The preserved cast that turned Sarah Baartman into "science"

A Hottentot Venus displayed in a London cage: how did 19th-century medical "science" turn Black bodies into specimens? The preserved cast that turned Sarah Baartman into "science" In this episode, we trace a chain of documented events linking Sarah Baartman’s postmortem display to surgical experiments on enslaved women and to mid-20th-century medical practices. We follow the people, procedures, and published arguments that normalized using Black bodies for display and experiment, and ask how those methods persisted into modern medicine. Person: Henrietta Lacks Person: Sarah Baartman Person: Anarcha; Lucy; Betsey Event: Postmortem dissection and casting of Baartman by Georges Cuvier Event: Repeated gynecological operations by J. Marion Sims without anesthesia To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].