Florence and the machine: Nightingale makes first appearance in computer game

Any nurses keen on video games can ‘virtually’ meet the woman hailed as the founder of their profession.

Florence Nightingale is already famous for her work caring for soldiers in the Crimean War and the light she carried that earned her the iconic nickname; the lady with the lamp.

Now she appears as a non playable character in the latest instalment of the blockbusting Assassin’s Creed series on PlayStation, Xbox and PC.

The action centres on a brother and sister team of assassins who struggle to free Victorian London from the grip of the ruthless Templar order. The duo encounter Miss Nightingale who seeks their help in obtaining ingredients to make the medicines she needs to treat children in her care.

At one stage the female hero Evie Frye tells her ‘Lambeth is in your debt’, to which she replies: ‘It takes a long time to change things, but I’m not going anywhere Miss Frye’.

The appearance in the  popular game is not Florence Nightingale’s only brush with technology; she is reported to be one of the first people of her era to have their voice recorded and preserved for posterity.