BBC History Magazine

HIDDEN HISTORIES

"Anarcha Westcott should be hailed as a ‘mother of gynaecology’"

narcha Westcott was 17 years old when she gave birth. Although she is listed as a “mulatto” in the census, not a great deal is known about this enslaved woman’s life in Alabama. But she should be hailed – along with two other enslaved women named Lucy and Betsey – as one of the “mothers of gynaecology”. Instead, we are much

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