Michel Sarrazin

Michel Sarrazin, (5 September 1659 – 8 September 1734), was an early Canadian surgeon, physician, scientist and naturalist. Born in Nuits-sous-Beaune in the province of Burgundy, he immigrated at age 25 to the colony of New France as a surgeon. He remained in the colony for the rest of his life, returning to France only during two brief periods. While in New France, his medical skills were constantly in demand, and he quickly rose in the ranks, becoming one of the colonial elite. He was both a seigneur and a member of the Conseil Superieur, and held considerable influence in the colony. He had a great interest in botany, and kept up a frequent correspondence with the Académie Royale des Sciences in France, sending fellow scientists numerous specimens of North American plants, as well as detailed descriptions of dissections of animals. Sarrazin developed a vast knowledge of both the cultural and natural world of New France, and is credited being one of the first scientists to systematically catalogue ecosystems and samples found in New France, resulting in many important botanical discoveries. Despite his high ranking position as one of the few colonial intellectuals, Sarrazin faced chronic financial struggles, and died in poverty at age seventy-five, leaving a wife and four children.

Little is known of Michel Sarrazin’s early life. His mother was Madeleine de Bonnefoy, and his father was Claude Sarrazin, an official at the Abbey of Cîteaux. He had two brothers, one who became a priest, and another, Claude, who was an attorney. Both of Sarrazin’s brothers remained in their hometown of Nuits-sous-Beaune, and died in 1731.

Sarrazin received some medical training in France before he was appointed as surgeon to the King’s troops in the colony of New France in 1685. This position required him to minister to both soldiers and town inhabitants. He was quickly noticed for his medical skill, and within a year was promoted to Surgeon Major, becoming the first person to hold this position in the colony. As Surgeon Major, Sarrazin travelled extensively with troops on expeditions to provide them with medical care. When he wasn’t with the troops, Sarrazin was kept busy travelling between the Hotels-dieu of Québec and Montreal, essentially treating the “civilian population of the entire colony”. He was not paid for his work directly by his patients, but instead received a yearly sum from the King of France, Louis XIV, of around 300 livres. This sum gradually increased over time, but only through much lobbying on the part of Sarrazin and other colonial officials.

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