Louise Bourgeois Boursier
Encyclopedia
Louise Bourgeois Boursier or Louise Bourgeois or Louyse Bourgeous (1563–1636) was a French midwife
called The Scholar. She was midwife to the French royal family of King Henry IV of France and his wife Marie de Médicis, and helped raise the art from folklore to science through her prodigious writings and her methods which were based on common sense.
. Louise Bourgeois (1563–1636): royal midwife of France by P.M. Dunn Her family was wealthy. They lived near the master surgeon Martin Fellow, who for years was a pupil-assistant of Ambroise Pare
.
Bourgeois married Fellow in 1584 at the parish of Saint Sulpice. The following is what the register of this parish register reads: The 30 December 1584, married Martin Fellow, barber-surgeon and Loyse Bourgeois. They started living at Faubourg Saint-Germain probably by 1586 and definitely by 1588.
King Henri IV attacked Paris in 1589; Bourgeois had three children at the time. Bourgeois fled behind the city walls of Paris
with her children for protection, since her husband was away in the army. She had to abandon most of their valuable possessions because there was no way to bring them within the city walls.
For an income then Bourgeois took up needlework, which however did not bring in enough money to live on. Later she took up midwifery as a profession. It is possible that she learned this medical skill from her husband, or instead by going to a recently established school for midwives at the Hôtel-Dieu de Paris
.
Henri IV married Marie de Medici in 1600. Their first child was due in 1601. The King wanted to employ Madame Dupuis to be the royal midwife. Marie de Medici chose Bourgeois instead, as she had successfully assisted the childbirths of several young ladies of the Royal Court and had an excellent reputation as a professional midwife. Between 1601 and 1610 (when Henri IV was killed) six children were born to Marie de Medici, all assisted by Bourgeois. They were Louis XIII, future King of France
(1601), Elizabeth, Queen of Spain (1602), Christine Marie, Duchess of Savoy
(1607), Nicolas Henri, Duke of Orléans (1607), Gaston, Duke of Orléans
(1608), and Henrietta Maria, Queen of England, Queen of Scots and Queen of Ireland
(1609). Bourgeois received 500 livres (crowns) for each son delivered and 300 livres for each daughter. The average income for a midwife at the time was 50 livres.
, the last child, Bourgeois asked for a pension of 600 livres per year. King Henry IV agreed to 300 livres, which was considered a reasonable retirement income.
In her "retirement" Bourgeois wrote a great deal and made important contributions to obstetrics
. She wrote a book on childbirth practices in 1609 and was the first woman to write such a book. Additional techniques and information were added in 1759 by her descendant, Angelique le Boursier du Courdray
, who was also a royal French midwife. She in turn passed this knowledge down to poor women of her time.
Bourgeois described herself as The first woman practicing my art to take up the pen.
Midwifery
Midwifery is a health care profession in which providers offer care to childbearing women during pregnancy, labour and birth, and during the postpartum period. They also help care for the newborn and assist the mother with breastfeeding....
called The Scholar. She was midwife to the French royal family of King Henry IV of France and his wife Marie de Médicis, and helped raise the art from folklore to science through her prodigious writings and her methods which were based on common sense.
Early life
Bourgeois was born in 1563 in what was then a rural area just outside Paris called, the Faubourg Saint-GermainFaubourg Saint-Germain
The Faubourg Saint Germain is an historic district of Paris. The Faubourg has long been known as the favorite home of the French high nobility and hosts many aristocratic Hôtels particuliers...
. Louise Bourgeois (1563–1636): royal midwife of France by P.M. Dunn Her family was wealthy. They lived near the master surgeon Martin Fellow, who for years was a pupil-assistant of Ambroise Pare
Ambroise Paré
Ambroise Paré was a French surgeon. He was the great official royal surgeon for kings Henry II, Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III and is considered as one of the fathers of surgery and modern forensic pathology. He was a leader in surgical techniques and battlefield medicine, especially the...
.
Bourgeois married Fellow in 1584 at the parish of Saint Sulpice. The following is what the register of this parish register reads: The 30 December 1584, married Martin Fellow, barber-surgeon and Loyse Bourgeois. They started living at Faubourg Saint-Germain probably by 1586 and definitely by 1588.
King Henri IV attacked Paris in 1589; Bourgeois had three children at the time. Bourgeois fled behind the city walls of Paris
City walls of Paris
Over time, several city walls of Paris were built :* a gauloise enclosure * a Gallo-Roman wall* two medieval walls including the main one : the wall of Philippe Auguste* the wall of Charles V, extending on the right bank...
with her children for protection, since her husband was away in the army. She had to abandon most of their valuable possessions because there was no way to bring them within the city walls.
For an income then Bourgeois took up needlework, which however did not bring in enough money to live on. Later she took up midwifery as a profession. It is possible that she learned this medical skill from her husband, or instead by going to a recently established school for midwives at the Hôtel-Dieu de Paris
Hôtel-Dieu de Paris
The Hôtel-Dieu de Paris is regarded as the oldest hospital in the city of Paris, France, and is the most central of the Assistance publique - hôpitaux de Paris hospitals. The hospital is linked to the Faculté de Médecine Paris-Descartes...
