Education

In 1866, she presented herself to the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Paris, Charles Adolphe Wurtz, and asked him for permission to enroll to study medicine. The dean agreed, but on the condition that she first obtain a degree in Arts and Sciences—a task which she accomplished in three years. By then, she was 26 years old and a mother of three. Brès presented herself to the Dean once again and told him there was now no obstacle to her enrollment in the medical course.^[4] She also pointed out that three female foreigners—the American Mary Putnam, the Russian Catherine Gontcharoff and the English Elizabeth Garrett Anderson—were holders of nationally known equivalent degrees.

Dean Würtz took Brès's application to the Minister of Education, Victor Duruy, who approved her admission but preemptively brought the matter to the Council of Ministers. The Empress Eugénie also interceded on her behalf.^{[5]: 25–27} Brès's husband formally gave his consent to his wife's enrollment to the mayor of the 5th municipal district of Paris, and she became a medical student in 1869 in the service of Professor Broca at Mercy Hospital.^[4] Her admission was facilitated by the proclamation of the law which allowed women to work (a.k.a. loi de 19 ventôse) during the XI year of the Empire on the sixth month of the Republican calendar.^[6] She was admitted alongside the American Mary Puttnam, the Russian Catherine Gontcharoff and the English Elizabeth Garrett - all holders of equivalent national diplomas and bachelors in Arts and Sciences.^{[5] : 25–27}

With the onset of the Franco-Prussian War and the departure of a number of hospital physicians for the front, she was made a temporary intern until July 1871, at Professor Broca's suggestion.^[7] Strengthened by this experience, Brès decided to pursue a hospital career and sat the external exams, then the internal.^[8] Despite the support of Professor Broca, the director of the hospital's Public Assistance refused her authorization to work at the hospital on 21 December 1871.^[8]

Eventually, Brès decided against further pursuit of a hospital job. A widow with three children to support, she decided to become a pediatrician. She prepared her thesis, Of Breasts and Breastfeeding—which covered a wide range of material on the mother/child relationship and infant hygiene—in the laboratory of Professor Würtz and defended it, on 3 June 1875. She received honors on her thesis and became the first French woman to become a Doctor of Medicine (though not the first woman to obtain such a doctorate in France, since Anderson had been ahead of her by five years).^[9]

Study abroad in Paris

Her studies are meritory, during her second year in Medical School, in 1869, she is featured amongst those under professor Broca at the Pitié Hospital.^[10] During her third year, from September 1870 to July 1871 she worked as an intern (this role performed without the title of "interim intern") in the same service in response to the Franco-Prussian War and the departure of many male doctors from the hospital to the front line. Then during the siege of Paris under the "Commune" she remained faithful and committed to her post showing her sense of devotion and responsibility.^{[5]: 39–40}

To this regard, the certificates from other physicians and the hospital administration praise to her performance.^{[5]: 25–27} Professor Broca wrote: "Madame Brès in my opinion, was given the interim intern post. In that quality, during two sieges of Paris and through the month of July 1871, she has done her service with such details that no bombardment to our hospital has been able to interrupt. Her service has always been perfect and her tenure irreprochable."^{[5]: 39–40}

As she was finishing her fourth year, she inquired to participate in the process to apply for an externship for October 1871. Despite the support of professor Broca, the director of hospitals and of public assistance refused her application for this process on 2 December 1871 under the following circumstance:

"This is not in reference of you personally, I believe I could tell you that your permission for this could be agreed upon. However, the Council has understood that it could not henceforth restrict the questioning and the examinee on a general thesis within its applications and its consequences in future times, the Council has been unable to authorize this innovation that our Administration has decided to support".^{[5]: 25–27}

Madeleine Brès did not insist further. The access of medical students to the process of application for externship would not become effective until 1882; at that time, Blanche Edwards-Piller (1848-1941) became the first French externship participant away from the hospital. The process of application for internships would not be open to women applicants until 1886, and the first French intern to earn the official title was Marthe Francillon-Lobre^[11](1873-1956) who completed this process in 1900.^{[5]: 28–29}