Anarcha Westcott

Anarcha Westcott (c. 1828 – unknown) was an enslaved American woman who underwent a series of experimental surgical procedures by J. Marion Sims to treat a combination of vesicovaginal fistula and rectovaginal fistula, without the use of anesthesia. She was the first patient to undergo these procedures, which became important to the advancement of gynecological surgery, producing the first treatment for these conditions. They have been controversial due to the fact that Westcott was a slave and was operated on without anesthesia or consent.[1]

Background

Little is known about Westcott and what is known comes from records kept by the plantation slave owner, medical journals written about Sims' work, and primary documents written by Sims himself.[2] At the time of her pregnancy Westcott was a seventeen-year-old girl living in Alabama. She had a severe form of rickets caused by a lack of vitamin D and malnutrition, which had disfigured her pelvis, making it impossible for her to give birth. She went into labor during June 1845 and after trying to give birth for three days, Sims showed up to assist her in her labor.[3]

Surgery on her fistula

After the birth, Westcott was brought back to Sims by her owner because she had several unhealed tears in her vagina and rectum – a vesicovaginal fistula and rectovaginal fistula. These tears caused her to have excruciating pain, which was from her uncontrollable bowel movements flowing through her open wounds. Being unable to control her bowel movements led to infections, inflamed tissue, and odor.[3] This made Westcott a prime candidate for Sims to perform experimental surgeries on, as fistulas were fairly common among the enslaved due to malnutrition and their younger age, as they were more likely to have children three years earlier than white women.[3]

Sims performed 30 operations on Westcott before successfully closing the fistula and tears.[4] During the procedures, Westcott was given no anesthesia, which had recently become available.[4] Following the procedures, Sims administered opium, which was then an accepted therapeutic practice.[5] The experimental procedures that Sims performed on Westcott and other slaves revolutionized gynecological surgery; the technique Sims developed became the first ever treatment for vesicovaginal fistulae.[4]

Remembrance

Sims became a controversial figure in the 20th century due to his experimental surgery on slaves, and operating without anesthesia. According to this position, Anarcha was a victim.[4]

A small statue of Anarcha was erected by protestors near the statue of Sims on the grounds of the Alabama State Capitol. It was quickly stolen.[6]

See also

References
  1. "Remembering Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey: The Mothers of Modern Gynecology". NPR.org. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  2. Dudley, Rachel (September 26, 2012). "Toward an Understanding of the 'Medical Plantation' as a Cultural Location of Disability". Disability Studies Quarterly. 32 (4). ISSN 2159-8371.
  3. Washington, Harriet A. (2006). Medical Apartheid The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present (1st ed.). NY: Doubleday. pp. 1–501.
  4. Wall, L L (June 2006). "The medical ethics of Dr J Marion Sims: a fresh look at the historical record". Journal of Medical Ethics. 32 (6): 346. doi:10.1136/jme.2005.012559. ISSN 0306-6800. PMC 2563360. PMID 16731734.
  5. Wall, L. Lewis (July 2007). "Did J. Marion Sims deliberately addict his first fistula patients to opium?". Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences. 62 (3): 336–356. doi:10.1093/jhmas/jrl045. ISSN 0022-5045. PMID 17082217.
  6. Hallman, J.C. (September 28, 2018). "J. Marion Sims and the Civil War — a rollicking tale of deceit and spycraft". Montgomery Advertiser.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.