What do you think?
Rate this book
The King's Midwife: A History and Mystery of Madame du Coudray
This unorthodox biography explores the life of an extraordinary Enlightenment woman who, by sheer force of character, parlayed a skill in midwifery into a national institution. In 1759, in an effort to end infant mortality, Louis XV commissioned Madame Angélique Marguerite Le Boursier du Coudray to travel throughout France teaching the art of childbirth to illiterate peasant women. For the next thirty years, this royal emissary taught in nearly forty cities and reached an estimated ten thousand students. She wrote a textbook and invented a life-sized obstetrical mannequin for her demonstrations. She contributed significantly to France's demographic upswing after 1760.
Who was the woman, both the private self and the pseudonymous public celebrity? Nina Rattner Gelbart reconstructs Madame du Coudray's astonishing mission through extensive research in the hundreds of letters by, to, and about her in provincial archives throughout France. Tracing her subject's footsteps around the country, Gelbart chronicles du Coudray's battles with finance ministers, village matrons, local administrators, and recalcitrant physicians, her rises in power and falls from grace, and her death at the height of the Reign of Terror. At a deeper level, Gelbart recaptures du Coudray's interior journey as well, by questioning and dismantling the neat paper trail that the great midwife so carefully left behind. Delightfully written, this tale of a fascinating life at the end of the French Old Regime sheds new light on the histories of medicine, gender, society, politics, and culture.
Who was the woman, both the private self and the pseudonymous public celebrity? Nina Rattner Gelbart reconstructs Madame du Coudray's astonishing mission through extensive research in the hundreds of letters by, to, and about her in provincial archives throughout France. Tracing her subject's footsteps around the country, Gelbart chronicles du Coudray's battles with finance ministers, village matrons, local administrators, and recalcitrant physicians, her rises in power and falls from grace, and her death at the height of the Reign of Terror. At a deeper level, Gelbart recaptures du Coudray's interior journey as well, by questioning and dismantling the neat paper trail that the great midwife so carefully left behind. Delightfully written, this tale of a fascinating life at the end of the French Old Regime sheds new light on the histories of medicine, gender, society, politics, and culture.
360 pages, Paperback
First published April 20, 1998
5 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 10, 2022
Wonderful account of an extraordinary woman, her life and work. A midwife, a teacher, a writer a community organizer and educator, Madame du Coudray is a marvel of her times. Nina Rattner Gelbart wrote a marvellous tribute to the King's Midwife and made sure the reader knows the context and the times Madame du Coudray lived in.
A wonderful biography, a historical examination of midwifery, a picture of the lives of women in 18th century France.
A wonderful biography, a historical examination of midwifery, a picture of the lives of women in 18th century France.
July 27, 2012
I THOUGHT THIS WAS GOING TO BE ABOUT KING BUT INSTEAD IT TRUELY WAS A HISTORY OF MIDWIFERY.WONDERFUL
August 18, 2011
Absolutely fascinating.
February 2, 2024
A História de uma mulher admirável por todas as razões e mais ainda por ter vivido na França do século XVIII, apanhando a época da Revolução Francesa e o terror subsequente.
Não deixa de ser frustrante acabar por não se saber nada da sua vida pessoal, ainda que tenha deixada muito escrito sobre a sua profissão e os seus feitos.
Um dos pontos fortes do livro é a explanação do que era a obstetrícia da época, nomeadamente técnicas de trabalho de parto, parto, puerpério e cuidados ao recém-nascido. Quase todas sem qualquer base correta e algumas sendo, aos olhos de hoje, aberrações, não deixam de ser uma riqueza na perspetiva histórica, antropológica e etnográfica.
Como ponto fraco do livro, está a falta de conhecimento do que concretamente se passou, ainda que a historiadora seja o mais fiel possível, com apresentação de fontes, cruzamento de dados e salvaguarda de não haver certeza. Porém, isto torna o livro correto do ponto de vista científico mas entediante numa perspetiva de quem prefere leitura com mais dinamismo.
Não deixa de ser frustrante acabar por não se saber nada da sua vida pessoal, ainda que tenha deixada muito escrito sobre a sua profissão e os seus feitos.
Um dos pontos fortes do livro é a explanação do que era a obstetrícia da época, nomeadamente técnicas de trabalho de parto, parto, puerpério e cuidados ao recém-nascido. Quase todas sem qualquer base correta e algumas sendo, aos olhos de hoje, aberrações, não deixam de ser uma riqueza na perspetiva histórica, antropológica e etnográfica.
Como ponto fraco do livro, está a falta de conhecimento do que concretamente se passou, ainda que a historiadora seja o mais fiel possível, com apresentação de fontes, cruzamento de dados e salvaguarda de não haver certeza. Porém, isto torna o livro correto do ponto de vista científico mas entediante numa perspetiva de quem prefere leitura com mais dinamismo.
December 29, 2020
An amazing story of a woman way ahead of her time who definitely changed the lives of thousands in her lifetime millions if we count the generations born to those she brought into the world.
Fierce, skilled, and fought at every turn by male doctors who believed they knew better and that they were superiorly trained, this is the life story of a woman who never gave up and never regaled herself into the shadows. It is remarkable that some of her handmade obstetric models still exist to this day.
Fierce, skilled, and fought at every turn by male doctors who believed they knew better and that they were superiorly trained, this is the life story of a woman who never gave up and never regaled herself into the shadows. It is remarkable that some of her handmade obstetric models still exist to this day.
March 1, 2022
Quite a woman, a sad and frightening story of birth in the times! Nina Rattner Gelbart does a wonderful job bringing Madame du Coudray to life even with the more mysterious personal questions left unanswered. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
August 17, 2024
Interesting subject but not keen on the author’s style. Would have liked a lot more on the actual medicine.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews