Born: 1563, France
Died: 1636
Country most active: France
Also known as: Louise Bourgeois, Louyse Bourgeois
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women creator Allison Tyra’s book Uncredited: Women’s Overlooked, Misattributed, and Stolen Work.
Louise Bourgeois was renowned for her skill as a midwife, with patients including French royalty in the early 1600s. In 1627, one of her patients—the wife of the king’s brother—died from a fever after labour, and the princess’s mother-in-law, queen mother Marie de’Medici, ordered an autopsy. It was conducted by male physicians, many of whom were Bourgeois’s enemies, who claimed she was at fault. Bourgeois published a rebuttal challenging their findings, including noting that the physicians present in the birthing room were not allowed to be present at the autopsy. She had been a highly regarded midwife for thirty-four years, and had written books on the topic used by medical professionals in several countries. Yet the word of biassed men was enough to end her career.