.
Career
Bourgeois obtained a diploma and licence to legally practice midwifery in 1598 when she passed the examination for that profession. The examining panel consisted of a physician, 2 surgeons, and 2 experienced midwives. She then moved to the rue Saint-Andre´des-Arts with her family, and quickly built up a large practice in the Latin Quarter. As a skilled midwife, she enjoyed an excellent reputation as a professional and was well liked.Henri IV married Marie de Medici in 1600. Their first child was due in 1601. The King wanted to employ Madame Dupuis to be the royal midwife. Marie de Medici chose Bourgeois instead, as she had successfully assisted the childbirths of several young ladies of the Royal Court and had an excellent reputation as a professional midwife. Between 1601 and 1610 (when Henri IV was killed) six children were born to Marie de Medici, all assisted by Bourgeois. They were Louis XIII, future King of France
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
(1601), Elizabeth, Queen of Spain (1602), Christine Marie, Duchess of Savoy
Christine Marie of France
Christine of France was the sister of Louis XIII and the Duchess of Savoy by marriage. At the death of her husband Victor Amadeus I in 1637, she acted as regent of Savoy between 1637 and 1648....
(1607), Nicolas Henri, Duke of Orléans (1607), Gaston, Duke of Orléans
Gaston, Duke of Orléans
Gaston of France, , also known as Gaston d'Orléans, was the third son of King Henry IV of France and his wife Marie de Medici. As a son of the king, he was born a Fils de France. He later acquired the title Duke of Orléans, by which he was generally known during his adulthood...
(1608), and Henrietta Maria, Queen of England, Queen of Scots and Queen of Ireland
Henrietta Maria of France
Henrietta Maria of France ; was the Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I...
(1609). Bourgeois received 500 livres (crowns) for each son delivered and 300 livres for each daughter. The average income for a midwife at the time was 50 livres.
Later life
Bourgeois was ultimately awarded in 1608 a lump sum of 6,000 livres for her services as royal midwife. After the birth of Henrietta MariaHenrietta Maria of France
Henrietta Maria of France ; was the Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I...
, the last child, Bourgeois asked for a pension of 600 livres per year. King Henry IV agreed to 300 livres, which was considered a reasonable retirement income.
In her "retirement" Bourgeois wrote a great deal and made important contributions to obstetrics
Obstetrics
Obstetrics is the medical specialty dealing with the care of all women's reproductive tracts and their children during pregnancy , childbirth and the postnatal period...
. She wrote a book on childbirth practices in 1609 and was the first woman to write such a book. Additional techniques and information were added in 1759 by her descendant, Angelique le Boursier du Courdray
Angelique du Coudray
Angélique Marguerite Le Boursier du Coudray was a royal midwife in the court of Louis XV of France.Born into an eminent French medical family she became the head accoucheuse at the Hotel Dieu in Paris...
, who was also a royal French midwife. She in turn passed this knowledge down to poor women of her time.
Bourgeois described herself as The first woman practicing my art to take up the pen.
Works
- 1609 - Diverse Observations on Sterility; Loss of the Ovum after Fecundation, Fecundity and Childbirth; Diseases of Women and of Newborn Infants, sometimes also known as Various Observations on the Sterility, fruit loss, fertility, childbirth and diseases of women and newborn infants. It was the first book on midwifery and childbirth written by a woman. It had practical information on obstetricsObstetricsObstetrics is the medical specialty dealing with the care of all women's reproductive tracts and their children during pregnancy , childbirth and the postnatal period...
. Few texts of this type existed at the time. Her book, which contained references to some 2000 childbirths, was translated into Latin, German, Dutch, and English and used until the 1700s. - 1617 - Diverse Observations, expanded edition of above obstetrical theory. It also contained a collection of Advice to my daughter.
- 1626 - Diverse Observations, expanded edition of above obstetrical theory with treatments like doses of iron to treat anemia.
- 1634 - Collection of Secrets, treatments like podalic versionPodalic versionPodalic version is an obstetric procedure wherein the fetus is turned within the womb such that one or both feet present through the cervix during childbirth. It is used most often in cases where the fetus lies transversely or in another abnormal position in the womb...
(turning the baby around in certain situations so that it will be delivered feet first), which knowledge became widely assimilated among European midwives and physicians.
Sources
- Anzovin, Steven, Famous First Facts 2000, item # 2338, H. W. Wilson Company, ISBN 0-8242-0958-3
- Chereau, Achille, The six layers of Marie de Medici Queen of France and Navarre, Willem, 1875
- Perkins, Wendy, Midwifery and Medicine in Early Modern France, University of Exeter Press (UK) 1996, ISBN 0-859894711
- Proffitt, Pamela, Notable women scientists, Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan 1999, ISBN 0-7876-3900-1
Additional reading
- Notable women scientists by Pamela Proffitt, biography of 500 women, "Louyse Bourgeois (1563-1636) French obstetrician", pp. 53-54
- A Sketch of the Life and Writings of Louyse Bourgeois: Midwife to Marie De Medici, the Queen of Henry IV of France. Philadelphia: Collins, 1876