James C. Burt
James Caird Burt (August 29, 1921[1] – July 10, 2012[2]) was an American gynecologist who was sometimes nicknamed the "Love Surgeon."[3] After practicing for two decades while based in Dayton, Ohio, Burt was sued by female patients for altering their vulvas without their informed consent.[4]
Career
[edit]Burt was born in Dayton, Ohio, and earned his M.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine in 1945. He was licensed in Ohio in 1951.
Burt began performing "love surgery" in 1966.[4] In his 1975 book, Surgery of Love, Burt wrote: "Women are structurally inadequate for intercourse. This is a pathological condition amenable by surgery." He claimed his surgery would turn women into "horny little mice" and asserted that "the difference between rape and rapture is salesmanship."[4][5] Burt's procedures caused sexual dysfunction, infection and the need for corrective surgery in many patients.[6]
In 1988, women subjected to the procedure came forward, eventually initiating several lawsuits.[7] He voluntarily surrendered his license in January 1989, thereby avoiding a medical board hearing which might have uncovered more evidence against him. He subsequently divorced and declared bankruptcy due to the victim lawsuits totaling $21 million.[8] Burt died in Dayton, Ohio, in 2012.
References
[edit]- ^ Burt, James C. "United States Public Records Index". familysearch. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ "Dr James C. Burt (1921-2012) - Find a Grave Memorial". Find a Grave. 19 Sep 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ Associated Press (December 9, 1988). Ohio "love surgeon" called up on ethics charges. Bangor Daily News
- ^ a b c Isabel Wilkerson (December 11, 1988). "Charges Against Doctor Bring Ire and Questions". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
Dr. Burt, once a well-regarded physician considered merely eccentric, began the special surgery in 1966. Explaining his philosophy in his 1975 book, Surgery of Love, Dr. Burt wrote: Women are structurally inadequate for intercourse. This is a pathological condition amenable to surgery. In franker terms, he also said that his surgery would turn women into horny little mice and asserted that the difference between rape and rapture is salesmanship.
- ^ Burt, James C. and Joan Burt (1975). Surgery of Love. Carlton Press ISBN 0-8062-0158-4
- ^ Associated Press (January 20, 1989). Ohio Doctor Offers to Quit. New York Times
- ^ Women go public with charges against Dayton surgeon, Dr James C Burt. The Plain Dealer 29 Oct, 1988, pg. 01 sec. A
- ^ Brower, Montgomery; Breu, Giovanna (March 27, 1989). James Burt's 'Love Surgery' Was Supported to Boost Pleasure, but Some Patients Say It Brought Pain. People (retrieved April 15, 2011)
Further reading
[edit]- Rodriguez, Sarah B. (2012). "Female Sexuality and Consent in Public Discourse: James Burt's "Love Surgery"". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 42 (3): 343–351. doi:10.1007/s10508-012-0030-8. PMID 23179235. S2CID 8760361.
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