The Art
of Dying
Well.

An Account of
the Final Days
of Queen Anne

A Threaded Discussion....

"Facing Cancer in the Seventeenth Century: The Last Illness of Anne of Austria, 1664-1666."
An article by Ruth Kleinman
     From "Facing Cancer in the Seventeenth Century: The Last Illness of Anne of Austria, 1664-1666" by Ruth Kleinman, Advances in Thanatology, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 37-55 (1977 MSS Information Corporation).

A thread posted by Dustin Seaton....

Dustin e. Seaton
Article Summary
3-15-04

Facing Cancer in the Seventeenth Century:
The Last Illness of Anne of Austria, 1664-1666.
By: Ruth Kleinman

Kleinman's article deals with the fascinating concept of death in seventeenth century Europe. Known as artes moriendi, or the art of dying, this article shows how Europeans undertook several preparatory actions to demonstrate the proper ceremonial pathway to death. Thankfully, Madame de Motteville (Francoise Bertaut de Motteville officially) wrote the memoirs and experiences of Anne of Austria's latter life, which historians, among others, have used to compile a better understanding of artes moriendi in practice. This article beautifully illustrates the religiosity and individualistic characteristics of Louis XIII's wife and Louis XIV's mother - Anne of Austria. After diagnosed with breast cancer, Anne embarked on a two-year struggle for the suppression and acceptance of her God given suffering. Kleinman's article uses the memoirs of Madame de Motteville to narrate the last years of Anne's life and how she and the ones around her dealt with the problem. From purges to blood loss, doctors from across the continent came to give their "cure" for the sixty-plus year old former queen. In addition to the perceptions of preparation for death, this article uniquely includes the symbiotic relationship between individual human needs, the technology and natural sciences of the age, as well as the mode of philosophical rationalizations and religious convictions that so predominately defined the seventeenth century in Europe. Kleinman's article also adds a personal revelation to the mindset of the elder queen and her handling with her deadly disease. Even though she denied her ailment in the early stages, a reason Madame de Motteville gave for the queen's final demise, Anne eventually accepted her fate and suffering as a sign of God's will for her years of eternal beauty and happiness. Having accepted her illness, "Anne proceeded to play her part in the grand ceremonial of dying that her religion and her rank prescribed" and "into the service of her salvation, she died to all appearances at peace with herself after the long ordeal," leaving the world she once knew honorably and faithfully as she did whilst she lived. (44)

I completely enjoyed reading this article because I am extremely interested in monarchial history. It was captivating for me to read the struggles of a woman in the seventeenth century and compare them to the ways we respond to the same disease today. Mostly importantly, I take from this article the importance and emphasis religion has on the attitudes of death. It has been my observations that religion plays most heavily upon the elders who face death; this is especially true among those who fear death. Religion comforts the living by offering life after death. It is interesting to me to see the lengths and the rituals some people persist to maintain assurance of their life after death. Anne of Austria is no exception for she too practiced the "grand ceremonial of dying that her religion…prescribed." Uniquely, Anne blamed her suffering on her own selfishness and beauty during her lifetime. She confessed God's will decreed this disease upon her and she would take it in stride. However, I find it ironic that she still maintained her obsession with fine garments and bed sheets, the very selfishness that she believed was the root of her illness, up to the very day of her death. Moreover, I must stress that the focal figure, which interests me most, is Madame de Motteville. Not only was she faithful to her queen, she respectfully adhered to the queen's every whim and even took the time to justify her life in a collection of memoirs. What power did Anne of Austria hold over Madame de Motteville? Perhaps the friendship between the two women constituted a power stronger than master to subject. Likewise, Motteville's affection towards Anne demonstrates another key benefit of researching documents that is often overlooked when analyzing biographies in history. Overall, Ruth Kleinman's article was a great read and very enlightening regarding attitudes of religion, death, disease, and life in France during the seventeenth century.

Dustin e. Seaton
PopePius13@wmconnect.com
POSTED Mon 3/15/04 1:21 PM

A thread posted by Rebekah Bilderback....

Kleinman, Ruth. "Facing Cancer in the Seventeenth Century: The Last Illness of Anne of Austria, 1664-1666."

