DR. J. MARION SIMS MONUMENT
One of the most beautiful monuments on the grounds is dedicated to Dr. J. Marion Sims () . Dr. Sims, a native of Lancaster, was the founder of the science of gynecology.
The inscription on the monument includes a quote from Hippocrates:
"Where the love of man is, there is also the love of art"The inscription continues:
"He founded the science of gynecology
was honored in all lands and died with the benediction of mankind
The first surgeon of the ages in ministry to women, treating alike empress and slave."
Marion Sims' father was Jack Sims, an early county sheriff. Jack Sims, according to his son, felt that he was lacking in education, and was determined that Marion be well-educated. Accordingly, Jack Sims and friends built a school in Lancaster they called Franklin Academy. From there, Sims went to South Carolina Medical College.
Dr. Sims came back to Lancasterville to practice. His first two patients died. In despair, Marion Sims left for Montgomery, Alabama. There he created surgical techniques and invented 71 instruments to aid women with childbirth problems. In 1853, he moved to New York and established the Woman's Hospital of the State of New York, and later established the Cancer Hospital, now known as Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
In 1863, Sims moved to France to be surgeon to Empress Eugenie. In France he became a wealthy man. When he returned to New York in 1866 his thoughts were of his native Lancaster County, now in dire poverty following the trauma of the Civil War. Through his Lancaster friend and former student, John F.G. Mittag, Sims generously sent food and money to the needy. He donated 60 acres of land to the county and enough money to equip a large building known as "The J. Marion Sims Asylum for the Poor."
Sims wrote extensively in medical journals and was an active member of many medical societies in America and in Europe. Dr. Sims taught other doctors and was the first doctor in the United States to professionally train surgical nurses. He liked to recruit doctors and nurses from this area. Many of these returned to serve Lancaster, Chester and York counties. One of the most famed students was Dr. Gill Wylie of Chester, who also made his mark in the development of hydroelectric power and for whom Lake Wylie is named.
Directly and indirectly, the influence of Dr. J. Marion Sims on the health of this area is still being felt.
Bio. Source: Louise Pettus
a portrait of Dr. Sims