Jacques Beaulieu, born to a humble family in Burgundy, France, embarked on an unconventional path to medical practice. Initially joining the cavalry, his career took a pivotal turn when he apprenticed under the lithotomist and hernia surgeon, Paulomi. Beaulieu's method involved preoperative cupping and bloodletting by his four assistants, followed by mass surgical procedures on a portable lithotomy table, often drawing large audiences. His postoperative practices were notably evasive, as he frequently left towns swiftly after surgeries. In a significant life shift around 1690, Beaulieu adopted monastic garb and the name Frère Jacques, dedicating his life to service and minimal compensation, often donating to the poor. Innovatively, he transitioned from median to lateral perineal lithotomy, enhancing access to bladder stones. His technique, however, led to a high mortality rate, particularly evident during his services at the Hôtel Dieu in Paris, where he faced a 53.5% mortality rate due to severe complications like the transection of the internal pudendal artery. This outcome led to a five-year ban from Parisian hospitals. Resuming his practice in 1702 after studying anatomy, Beaulieu shared his lateral lithotomy technique in Holland with John Jacob Rau. His career, spanning over 30 years, involved approximately 5,000 lithotomies, marking him as a prominent figure in 17th-century lithotomy. Beaulieu retired at 60 and passed away in 1719, leaving a complex legacy of surgical innovation marred by high patient mortality. References: Carson, Culley C. and Ganem, Jacques P. "Frere Jacques beaulier: From Rogue Lithotomist to Nursery Rhyme Character". The Journal of Urology. Vol. 161, 1067-1069. April 1999.