École de Médecine (building)

The École de Médecine (French pronunciation: [ekɔl də medəsin], "School of Medicine"), or formerly the École de Chirurgie ([-ʃiʁyʁʒi], "Academy of Surgery"), is an academic and historic building of the Paris Cité University, located on the Latin Quarter campus, at 10–12 rue de l'École-de-Médecine in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. The building was the headquarters and main campus of the Faculty of Medicine of Paris from 1795 to 1971. Today it is the head office of the Paris Cité University.

The building gave its name to the current rue de l'École-de-Médecine, formerly rue des Cordeliers.

Background

In the 18th century, surgery was increasingly recognized as a specialized discipline in the medical sciences, while previously surgeons had often been confused with barbers. Consequently, an independent academy for surgery was established in 1731 and ratified in 1750. In 1769, King Louis XV, perhaps out of respect for his Premier Chirurgien (principal surgeon), Germain Pichault de la Martinière, acquired the buildings of the former Collège de Bourgogne (1331–1763), which had been merged with several others into the Collège Louis-le-Grand, and granted them to the Royal Academy of Surgery (French: Académie royale de chirurgie) which until then had been located across the street. The new building was designed by the architect Jacques Gondouin from 1769 to 1774, and built from 1774 to 1786 even though the inaugural session was held as early as 25 April 1775.

Architecture

The ground floor housed a rectangular theatre for the instruction of midwives, a chemistry lab, a public hall, a room reserved for students in training for the army, and a small hospital. The second level housed a library for displaying medical instruments, several lecture rooms, and offices.