Pierre-Constant Budin (; 9 November 1846 – 22 January 1907) was a French

obstetrician Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

who was a native of Enencourt-le-Sec, a village in northern France. In 1876 he earned his medical degree in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, and in 1882 became chief obstetrician at the

Hôpital de la Charité Hôpital de la Charité (, "Charity Hospital") was a hospital in Paris founded by the Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God in the 17th century. In 1935, it was closed and demolished to make way for the new faculty of medicine. Located at 45, ...

. In 1895 he succeeded

Étienne Stéphane Tarnier Stéphane Étienne Tarnier (29 April 1828 – 23 November 1897) was a French obstetrician who was a native of Aiserey. He studied and practiced medicine in Paris, and is often considered as doyen of French obstetrics during the second half of the ...

(1828–1897) as chair of

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a su ...

at the Hôpital Maternité. Budin was a member of the

Académie de Médecine An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, and an officer of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. Pierre Budin was a founder of modern

perinatal Prenatal development () involves the development of the embryo and of the fetus during a viviparous animal's gestation. Prenatal development starts with fertilization, in the germinal stage of embryonic development, and continues in fetal deve ...

medicine, and made many contributions in efforts to reduce

infant mortality Infant mortality is the death of an infant before the infant's first birthday. The occurrence of infant mortality in a population can be described by the infant mortality rate (IMR), which is the number of deaths of infants under one year of age ...

. He stressed the importance of proper

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemistry, biochemical and physiology, physiological process by which an organism uses food and water to support its life. The intake of these substances provides organisms with nutrients (divided into Macronutrient, macro- ...

and prevention of infectious disease in newborns, as well as education of new mothers on these subjects. Due to the problem of

gastroenteritis Gastroenteritis, also known as infectious diarrhea, is an inflammation of the Human gastrointestinal tract, gastrointestinal tract including the stomach and intestine. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Fever, lack of ...

in infants caused by contaminated cow's milk, Budin was a major proponent of breastfeeding, and believed in a substitution of sterilized milk if natural nutrition failed. He also popularized a technique known as

gavage Force-feeding is the practice of feeding a human or animal against their will. The term ''gavage'' (, , ) refers to supplying a substance by means of a small plastic feeding tube passed through the nose (nasogastric tube, nasogastric) or mouth (o ...

for feeding premature infants who were too weak to receive nourishment by conventional methods. He was the author of ''Le nourrisson: alimentation et hygiène - enfants débiles, enfants nés à terme'' (1900), a book that was later translated into English as ''The Nursling. The Feeding and

Hygiene Hygiene is a set of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

of Premature and Full-Term Infants'' (1907).Amazon Books, Nourrisson-Nursling
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Associated eponyms

* ''Budin's obstetrical joint'':, Also known as the posterior intra-occipital joint, which is a band of

cartilage Cartilage is a resilient and smooth type of connective tissue. Semi-transparent and non-porous, it is usually covered by a tough and fibrous membrane called perichondrium. In tetrapods, it covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints ...

seen in newborns, situated between the

squamous Epithelium or epithelial tissue is a thin, continuous, protective layer of cells with little extracellular matrix. An example is the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Epithelial ( mesothelial) tissues line the outer surfaces of man ...

and the two rounded prominences of the

occipital bone The occipital bone () is a neurocranium, cranial dermal bone and the main bone of the occiput (back and lower part of the skull). It is trapezoidal in shape and curved on itself like a shallow dish. The occipital bone lies over the occipital lob ...

. * ''Budin's rule'': A rule that states that a bottle-fed infant should not consume more than 10% of its own weight of cow's milk per day.

References

Breastfeeding Medicine
Dr. Pierre Budin: Promoter of Breastfeeding in 19th Century France
Dorlands Medical Dictionary

Neonatology.org
History of Perinatal Medicine French obstetricians People from Oise 1846 births 1907 deaths {{France-med-bio-stub