French Military Medicine

A collection of documents on military medical administration chiefly during the Revolutionary period and under the Consulate.

1. Order relating to funds for the hospital of the French royal guards regiment. Signed by [Jean Baptiste] du Sauzay (b. 1716), marquis, Paris, 5 April 1783.

2. Memorandum by François Doublet (1751-1795), of the faculty of medicine of Paris, on the organisation of military hospitals, addressed to Jean-Frédéric de La Tour du Pin Gouvernet (1727-1794), comte, French Minster of War. September 1789.

3. Letter from M. Courand to M. ?Gunnery on reform of military hospitals. [Paris], n.d. [?1789].

4. Table of 'compagnies détachées' of invalided soldiers in garrison throughout France, showing their location and strength by 'département'. 1 March 1791.

5. Petition from a Dr ?Noirlac, surgeon-major of the 17th regiment, to an unidentified representative of the National Assembly, on behalf of French military surgeons. Condé, 25 June 1791.

6. Notice from Jean-Baptiste Prieur, 'commissiare-ordonnateur' of the army of the Rhine, relating to the appointment of a certain of M. Salles the elder as apothecary to the 'hôpitaux ambulans' of the army. Strasbourg, 3 September 1792. Endorsed with notes of payments made to Salles.

7. Notice from the 'administrateurs des hôpitaux militaires' to the 'président de la section des Invalides' relating to the transfer of medical supplies in the capital. Paris, 28 July 1793.

8. Order from Jean-Baptiste Prieur, 'commissiare ordonnateur' of the army of the Rhine, to citizen Salles the elder, apothecary in that army, to report to the 'commissionaire des guerres' at Dijon to take charge of the military hospital which is to be established in that town. Strasbourg, 15 October 1793.

9. List of outstanding salaries due to medical staff of the army of the Ardennes up to 1 December 1793. Drawn up and signed by Hubert Marchand, 'premier médecin de l'armée', Douzy [dép. Ardennes], 18 nivôse, an II [7 January 1794].

10. 'Etat des objets nécessaires pour le service des blessés à l'hôpital Durand'. [Illegible placename], 18 pluviôse an II [27 January 1794].

11. Order from citizen Mazurier, 'adjoint au ministère de la guerre', to the adminstrators of military hospitals on the provision of medical supplies. [Paris], 27 pluviôse an II [15 February 1794].

12. Letter from Jules-François Paré (1755-1819), French Minister of the Interior, to the Minister of War, on provisioning the town hospital at Ornans [dép. Doubs] to receive military cases. Paris, 13 ventôse an II [3 March 1794].

13. Extract from the proceedings of the National Convention relating to a pension for the widow of Claude Lallement, formerly a medical officer at the military hospital at Soissons. Verified and signed by Philippe Constant Joseph Briez (1759-1795) and Marie Pierre Adrien Francastel (1761-1831), secretaries of the Convention, 23 prairial an II [11 June 1794].

14. Order by citizen Richard, 'commissaire général ordonnateur' of the army of the West, for payment of 559 livres 10 sous to citizen Guerin, druggist, for the provision of drugs and medicaments for the horses of the army's depot at Saumur. Tours, 11 messidor an II [29 June 1794]. Validated and countersigned by [Pierre] Bourbotte (1763-1795), one of the 'representants du peuple français près l'armée de l'ouest'.

15. Report of the 'Commission de Santé' on a proposal by citizen Laribeau, inspector of military hospitals of the army of the West, submitted on 8 May 1793, for the creation of a field hospital ('ambulance legère'), indicating that the proposal had been overtaken by a change in the law. Signed by ?Courie, [Paris], n.d [after 31 July 1794]. The report was in response to an order from the Committee of Public Safety for the Commission's opinion and the document is signed by several members of the Committee, including Jean Baptiste Treilhard (1742–1810), Jacques Nicolas Billaud-Varenne (1756-1819), Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois (1750–1796), Jean-Jacques Bréard (1750–1840), Jacques Alexis Thuriot (1753-1829) and Joseph Eschassériaux (1753-1823), and stamped 'approuvé' with the Committee's red stamp. The signatures indicate that the document must date from later 1794, after the death of Robespierre.

16. Appointment of Louis Mathieu Levacher as a surgeon in the 'armée des Côtes de Cherbourg'. Signed by the members of the 'Commission de Santé', [Paris], 5 brumaire an III [26 October 1794].

17. Appointment of Robert Lefevre as a surgeon in the army of the Rhine. Signed by the members of the 'Commission de Santé', and confirmed by the Committee of Public Safety, with the signatures of Treilhard, Charles Cochon de Lapparent (1750-1825), Jean-François-Bertrand Delmas (1751-1798), Thuriot, Claude Antoine Prieur-Duvernois (1763-1832), Philippe-Antoine Merlin de Douai (1754-1838), and Bréard. [Paris], 12 brumaire an III [2 November 1794].

18. Petition from citizen Corbière, army medical officer, to the president of the National Convention on behalf of indigent army medical personnel. Bonn, 1 brumaire an IV [26 October 1795]. Noted as received in the ministry of finance and signed by [Pierre Claude François] Daunou (1761-1840).

19. Letter from the 'Conseil de Santé' to the 'Commission des Secours Publics' on the location of citizen Lesénéchal, army medical officer. Paris, 7 [28 October 1795]. Signed by the members of the Conseil de Santé.

20. Letter from citizen Cotterel, army medical officer, to the Minister of War, informing him of recent changes to the military hospital arrangements at Bayonne. Bayonne, 18 ventôse an IV [8 March 1796].

21. Order from citizen Piot, 'commissaire du Directoire Exécutif près l'administation central du département de Vaucluse', to citizen Fortinet, medical officer, relating to the nomination of reliable medical personnel to certify exemptions from military service in the département. Avignon, 28 prairial an IV [16 June 1796].

23. Letter from the 'régisseurs généraux des hôpitaux militaires' to the Minister of War assuring him of their compliance with his orders for the continuous provisioning of military hospitals with mineral waters. Paris, 25 germinal an VII [14 April 1799].

22. Letter from Lazare Carnot (1753-1823), French Minister of War, to Victor Gresset, military surgeon, on his retirement from post in the military hospital at Strasbourg. With stamped signature of Carnot. Paris, 19 prairial an VIII [7 June 1800]. Countersigned by Jean François Coste (1741-1819), of the 'Conseil de Santé '.

24. Table of forage supplied by 'Entreprise Noé' to the military hospitals of the second sub-division of the 12th military division of the army of the West for the month of germinal year 8. Signed by citizen St Germain, 'chef du service des fourrages', Nantes, 17 thermidor an VIII [4 August 1800]. Verified and due payment authorised by J. Wieben, 'commissiare ordonnateur', Nantes, 10 nivôse an IX [30 December 1800].

25. Letter from the 'Conseil d'administration de l'hôpital sédentaire de Grenoble' to the Minister of War on provisioning the military hospitals of Chambéry and Grenoble. Grenoble, 9 fructidor an VIII [26 August 1800].

26. Letter from citizen ?Sary, 'pharmacien en chef de l'hôpital militaire' of Perpignan, to citizen Boileau, 'commissaire ordonnateur', apologising for late submission of his stock returns. Perpignan 18 frimaire an IX [8 December 1800].

27. Order by Jacques-Toussaint-Paul Dubreton (b.1758), 'commissaire-ordonnateur en chef' of the army of the north, that M. ?Genwud report to army headquarters to assume the post of 'econome d'ambulances' of the 3rd division. Nijmegen, 1 January 1806.