The haunting legacy of gynaecology

Much of gynaecology was built on surgical experiments conducted on enslaved African women. These procedures were done by Doctor James Marion Sims, who has been called the "father of modern gynaecology". His legacy lives on today with the Sims position, the speculum and the surgical technique to treat vaginal fistula. So how to reconcile that history with what happened to those young women, with the advances in gynaecology? Got a question or comment? Email us at: [email protected] If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support Follow TVO on social: https://www.youtube.com/theagenda https://www.instagram.com/mistreatedtvo Join our newsletter: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters Visit the TVO Today website for current affairs journalism, documentaries and podcasts: https://www.tvo.org Research links: "Father of Modern Gynaecology" J. Marion Sims: https://www.history.com/articles/the-father-of-modern-gynecology-performed-shocking-experiments-on-slaves https://www.npr.org/2016/02/16/466942135/remembering-anarcha-lucy-and-betsey-the-mothers-of-modern-gynecology https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/cancer-detectives-brief-history-speculum/ https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/02/17/historian-uncovers-gynecologys-brutal-roots-in-slavery/#:~:text=James%20Marion%20Sims%2C%20who%20was,same%20capacity%20as%20white%20men https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/03/how-lucy-betsey-and-anarcha-became-foremothers-of-gynecology/ Operating on poor Irish women: https://ugapress.manifoldapp.org/read/medical-bondage/section/403f560a-7f2d-4def-8bdf-a5767588b78b https://www.healthinnowest.net/news/join-the-movement-to-rename-the-sims-speculum/ First record of use of anesthesia: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26828088/#:~:text=Abstract,labor%20and%20recovery%20from%20surgery. The pain these women suffered: https://drjengunter.com/2017/09/08/dr-sims-built-a-lab-and-experimented-on-enslaved-women-take-down-his-statues Documentary on Anarcha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjLL-fEj0fw https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11682838/ https://www.ogmagazine.org.au/23/4-23/lucys-legacy-why-sims-speculum-needs-a-different-name https://www.npr.org/2018/04/22/604789513/controversial-statue-of-19th-century-gynecologist-removed-from-central-park https://archives.icahn.mssm.edu/disappearing-hospitals-where-did-they-go-womans-hospitalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.