Page 84

“He’d removed a growth…”

Given the fact that Sims identifies Thomason as a doctor and doesn’t indicate another practitioner on the case, I assume that Thomason was treating George himself.

“Removal of the Superior Maxilla for a Tumour of the Antrum; Apparent Cure. Return of the Disease. Second Operation. Sequel,” J. Marion Sims, The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Vol. 13, 1847, p. 310.

“…gums to be purple…”

“Removal of the Superior Maxilla for a Tumour of the Antrum; Apparent Cure. Return of the Disease. Second Operation. Sequel,” J. Marion Sims, The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Vol. 13, 1847, p. 310.

“The cause was a tumor…”

“Removal of the Superior Maxilla for a Tumour of the Antrum; Apparent Cure. Return of the Disease. Second Operation. Sequel,” J. Marion Sims, The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Vol. 13, 1847, pp. 311-12.

“…George’s decayed teeth…”

“Removal of the Superior Maxilla for a Tumour of the Antrum; Apparent Cure. Return of the Disease. Second Operation. Sequel,” J. Marion Sims, The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Vol. 13, 1847, p. 310.

“…the boy was given brandy and water…”

“Removal of the Superior Maxilla for a Tumour of the Antrum; Apparent Cure. Return of the Disease. Second Operation. Sequel,” J. Marion Sims, The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Vol. 13, 1847, p. 311.

“…a curving incision…”

The image of George in the printed book shows the curving incision.

“Removal of the Superior Maxilla for a Tumour of the Antrum; Apparent Cure. Return of the Disease. Second Operation. Sequel,” J. Marion Sims, The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Vol. 13, 1847, p. 310.

“…the wing of the left nostril…”

“Removal of the Superior Maxilla for a Tumour of the Antrum; Apparent Cure. Return of the Disease. Second Operation. Sequel,” J. Marion Sims, The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Vol. 13, 1847, p. 310.

“Thrusts of a bone knife…”

“Removal of the Superior Maxilla for a Tumour of the Antrum; Apparent Cure. Return of the Disease. Second Operation. Sequel,” J. Marion Sims, The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Vol. 13, 1847, p. 311.

“…Liston’s bone forceps.”

“Removal of the Superior Maxilla for a Tumour of the Antrum; Apparent Cure. Return of the Disease. Second Operation. Sequel,” J. Marion Sims, The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Vol. 13, 1847, p. 310.

“…a thirty-five-minute procedure…”

“Removal of the Superior Maxilla for a Tumour of the Antrum; Apparent Cure. Return of the Disease. Second Operation. Sequel,” J. Marion Sims, The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Vol. 13, 1847, p. 311.

“…the bent handle of a silver spoon…”

“Removal of the Superior Maxilla for a Tumour of the Antrum; Apparent Cure. Return of the Disease. Second Operation. Sequel,” J. Marion Sims, The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Vol. 13, 1847, p. 310.

“…left its curved impression…”

“Removal of the Superior Maxilla for a Tumour of the Antrum; Apparent Cure. Return of the Disease. Second Operation. Sequel,” J. Marion Sims, The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Vol. 13, 1847, p. 311.

“…left with two regrets.”

Sims actually has more regrets than this. He doesn’t attest to regretting not having a pre-operation likeness drawn, but as this is what he did with Sam a short time later it follows that he would have regretted the post-op image of George in the printed book, and which was first published in Sims’s article about George, on p. 312.

“Removal of the Superior Maxilla for a Tumour of the Antrum; Apparent Cure. Return of the Disease. Second Operation. Sequel,” J. Marion Sims, The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Vol. 13, 1847, p. 314.

“…George was a field hand…”

Sims does not indicate what work George did, but, like Sam, judging from appearance and clothing, and given the fact that Thomason was performing experiments on his face, and Sims was permitted to employ a technique guaranteed to leave significant scarring, it’s unlikely that George was anything other than a field hand.