This article depicted the last few years of Anne of Austria's struggle with breast cancer. During the seventeenth century, the art of dying well brought comfort to both the person dying and the survivors. Artes moriendi, art of dying well, is something rarely discussed in modern times because of modern technology lengthening life expectancy. Ruth Kleinman compares modern technological advances in medicine with procedures applied during the seventeenth century. She uses the accounts of Madame de Motteville, a chambermaid of Anne, to describe Anne's illness and her need to turn to religion for answers. Anne felt that her breast cancer was due to vanity, especially in her youth. The article also relates the different medical procedures such as bleeding, purging, and even surgery. There was no known cure, even though several doctors believed to have cures, for cancer during the seventeenth century. However, even time cannot change the way women fear the thought of having cancer, especially breast cancer, for fear of losing their femininity by having a mastectomy. Anne's battle with breast cancer made her more aware of her vanity but it did not detract her from continuing her regiment especially her need to have soft fabric against her skin. This article intertwined the relationships of individual needs, medicinal practices, and the philosophical turn to religion in seventeenth century France.

I enjoyed the article because of the way Ruth Kleinman related seventeenth century medicine and paralleled it with modern times. I chose this article because my Aunt and a friend both are breast cancer survivors and I was curious to see the treatments prescribed during earlier centuries. The article is a quick informative read. Kleinman does an excellent job of showing the relationships between Anne's desires, medical remedies, and the need to explain disease through religious beliefs. I would encourage everyone in class to read this well written account of Anne of Austria's battle with breast cancer.

Rebekah Bilderback
buttermilk64@yahoo.com
POSTED Wed 3/17/04 8:53 AM

A thread posted by Shane Buckley....

Facing Cancer in the Seventeenth Century:
The Last Illness of Anne of Austria, 1664-1666

Breast cancer has caused many deaths between men and women throughout the years of history. This type of cancer has been traced to the death of Anne of Austria (1601-1666), a queen mother of France during the seventeenth century. Ruth Kleinman expresses the emphasis on the last two years of Anne’s life through the eyes of Madame de Motteville. The article expresses concerns with Anne during the month of May in 1664 from a lump on her left breast. It is not certain when the cancer first appeared, only when Anne began to express pain.

Anne of Austria seen many doctors during her sickness and many a prognosis were diagnosed as many ways to treat her. Seguin, Gendron, and Vallot were among the men who attempted treatment for Anne of Austria. The article brings issues of mastectomies and the artes moriendi (art of dying well) for breast cancer. During this time period people died in the presence of family in friends, instead of like in modern time with strangers.

The article was well written and informative towards the illness of Anne of Austria. It gives insight to a woman’s death, as well as, brings ideas of common practices for medicine during the seventeenth century. Benign and malignant tumors weren’t known in the time and it shows how many were known for treatment of tumors. With speculation, it can be said those tumors were benign. Kleinman also mentions the closeness between Madame de Motteville and Anne of Austria. Madame de Motteville was a pensioner of the queen mother of France for twenty-five years and ultimately so much is known of Anne of Austria because of her writings. The article has great insight of Anne of Austria, but lacks a good background on information with relatives and friends dealing with Anne’s illness.

Shane Buckley
holyghostfilledboy@hotmail.com
POSTED Sun 3/28/04 4:31 PM

A thread posted by Samantha McCullah....

Kleinman, Ruth. "Facing Cancer in the Seventeenth Century: The Last Illness of Anne of Austria, 1664 - 1666."

This article discusses the last two years of Anne of Austria's life, focusing on her struggle against breast cancers. It covers the history of the disease to a lesser extent, focusing instead on some of the methods used to treat all cancers rather than describing each disease individual. Once the article has gone over each method, it begins with the story of Anne and how her vanity kept her from really believing that she had the cancer until it was too painful to ignore. She went to see numerous doctors, priests, and healers, following their advice to the letter, even to the point of applying a mixture containing belladonna t her breast in hopes of hardening the breast to keep the cancer from spreading.

