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Francois Mariceau
Francois Mariceau (1637-1709) practiced in the maternity wards of Paris' hotel Dieu and became the greatest accoucher (or obstetrician) of the 17th century. His Traité des maladies des femmes grosses, originally published in 1668, was the first obstetric text in the modern sense and established obstetrics as a separate specialty and science. It was translated into English (1673), German (1680), Dutch (1683), and Italian (1684). Mauriceau divided his text into three sections: diseases and abnormalities from conception to the end of pregnancy; normal childbirth; and the care of the mother and newborn infant. He provided a detailed analysis of the mechanism of labor, maintaining that during labor the uterus is the active agent while the fetus plays a passive role, and disputed an old belief that the pelvic bones were separated during normal labor. Mauriceau gave the earliest account of anti-syphilis treatment during pregnancy, and was the first to describe the tubal pregnancy. Perhaps his greatest impact was upon the birth position: he advocated delivery in bed rather that in a birthing chair. The recumbent position facilitated examination and obstetric procedures for the obstetrician; known as the "French Position," it soon spread throughout Europe and North America.
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