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Pierre de Sales Laterrière (; 1743 or 1747 – 14 June 1815), was an adventurer who left
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
in 1766. He was inspector and director of the ironworking Forges du Saint-Maurice and
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of the municipality Les Éboulements in
New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...
(Canada). Sales Laterrière was born near
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, (perhaps) the son of a French count, Jean Pierre De Sales. He was employed as a clerk by
Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...
at
Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
. In 1769, he left Quebec City to practice medicine with a doctor at Montmagny. Though he said he had studied medicine in Paris, Laterrière probably began practicing medicine with no formal medical training, not uncommon at that time. In 1771, he was employed as an agent for the Saint-Maurice ironworks at Quebec City. In 1775, Laterrière was hired as inspector for the ironworks and he moved to
Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, ; ) is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...
. In 1776, the director of the ironworks, Christophe Pélissier (businessman), was arrested by the
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for supplying weapons and ammunition to the American army that was advancing towards Quebec. Laterrière was given the post of director after Pélissier fled to the
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. He also began living with Pélissier's wife, Marie-Catherine Delezenne. Despite public opinion and criticism from the clergy, this free thinker, defender of midwives and
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lived unmarried with Marie-Catherine until they finally married in 1799, after the death of her first husband. Imprisoned by the British Governor Frederick Haldimand on the day following the American Invasion, he was then exiled in
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from 1782 to 1783, following a (probably) false charge of
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. He returned to Quebec and settled on a farm at Baie-du-Febvre (later Baieville) where he resumed the practice of medicine. In 1788, following the passing of "''An Act or Ordinance to prevent persons practising physic and surgery within the Province of Quebec,or Midwifery in the towns of Quebec or Montreal, without Licence''" the province of Quebec began to insist on doctors producing their credentials or passing an examination. As Laterrière could not produce a medical degree and failed to pass the oral examination he went to study medicine at
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in
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where a medical school had recently opened and qualified to practice medicine one year later, in 1789. He was Harvard Medical School's first foreign graduate. He returned to Quebec to practice medicine and in 1799, he moved his medical practice to Quebec City. His income from practicing medicine and investments allowed him to purchase the seigneury of Les Éboulements in 1810. He died at Quebec City in 1815. His sons Marc Pascal and Pierre-Jean both became doctors and important figures in the province.


References


External links

* * * Crawford, David S. Theses in the Osler Library including that of Pierre de Sales Laterriere.
Osler Library Newsletter No. 111, 2009
* Andres, Bernard. L'enigme de Sales Laterriere. Montreal, Quebec Amerique, 2000. * Les mémoires de Pierre de Sales Laterrière ; suivi de correspondances / �dité parBernard Andrès. Montreal, Triptyque 2003. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sales Laterriere, Pierre De 1740s births 1815 deaths People of New France 18th-century French people 19th-century French people Harvard Medical School alumni