Speculum

The speculum, gynecological instrument par excellence, is used for wideining the vaginal walls and allowing the medical staff to view the cervix and the vaginal canal. However, this object exists within an unresolved tension: one the one hand, it is undeniably useful for diagnostics, on the other, it has an history of power, abuse, and obstetric violence. Some rudimental kind of speculum existed already during the ancient Rome, but it was James Marion Sims, in the 19th century, to invent the one we know today. Sims is considered the “father” of modern gynecology, yet he tried the speculum on enslaved black women during examinations and surgeries, often without anesthesia. Over the years, the speculum has also been used as a social control device – from forced visits on sex workers to virginity tests – until, in the 70’s, women’s and feminist movements have tried to give it a new meaning, and to reclaim it as a fundamental instrument for consciousness and self-determination.

Today, the criticism around some objects’ patriarchal and colonial design is raising new questions. How can we make the speculum more aligned with our needs and sensations? After almost 200 years of stagnation, its characteristics have been re-imagined. Various research groups are working for a new speculum (as Yona or Lilium), designed with different shapes and materials (silicon or rubber). The aim is to reduce its coldness and the pain associated to its insertion as well as to allow the medical staff to use a different handgrip, thus guaranteeing more comfort to the person examined.