Dates: Sundays from August 25 to October 27, 2024

Time: 8:00 PM

Location: Manufacture Des Abbesses

Cast: Text by Guy Boley, Directed by Denis Verguet, Actor Hervé Laplante

In a surprising mix of comedy, history, and irreverence, the play Petites histoires de la médecine immerses us in the twists and turns of medicine through the ages. On stage, Dr. Hervé Laplante, a country doctor as competent as he is eccentric, faces one of his most formidable patients: Madame Bernadette Ruffiaud, 98 years old, a true torment to the mental health of practitioners with her imaginary ailments and cantankerous nature.

As the usual consultation unfolds, under the wide-eyed gaze of the audience, Dr. Laplante takes us on a journey through medical history, transporting us to iconic, often little-known moments of medical evolution.

Have you ever wondered how surgeon Charles François de Tassy operated on Louis XIV’s infamous fistula? Or how Ambroise Paré saved King Henry II’s eye by extracting a lance with surgical precision? The play answers these questions with a generous dose of humor and delightful anecdotes. The audience also learns how Jenner revolutionized medicine with the discovery of the smallpox vaccine.

But this show is more than just a history lesson. With mischievous nods to Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid and Jules Romains’ famous Knock, Hervé Laplante humorously critiques his predecessors, delivering the performance with a frenetic pace reminiscent of the absurd style of Monty Python. Hilarious skits illustrate some of the most outrageous situations in medical history, blending knowledge and satire for the enjoyment of both young and old.

With sharp dialogue and dynamic staging, this astonishing and explosive play proves to be a true antidote to the gloom of modern times.

This play is a brilliant combination of humor, history, and surprises. From the first moments, we are plunged into the quirky world of Dr. Hervé Laplante, a slightly quirky country doctor who, faced with a 98-year-old hypochondriac patient, takes us on a hilarious journey through the great medical discoveries.