Sentence:  Her free and easy association with her fellow nurses is prone to break down her womanly reserve and natural modesty. Her assiduity in clinging to ideals of modest begins to abate as a result. She is inclined to think she has been too “<WSD>persnickety</WSD>;” <!-- [sic] semicolon inside quotation marks --> that this is unnecessary when one understands “the naturalness of the physical body.” She wonders what is the use. And forthwith "the foundation is laid for Moral Lenity". <!-- [sic] italics, caps --> 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Obsessive about mundane details, demanding for precision.