Angélique du Coudray (1712-1794) transformed the practice of midwifery in eighteenth century France. Her work was so invaluable that the king of France himself recognized her contributions and funded her teaching.
Angélique du Coudray (1712-1794) transformed the practice of midwifery in eighteenth century France. Her work was so invaluable that the king of France himself recognized her contributions and funded her teaching.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womannica.
This month, we’re talking about women who’ve made important contributions to the world of health and wellness.
Today, we’re talking about a woman who transformed the practice of midwifery in eighteenth century France. Her work was so invaluable that the king of France himself recognized her contributions and funded her teaching.
Let’s talk about Angelique du Coudray.
Angelique was born in Clermont-Ferrand, a city in France, in 1712. She trained as a midwife in Paris, at the Hotel Dieu School. And in 1740, after a three-year apprenticeship program, she was licensed as a midwife.
At the time, many male surgeons were trying to push female midwives out of the profession. But Angelique and her peers fought back. They circulated petitions that would ensure that women would be allowed to keep attending educational institutions where they could train to be birthworkers.
Eventually, Angelique became the head midwife at the Hotel Dieu school in Paris, where 1,500 babies were born every year.
Then, one day, a nobleman arrived in Paris from Auvergne, a rural area in France.. His region was filled with improperly trained midwives who prioritized speedy deliveries over safe ones - sometimes they would tell women in labor to jump up and down, or give them herbal remedies that would make them vomit. Their methods were causing an increasing number of stillbirths.
So in 1751, after over a decade of being a midwife in Paris, Angelique moved to Auvergne to help.
She realized that the midwives needed a way to practice delivering a child. So she built a birthing mannequin - an elaborate, true-to-scale model made of dyed fabric, leather, wood, wicker, and real pelvic bones.
The mannequin had a birth canal that stretched like an actual one, and sponges that spurted dyed liquids that simulated blood and amniotic fluid.
Angelique was one of the first people ever to invent a life-size birthing mannequin. She called the intricate invention her ‘machine’.
Angelique also made a stuffed newborn that midwives-in-training would have to pull out of the birthing mannequin. It was attached to the mannequin via a fabric umbilical cord. It even had a mouth, so that midwives could practice sticking their hand into it - a technique used for delivering babies who are being birthed feet-first.
Angelique’s machine was so influential in teaching midwives that the Academy of Surgery gave it a seal of approval - an honor that was especially rare for a woman to receive.
But Angelique didn’t stop there. She also wrote a textbook titled ‘Abstract of the Art of Childbirth’. The textbook contained information on reproductive organs and their processes, prenatal care, and detailed instructions on how to handle any complication that a midwife might encounter.
Because Angelique knew that many midwives in the area were illiterate, the textbook also contained detailed color illustrations. She made sure the book was small enough to be carried around in an apron, so midwives could bring it with them to consult it during deliveries.
Angelique’s methods ensured that the midwives she trained would be taught quickly and effectively. She could train women with no knowledge of childbirth on how to be a midwife in just three months.
And surgeons across the country started taking notice. As Angelique started building more birthing mannequins, surgeons from different cities would come and learn the inner workings of the machine from Angelique. Then, they would take the machine back to their city to train the midwives who worked there.
In 1759, Angelique’s teachings had grown so influential that King Louis the Fifteenth commissioned Angelique to teach midwifery all across France. She would do that for more than 20 years. And she’s estimated to have trained two-thirds of French midwives at the time.
Angelique died on April 17, 1794. She ensured that thousands of babies were delivered safely, and her work underscored the importance of female midwives. Today, one of Angelique’s machines is still on display in a museum in Reuben, France.
All month, we’re honoring women who changed the landscape of health and wellness.
For more information and pictures of some of the work we’re talking about, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!