Georges Mareschal

Who was Georges Mareschal?

Georges Mareschal was a French surgeon who was a native of Calais. In 1707 he was ennobled, and was known as Georges Mareschal, seigneur de Bièvre.

He was the son of John Marshall, an Irish gentleman who served in the army of Louis XIII at the Battle of Rocroi. In 1677 Mareschal moved to Paris, where he worked as a surgical assistant. In 1684 he worked at the Hôpital de la Charité, where in 1688 he became master-surgeon, later earning the title of chief-surgeon.

Mareschal was first-surgeon to Louis XIV and Louis XV. In 1731, with François Gigot de la Peyronie, he founded the Académie Royale de Chirurgie. He is credited with making improvements in lithotomical surgery.