Louise Bourgeois Boursier
| Louise Bourgeois Boursier | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | 1563 Faubourg Saint-Germain |
| Died | 1636 (aged 72–73) |
| Citizenship | French |
| Institutions | court of King Henry IV of France |
| Patrons | King Henry IV of France and his wife Marie de Médicis |
| Education | Diploma and license to practice midwifery |
| Known for | Scholarly writings on midwifery, midwife for French royal family |
| Spouse | Martin Boursier |
Louise (Bourgeois) Boursier (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.
Bourgeois was born in 1563 in what was then a rural area just outside Paris called, the Faubourg Saint-Germain. Her family was wealthy, and she was taught to read and write They lived near the master surgeon Martin Boursier, who for years was a pupil-assistant of Ambroise Pare.
Bourgeois married Martin Boursier 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 Boursier, 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. Her husband returned, but his practice did not make enough money to support his family. While Louise had her last child, the woman attending her suggested she go into midwifery 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.
Bourgeois obtained a diploma and license 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 (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.
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