Livros Portugueses dos Séculos XVI, XVII e XVIII, com Referência a Enfermeiros e Enfermeiras

Background: The development of Portuguese nursing unfolded across three periods: differentiation, professionalization, and the consolidation of knowledge. Books containing monastic rules and constitutions, as well as manuals for nurses, constitute an integral part of this process. Objective: To identify publications in Portuguese consisting of monastic rules and customaries, as well as manuals for nurses, from the early modern period, and to describe and situate the material identified within the professionalization movement of Portuguese nursing. Methodology: Research was conducted in repositories and digital archives to identify books published in Portugal between the 16th and 18th centuries that are relevant to the history of nursing. The sources were subjected to critical analysis, contextual framing, and historical interpretative construction. Results: Five books published in Portuguese during the 16th century containing monastic rules and constitutions with references to nurses were identified, along with three instructional manuals from the 17th and 18th centuries. Conclusion: Nursing knowledge was progressively systematized and expressed in written form through books. This emerging and developing body of knowledge is situated within a long process of differentiation in the history of Portuguese nursing.