Central Park North End in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

J. Marion Sims, M.D., L.L.D.

Born 1813 • Died 1883

J. Marion Sims Marker - First Panel image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 4, 2016

1. J. Marion Sims Marker - First Panel

Inscription.
Surgeon & Philanthropist. Founder of the Womans Hospital State of New York. His brilliant achievement carried the fame of American surgery throughout the entire world

In recognition of his services in the cause of science & mankind Awarded highest honors by his countrymen & decorations from the governments of Belgium · France · Italy · Spain & Portugal

Erected 1894 by Subscription organized by "Medical Record".

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Science & Medicine.

Location. Marker has been reported permanently removed. It was located near 40° 47.546′ N, 73° 57.161′ W. Marker was in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It was in Central Park North End. Marker was at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and East 103rd Street, on the right when traveling south on Fifth Avenue. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 1216 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10029, United States of America.

We have been informed that this sign or monument is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within

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walking distance of this location. 1784 Seal (within shouting distance of this marker); The New York Academy of Medicine (within shouting distance of this marker); 1686 Seal (within shouting distance of this marker); Museum of the City of New York (within shouting distance of this marker); The Vanderbilt Gate (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Marian Anderson (about 500 feet away); Arthur Brisbane (about 500 feet away); Maria Callas Birthplace (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan.

More about this marker. This statue again has been relocated in February 2018. Due to his cruel methods, a New York City committee decided to move the statue to Dr. Sims gravesite in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn.

The statue was originally installed in Bryant Park in 1894, but was moved and installed opposite the New York Academy of Medicine in 1934.

Also see . . .
1. J. Marion Sims. Wikipedia entry:
James Marion Sims (January 25, 1813 – November 13, 1883) (known as J. Marion Sims) was an American physician and a pioneer in the field of surgery, known as the "father of modern gynecology". His most significant work was to develop a surgical technique for the repair of vesicovaginal fistula, a
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 4, 2016

2. J. Marion Sims Marker - Second Panel
severe complication of obstructed childbirth....Sims' use of enslaved African-American women as experimental subjects is considered highly unethical by modern historians and ethicists. He is considered "a prime example of progress in the medical profession made at the expense of a vulnerable population." Physician L.L. Wall has attempted to defend Sims on the basis of his conformity to accepted medical practices of the time, the therapeutic nature of his surgery, and the catastrophic nature for women of the condition he was trying to fix. (Submitted on October 11, 2016.)

2. J. Marion Sims, the Father of Gynecology: Hero or Villain?. Southern Medical Journal entry (2004;97(5)) (Submitted on October 11, 2016.)

3. The Dr. J. Marion Sims Statue - Central Park at 103rd Street. "Daytonian in Manhattan" entry. (Submitted on April 10, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

J. Marion Sims image. Click for full size.

Published by N.Y. Medical Journal, circa 1900

3. J. Marion Sims

Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

J. Marion Sims Statue and Marker - Wide View image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 4, 2016

4. J. Marion Sims Statue and Marker - Wide View

From 1845 to 1849 Sims conducted a series of experiments on enslaved Black women that led to medical breakthroughs in treating vesicovaginal fistula, which results from difficult childbirths. Three of the enslaved women were identified by Sims as Anarcha, Betsey, and Lucy. Medical scholarship has debated Sims' application of "informed consent" with respect to these enslaved patients. By law, slaves had no personal rights and were the property of their owners who held possession of their lives, their bodies, and their labor. Many have also condemned the ethics of Sims’ scientific methods. He operated on these subjects, in some cases repeatedly, without the use of anesthesia. At the time, anesthesia was new to the medical profession, and was first publicly demonstrated at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1846. - New York City Department of Parks & Recreation

New York Times article image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Larry Gertner, April 17, 2017

5. New York Times article

J. Marion Sims, M.D., L.L.D.site image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Larry Gertner, November 11, 2018

6. J. Marion Sims, M.D., L.L.D.site

The statue was removed, but the base remains for now.

Explanatory signage image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Larry Gertner, November 11, 2018

7. Explanatory signage

Additional sign explaining the context of the statue's removal image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 2, 2021

8. Additional sign explaining the context of the statue's removal

Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 11, 2016, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 403 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 11, 2016, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 5, 6, 7. submitted on November 12, 2018, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 8. submitted on October 5, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.