Médecins et notables sous le Consulat et l'Empire

What rank did doctors, surgeons and health officers occupy in the professional elite (composed of few dozen persons on the average) of each department around 1810? It varied greatly from one department to another but was on the whole still minor. In the order of professions, the doctor is on a par with of a the mayor a small or middle-sized town. He is, for the time being, well behind the bourgeoisie formed by the legal and paralegal professions, and enjoys but a modest income. This study is presented in detail for the departments of the west of France (J. Leonard), for one Belgian department (R. Darquenne) and is followed by a survey of the national situation in France (L. Bergeron)Léonard Jacques, Bergeron Louis, Darquenne Roger. Médecins et notables sous le Consulat et l'Empire. In: Annales. Economies, sociétés, civilisations. 32ᵉ année, N. 5, 1977. pp. 858-865