On the French Midwife Madame du Coudray

"She was a bold pioneer in obstetrical pedagogy in the service of France, tirelessly promoting the interests of the government that dispatched her. She was a curse visited upon the traditional village matrons who practiced timehonored ways of birthing and wanted no "help" or instruction disrupting their lives. She was a female upstart usurping the turf of doctors and surgeons who had traditionally presided over all examinations and degreegranting ceremonies for midwives throughout the country. She was a wondrous, brilliant phenomenon. She was a virago. A loyal patriotic servant. A fraud not to be trusted. An ingenious inventor. An outrageous, pretentious quack. A selfsacrificing, devoted teacher. Feminist role model. Traitor to her sex. Savior of the French population. Mere flash in the pan. Boon to humanity. Royal (literally) nuisance. Any and all of the above, depending on your point of view."

Gelbart, Nina Rattner. The King's Midwife : A History and Mystery of Madame Du Coudray. University of California Press, 1998.

Female War Correspondent Dickey Chapelle

Dickey Chapelle receiving last rites after being hit by shrapnel.
Image by Henri Huet.

According to this story, her last words were "I guess it was bound to happen."

More on her HERE.

Also see previous posts on LEE MILLER.

1970s Anatomical Pin-Up Girls

The Anatomical Basis of Medical Practice, 1970, got in a little bit of trouble for its depiction of women. Let's see why:

And there's more from Street Anatomy

Decomposition of the Body in Ivory

HERE is more information on the ivory sculpture below from the Museo di Capodimonte.


Morbid Anatomy provided some beautiful pictures of it, including this:

They are right in saying that these are based on memento mori in ivory such as this:

and these on the right:

But it was also based on these:

A Woman's Heart...

From HERE

Thanks DCK!

Dr. Seuss's Naked Ladies

A recent Bust article shows great images and summarizes the story written and illustration by the Doc himself.

Lady Bone Models

Women objectifying themselves by making themselves part of the perceived aesthetics of a product. And that product might be a giant skull.

HERE


Even better is a woman staring at Rasputin's preserved cock-and-balls:

Thanks PR!

Woman, again, as meat and clothes fashionably put together

Downright creepy image stolen from Bibliodyssey: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bibliodyssey/4053990647/sizes/o/