Purpose: We discuss the history of Frere Jacques Beaulieu, a celebrated 17t
h century French lithotomist, and question the relationship of his name to
a well-known nursery rhyme character.
Materials and Methods: We reviewed historical reports about Beaulieu and hi
s career as a lithotomist, Nursery rhyme interpretations were also reviewed
.
Results: Beaulieu was born in 1651 to a peasant family and learned the prac
tice of lithotomy by apprenticeship. He was never formally ordained yet don
ned a monk habit and called himself Frere Jacques. He was the first person
to use the lateral approach to perineal lithotomy and openly shared his sur
gical technique. His lithotomy procedure was observed by the high court in
Paris on 3 separate occasions between 1697 and 1704. Unfortunately his pati
ents had significant morbidity and mortality, and he was denied operating p
rivileges. He performed approximately 5,000 lithotomies in 30 years and die
d in 1719 at age 68 years. The nursery rhyme "Frere Jacques" probably refer
s to a playful group of Jacobinic monks who often overslept. We found no di
rect association between Frere Jacques Beaulieu and the nursery rhyme chara
cter.
Conclusions: Beaulieu was an early urologist who was the first to describe
the lateral approach to perineal lithotomy. Unlike other lithotomists of th
e 17th century, he openly shared his surgical techniques and stimulated oth
ers to refine the procedure. Regardless of the exact derivation of the nurs
ery rhyme, the name Frere Jacques will always be remembered in song.