For a number of years, the name of Dr. Marion J. Sims (1813-1883), a Lancaster County native, has been on the list of nominees to the S.C. Hall of Fame. His failure to be selected is puzzling in light of all the honors that were bestowed on him in his day.

Often termed "The Father of Gynecology," Sims not only established womens medicine as a field, he invented a number of medical instruments still in use. It is said that Sims' invention of the speculum advanced knowledge of women's diseases by 100 years.

A brilliant student at South Carolina College, the S.C. Medical School and Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Sims lost his first patient in Lancaster. In despair, he moved to Montgomery, Ala. where he was highly successful. His clinic flourished and he was soon publishing in prestigious journals.

In 1853, Sims moved to New York City. The best doctors and men of financial standing responded to his call for the construction of a hospital devoted exclusively to women's diseases. The New York Legislature awarded him a charter in 1857 for "The Women's Hospital for the State of New York." The city of New York granted a block of land and an appropriation for the hospital to be built at Central Park across from Columbia University.

In 1861, Sims went to Europe to study hospital design and construction. The leading hospitals invited him to demonstrate his skills. In London, Paris, Brussels and Dublin, he performed operations before large numbers of doctors who were fascinated with his skills and new techniques. He operated in at least 9 different London hospitals and even more in Paris. Sims published his findings in dozens of articles in medical journals around the world.

Among Sims' famous patients were Queen Victoria of England, Empress Eugenie of France and the Empress of Austria.

Among his decorations from goverments were:
France - Order of the Knigiht of the Legion of Honor by Napoleon III
Italy - Grand Master of the Order of the Crown of Italy
Portugal - Member of the Golden Fleece
Spain - Order of Isabella
Belgium - Knight of the Order of Leopold I

At the opening of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, Sims happened to be back in Europe. He organized the Anglo-American Ambulance Corps and became its surgeon-general.

A life-sized bronze statue of Dr. Sims is in Central Park in New York City. In 1929, a bust of Sims was erected by the S.C. Medical Association and the state of South Carolina, and placed on the grounds of the State House at the corner of Sumter and Senate streets. A dormitory at U.S.C. is named for Dr. Sims.

Lancaster's first hospital was the Marion Sims Memorial Hospital. Sims never forgot his home. When he received word of the distress of the county during Reconstruction Era following the Civil War, Sims sent $1000 in gold. The money was used to build a "Poor House" for the needy.

Sims received large sums of money from wealthy patients and became a rich man, but he absolutely refused to take out a patent on any of his inventions, on which he could have made millions. He wanted his inventions to be the property of all.

Dr. Sims received honorary doctorates from a number of institutions and a Doctor of Laws from the University of Pennsylvania. But there were no honorary doctorates from South Carolina. A writer once remarked that, "The Medical College of South Carolina missed a golden opportunity when it failed to honor itself by conferring an honorary degree on J. Marion Sims, without doubt the most famous man who was ever a student at that institution."