Decolonising the undergraduate curriculum in Women’s Health

 

Objective

- At King’s College London (KCL), we recognise that

BAME groups face injustices in their care.

- We endeavor to educate our students on the

injustices faced by BAME women in the past and

present to ensure that our graduates are equipped

to improve the outcomes and overall care of BAME

groups.

 

Method

- We performed a literature review on Marion Sims and his victims to refine our knowledge on the

history of racism in obstetrics and gynaecology to then be educated to students.

 

Results

- Dr Marion Sims, a physician practicing mainly in the

1840s, is known as the ’father of modern

gynaecology.’ He is also accredited for inventing the

Sims’ speculum- named after himself.

- He came to many of his conclusions by torturing

black women, who were slaves. He would perform

various gynaecological procedures with little regard

for their pain or safety.

- Lucy was one of women Sims performed his

surgeries on. He documented acknowledging her

pain, admitting that he thought she might die but

refused to administer anaesthesia and continued

the surgery whilst she was conscious.

 

Conclusion

- A review on the history of obstetrics and

gynaecology has led our medical school, KCL, to

rename the Sims speculum to the Lucy Speculum

- We hope this will draw attention to the suffering

black people had to endure for the advancement of

gynaecology and help work towards eliminating

racial inequalities in today’s healthcare system.