Page 89

“…a cherry pit…”

“Extraction of Foreign Bodies from the Meatus Auditorius External,” J. Marion Sims, American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Vol. 9, 1845, p. 342.

“…Philadelphia’s Gibson…”

The Gibson Sims cites here is the same as the Gibson who performed two cesareans on the same woman. See “A cesarean was prescribed…” and “Gibson rejected the apparatuses…,” above.

“Extraction of Foreign Bodies from the Meatus Auditorius External,” J. Marion Sims, American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Vol. 9, 1845, p. 337.

“…Sims’s first chance…”

Sims is precise when it comes to his own publications. He specifies that an article about extracting items lodged from the ear was the first he wrote—another essay, “Operation for Double Congenital Harelip,” was published first.

“Extraction of Foreign Bodies from the Ear,” J. Marion Sims, British Medical Journal, December 14, 1878, p. 868.

“…another bout with malaria…”

SIMS, J. Marion, (1885). The Story of my Life, ed. by H. Marion-Sims. D. Appleton & Co: New York, p. 195.

“…corrupted by drink…”

A short history of Cubahatchee was presented to me by members of the The Baptist Church of Christ at Cubahatchee, which still exists. The history does not indicate that drink was the source of their problems in 1850, and for a time before then, but it was part of the local lore of the church. Given that Sims counted himself a teetotaler, it’s likely that this would have been another force driving him to Montgomery.

“…paddlewheel boats…”

Sometime later, Frederick Law Olmstead traveled through the South to document the culture of slavery. This is drawn from his description of boats bearing cotton.

Olmsted, F. L. (1861). The cotton kingdom. New York: Mason Bros., p. 275.

“…handsome homes…”

From a document copied from the Birmingham Age-Herald, April 10, 1892. The document is titled “Murmur of the World,” unsigned, and is held at the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery, Alabama, pp. 1-2.

“…Montgomery Hall, and by the Rialto Theatre.”

Some Doctors, Drugs, Druggists and Dentists of Montgomery, 1820-1920, Lela Irwin Legare, 1961, p. 103, an unpublished book of medical history in Alabama, held at the UAB Archives, University of Alabama, Birmingham, in Birmingham, Alabama.

Society of Pioneers of Montgomery. (1965). A History of Montgomery in pictures. Montgomery, Ala.: Society of Pioneers of Montgomery.

“…not a hundred yards…”

A now-famous diner, Chris’s Hot Dogs, occupies what was formerly the entrance of Montgomery Hall, which is around the corner from where Sims’s office and home once stood.

“He sold his gun…”

SIMS, J. Marion, (1885). The Story of my Life, ed. by H. Marion-Sims. D. Appleton & Co: New York, p. 210.

“…and bought a buggy…”

From an account of a banquet thrown in Sims’s honor when he returned to Montgomery late in life. Many speeches were offered. These are the words of William O. Baldwin, with whom Sims had feuded. This feud is described later in the book. The account was later printed as an appendix in Sims’s autobiography.

SIMS, J. Marion, (1885). The Story of my Life, ed. by H. Marion-Sims. D. Appleton & Co: New York, pp. 444-45.

“…Sims placed an advertisement…”

Some Doctors, Drugs, Druggists and Dentists of Montgomery, 1820-1920, Lela Irwin Legare, 1961, pp. 102-03, an unpublished book of medical history in Alabama, held at the UAB Archives, University of Alabama, Birmingham, in Birmingham, Alabama.

“…prominent white citizens…”

I have added to Sims’s list, in keeping with those he later attests to having been intimate with. Nathan Harris, in particular, will figure heavily in later chapters (as will E.Y. Fair and his wife), and Sims will later claim to have been close with the Duncans since his first arrival in Alabama.

SIMS, J. Marion, (1885). The Story of my Life, ed. by H. Marion-Sims. D. Appleton & Co: New York, pp. 206-07.

“…moved to Alabama from Georgia…”

The 1850 Alabama census indicates that Nathan Harris was alone, among his family, in having been born in Georgia. The far right column indicates place of birth.

“…fondness for the slave children…”

Nathan Harris’s will includes unusual provisions for a number of the people he enslaved. I think it’s difficult to avoid the conclusion that he fathered these enslaved persons, and hoped to release them on his death. The will, held at the probate office at the Autauga County courthouse in Prattville, Alabama, does not indicate this directly, but it’s surely a conclusion that would have been drawn by his neighbors.

“…Jewish population, the frazzled Irish…”

Sims does not mention the Irish population in Alabama, but Olmstead took note—as Sims eagerly experimented on Irish immigrants in New York, it follows that he would have treated them in Alabama, as well.

SIMS, J. Marion, (1885). The Story of my Life, ed. by H. Marion-Sims. D. Appleton & Co: New York, p. 207.

Olmsted, F. L. (1861). The cotton kingdom. New York: Mason Bros., p. 281.

“…constructed a small hospital…”

Some Doctors, Drugs, Druggists and Dentists of Montgomery, 1820-1920, Lela Irwin Legare, 1961, p. 103, an unpublished book of medical history in Alabama, held at the UAB Archives, University of Alabama, Birmingham, in Birmingham, Alabama.