Marie Boivin & the History of Women’s Health

This is an artifact in the Lisa Unger Baskin Collection that was displayed at The Grolier Club. This is a manual that was written by a French midwife, Marie Boivin, who is considered one of the first great modern practitioners of obstetrics and gynecology. Marie Boivin specialized in women’s reproductive health, but also cared for women during pregnancy just after the baby was born. She began her studies at a nunnery, and later worked as an accomplished midwife, inventing a new speculum and writing numerous treaties dealing with her work. This manual was published in many editions and translated into several European languages. Boivin translated medical works from English, and directed numerous hospitals throughout her career.

One detail that I found interesting in this manual was the pages that it was opened to. The pages were written in French so I couldn’t read it, but by the images it looks like Marie Boivin is discussing the different positions that a baby goes through near the placenta. She drew out what she saw by logging all this information on paper. The information was typed into this book, and served as a manual that was used in the study of gynecology. The images are drawn, and its detail to the uterus is very descriptive. She highlights all the features and limbs that a baby grows in the uterus. Another interesting fact was the fore-edge, and the paste down end page. You can see that the pages have a hard texture, and there is a design of blue lines that follow from the first page to the last. Also, the binding of the book seems to be chipping and fading from brown to white.

After seeing this artifact in person, it was fascinating to see how empowering women were and continue to be. Behind this manual is a strong independent woman that wants to share what she knows of being a midwife with others. The manual serves as an achievement, but also as a guide to give aspiring women who want to be midwives that guideline and knowledge to prosper. After doing some research, it turns out that this manual was written by Boivin for the sole purpose of giving it to her niece who also wanted to be a midwife. Lisa Unger Baskin’s 500 Years of Women’s Work gave acknowledgement to many amazing women and their contributions to social movements.

Works Cited:

“Now open in our first floor gallery: Five Hundred Years of Women’s Work: The Lisa Unger Baskin Collection”. Grolier Club. 11 December 2019. https://grolierclub.wordpress.com/2019/12/11/now-open-in-our-first-floor-gallery-2/