Marie Boivin

Marie-Anne Victoire Boivin (; née Gillain; 9 April 1773 – 16 May 1841) was a French midwife, inventor, and obstetrics writer. Madame Boivin has been called one of the most important women in medicine in the 19th century. Boivin invented a new pelvimeter and a vaginal speculum, and the medical textbooks that she wrote were translated to different languages and became highly influential.

Biography and career Marie Anne Victoire Gillain was born in 1773 at Versailles. where her talents attracted the attention of Madame Élisabeth, sister of Louis XVI.

She returned to Paris to study in the medical field and became Marie-Louise Lachapelle's student, assistant, and friend at La Maternité. She received her diploma in 1800, and stayed at Versailles to practice.