Medicine, Monks, and Revolutionaries

Improbable Walks, Season 4, Episode 3: In this episode, we walk along the rue de l’Ecole de Medicine, the Street of the School of Medicine, on the edge of the Latin Quarter. Our inspiration comes from a photograph taken by fascinating 19th-century photographer Charles Marville. Below, to begin, is the image by Marville which kicked off my curiosity about the street. The next image is more bucolic, to give you a taste of Marville's artistic eye. Next, one of my favourite images of Sarah Bernhardt, painted by her friend & lover Clairin. On the next line, you see Rosa Bonheur, in a portrait by Anna Klumpke. Then, we jump a bit further down the street, to see the elegant pillars leading to the small medical history museum, and the sculpture of the great Revolutionary Danton, installed nearly where his apartment once stood. And then, the last 2 photos below... Marville turned his camera and took a photo of the street facing the other way--which today has disappeared under the boulevard Saint-Germain. And finally, the cafe Danton, with a view of the street today.