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What illness did Florence Nightingale develop during her trip to Crimea?
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Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale at the Barrack Hospital in Scutari (Üsküdar), writing letters for wounded soldiers of the Crimean War, 1855.
During her time in Crimea, Florence Nightingale contracted an illness referred to at the time as "Crimean fever," which was most likely brucellosis. She is believed to have contracted the infection from consuming contaminated milk.1
The illness had a significant impact on her life, as she experienced a slow recovery and suffered from lingering effects for 25 years, which frequently confined her to bed due to severe chronic pain.12