Angelique Marguerite Le Boursier du Coudray
Manikins and models by Angelique Marguerite Le Boursier du Coudray (French ,1712-1790) , the “King’s Midwife”.
Madame Du Coudray’s "machine", a mannequin for teaching obstetrics, was invented in the 18th century by a midwife determined to combat the ignorance of country midwives who endangered the lives of women and children. Madame Du Coudray spent twenty-five years travelling the towns and cities of France, teaching her methods and selling her ingenious "machines". The only surviving example of the "machine", patented in 1778, is on display in the Museum of Flaubert and the History of Medicine, in Rouen.
It includes a life-size mannequin representing the lower part of the female body, a doll the size of a newborn baby, and various accessories demonstrating female anatomy, a seven-month fœtus, twins etc
Among the many accessories to show the different phases of pregnancy is the representation of a matrix and a fetus of seven months.
The matrix is rounded, with a diameter of 24 cm. It displays a parchment label written with a quill pen and is made of padded cotton fabric. The interior is fully lined with flesh-coloured skin. When opened the placenta is visible. The placenta is embroidered with red and blue threads representing the arteries and veins radiating around the umbilical cord. The cord is about 50cm long and is connected to the fetal umbilicus. The fully padded cotton foetus is made of very light pink silk taffeta. The head is leaning forward. The hair and the eyes are painted in ink and the ears are made of stitched leather pieces. The legs are folded and held by the arms crossed. The fingers and toes are accurately represented (an important detail for the extraction maneuvers, when the midwife would be working blind).
This model of the female reproductive organs (represented in a non-pregnant state) is remarkable for its anatomical accuracy. The piece features 21 stitched labels which allowed students to identify the various reproduction organs (notably the uterus, ovaries, and Fallopian tubes) and situate them in relation to the bladder and intestines. By holding the model like a puppet, a student could perform an examination of the cervix.
Madame Du Coudray’s "machine", a mannequin for teaching obstetrics, was invented in the 18th century by a midwife determined to combat the ignorance of country midwives who endangered the lives of women and children. Madame Du Coudray spent twenty-five years travelling the towns and cities of France, teaching her methods and selling her ingenious "machines". The only surviving example of the "machine", patented in 1778, is on display in the Museum of Flaubert and the History of Medicine, in Rouen.
It includes a life-size mannequin representing the lower part of the female body, a doll the size of a newborn baby, and various accessories demonstrating female anatomy, a seven-month fœtus, twins etc.
Madame Du Coudray’s "machine", a mannequin for teaching obstetrics, was invented in the 18th century by a midwife determined to combat the ignorance of country midwives who endangered the lives of women and children. Madame Du Coudray spent twenty-five years travelling the towns and cities of France, teaching her methods and selling her ingenious "machines". The only surviving example of the "machine", patented in 1778, is on display in the Museum of Flaubert and the History of Medicine, in Rouen.
It includes a life-size mannequin representing the lower part of the female body, a doll the size of a newborn baby, and various accessories demonstrating female anatomy, a seven-month fœtus, twins etc
Among the many accessories to show the different phases of pregnancy is the representation of a matrix and a fetus of seven months.
The matrix is rounded, with a diameter of 24 cm. It displays a parchment label written with a quill pen and is made of padded cotton fabric. The interior is fully lined with flesh-coloured skin. When opened the placenta is visible. The placenta is embroidered with red and blue threads representing the arteries and veins radiating around the umbilical cord. The cord is about 50cm long and is connected to the fetal umbilicus. The fully padded cotton foetus is made of very light pink silk taffeta. The head is leaning forward. The hair and the eyes are painted in ink and the ears are made of stitched leather pieces. The legs are folded and held by the arms crossed. The fingers and toes are accurately represented (an important detail for the extraction maneuvers, when the midwife would be working blind).
This model of the female reproductive organs (represented in a non-pregnant state) is remarkable for its anatomical accuracy. The piece features 21 stitched labels which allowed students to identify the various reproduction organs (notably the uterus, ovaries, and Fallopian tubes) and situate them in relation to the bladder and intestines. By holding the model like a puppet, a student could perform an examination of the cervix.
Madame Du Coudray’s "machine", a mannequin for teaching obstetrics, was invented in the 18th century by a midwife determined to combat the ignorance of country midwives who endangered the lives of women and children. Madame Du Coudray spent twenty-five years travelling the towns and cities of France, teaching her methods and selling her ingenious "machines". The only surviving example of the "machine", patented in 1778, is on display in the Museum of Flaubert and the History of Medicine, in Rouen.
It includes a life-size mannequin representing the lower part of the female body, a doll the size of a newborn baby, and various accessories demonstrating female anatomy, a seven-month fœtus, twins etc.
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