Depending on who you believe, James Marion Sims was either a savior of women -- "Father of Gynecology" -- or an inhuman monster. That's because all of his practical experience on female diseases -- the techniques he developed and the instruments he devised -- came from crude experiments on women slaves in Alabama. Some of his patients underwent as many as thirty operations, and Sims, who believed that Africans could tolerate pain, never used anesthesia. When he moved from the Deep South to New York City, he continued his experiments on poor Irish immigrant women. The wealthy upper class benefited from his experience and knowledge, and while it did eventually trickle down to almost everyone, it didn't until long after he was dead.
There's no mention on the monument of either gynecology or his experiments.
"J. Marion Sims M.D. 1813-1883. Surgeon and philanthropist, founder of the Women's Hospital, State of New York. His brilliant achievement carried the fame of American surgery throughout the entire world. In recognition of his services in the cause of science and mankind. Awarded highest honors by his countrymen and decorations from the governments of Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal."
