Hx = History

One can have a history of codependent behaviors, a history with a substance (under our breaths, "hx of EtOh," to avoid embarrassing anyone), or a history with a particular person. History is, as the word suggests, subjective. There's the good kind of history as well--for example, the story of Florence Nightingale, and the history of nursing graduation rituals.

This already sailor-looking cap made a lot more sense once my dear friend Meg gifted me her mother's WWII nursing cap pin (complete with lovely anchor design), which made me wonder whether the history of nursing caps had something to do with the military. 

The short answer is, no. Apparently, the nurse's cap was modeled after a nun's habit, paying homage to nuns being the earliest nurses. Florence Nightingale continued the tradition of the cap by making it part of a nurse's uniform that keeps hair neatly in place. We nursing students know that Nightingale was all about keeping the environment clean and sanitary (though ironically, caps were abolished in modern day hospitals because they're not washed and can harbor resistant bacteria and virulent viruses).

Our class got to vote whether we wanted to wear caps for graduation or not. The majority ruled, "cap."

Another tradition that pays homage to Florence Nightingale is the lamp, a symbol of her rounds at night as she took care of wounded soliders. Nursing instructors (in our case, our director) pass(es) the torch/flame on, quite literally, to graduating students at their pinning ceremony.

Speaking of pins, Queen Victoria herself awarded Florence Nightingale the Red Cross of St. George in recognition for her dedication and service to injured soldiers during the Crimean War. Nightingale, in turn, presented a medal of excellence to her brightest graduates. Nowadays, we don't play favorites--everyone gets a pin. While the pin often represents the school a nurse graduates from, our class decided to each pick our own pins. 

Or, if we're really lucky, we're gifted a priceless pin with a world of history and a brave WWII pioneer woman behind it.