The reading of the history of
gynecology includes the founding father, J. Marion Sims who developed
treatments for infections in gynecology. His introduction of new instruments
and techniques were able to help doctors and nurses help women in combating
disease of the female reproductive system. The reading’s title suggests that J.
Marion Sims can be portrayed as either a “hero” or “villain”. My argument will
focus on his villainous characteristics, despite his contributions to
gynecology. Feel free to refute this argument or support it in the comments
section; I would like to hear what you think about J. Marion Sims.
I see
J. Marion Sims as a villain because of his harsh treatment of slave women in
order to progress in new techniques in health practices. Sims also had a
forceful personality and was kicked out of the hospital he worked at for the
public surgeries that he performed since he refused to make the surgeries private
or at least not exploit women as much during his surgeries. The reading does
point out however that it was believed that Sims wanted the best for his
patients but used slaves to help better these patients. There are many
questions about the use of race in his findings and the idea that Sims blamed
the slave mothers for the death of their children.
Sims
can be looked at positively in society, since he was able to expand gynecology
to places it had not reached before. The techniques that he used were
questioned and frowned upon by today’s society. Perhaps without him, there may
not have been an advancement in fighting these diseases for quite some time and
more lives would have been lost.
What do you think?
Should he be considered a hero or villain?
Darren Pope
Unfortunetely I need to agree with you on the grounds that in some ways he was trying to help mankind under the best intensions. However, some of the greatest destructions on humans has been plan with the best intensions. For example, the Atom Bomb was thought of by Albert Einstein and he probably would have had it a different way if he know the true destruction it would have caused.
ReplyDeleteI think the use of the words "hero" versus "villain" may be a bit harsh for this individual. I do not view his actions to be completely towards one side or the other because they are so dichotomous. I would say he falls somewhere in the middle due to the fact that he meant well, but his drive really got in the way of these individuals well-being. Today, I would view him as a villain because of how much ethics are stressed and payed attention to in disciplines of research. But maybe back at this time, the extent that he went to I would have understood and blindly accepted. I do not believe that he should be glorified in the way that he is as the "father of gynecology" with the knowledge of today in thinking about the way he treated slave women. I do, however, believe that he meant to find a solution but the question still remains if it was for his own fame and fortune or for the well-being of these suffering women?
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