Anne's morality is also touched upon, especially in the way that she saw her cancer as a form of penance to earn her salvation. As the cancer spread, Anne saw the cancer as a punishment for her sins of a sexual nature something, Kleinman points out, that occurs with many modern breast cancer patients. Because the cancer affects the sexual organs, it must be a punishment for some sexual-moral wrong. This was a reflection of the many supposed extra-marital affairs that Anne was involved in during her life, both before and after her marriage to Louis XIII.

I picked this article simple because it sounded interesting. The history of diseases and cancers is something that is mostly mysterious, and it is especially interesting to look at a disease that is still incurable now and looking at how it was treated in less technological times. Kleinman does a great job of comparing the two time periods, looking at modern reactions to breast cancer and comparing them to the ones that Anne had. The article also does a good job of showing some of the remedies for various diseases of the time period, even if, by modern standards, we know they don't really work. They were good for providing some kind of relief for cancer sufferers, even in that time period. Finally, the article is wonderful at showing the relationship between disease and religion, showing how Anne saw it as penance at first, then later as a punishment for her sins.

Samantha McCullah
noquidditch@hotmail.com
POSTED Mon 3/29/04 12:23 AM

A thread posted by Autumn Thompson....

Article Summary
Kleinman, Ruth. “Facing Cancer in the Seventeenth Century: The Last Illness of Anne of Austria, 1664-1666.”

One common element among all humans, from generation to generation, is that of death and dying. Attitudes, coping methods, and medical treatment regarding death have however, differed. In, “Facing Cancer in the Seventeenth Century: The Last Illness of Anne or Austria, 1664-1666, “ Ruth Kleinman vividly portrays death in the seventeenth century, and more specifically, artes moriendi, the art of dying well. Kleinman uses Madame de Motteville’s biography of Anne of Austria’s death to clearly present the attitude of death in the seventeenth century. Typical of some in the seventeenth century, like today, it was likely that a person denied the symptoms of their illness, choosing the path of least resistance. Despite the pain and the noticeable physiological changes, Anne of Austria denied the fact that something was wrong. After several months, in which she busied herself with other endeavors, she finally consulted her physician. The final verdict was cancer. “Frequently also, patients put off seeking a diagnosis and help because of a sense of guilt or shame.” Anne attributed her sickness to her ostentatious mode of living and “physical vanity”. She therefore believed that cancer was her deserving punishment. Because medical technology was not very advanced in the seventeenth century, many turned to religion during times of illness and death. This is also true of Anne. Every treatment that the doctors attempted proved to be of no avail. “Her terminal illness was a less disintegrating and isolating experience… she felt it as a preparation for the next life… by being a living reminder to other people of their own mortality and religious obligations.” Anne viewed her imminent death as an opportunity to secure her soul and help others to do the same .In the final stages of her illness, Anne’s rotting flesh emitted a horrendous stench of which the perfumes that she loved so dearly could not cover. Even though Anne believed that her cancer was a result of her narcissism, she continued to implore the very modes of pretentious living until the day of her death.

I found the article to be very interesting. It was very fascinating to access how individuals of past centuries dealt with death in comparison to how people deal with death today. With the advent of medical advancement almost any disease is curable or at least manageable so that a patient can enjoy the pleasures of life. Because of the lack of advanced medical innovations, people in the seventeenth century relied on religion as a method of coping with the realities of death and dying. Even in today’s society, it is not uncommon for the terminally ill to turn to religion as a source of comfort. The desire to secure one’s soul for eternity commonly becomes more important than survival itself. Interestingly, during Anne of Austria’s initial stage of cancer she experienced denial, fear and shame. The same is true for many cancer patients today. During the seventeenth century, religion played a greater role in life. As previously stated, with the availability of advanced medical treatments, people of the twenty-first century can rely on medical assistance and not “solely” on God for a cure. With services, such as nursing homes and hospice care, the pain of dying can be lessened without the aid of religion. In short, for many, medicine has replaced the need for religion. I immensely enjoyed Ruth Kleinman’s article. It is very interesting and informative. The article allows for quick and easy reading. I would highly recommend this article.

Autumn Thompson
aut2act@hotmail.com
POSTED Mon 3/29/04 3:29 AM

A thread posted by James Loetscher....

