The Afterlife of the Probe

Happening

This object-centered thread follows the abortion probe from instrument of danger to a durable trace in Annie Duchesne’s memory.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Hearing of the Method Hearing of the Method from "Happening". Hearing of the Method LB’s Description LB explains that Madame P-R inserts a probe and that miscarriage follows after waiting.

Hearing of the Method from "Happening". Hearing of the Method LB’s Description LB explains that Madame P-R inserts a probe and that miscarriage follows after waiting.

Hearing of the Method LB’s Description LB explains that Madame P-R inserts a probe and that miscarriage follows after waiting. The instrument turns a vague possibility into a concrete procedure. Risk Remains LB also recounts her infection, making clear that the method is not safe. Annie Duchesne accepts the risk because safer help is unavailable.

The First Insertion The First Insertion from "Happening". The First Insertion Pain and Compliance Madame P-R inserts the probe while Annie Duchesne cries out.

The First Insertion from "Happening". The First Insertion Pain and Compliance Madame P-R inserts the probe while Annie Duchesne cries out.

The First Insertion Pain and Compliance Madame P-R inserts the probe while Annie Duchesne cries out. The repeated insistence on continuing makes the procedure a contest between pain and necessity. An Altered Sensation Afterward, the probe becomes a weight in Annie’s stomach. It is both an alien object and the means through which she hopes to end the pregnancy.

The Second Probe The Second Probe from "Happening". The Second Probe Replacement When the first attempt has not worked, Madame P-R replaces the probe.

The Second Probe from "Happening". The Second Probe Replacement When the first attempt has not worked, Madame P-R replaces the probe.

The Second Probe Replacement When the first attempt has not worked, Madame P-R replaces the probe. She tells Annie Duchesne that she is in labor, giving the process a new bodily meaning. A Loaned Instrument Madame P-R asks for the probe to be returned because it is difficult to find. The practical request underscores the improvised supply chain behind clandestine care.

The Probe as Ally The Probe as Ally from "Happening". The Probe as Ally Accommodating Its Presence Annie Duchesne grows used to the probe and thinks of it as part of her stomach.

The Probe as Ally from "Happening". The Probe as Ally Accommodating Its Presence Annie Duchesne grows used to the probe and thinks of it as part of her stomach.

The Probe as Ally Accommodating Its Presence Annie Duchesne grows used to the probe and thinks of it as part of her stomach. Its presence becomes a companion to the waiting rather than a constant surprise. Impatience The instrument does not act fast enough, and Annie watches for signs of change. Dependence on it intensifies the suspense of the days before the crisis.

The Remembered Object The Remembered Object from "Happening". The Remembered Object An Image in Place of a Museum Annie Duchesne imagines a basin and probe as an artwork that no museum would exhibit.

The Remembered Object from "Happening". The Remembered Object An Image in Place of a Museum Annie Duchesne imagines a basin and probe as an artwork that no museum would exhibit.

The Remembered Object An Image in Place of a Museum Annie Duchesne imagines a basin and probe as an artwork that no museum would exhibit. The object condenses the hidden world of clandestine abortion. A Material Memory Its visual persistence helps her recover the episode without reducing it to abstract argument. The probe becomes evidence of both bodily risk and historical silence.

December 1963

January 15, 1964

January 18, 1964

January 19–20, 1964

During the later writing