Page:The growth of medicine from the earliest times to about 1800.djvu/547

 CHAPTER XL

THE DEVELOPMENT OF SURGERY IN FRANCE (Continued).—AMBROISE PARÉ

Ambroise Paré was born, about the year 1517, at Laval, a small town in the Department of Mayenne, France. His father was probably the valet and barber of the Count of Laval. He went to Paris in early manhood and spent three years, at this period, in fitting himself for the career of a surgeon. He attended lectures on anatomy and surgery, did a certain amount of dissecting, served for over two years as a surgeon's assistant in the great hospital of Hôtel-Dieu, made notes of some of the cases which he saw, and was occasionally permitted to prescribe for patients and even to perform some minor operations. From 1536 onward, nearly up to the time of his death, he was almost continuously engaged, in the capacity of a surgeon, in accompanying different French armies on their military expeditions. His professional title at first was that of "barber," but he doubtless very soon discovered that, if he wished to advance, it would be absolutely necessary for him to secure a higher title. Accordingly, in 1541, he and his friend Thierry de Héry presented themselves for, and passed successfully, the required examination and were accepted as "master-barbers." It is an interesting fact that, during his long professional career, Paré was Chief Surgeon to four Kings of France in succession—first to Henry the Second (1547-1559), next to Francis the Second (1559-1560), then to Charles the Ninth (1560-1574), and finally to Henry the Third (1574-1589). The last-named King bestowed upon him the additional honor of "Councilor to his Majesty." He also served, during a certain period of his career, as an attending surgeon at Hôtel-Dieu.