Absolutism Enlightenment Revolution
Dr. Fritze
3/28/04
Article Review

Facing Cancer in the Seventeenth Century: The Last Illness of Anne of Austria, 1664-1666 is a well written article that gives significant insight to death and dieing in the Seventeenth Century. Ruth Kleinman does this by providing popular beliefs of the day, current medicines and professional physicians opinions, as well as comparing and contrasting it to those of modern day. Her main example for personal feeling towards terminal illness revolves around the memoirs of Francoise de Motteville. By using this information, Kleinman draws the opinion that dieing has changed since the 17th century.

The medicinal treatments of the Seventeenth Century were by far obsolete when compared to those of modern day, however modern medicine is by no means perfect. Though their are more treatments for cancer today the reaction, contrary to Kleinman's view, is still much the same as it was 400 years ago. People are shocked when the find their body is infected with cancer, just as Queen Anne was shocked when she finally realized that her aching body was not simply going to get better in time.

Ann's attitude turned toward more of an acceptance of death, as most terminal cancer patients today begin to accept their demise when treatments prove unsuccessful. Many of the treatments prescribed to Anne, we find absurd today, however what we prescribe today could be found to be absurd in 400 years. Anne was treated with bleeding, purging and enemas. Today a cancer patient could be treated with chemotherapy, which crudely consist of dripping extremely potent chemicals into the body. Just as Anne's attitude hit a low note after unsuccessful treatments, so would a cancer patient today become somewhat depressed when chemo drains them of energy and the cancer still gnaws at their withering body.

Overall, the article gave one a good sense of just how much medical technology has changed over the past 400 years. I feel that it has also shown (contrary to Kleinman's view), just how much Queen Anne's death from cancer can resemble that of someone diagnosed with the destructive illness today.

James Loetscher
Speed82JML@aol.com
POSTED Sun 3/28/04 9:07 PM

A thread posted by Tamara Thompkins....

Death is something that everyone will have to deal with. Whether you are a Queen or just a regular citizen of a country. The way death is viewed now is completely different from the ways it was viewed in the 17th Century. This is evident in the article "Facing Cancer in the Seventeenth Century: The Last Illness of Anne of Austria, 1664-1666," an article by Ruth Kleinman. This article tells of the last days of Anne of Austria, the former Queen of England, when her husband Louis XIII was living, and later the regent and Queen Mother of her son Louis XIV. According to this article, she had a very close friend of hers, Francoise Bertaut de Motteville, who was by her side for more than twenty years. De Motteville kept a diary of the Queens life during her illness.

According to Kleinman, the first signs of Anne's sickness came at a party at her son's palace at Versailles when she had sharp pains in her chest. She tried to ignore the pain and write it off as just something that hurt, and over time she came to realize that she had a real problem that has to be dealt with. The article describes how at the time of her sickness doctors and others had no idea what it was, but eventually they realized that she was suffering from breast cancer. There's also a description of how people tend to want to ignore many things that happen and try to deny reality psychologically. After it was realized what was wrong began years of alternate treatments. From bleeding, to different ointments, to taking things taking different remedies. There were a few times when they actually felt that she would be okay, but in the end she died from her cancer. There's also an emphasis on how people during this time period felt that death was a punishment or penance from/to God for the sins that you have committed and how Anne accepted this in the end, and was proud that God chose her to die this way.

I think that this article gives an interesting view on death. People really thought that death was a punishment, and that God had given Anne of Austria cancer because of vanity. Of course today we know better, but at the time, I suppose that is all that people could do to try and give an excuse as to why someone would have to die. While this thinking is sort of odd to me, there is also the mention of how people tend to try and deny things that they know are true. I can use myself as an example of someone who tries to just ignore things that bother me too much. Overall I think this article was good and fairly, from what I've read, accurate as to how cancer and other serious illnesses were handled during the 17th Century.

Tamara Thompkins
tamtaz2001@yahoo.com
POSTED Thu 4/1/04 10:04 PM

A thread posted by Rebekah Bilderback....

We all hit on the fact that death is a factor in life regardless of social standing. I, however, do not agree that modern day breast cancer patients think they did something morally wrong to contract the disease. We know more today about genetics then they did in the 16th and 17th centuries. I also disagree with people today dieing without loved ones surrounding them. This may be true in some cases, but I come from a family that has always been supportive during times of crisis. All the article summaries were well done and thanks for giving me new insight to this article.

