Jean-Louis Baudelocque

Jean-Louis Baudelocque (November 30, 1745 - May 2, 1810) was a French obstetrician who studied and practiced medicine in Paris.

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Baudelocque is known for making obstetrics 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 and wrote a popular book on midwifery. He refined André Levret's (1703-1780) "pelvic forceps" and constructed a pelvimeter for use in obstetrics. His pelvimeter were anthropometric calipers used to measure external pelvic dimensions. This was to become known as "Baudelocque's diameter". In England, William Smellie created a method for measuring internal pelvic dimensions.

In 1806, Emperor Napoleon appointed Baudelocque as the first chair of obstetrics in France. In this function he was also obstetrician to royalty in Naples, Holland and Spain as well as France. In this time period, he also became chief physician of Maternité (later named Maternité Baudelocque) where he taught classes on midwifery.

Partial Bibliography:

• Principe des accouchements, 1775
• l'Art des accouchements, 1781

External Site:

• Who Named It?, Complete Bibliographical Listing of Baudelocque's Writings