Sunday, October 7, 2012

Dr. Sim's Statue


After it became known that Dr. Sims performed experimental gynecological experiments on female slaves, a debate sparked questioning whether or not to take down a statue of him in Central Park (New York city). Here is the article discussing the issue:

http://newamericamedia.org/2010/12/dr-marion-sims-statue-where-should-it-stand.php


1 comment:

  1. The debate over whether Dr. Marion Sims’s statue should remain in Central Park is very interesting, and I think it applies to many other historical figures who did things in their lives that discredit their reputations. After reading this article, I can understand the perspective of each side of the debate. On one hand, I do believe that Dr. Sims’s medical experiments on slaves were inhumane and ethically unsound. He may have been wary to use anesthesia on the women and infants he tested, but that hesitancy does not justify his complete lack of recognition of his subjects’ humanity. For example, Dr. Sims performed thirty surgeries on one African American woman before the procedure was successful. He even admitted, “The poor girl, on her knees, bore the operation with great heroism and bravery. Lucy’s agony was extreme.” In the article, one historian said that Dr. Sims’s subjects volunteered to be tested on, but the women were slaves; if Dr. Sims wanted them for test subjects, they did not have the autonomy at the time to refuse. One positive aspect of taking the statue down would be that people would ask why and would learn about a very important, yet uncomfortable, part of American’s history.
    However, I can also understand the argument for letting Dr. Sims’s statue remain standing. Sims made many medical breakthroughs from his experiments and helped develop the modern field of gynecology. His ethics were questionable, but if we took down his statue, would we also have to take down every other statue of a historical figure who did dishonorable things in their lives? Should we take down every statue of Thomas Jefferson because of his relationship with his slave, Sally Hemings? We should not try to hide the embarrassing parts of our history, but should we honor individuals who exploited other human beings?
    Ultimately, I think the statue of Dr. Sims should be taken down. The details of his brutal experiments on slave women and infants are too tragic to be ignored and they cast a shadow on the progress he made as a physician. Dr. Marion Sims’s story shows us that although parts of America’s history may be uncomfortable or awkward, it is important to understand their context so we can have a more complete view of history as a whole.

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