Correspondance Littéraire, Philosophique et Critique 1756

The Mode for Inoculations


Source: Correspondance littéraire, philosphique, et critique. Vol 1. Paris, Furne, 1829;
Translated: for marxists.org by Mitchell Abidor;
CopyLeft: Creative Commons (Attribute & ShareAlike) marxists.org 2011.


April 15, 1756

The inoculations of the Duc de Chartres and Mademoiselle had the hoped for success. M. Tronchin is the most fashionable man in France at the moment. All our women go to see him for consultations; his door is besieged and the street he lives on is blocked with carriages and coaches as in the theatre district. The many successes of this illustrious doctor are the subject of all conversations. To put the finishing touches on this portrait of our society, our fashion merchants invented a hat called bonnets à inoculation and morning dresses for women that they have called tronchines, because M. Tronchin recommends that women go for a stroll and do exercise in the morning. They thus require tronchines in order to be dressed quickly and comfortably. If we were to compile a dictionary of the nomenclature of our fashions I believe we would give posterity an idea of the solidity of our spirit.