J. Marion Sims

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Lore & Background

Sims was born in Lancaster County, South Carolina, the son of John and Mahala Sims. He studied at South Carolina College and Jefferson Medical College, graduating in 1835. After his first two patients (infants) died, Sims was despondent. He left and set up a practice in Mount Meigs, near Montgomery, Alabama, which he described in a letter as 'nothing but a pile of gin-houses, stables, blacksmith-shops, grog-shops, taverns and stores, thrown together in one promiscuous huddle.' In 1840 he moved to Montgomery, where he built a 'Surgical Infirmary for Negroes' for enslaved women their owners brought him for treatment. It began with four beds, but was so successful he added a second floor, doubling capacity to eight beds. Between 1845 and 1849, Sims performed experimental surgery on enslaved black women and girls to treat vaginal problems, including Anarcha Westcott, Lucy, and Betsey, without anesthesia or meaningful consent. He developed a successful repair technique using silver wire, and later moved to New York, where he founded the first U.S. hospital for women.

Reader's Guide

Sims was one of the most famous and admired American physicians of his era. He was elected President of the American Medical Association in 1876, and he was one of the first American physicians to become famous in Europe. He openly boasted that he was the second-wealthiest doctor in the country. However, as medical ethicist Barron H. Lerner states, 'one would be hard pressed to find a more controversial figure in the history of medicine.' A statue in his honor was erected in 1894 in New York City's Bryant Park, the first statue in the United States in honor of a physician. It stood for 124 years before being removed in 2018. Today, many medical ethicists criticize how Sims developed his surgical techniques. He operated on some enslaved black women and girls who, like prisoners, could not meaningfully consent because they could not refuse. Sims has been described as 'a prime example of progress in the medical profession made at the expense of a vulnerable population.' Some medical historians have defended Sims' practices as consistent with the accepted standards of his time. According to Sims, the enslaved black women upon whom he experimented were 'willing' patients who had no better options for treatment.

Did You Know?

• Sims was elected President of the American Medical Association in 1876.
• A statue in his honor was erected in 1894 in New York City's Bryant Park, the first statue in the United States in honor of a physician; it was removed in 2018 after 124 years.
• Sims openly boasted that he was the second-wealthiest doctor in the country.
• He developed his surgical technique for vesicovaginal fistula via non-consensual and unanesthetized surgeries on enslaved black women Anarcha Westcott, Lucy and Betsey and impoverished Irish women.
• Sims built a 'Surgical Infirmary for Negroes' in Montgomery, Alabama, which began with four beds and later expanded to eight beds.