The Art of Childbirth - A Seventeenth-Century Midwife's Epistolary Treatise to Doctor Vallant: A Bilingual Edition

Marie Baudoin, a seventeenth-century French midwife, sent a treatise on childbirth to Dr. Vallant in 1671. This raises the question of whether Baudoin was exceptional or if her voice has reached us through Vallant's archival practices. Baudoin's treatise invites us to reconsider the limits of what we thought midwives "could be and do" in seventeenth-century France. This book connects historiographies of midwifery, Jansenism, hospital administration, public health, knowledge and record-keeping, and womens work, underscoring Baudoins capabilities and the archival accidents and intentions behind the preservation of her treatise.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 238 pages
Publication date: 11 April 2023
Publisher: Iter Press

In 1671, Marie Baudoin, a remarkable seventeenth-century French midwife, sent a comprehensive treatise on childbirth to her influential Parisian patron, Dr. Vallant. The intriguing narrative surrounding how Baudoin's knowledge and expertise as a midwife were expressed, recorded, and archived prompts us to ponder whether her exceptionalism stemmed from her extraordinary nature or the meticulous archival practices of Vallant. Regardless of the answer, Baudoin's treatise invites us to reevaluate the boundaries of what we previously believed midwives could achieve in seventeenth-century France. By conducting a microanalysis of Baudoin's life, work, and the Jansenist network between Paris and Clermont-Ferrand, this book establishes a connection between historiographies of midwifery, Jansenism, hospital administration, public health, knowledge and record-keeping, and women's work. It highlights both Baudoin's remarkable capabilities and the unintentional and intentional factors that contributed to the preservation of her treatise in a letter.

Weight: 414g
Dimension: 228 x 153 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781649590787