Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 1278

MARIE ANNE VICTOIRE BOIVIN (NEE GILLAIN) (1773-1841) Mémorial de l'art des accouchements. Se vend à l'Hospice de la maternité et chez Méquignon, père 1812 [14] 666 pp., front., 129 col. plates, fold. table. 19.6 cm.

Madame Boivin, one of the most accomplished and respected midwives in all of Europe, was a voluminous writer, innovative surgeon, and skillful gynecologist. She was awarded the honorary title of Doctor of Medicine by the University of Marburg because of the quality and expertise of her writings. The present work was written during the years 1797 to 1811 while Madame Boivin was at the Hospice de la Maternité in Paris where she had the opportunity to study under two of her country's finest obstetricians and gynecologists: Marie Louise La Chapelle (1769-1821) and François B. Chaussier (1746-1828). She began the book for her own benefit and made drawings of the different positions of the fetus for the benefit of her niece who intended to become a midwife. The work is thorough, comprehensive, and well-illustrated, which contributed to its wide popularity. The wood-block illustrations, hand-colored in this copy, show every possible position of the fetus as well as the use of the lever and forceps in cases of complicated presentations. Also included at the end of the book are 283 aphorisms of François Mauriceau (see No. 604 ff.) and 38 selected aphorisms translated from La levatrice moderna (1791) by the Italian surgeon, Orazio Valota. As was common at the time, this copy is signed by the author to authenticate it as an original copy. It is believed that this copy may have once been the valued possession of an obstetrician or midwife because the book contains many contemporary annotations which appear to be derived from journals or lectures. The notes cover such subjects as uterine hemorrhage, special care for the mother, birth statistics at the Maternité, and cesarean section.

See Related Record(s): 604

Cited references: Garrison-Morton 6165; Wellcome II, p. 195

Gift of John Martin, M.D.