The Legacy of Slavery in Modern Gynecology

The 19th century was an important period for the development of gynecology as a medical discipline. Physicians like James Marion Sims made important breakthroughs that advanced our understanding of women’s reproductive health. However, these breakthroughs were only possible through Sims’s experimentation on enslaved Black women. In this text, we explain the relationship between modern gynecology and slavery in the US, and why it’s important to acknowledge the often cruel and exploitative history of this discipline.