Anarcha Westcott facts for kids

Anarcha Westcott was an enslaved woman who lived a long time ago. A doctor named J. Marion Sims performed many painful surgeries on her. These surgeries were to fix serious tears that caused her a lot of pain. He did not use medicine to numb the pain during these operations.

Many people today think what Dr. Sims did was wrong. But his work helped create modern gynecology, which is the study of women's health. In recent years, Anarcha has become a hero for Black women.

Anarcha's Early Life

We do not know much about Anarcha's early life. She was not allowed to read or write because she was enslaved. Most of what we know comes from records kept by the people who enslaved her. We also learn from Dr. Sims's own notes and his book about his life.

Anarcha first appears in Dr. Sims's book. He describes her as a "little mulatto girl" living in his house in Mount Meigs, Alabama. She would sometimes help him by bringing him water.

Later, Anarcha is mentioned as a young woman, about 17 years old. She belonged to a man named Mr. Wescott, who lived near Dr. Sims in Montgomery, Alabama. Dr. Sims was called to help Anarcha when she was having a very difficult birth. After this, she had a baby who did not survive.

Experimental Surgeries

After the difficult birth, Anarcha had serious tears inside her body. These tears meant she could not control her urine or her bowel movements. This caused her extreme pain, infections, and other problems.

Dr. Sims performed 30 experimental surgeries on Anarcha. She did not agree to these operations. During these procedures, Anarcha was not given any medicine to stop the pain. This was even though pain medicine was available at the time. After the surgeries, Dr. Sims gave her medicine to help with the pain.

The experimental surgeries Dr. Sims performed on Anarcha and other enslaved women changed how doctors did gynecological surgery. The methods he developed became the first way to treat these kinds of tears.

On December 21, 1856, Anarcha was admitted to Sims's Woman's Hospital in New York. She was about 32 years old. She stayed for about a month and was then released, cured. We do not know how she traveled to New York.

A tombstone for an "Annacay" was found in King George County, Virginia. This county is next to Caroline County, where Anarcha's enslaver lived. Some people believe this "Annacay" is the same Anarcha that Dr. Sims treated.

How Anarcha Is Remembered

In 2015, an author named J. C. Hallman became very interested in finding out more about Anarcha. He wrote articles about Dr. Sims and Anarcha. His work to find Anarcha's final resting place is shown in a film called Remembering Anarcha. Hallman is also writing a book about Anarcha. This book uses new information about her life that did not come from Dr. Sims's own writings.

Dr. Sims's experimental surgeries on Black women without pain medicine are very controversial today.

A small statue of Anarcha Westcott was put up by people protesting near Dr. Sims's statue in Alabama. Sadly, it was quickly stolen.

In 2021, an artist named Michelle Browder collected old metal objects. She used these to create a large 15-foot memorial. This sculpture honors Anarcha Westcott and two other women Dr. Sims experimented on. The sculpture is now in Montgomery, Alabama. It is part of a bigger project to raise awareness about the Mothers of Gynecology Movement.

Media

• “Behind the Sheet” is a play by Charly Evon Simpson. It tells the story of how modern gynecology began. It shows how these women supported each other through their suffering. It also challenges the common story that only focuses on Dr. Sims.