Les femmes et les sciences de la nature

The practise of natural science presupposes technical knowledge and applications which hardly conform to that which was expected of women during the eighteenth century. One expects them therefore to have had little or no part in the field. Among the great names of the history of science like Buffon, Daubenton, Réaumur, Lamarck, Pluche and others, only Madame du Châtelet shines out as a sort of exception to confirm a general rule. Enlightenment woman seems, at best, to have taken the part of an intelligent conversationalist, attentive to the development of knowledge without playing any direct role in scientific research as such. This article proposes to demonstrate that beyond society or sociability, women's role in natural science is a largely unexplored yet rich field : curious-minded women, collectors, anatomists, midwives and wise women are to be found discretely present throughout the century, all claiming, in their own way, female education in the scientific field and taking part in contemporary epistemolo-gical debates.Susana Seguin Maria. Les femmes et les sciences de la nature. In: Dix-huitième Siècle, n°36, 2004. Femmes des Lumières. pp. 333-343