Military Health Service
The founding law for the Military Health Service is the royal edict of January, 17th 1708, by which Louis XIV established the royal doctors and surgeons offices.
During the French Revolution and the Empire, some adjustments became necessary to meet the new requirements caused by massive successive mobilisations. Military hospitals were set up in religious buildings such as the Val-de-Grâce (Paris).
The law of 1882 gave the military health services a technical independence. Subsequently, they gradually acquired eight hospitals, two schools in Lyon and Bordeaux, as well as research and sanitary supply agencies.
The central management of the Military Health Service was established in 1962. Health services from each service merged in 1968, to form a unique joint service.