I had the honour of receiving the 2024 Prescrire Prize – alongside two other books and a podcast – and of giving a talk on this occasion in early October 2024. The journal Prescrire had published a really kind review of my book in its ‘Read for You’ section (available online). The video of my talk can also be viewed for free on their website.
French medicine has many male heroes. One of them is Claude Bernard, remembered as the father of physiology. In this essay, however, I will not dwell too long on his arguments on animal ethics; they are lacking in several ways. Instead, I will turn my attention to Marie-Françoise Bernard, also known as Fanny Martin, Bernard’s estranged wife, as well as his daughters. For them and other women in the 19th century, animal ethics was personally, scientifically and philosophically important. Let us remember the voices of these pioneers.
To read this free essay on Medium, click the link.