Behind the Bastards Part Two: The Father of Gynecology
Jul 14, 2022
Dr. Kaveh Hoda joins again to discuss the brutal experiments on enslaved women in the mid-19th century and the lack of consideration for patients' well-being. The hosts delve into hidden town secrets and the unethical procedures of Dr. Marian Sims, highlighting the need to acknowledge and learn from history.
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Lucy’s Harrowing First Operation
- James Marion Sims operated on Lucy, an enslaved 18-year-old, with dozens of doctors watching while she screamed through an hour-long procedure.
- Sims later admitted she nearly died from blood poisoning after he used a sponge to draw away urine, and she took months to recover.
Suffering Doesn’t Equal Consent
- Sims framed repeated, brutal surgeries as noble because fistula made life 'unlivable' for women, but he never documented genuine consent.
- The women's enslaved status and lack of voice made their consent impossible to verify and likely coerced.
Annarka’s Labor And Structural Causes
- Annarka went into labor at 17 and endured three days before a doctor arrived, likely causing obstructed labor and fistula due to malnutrition and pelvic malformation.
- Monica Cronin links these childbirth injuries to the nutritional and care disparities enslaved women faced.