Haute-Ville in Québec in Communauté-Urbaine-de-Québec, — Central Canada (French-Canadian)

Michel Sarrazin

1659-1734

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 4, 2019

1. Michel Sarrazin Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

C'est ici, à l'Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, qu'exerce principalement Michel Sarrazin, médecin et chirurgien d'origine française considéré comme le premier scientifique canadien. Arrivé en Nouvelle-France en 1685 à titre de chirurgien de la marine, il est nommé « Médecin du Roi en Canada » par Louis XIV en 1699 et se voit confier la responsabilité de soigner les sujets de Sa Majesté. Il pratique l'année suivante la toute première mastectomie au pays.

Naturaliste réputé, Michel Sarrazin se distingue par sa contribution aux domaines de la zoologie et de la botanique. Correspondant de l'Académie française des sciences, auteur de nombreux travaux scientifiques, il devient membre du Conseil supérieur de la Nouvelle-France en 1707 et participe ainsi à l'administration de la colonie. Michel Sarrazin s'éteint à l'Hôtel-Dieu de Québec.

Commission de la capitale nationale de Québec
Ville de Québec

[English translation]
It is here, at the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, that Michel Sarrazin, a doctor and surgeon of French origin, considered the first Canadian scientist, mainly practices. Arrived

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in New France in 1685 as a naval surgeon, he was appointed "King's Doctor in Canada" by Louis XIV in 1699 and was entrusted with the responsibility of caring for His Majesty's subjects. The following year, he performed the very first mastectomy in the country.

Renowned naturalist, Michel Sarrazin is distinguished by his contribution to the fields of zoology and botany. Correspondent of the French Academy of Sciences, author of many scientific works, he became a member of the Superior Council of New France in 1707 and thus participated in the administration of the colony. Michel Sarrazin died at the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec.

Erected by Commission de la capitale nationale de Québec / National Capital Commission of Quebec.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1685.

Location. 46° 48.908′ N, 71° 12.654′ W. Marker is in Québec, in Communauté-Urbaine-de-Québec. It is in Haute-Ville. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Côte du Palais and Rue McMahon, on the right when traveling north. Marker is mounted at eye-level just to the left of the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11 Côte du Palais, Québec G1R 2J6, Canada. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Hôtel-Dieu de Québec (here, next to this marker);

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 4, 2019

2. Michel Sarrazin Marker

(mounted above bench)

Premier Hôpital au Canada (within shouting distance of this marker); Marie-Catherine de Saint-Augustin (within shouting distance of this marker); Site historique du Monastère-des-Augustines de-l'Hôtel-Dieu-de-Québec (within shouting distance of this marker); Irish Roots in Old Québec (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Les photographes Livernois (about 120 meters away); Protecting the Upper Town (about 180 meters away); Maison Marie-Joseph-Larchevêque (about 180 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Québec.

Also see . . .
1. Michel Sarrazin.

Immigrated at age 25 to the colony of New France as a surgeon. While in New France, his medical skills were constantly in demand, and he quickly rose in the ranks, becoming one of the colonial elite. Sarrazin developed a vast knowledge of both the cultural and natural world of New France, and is credited being one of the first scientists to systematically catalogue ecosystems and samples found in New France, resulting in many important botanical discoveries.
On May
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 4, 2019

3. Michel Sarrazin Marker
(bench is on left side of Hôtel-Dieu de Québec entrance)
29, 1700, at the Hotel-Dieu of Québec, Sarrazin performed what seems to be the first mastectomy in North America. The surgery was performed on Sister Marie Barbier de l’Assomption, who had been Mother Superior of the Congregation Notre-Dame in Montréal. The operation was a resounding success, and the nun lived for another 39 years, passing away at the age of 77.

(Submitted on November 27, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Michel Sarrazin.

Doctor, surgeon, zoologist, botanist, mineralogist, businessman, and public administrator. Endowed with intellectual acuteness, he nevertheless was more interested in precise facts than in great ideas and attached much importance to details. He was a modest, even limited researcher, but a conscientious and meticulous one, and in no way inferior to many of the academicians of the time. Being the only person with a knowledge of natural history in a country where so many things remained to be discovered, he played an important role in the difficult emergence of Canadian science.

(Submitted on November 27, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Hôtel-Dieu de Québec (<i>south elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 4, 2019

4. Hôtel-Dieu de Québec (south elevation)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 9, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 27, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 68 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 27, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.