Rebekah Bilderback
buttermilk64@yahoo.com
POSTED Tue 4/6/04 6:27 PM

A thread posted by Melissa Moore....

I also enjoyed reading these article summaries. Mr. Seaton provided a great description of the actions taken by Europeans during this era before their death. Mr. Seaton shows that this grand ceremony of dying was prescribed by religion and adhered to by most Europeans. Ms. Thompson also speaks about this in her summary where she describes how people in the 17th century relied on religion, like modern people rely on medicine. Ms. Builderback also incorporates this discussion into her summary where she shows how 17th century medicine corrosponds with the use of modern medicine today. Also, by reading the summaries there are many ways illnesses like cancer were explained in the 17th century. Ms. McCullah states that Anne of Austria thought that her cancer was a form of penance in order to earn her salvation. In this mode of thought, Anne believed that she was being punished from past sexual sins she had committed. Ms. Thompson alludes to another belief concerning the emergence of the cancer, stating that Anne of Austria also worried that her vanity had brought cancer the illness upon her. Concluding this Ms. THompson states that Anne of Austria was eventually proud of her cancer, because she believed that it would ultimately save her soul. Reading these articles it is clear how the human condition has not changed much from then to now. Whenever someone is inflicted with an illness, it seems all the stages are present...denial and shame...to name only two. Mr. Buckley brings in a good point concerning the information about Anne of Austria friends and family methods in dealing with her illness. That kind of information will always be helpful, despite what century it is. This is also strenghted by Mr. Loetscher's point that cancer in the 21st and 17th century produced many of the same kinds of attitudes about death, yet just used different methods in the hopes of healing the cancer.Though this point does not agree with the author, it is an interesting point nonetheless.

Melissa Moore
melmoore11@excite.com
POSTED Fri 4/9/04 3:48 PM

A thread posted by Dustin e. Seaton....

As students of history, we often take things out of historical context and attempt to analyze it based on modern standards. When we view the past, it is vitally essential that we see it in its own terms and rationale. In that same sense, we should analyze the evolution of history, noting how things have changed and why. Reading all of the articles posted by my fellow classmates, it is clearly apparent that we all learned from this assignment. However, I noticed a repeated occurrence that nearly everyone (myself included) lacked, regarding one of the key factors and importance of this particular article. No one elaborated on the art of dying, which appears as though it has dwindled away over the course of history. Have we progressed or declined, in regards to dying well, since the seventeenth century?

Ruth Kleinman's article illuminates the medical ineptitudes of the seventeenth century. However, and more importantly, the article mentions the seemingly forgotten "art of dying," or artes moriendi. I would argue that even though we have progressed in the knowledge of the diseases and ailments and have a better understanding than they did in the past, we have declined in the practice of artes moriendi. Current American society appears to fear death rather than accept it. Obviously, we prepare and make the necessary arrangements for its coming, but somewhere along the way, we have dropped "the art of dying well."

Many of you do not know, but my grandfather passed away during the course of this semester. We were very close and I often traveled home on weekends to see him. My travels only resulted in watching the slow process of death worsen his condition as his frail body detoriated from cancer, much like that of Anne of Austria. I noticed how he and the family wasted his remaining days on the fear of his death rather then enjoying the time before it came. Instead of glorifying or respectfully accepting the inevitable process, we mourned and moped about his weakened condition. In contrast to that, Anne of Austria, as well as those who surrounded themselves around her, spent her remaining days in the religious and ritualistic process of dying well. They went to extensive lengths to perfect the art of dying.

From my studies in other classes, especially Dr. Foote's "Abraham Lincoln," I understand that the latter nineteenth century became a culture obsessed with death. When I abstractly observe the gradual change from the seventeenth, nineteenth, and finally to the twenty-first century, I obtain a better understanding of history in so much that its evolution better explains the real context of the distinct sections that defined a particular time. Therefore, I challenge all my fellow junior historians to observe the evolution of the specific characteristics that were evident during a particular period and follow it through the course of history so better understanding can be obtained.

Dustin e. Seaton
PopePius13@wmconnect.com
POSTED Thu 4/29/04 2:45 AM