"In 1840s Alabama, Dr. George Barry is on the verge of a miraculous cure: treatment for fistulas, a common but painful complication of childbirth. To achieve his medical breakthrough, Dr. Barry performs experimental surgeries on a group of enslaved womenafflicted with the condition. Based on the true story of Dr. J. Marion Sims, the 'father of modern gynecology,' Behind the sheet remembers the forgotten women who made his achievement possible, and the pain they endured in the process."--Publisher's description.