The word nursing is defined from a Greek word nutricia which means to nurture or nourish. Virginia Henderson in 1966 defined Nursing as an art of assisting an individual sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to peaceful death) that he/she would perform unaided if he/she had the necessary strength, will and knowledge. Nursing may also be described as use of clinical judgment in the provision of care to enable people to improve, maintain or recover health, to cope with health problems, and to achieve the best possible quality of life, whatever their disease or disability, until death (Royal college of Nursing, 2003). EVOLUTION OF NURSING. To understand the current status of nursing it is necessary to have a base of the historical knowledge about the profession. By learning from historical role models, nurses can enhance their abilities to create positive change in the present and the future. They can also appreciate the advancements of the profession. The historical background of nursing may be divided into four main phases.