Peretta Peronne facts for kids

Peretta Peronne was a woman who worked as a surgeon in Paris, France, a long time ago, in the early 1400s. She didn't have a special license from the university, which was unusual for her time. We know about her because she was taken to court by the medical experts in Paris in 1411.

Doctors and Rules in Old Paris

The University of Paris had a group of medical teachers and doctors. They wanted to make sure that only people with proper training and licenses could practice medicine. They believed this would make doctors more respected. This idea was popular across Europe. Many people thought that doctors who didn't go to university, like surgeons or pharmacists, were not as good.

In France, the rules about different types of medical workers were becoming very strict. People in charge, both from the church and the government, were talking more and more about who should be allowed to heal others.

Women in Medicine Long Ago

For many centuries, women were involved in different kinds of medical care. History often focuses on women helping at home, like being wet nurses or midwives. But some historians say it's a myth that women only treated other women.

Towards the end of the Middle Ages, it became harder for women to work as doctors. New rules and legal problems meant that women doctors started to disappear from official records. For example, a woman named Jacoba Felicie was taken to court in 1322. This shows how attitudes were changing in France.

Why Was She Taken to Court?

In 1411, Peretta Peronne was brought before the main surgeons of the University of Paris. A group of surgeons, called a "confraternity," had complained about her. They went to the Paris medical teachers for help because Peronne had put up a sign outside her house. The sign said she was a "public surgeon."

This group of surgeons and the university saw Peronne's work as a problem. They wanted to keep a clear difference between what doctors and surgeons did. Peronne's case is the only time the Parisian medical teachers took a female surgeon to court during this period.

What Happened in Court?

By the 1300s, surgeons, barbers, and pharmacists were usually safe from being taken to court by the university. This was if they belonged to a special group (a "guild") that the medical teachers watched over. However, women were not allowed to join surgeons' guilds. They were mostly kept out of these groups, except for jobs like making clothes or if they were widows.

Also, women were not usually taken to court if they only worked as midwives, or if they cared for very old or very young people who were dying. Peronne, however, treated both men and women at her home. She advertised that she could do surgeries, even though she hadn't received the special training or license needed.

The Parisian medical teachers saw Peronne as a chance to send a message. They wanted to stop others from doing similar things. They didn't want to spend money taking every woman surgeon in Paris to court.

Once the formal complaint was made, Peronne had to take down her sign. She also had to stop doing surgeries until she had been checked by the experts. Some old writings suggest she might have been put in prison while they checked her. University records show she had to give her surgery books to doctors and a legal clerk to look at. She also had to be interviewed by doctors while other surgeons were present.

During her defense, Peronne said she was a skilled healer. She believed she was doing God's work. She also said she needed to keep working because she had "many sick persons or patients under her care, who required essential remedies and visitation."

What Was the Outcome?

The doctors at the Parisian medical faculty decided that Peronne didn't really understand the surgery books she had. The university ordered her to permanently remove the public surgeon sign from her house.

However, records show that she kept working! Peronne was able to continue her practice even after a trial and possibly being in prison. This shows that the attempts by male doctors to stop women and unlicensed people from doing medical work were not completely successful.

The rules about formal training meant there were fewer "official" doctors in Paris. But people still needed medical help, especially for surgeries, which were seen as less important than other medical care. People continued to go to women surgeons like Peronne if they believed they were good at their job and could help them.