Ambroise Par̩, Birthing Chair, 1585
The design of this rather modern-looking birthing chair is highly recommended by Par̩. Chairs, not beds, were the normal places for childbirth until the 18th century, when physicians co-opted childbirth from the midwives. This illustration is accompanied in the text by a fervent defense of breast-feeding, which also sounds very forward-thinking, particularly when it becomes evident that Par̩ is advocating that mothers nurse their own children, rather than turn newborns over to professional wet nurses. He also wrote a section on the preparation of baby food. The 1585 edition of Par̩'s Oeuvres (Collected Works) represents the final summary of his life's work. It has over twelve hundred folio pages, with nearly 400 illustrations drawing upon a lifetime of practice. Four editions of the Oeuvres were published during his lifetime, and this is the last and the most complete. Often his descriptions of difficult cases end with the same simple sentence, "I treated him, but God cured him." Ambroise Par̩ (1510 - December 20, 1590) was a French surgeon, anatomist, inventor and one of the fathers of surgery and modern forensic pathology.
Size: 3300px × 4393px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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