At the Crossroads of the Scientific Revolution: Two French Seventeenth-Century Women of Science
The first translation of the works of early modern French woman scientists Martine de Bertereau and Marie Meurdrac. 

The writings of mineralogist and hydrogeologist Martine de Bertereau (ca. 1584-ca. 1643) and alchemist and chemist Marie Meurdrac (ca. 1610-80) stand at the crossroads of the Scientific Revolution, a significant period between Copernicus and Newton that oversaw a new ferment in both the theoretical and empirical investigation of the natural world. Bertereau’s writings appear at the interface of a negotiation between an older form of knowledge, dating back to Aristotle, and a new scientific empiricism. She brilliantly addresses the relationship between knowledge and mining applications, as well as the roles of the king, the state, the market, and the public. Meurdrac published the first so-called chemistry book by a woman, which contributed to the various areas of scientific knowledge generally associated with alchemy in its development into chemistry, particularly medical cookery, botany, pharmacology, and cosmetology. 

Bertereau’s and Meurdrac’s works illustrate this age of transition, a spectacular time of growth in ideas and discoveries for both men and women. This first-time translation of their works is an important step in restoring the voices of these early modern French women scientists.
 
1147275784
At the Crossroads of the Scientific Revolution: Two French Seventeenth-Century Women of Science
The first translation of the works of early modern French woman scientists Martine de Bertereau and Marie Meurdrac. 

The writings of mineralogist and hydrogeologist Martine de Bertereau (ca. 1584-ca. 1643) and alchemist and chemist Marie Meurdrac (ca. 1610-80) stand at the crossroads of the Scientific Revolution, a significant period between Copernicus and Newton that oversaw a new ferment in both the theoretical and empirical investigation of the natural world. Bertereau’s writings appear at the interface of a negotiation between an older form of knowledge, dating back to Aristotle, and a new scientific empiricism. She brilliantly addresses the relationship between knowledge and mining applications, as well as the roles of the king, the state, the market, and the public. Meurdrac published the first so-called chemistry book by a woman, which contributed to the various areas of scientific knowledge generally associated with alchemy in its development into chemistry, particularly medical cookery, botany, pharmacology, and cosmetology. 

Bertereau’s and Meurdrac’s works illustrate this age of transition, a spectacular time of growth in ideas and discoveries for both men and women. This first-time translation of their works is an important step in restoring the voices of these early modern French women scientists.
 
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At the Crossroads of the Scientific Revolution: Two French Seventeenth-Century Women of Science

At the Crossroads of the Scientific Revolution: Two French Seventeenth-Century Women of Science

At the Crossroads of the Scientific Revolution: Two French Seventeenth-Century Women of Science

At the Crossroads of the Scientific Revolution: Two French Seventeenth-Century Women of Science

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Overview

The first translation of the works of early modern French woman scientists Martine de Bertereau and Marie Meurdrac. 

The writings of mineralogist and hydrogeologist Martine de Bertereau (ca. 1584-ca. 1643) and alchemist and chemist Marie Meurdrac (ca. 1610-80) stand at the crossroads of the Scientific Revolution, a significant period between Copernicus and Newton that oversaw a new ferment in both the theoretical and empirical investigation of the natural world. Bertereau’s writings appear at the interface of a negotiation between an older form of knowledge, dating back to Aristotle, and a new scientific empiricism. She brilliantly addresses the relationship between knowledge and mining applications, as well as the roles of the king, the state, the market, and the public. Meurdrac published the first so-called chemistry book by a woman, which contributed to the various areas of scientific knowledge generally associated with alchemy in its development into chemistry, particularly medical cookery, botany, pharmacology, and cosmetology. 

Bertereau’s and Meurdrac’s works illustrate this age of transition, a spectacular time of growth in ideas and discoveries for both men and women. This first-time translation of their works is an important step in restoring the voices of these early modern French women scientists.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781649591340
Publisher: Iter Press
Publication date: 12/20/2025
Series: The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe: The Toronto Series , #113
Pages: 248
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Language: French

About the Author

Marie Meurdrac (ca.1610-80) was an alchemist and chemist who published the first so-called chemistry book by a woman.


Anne R. Larsen is professor emerita and senior research professor at Hope College. She is author of Anna Maria van Schurman, “The Star of Utrecht”: The Educational Vision and Reception of a Savante and coeditor of Anna Maria van Schurman, Letters and Poems to and from Her Mentor and Other Members of Her Circle.


Anne R. Larsen is professor emerita and senior research professor at Hope College. She is author of Anna Maria van Schurman, “The Star of Utrecht”: The Educational Vision and Reception of a Savante and coeditor of Anna Maria van Schurman, Letters and Poems to and from Her Mentor and Other Members of Her Circle.


Colette H. Winn, professor emerita at Washington University in Saint Louis, is author of Far from Home in Early Modern France: Three Women’s Stories and Les Femmes témoins de la révocation de l’édit de Nantes.


Colette H. Winn, professor emerita at Washington University in Saint Louis, is author of Far from Home in Early Modern France: Three Women’s Stories and Les Femmes témoins de la révocation de l’édit de Nantes.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Illustrations
Introduction
The Other Voice
Lives and Works
Genre and Authorial Self-Presentation
Reception and Afterlife
Conclusion
Note on the Translation
Note on Martine de Bertereau’s Texts
Note on Marie Meurdrac’s Text
Martine de Bertereau, Veritable Declaration of the Discovery of the
Mines and Quarries of France
Martine de Bertereau, Restoring Pluto, to My Lord His Eminence
Cardinal Duke of Richelieu
Marie Meurdrac, Free and Easy Chemistry for Ladies
Appendices
A: Table of Currencies, Measurements, and Weights
B: Table of Geographical Places
C: Chronology of Events
Bibliography
Index
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