Thirteen Canadians obtained a doctoral degree from the Faculty of Medicine of Paris between 1822 and 1905. Their studies in France played a decisive role in some of the major trends of 19 th -century Canadian history: the formation of a French-Canadian professional bourgeoisie, the formalization of diplomatic ties between Canada and France, the development of bacteriology in America, and the rise of French-Canadian nationalism at the turn of the 20 th century. This article traces the careers of these medical doctors by using unpublished sources, mainly their student files and doctoral theses, located through the Pierre Moulinier database and made available by the Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire de Santé of the Université Paris-Descartes. By examining these doctors' travels to Paris, it shows the impact on the Canadian medical profession of the relationship between a former North American colony and its former imperial capital.