In the footsteps of Suzanne Noël in Laon

On 5 May 1878, Laon Cathedral hosted the baptism of a little girl who would go down in history as Dr Suzanne Noël. A woman of science and commitment, she retained a deep attachment to her home town, as well as a great religiosity, which undoubtedly guided her choices in favour of social and charitable works throughout her life.

In their street art, artists C215 and Pierre Grenier have paid tribute to the figure of Suzanne Noël, along with other figures from Laonnais history. Suzanne Noël is a rare female figure who is still a source of inspiration today, and is still the subject of many tributes around the world.

Suzanne Blanche Marguerite Gros, who went down in history as Suzanne Noël, was born in Laon on 19 January 1878. She was the only surviving sibling from a family whose other members died in infancy. Her parents, Esther and Victor Gros, were members of the Laon bourgeoisie, and her father worked as a saddler and coachbuilder, mainly for the military contingents stationed in Laon at the time.

Little Suzanne Gros went to school at a private establishment called the Pensionnat des Soeurs Carle, on rue Saint Martin. This establishment for girls only provided a basic education, with the bare essentials needed to run a home, which was what society expected of women at the time. Suzanne stood out for her dexterity in embroidery classes, an ability that would later serve her well as a surgeon and astonish her contemporaries.

At the age of 19, Suzanne Gros celebrated her first marriage with dermatologist Henry Pertat, almost ten years her senior. This marriage was to prove decisive for young Suzanne's career, as she soon tired of running her husband's house and resumed her studies with a view to becoming a doctor herself. Henry Pertat supported her unconditionally, adopting a modern approach at a time when a woman needed her husband's permission to work. Her first husband died after the First World War as a result of an accident while testing gas masks for the army...

During Suzanne Noël's childhood in the Saint-Martin district, life revolved around the abbey and its hospital: was this the element that triggered her vocation for medicine? She began studying medicine in 1905 and did her externship and internship in Paris hospitals. She made her mark in a field that was still in its infancy: cosmetic surgery, creating numerous techniques, including facelifts, and the instruments to perform them. She remains most famous for her devotion to the war-wounded with head injuries, the famous Gueules Cassées.

During her lifetime, the house where Suzanne Noël was born was entrusted to the hospital in Laon to house a nursery. In 1991, Soroptimist International installed a plaque to commemorate her memory, as she was one of the great founding members of the organisation: she created the French section in 1924 and contributed to the creation of numerous clubs in Europe and around the world. In addition to her commitment to this women's club, which aims to fight for human rights and women's rights, she was an ardent suffragist and was famous for her hat with the gold embroidery ‘je veux voter’ (‘I want to vote’).

Suzanne Noël lost her father when she was a child, but she kept very close ties with her mother, who lived in the family home in Laon until her death. Struck by successive tragedies, with the death of her first husband, her only daughter from illness and then the suicide of her second husband, Suzanne Noël was relatively alone after her mother's death and had the family tomb rebuilt. Suzanne Noël died at her Paris home on 11 November 1954, aged 76.