Florence Nightingale is the most famous figure in the history of nursing. She is best known for the advances she made in sanitation, hospital statistical records, public health and community nursing. Nightingale also wrote extensively about her religious, political, and philosophical views and how they carried over into her duties as a Christian and a nurse. Florence Nightingale's contributions to nursing were largely influenced by her beliefs about God. Nightingale wrote extensively about her spiritual and religious beliefs and how they related to the way she practiced nursing. The profession of nursing, as we know it today, is deeply rooted in Christianity. The role of spirituality in Florence Nightingales' nursing practice is comparable to that of Christian nurses before her. Although it is difficult to trace the history of nursing back to the beginning, it is theorized that people have cared for each other to some extent since the beginning of humanity. This primitive care consisted primarily of caring for others within families and communities. As we know today, nursing care of complete strangers began with Christian nurses who, following the teachings of Christ, cared for the disadvantaged. Christianity and the teachings of Jesus Christ were the foundation of these nurses. His messages resonated with human dignity, putting others before oneself, love and charity. In John 13:34-35 and 15:12-13, Jesus teaches how to love your neighbor and teaches “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another: as I have loved you, so love you also. each other” (as cited in Dolan, 1968, p. 66). These Christian nurses helped bury the dead, feed the hungry, and comfort the sick. Caring for patients in a f...... middle of paper ......ng. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co. MacQueen, J. S. (2007). Nursing office of Florence Nightingale. Review of Nursing History: Official Journal of the American Association for the History of Nursing, 15, 29-49.McDonald, L. (Ed.) (2002a). The Spiritual Journey of Florence Nightingale: Vol. 2: Bible annotations, sermons and journal entries. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. McDonald, L. (ed.) (2002b). The Theology of Florence Nightingale: Vol. 3: Essays, letters and journal entries. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. Nightingale, F. (1915). Florence Nightingale to her nurses. London: Macmillan and Co., Limited. Nightingale, F. (1969). Notes on nursing: what it is and what it is not. New York: Dover. (Original work published in 1860)O'Brien, ME (2011). Spirituality in nursing: Standing on holy ground (4th ed.). Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Pub.