#corvisart

[napolebonasacc]

[empirearchives]

Descriptions of Napoleon’s personality by Adam Zamoyski

“He was kind by nature, quick to assist and reward. He found comfortable jobs and granted generous pensions to former colleagues, teachers, and servants, even to a guard who had shown sympathy during his incarceration after the fall of Robespierre. He was generous to the son of Marbeuf, promoted his former commander at TouIon Dugommier and looked after his family when he died, did the same for La Poype and du Teil, and even found the useless Carteaux a post with a generous pension. Whenever he encountered hardship or poverty, he disbursed lavishly. He could be sensitive, and there are countless verifiable acts of solicitude and kindness that testify to his genuinely wishing to make people happy.”

“He was most at his ease with children, soldiers, servants, and those close to him, in whom he took a personal interest, asking them about their health, their families, and their troubles. He would treat them with a joshing familiarity, teasing them, calling them scoundrels or nincompoops; whenever he saw his physician, Dr. Jean-Nicolas Corvisart, he would ask him how many people he had killed that day.”

“He possessed considerable charm and only needed to smile for people to melt. He could be a delightful companion when he adopted an attitude of bonhomie. He was a good raconteur, and people loved listening to him speak on some subject that interested him, or tell his ghost stories, for which he would sometimes blow out the candles. He could grow passionate when discussing literature or, more rarely, his feelings.”

[josefavomjaaga]

How to wean a king

Part of a long letter, written on June 7, 1812, by Doctor Corvisart, premier médecin at Napoleon’s court, to the infamous Duchesse de Montebello, Louise Lannes, about how much effort it cost him to see his authority respected by Madame de Montesquiou, head governess of Napoleon’s son.

Madame la Duchesse,

I will not let Isabey go without charging him with a word for you; and, though you have ordered him to see your children before he leaves, you will please not think it amiss if I tell you that they were all in perfect health when I had the pleasure of dining with them last Wednesday; so were all your family and your grandparents. Therefore, Madam, you may continue to follow your vagabond inclinations, go round the world, excel in the most excellent courts, and return at God's pleasure.

All the news, moreover, attests to the fact that Her Majesty the Empress is in excellent health; I believe this as much as I desire it: if one could consider, amongst all the symptoms which constitute it, the assurance of pregnancy, what wishes would be fulfilled. I think I can, without any impropriety, Madame la Duchesse, ask you to kindly offer Her Majesty the homage of my respect and my complete devotion.

Finally, Madam, you may announce to Her Majesty that the King of Rome is completely weaned: since and including last Wednesday (3 June), he has ceased to see his nurse, and consequently to suckle. I think he is all the better for it. I saw him yesterday. He is cheerful, drinking, eating and sleeping wonderfully and his teeth are growing.

The story of this weaning is rather piquant, and if you promise me, by oath, not to speak of it, even to Her Majesty, I will sketch it out for you.

The very morning of the day the Emperor left, he pushed me vigorously in the presence of the Prince of Neufchatel on the subject of weaning and ordered me to do everything I thought appropriate on this subject, under my responsibility. You know that the Moniteur of the next day announced that the king would be weaned at the end of May.

I went to Meudon on the following Wednesday; I informed Mme la Gouvernante of the unrestricted authorisation given to me by the Emperor, and, after discussing it with Messrs Bourdois, Auvity and Dubois (the first two not having a very clear opinion), I spoke of weaning the child. Mme la G... did not want to consent to this before writing to the Emperor. I explained to her in vain that His Majesty had given me the most formal and extensive authorisation; she did not want to go beyond that; I had to wait.

Here, it should be known that I learned indirectly that Mme la G... had made Messrs Bourdois and Auvity sign her opinion concerning the weaning of the King; they drew it up and signed it without informing me in any way. I have no doubt that Mme la G... must have strengthened her letter to the Emperor with the support of these signatures, undoubtedly in order to contrast the opinion of these gentlemen and thus delay the weaning. I made some trips to Meudon; I asked if the reply of His Majesty had arrived, and I was answered that it had not. I repeated a second time the absolute authorisation which I had received from the Emperor, that I was believable on my word; I had to wait.

I was not, as you can well imagine, Madame, without reluctance to see that no credence was given to what I was saying, and that they were trying, by gaining time, and by what I would almost dare to call deceptive tactics, to abort the execution of the weaning at the time I had proposed. What could be done? Wait for the Emperor's reply.

Finally, on Friday 29 May, on my way home in the evening, I received a note from Mme la G... (she had not signed it), in which she informed me that she had just received His Majesty's reply and that all the obstacles to weaning had been removed.

