Dr. James Marion Sims

Dr. James Marion Sims was a 19th-century American physician, often referred to as the “father of modern gynecology.” He is best known for developing surgical techniques to treat women with childbirth-related issues, such as fistulas. However, his legacy is controversial due to his experiments conducted on enslaved Black women without anesthesia in the late 1800s. While his contributions advanced medical knowledge, they also raise serious ethical concerns about consent and human rights in medicine. Today, discussions about his work highlight the importance of ethical standards in research and the need to acknowledge the complexities of historical figures.