William Osler Quote

The trained nurse is a modern representative, not of the Roman Vestal, but of the female guardian in Plato's republic - a choice selection from the very best women of the community who know the laws of health, and whose sympathies have been deepened by contact with the best and worst of men.

Aequanimitas: With Other Addresses to Medical Students, Nurses and, Practitioners of Medicine, Chapter IX (pp. 162-163)