OBSTACLES! Weigh this word carefully, Madame, and, according to the facts I have just outlined, where did these obstacles come from?

I would observe, moreover, that Mme la G... does not give me the extract from the Emperor's letter concerning me in relation to weaning; I have had, in all this, as you see, only the strictest of essentials, still, still...

Finally, I went the following Wednesday to Meudon; I asked the opinion of these gentlemen, whose will the Emperor allowed me to do without; I asked them if, on their honour and in their soul and conscience, the king could be weaned without inconvenience and without delay? They said YES. We returned to the King's apartment; I decided on the weaning which they wanted to postpone for a few more days, I did not consent to it and they weaned. You know the rest. I will make no comment on this account, Madame la Duchesse; you are quite sure that it contains the exact truth, because you know my probity and my loyalty well. I will tell you only one thing, that the air of the court alters my physical and moral health, and that I would like to be away from it for ever, for half my fortune. Your trust, for you, for your children, for your family, my conscience and my honour, which are well known to you, is the only relief for so many tribulations. In any case, keep this history secret from me, for I have no draft of it and the facts will surely escape my memory [...]

What I love best is how Napoleon, clearly wishing to get the weaning done, instead of talking about it to the governess - who he probably knew would oppose him - sends old Corvisart into that battle 😁. (And Berthier is probably there for backup.)

The King of Rome was 14 months old, btw.

[moxxtrack]

Lost in the 80's by moxx

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Corvisart's first meeting with Bonaparte.  -  We come now to the Directorv, the supreme executive Council from 1795 to 17/99. At a brilliant soiree given by Barras, with whom Corvisart had become acquainted through Lecoultre de Cauteleu, one of his first patients. Corvisart was presented to General Bonaparte, when the delightful Josephine, who had implicit faith in the knowledge of the great physician to the Charite, asked him point-blank, "To what disease do you think the General [Bonaparte] is most likely to be exposed?" "To disease of the heart," imperturbably replied the oracle. "Have you written a book on that?" asked Bonaparte. "No, but I think of publishing one soon." "Then lose no time, we will speak of this later." It is possible that suggestion from this august source led to the appearance a few years later of Corvisart's important book on the circulation.

[...]

On Wednesdays and Saturdays the First Physician attended when the Emperor rose and retired. Even though Napoleon was in his morning bath, Corvisart was at once admitted. If the august patient was in good humour he was wont to greet him thus: "Ah! there you are, great charlatan, how many patients are you going to kill to-day? " "Not many, Sire," was the usual reply. With Corvisart the Emperor omitted all formality, often pinching or rubbing his ears, a trick of his with those whom he liked. Napoleon was inclined to distrust medical art, claiming that it was too conjectural. By reason of his numerous ailments he was difficult to manage. He was always cold, and had a fire in his study even during the summer. He took a daily prolonged hot bath, followed at Corvisart's suggestion, by vigorous friction with Eau de Cologne. Napoleon was averse from drugs, believing that they should be reserved for exceptional cases, hence his treatment by Corvisart depended mainly on hygiene. Charlatans received scant mercy from Napoleon, but he had the highest opinion of Bichat, Larrey and Corvisart.

-- Life and Times of Jean Nicolas Corvisart (1755-1821) by J. F. Halls Dally, M.D.

[napolebonasacc]

Portrait & Lithograph of Baron Jean-Nicolas Corvisart, Napolèon’s primary physician.

By Baron François Pascal Simon Gérard

[napolebonasacc]

Un portrait de Jean Nicolas Corvisart, médecin privé de Napoléon, avec une écharpe rouge et un violon sous le bras sur fond de paysage

Par Jacques Delaplace

[empirearchives]

Napoleon has entered the corset discourse. It is the assassin of the human race and murders women, apparently.

Book: The Lure of Perfection, by Judith Chazin-Bennahum.

There were a lot of changes regarding corsets during the Napoleonic era (along with panniers, wigs, fabrics, waistlines). It was kind of a meme for certain people to be scandalized by the fashion changes women were choosing to make, such as not wearing corsets. Many of these changes were seen as immodest and immoral.

After George Murgatroyd Woodward

In Russia in 1808, there was a piece published in Russkii vestnik listing the defects of women who were being influenced by Napoleon and foreign trends. It said these women had “blind passion for destructive fashions” as well as being guilty of “reading novels,” “ignorance of their native language,” and “indifference and inattention to their compatriots.”

Source: The Russian Representation of Napoleon: A Cultural Mythology, by Molly Williams Wesling.