Racist Doctor or Pioneer in Women's Health - Statue Quandary

[packman]

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Another statue debate - on the surface it appears to be obvious- J. Marion Sims was a racist who operated on women without anesthesia. However:


In the 19th century, women with irreparable fistulas became virtual pariahs. They were isolated from friends and family and were forced to forgo almost any activity outside the home

“No matter how hard you try, no matter how much attention you pay to your personal hygiene, you can’t defeat it. It’s like living in a latrine,” said Wall (Lewis Wall is a medical anthropologist and physician at Washington University in St. Louis.) , who has treated patients with fistulas in Africa. “Many times, there were no alternatives but to move the woman to a separate location in the house. They often spent their days in isolation and misery.”

Sims changed all that when he finally figured out a way to repair a fistula.

Sited article also mentions :

Notably, between 1932 and 1972, dozens of black men with syphilis needlessly died during the 40-year-long Tuskegee experiment because doctors failed to administer simple antibiotics. Their wives and infants were infected during the research study and were left untreated, too.

In 1951, Henrietta Lacks, a poor, black woman from Baltimore, died of cancer at Johns Hopkins University. Her cells were taken without her consent and were the first that scientists observed in a lab to rapidly replicate without dying. To this day, “HeLa” cells are used for medical experiments across the globe.

Earlier, during the eugenics movement of the 1920s and 1930s, many states, including South Carolina, passed sterilization laws that disproportionately impacted poor, disabled and minority patients. Eugenicists believed controlled breeding would improve the human condition.


Lengthy article about the issue of racism in medical research:

https://data.postandcourier.com/saga/jmarionsims/page/1

[dalton99a]

1. Great article.

[TheDebbieDee]

2. Dr J Marion Sims was America's version of Dr Mengele...

I hadn't even heard of him til 3 weeks ago, but I'm now knowing that he doesn't deserve a statue/memorial...

Maybe there should be a statue/memorial for his victims, instead!

[packman]

3. His victims , yes

BUT - and there is a huge "but" here - one needs to read the article. If anything, this man shows me, at least, there is some things where there are no obvious absolutes. How many women would bless his accomplishments ? How many would curse his racism?