Religious chart and nurses' ability: the first Portuguese work for nursing education in the eighteenth century

a primeira obra em Portugês para o ensino de enfermagem no século XVIII

Abstract

This is a bibliographical study that rescues the first book written in Portuguese containing instructions for nursing care. It is called Religious Chart and Nurses 'Ability and was written by Father Diogo Santiago in 1741. It has 300 pages separated in three treaties and it is the second most important in nursing care, with instructions and sayings about good patient care. In this article we briefly narrate its history, show its most important items and indicate other works that supported nursing during the Age of Enlightenment and that currently impact on patient care