ABSTRACT
A Bourbon king of France woke up to his premier médecin. 1 The latter was an unfailing participant in the première entrée to the bedside of the king – long preceding the admission of the high officers of state – and checked the monarch’s pulse, complexion, and chamberpot before allowing the day’s rituals to begin. The day closed too with the premier médecin du roi among the last to leave the royal bedside. At all times he attended to the infirmities of the royal person, but also – in the name of preventive medicine – closely supervised the king’s diet, had his wine tasted, and watched over his general regimen.
