Boivin, Marie Anne (1773–1847)

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Boivin, Marie Anne (1773–1847)

French midwife. Born Marie Anne Victoire Gillain in Montreuil, France, in 1773; died in 1847 (some sources cite 1841); educated by nuns; married in 1797.

Marie Anne Boivin spent three years in the study of anatomy. Widowed with a baby daughter and no fortune, she undertook the study of midwifery at La Maternité Hospital, as an assistant to Marie Lachapelle . In 1801, Boivin was appointed chief superintendent of the institution, and at her suggestion a special school of accouchement was added. An order of civil merit was conferred upon Boivin, and she received the degree of M.D. Published in 1824, her Mémorial de l'art des accouchements went through many editions.

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