Midtown - Downtown in Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
J. Marion Sims
Photographed By Anna Inbody, November 20, 2011
1. J. Marion Sims Marker
(Lower Left):
The first surgeon of the ages in ministry to women treating alike empress and slave
(Lower Right):
He founded the science of gynecology * was honored in all lands * and died with the benediction of mankind
Erected 1929 by The S.C. Medical Association, It's Womans Auxilary, the State of South Carolina and interested friends.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1813.
Location. 34° 0.023′ N, 81° 2.102′ W. Marker is in Columbia, South Carolina, in Richland County. It is in Midtown - Downtown. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Gervais Street and Assembly Street, on the left when traveling west. On the South Carolina State Capital Building grounds. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbia SC 29201, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Assembly Street (within shouting distance of this marker); South Carolina Veterans Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Robert E. Lee Memorial Highway (about 300 feet away); Cap. Swanson Lunsford (about 300 feet away); Here Stood The State House
this page online
Also see . . . J. Marion Sims. (Submitted on November 22, 2011, by Anna Inbody of Columbia, South Carolina.)
Photographed By Anna Inbody, November 20, 2011
2. Close up of the bust
Photographed By Anna Inbody, November 20, 2011
3. Close up of the lower left side
Photographed By Anna Inbody, November 20, 2011
4. Close up of the lower right side
Photographed By Anna Inbody, November 20, 2011
5. End Of Lower Left Side
Photographed By Anna Inbody, November 20, 2011
6. End Of Lower Right Side
Harold Sterner Architect
Photographed By Anna Inbody, November 20, 2011
7. Overview
Photographed By Anna Inbody
8. J. Marion Sims
The Father of Modern Gynecology
From the J. Marion Sims Foundation we get the following (along with this portrait of the good doctor):
The J. Marion Sims Foundation takes its name from one of Lancaster County’s most distinguished historical figures. Dr. James Marion Sims was one of the most famous physicians of his time, renowned as a surgical genius and as one of the founders of operative gynecology. He practiced briefly in Lancaster before moving his practice to Alabama, and later to New York City.
His patients included Empress Eugenie of France, wife of Napoleon III, Scotland’s Duchess of Hamilton, and the Empress of Austria. He was called on to administer surgical treatment to President James A. Garfield after he was shot in 1881. Dr. Sims served as president of the American Medical Association in 1876, as president of the International Medical Congress in 1877, and as president of the American Gynecological Society in 1880.
Born in 1813 in what is now Heath Springs, Dr. Sims has been widely honored in his native state. A monument is dedicated to him on the State House grounds in Columbia, and the Medical University of South Carolina has established the J. Marion Sims Chair in Obstetrics-Gynecology. A dormitory at the University of South Carolina is named for Dr. Sims and Lancaster County’s first countywide hospital was named the Marion Sims Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Sims died in 1883. Several oil portraits of him and his family members are displayed in the Foundation offices, as are some of his original surgical instruments.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 22, 2011, by Anna Inbody of Columbia, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 977 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on November 22, 2011, by Anna Inbody of Columbia, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
