Jean-Louis Baudelocque by Antoine Vestier

Jean-Louis Baudelocque (30 November 1745 – 2 May 1810) was a French

obstetrician Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

who studied and practiced medicine in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. He was born in

Heilly Heilly (; pcd, Heillin) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Heilly is situated on the D52 road, some northeast of Amiens. History During the First World War, being on the railway line Amiens- ...

, in the French region of

Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hi ...

. Baudelocque is known for making

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

a scientific discipline in France. He advanced and popularized the methodology of William Smellie (1697–1763), who modernized obstetrical practices in England in the 18th century. Baudelocque is credited for correcting errors regarding

childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million births globall ...

and wrote a popular book on

midwifery Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (including care of the newborn), in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many cou ...

. He refined

André Levret André Levret (8 January 1703 in Paris – 22 January 1780) was a French obstetrician who practised medicine in Paris. He was a contemporary of famed English obstetrician William Smellie (1697–1763), and along with Jean-Louis Baudelocque ( ...

's (1703–1780) "pelvic

forceps Forceps (plural forceps or considered a plural noun without a singular, often a pair of forceps; the Latin plural ''forcipes'' is no longer recorded in most dictionaries) are a handheld, hinged instrument used for grasping and holding objects. Fo ...

" and constructed a pelvimeter for use in obstetrics. His pelvimeter were anthropometric

calipers A caliper (British spelling also calliper, or in plurale tantum sense a pair of calipers) is a device used to measure the dimensions of an object. Many types of calipers permit reading out a measurement on a ruled scale, a dial, or a digital dis ...

used to measure external

pelvic The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton). The ...

dimensions. This distance was to become known as "Baudelocque's diameter" (the external conjugate diameter of the

pelvis The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton). The ...

). In England, William Smellie developed a method for measuring internal pelvic dimensions. In 1806 Emperor

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

appointed Baudelocque as the first chair of obstetrics in France, and at the same time he began serving as physician-in-chief at the Maternité (later named Maternité Baudelocque), where he taught classes on midwifery. Napoleon also chose him as accoucheur to

Empress Marie-Louise Marie Louise (12 December 1791 – 17 December 1847) was an Austrian archduchess who reigned as Duchess of Parma from 11 April 1814 until her death. She was Napoleon's second wife and as such Empress of the French and Queen of Italy from their ...

and to

Caroline Bonaparte Carolina Maria Annunziata Bonaparte Murat Macdonald (French: ''Caroline Marie Annonciade Bonaparte''; 25 March 1782 – 18 May 1839), better known as Caroline Bonaparte, was an Imperial French princess; the seventh child and third daughter of Ca ...

, the emperor's younger sister. Pelvimeter

Selected writings

* ''Principes sur l'art des accouchemens'', 1775; * ''l'Art des accouchemens'', 1781;

External links

Portrait of Jean-Louis Baudelocque

References

Who Named It ''Whonamedit?'' is an online English-language dictionary of medical eponyms and the people associated with their identification. Though it is a dictionary, many eponyms and persons are presented in extensive articles with comprehensive bibliograph ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baudelocque, Jean-Louis 1745 births 1810 deaths People from Somme (department) French obstetricians 18th-century French physicians 19th-century French physicians Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery