Midwife to the Queen of France – Diverse Observations

This edition makes an excellent contribution to scholarship on midwife Louise Bourgeois, who provides an incisive eyewitness account of a turbulent period in early modern France and a rare female perspective on the city of Paris from the “poorest she” to the world of the court. Alison Klairmont Lingo’s introduction, supporting notes, and medical glossary offer precious apparatuses for the presentation and interpretation of the text. Stephanie O’Hara’s translation demonstrates mastery of the scientific, technical, and colloquial vocabularies of the period, capturing the spirit of Bourgeois’s words while making them widely accessible.
—Susan Broomhall
Director, Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, The University of Western Australia
The Diverse Observations of Louise Bourgeois is a fascinating and rare source on women’s lives and the history of obstetrics in early modern France. In vivid prose, Bourgeois leads us deep into the ups and downs of childbirth and her own discoveries as a celebrated midwife. Many thanks to Alison Klairmont Lingo and Stephanie O’Hara for this splendid translation and this wide-ranging introduction to Bourgeois, her writing, and her craft.
—Natalie Zemon Davis
Henry Charles Lea Professor of History emeritus, Princeton University
"This edition makes an excellent contribution to scholarship on midwife Louise Bourgeois, who provides an incisive eyewitness account of a turbulent period in early modern France and a rare female perspective on the city of Paris from the 'poorest she' to the world of the court. Alison Klairmont Lingo’s introduction, supporting notes, and medical glossary offer precious apparatuses for the presentation and interpretation of the text. Stephanie O’Hara’s translation demonstrates mastery of the scientific, technical, and colloquial vocabularies of the period, capturing the spirit of Bourgeois’s words while making them widely accessible."
  -- Susan Broomhall, The University of Western Australia
"The Diverse Observations of Louise Bourgeois is a fascinating and rare source on women’s lives and the history of obstetrics in early modern France. In vivid prose, Bourgeois leads us deep into the ups and downs of childbirth and her own discoveries as a celebrated midwife. Many thanks to Alison Klairmont Lingo and Stephanie O’Hara for this splendid translation and this wide-ranging introduction to Bourgeois, her writing, and her craft."
  -- Natalie Zemon Davis, Princeton University