Since its early days, nursing has appreciated the connection between mind and body. Even when the dualistic Descartesian perspective that the brain was separated from the rest of the body pervaded Western medicine during the majority of the 19th and 20th centuries, nursing embraced a holistic view of patient care. Florence Nightingale, in her Notes on Nursing published in 1862, eloquently wrote about the healing power of sensory stimulation and personal connection.