Ferdinand Edme Chatard

Artist: Possibly Marie DeFord Keller; Oil on canvas

Ferdinand Edme Chatard was born in Baltimore on August 3, 1805 on West Saratoga Street. His father, Dr. Pierre Chatard, a native of San Domingo, settled here in 1800 and was extensively engaged in practice up to the time of his retirement in 1815.

The younger Chatard was educated in Baltimore and received the degree of AB from Mount St Mary’s College in 1821 and of MD from the University of Maryland in 1826. He then studied for three years in Europe, chiefly in Paris, where he had ample opportunity to acquire the facility in obstetrical operations which so characterized his later work.

He married Miss Eliza A. Marean, and had three sons and one daughter.  One son Ferdinand, Jr. practiced medicine in Baltimore until his death in 1900, and his son, Dr. J. Albert Chatard also practiced medicine. Four generations of this family have been continuously engaged in medical practice in this city from the year 1800 to the 1950’s, so that one may well speak of the Chatard medical dynasty, which may be the longest in Baltimore.

Dr. Chatard soon built up a large practice and for nearly fifty years was the leading obstetrician among the upper classes of Baltimore. During that period, he delivered 5,208 private patients and some idea of his activity may be gained from the fact that during the year 1858 he attended 178 obstetrical patients.

Dr. Chatard lived for many years at the southwest corner of Charles and Lexington Streets. Those who knew him say that his most striking personal characteristic was extreme neatness which applied not only to his person, but to all his dealings in life. On October 18, 1888, Dr. Chatard died suddenly at the age of eighty three.