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Description of  Say Anarcha: A Young Woman, a Devious Surgeon, and the Harrowing Birth of Modern Women's Health

A compelling reckoning with the birth of womens health that illuminates the sacrifices of a young woman who changed the world only to be forgotten by ituntil now For more than a century, Dr. J. Marion Sims was hailed as the father of modern gynecology. He founded a hospital in New York City and had a profitable career treating gentry and royalty in Europe, becoming one of the worlds first celebrity surgeons. Statues were built in his honor, but he wasnt the hero he had made himself appear to be. Simss greatest medical claim was the result of several years of experimental surgerieswithout anesthesiaon a young enslaved woman known as Anarcha his so-called cure for obstetric fistula forever altered the path of womens health. One medical text after another hailed Anarcha as the embodiment of the pivotal role that Sims played in the history of surgery. Decades later, a groundswell of women objecting to Simss legacy celebrated Anarcha as the mother of gynecology. Little was known about the woman herself. The written record would have us believe Anarcha disappeared she did not. Through tenacious research, J. C. Hallman has unearthed the first evidence of Anarchas life that did not come from Simss suspect reports. Hallman reveals that after helping to spark a patient-centered model of care that continues to improve womens lives today, Anarcha lived on as a midwife, nurse, and doctor woman. Read more