The Dark Period in Nursing 99 developed, first in the Hotel-Dieu, and then in other large hospitals of Paris. The close contact of these women with the sick, and with the over- worked Augustinian Sisters, impressed upon them the need of a genuine nursing service. To meet this need in the simplest way, St. Vincent brought young country girls to live in the homes of the Dames de Charite, and to go with them to work in the hospitals under their supervision. This was so successful that in 1633 a group of these young women was placed in charge of Mile, le Gras, who had been one of Vincent's first co-workers, in a little house on a quiet street, and so developed the order of the Sisters of Charity, perhaps ^j^^ the most widely spread and best be- Sisters of loved of all nursing orders. St. Vin- Chanty cent's rules for the Sisters show how thoroughly he understood the defects of the rigidly organized orders. He would not allow them to take vows, or even to make binding promises. They only pro- mised to remain for a year, but could renew these promises. At the end of any annual contract they might, if they wished, leave and marry. He did not even give them a constitution until they had been organized for twenty years. He wanted them to be professionally instructed, and gave them most earnest counsel about yielding implicit obe-
