UAB stained glass window tells story of relationship between religion and medicine

The window’s artistry and biblical message are evident the moment one walks into the room.
   
Bathed in a sea of vibrant colors, the stained glass window depicts Christ’s healing of a sick woman. Beyond its initial communication, the work conveys an illustration of the relationship between the Bible and medicine.
   
Surrounding Christ are colorful allegorical figures representing fortitude, hope and patience. At the bottom is a verse from Mark 5:34, “Daughter, thy faith hath healed thee. Go in peace.”
   
Located at the Reynolds Historical Library on the campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), the window was originally installed in the chapel of the Woman’s Hospital Building in New York in 1906, in memory of Dr. James Marion Sims. A former medical practitioner in Alabama, Sims is considered a pioneer in gynecology.
   
Michael Flannery, associate director for historical collections with the library, said the window is believed to be the only stained glass window in the world dealing with gynecology as presented in the Bible. “So, it is very, very unique in that sense,” he said.
   
“Obviously, it’s a depiction of a woman being healed, and quite appropriate for a woman’s hospital devoted to the healing of women,” Flannery said. “Obviously, it’s a theme that directly related (to the hospital).”
   
Library supporter Lonnie Funderburg points out years ago hospitals were known for medical specialties.
   
Commenting on the window, he said it was not only appropriate for a hospital specializing in the treatment of women, but also portrays the greatest healer.
   
“Christ was known for healing, and there are quite a few references (in the Bible) and particularly for healing a woman with an issue,” said Funderburg, a retired anesthesiologist and member of First Baptist Church, Birmingham. “It makes a great background for anybody in Christendom to talk about the healing of Christ.”
   
Beyond its importance in relating a biblical message, the window also boasts a rich history.
   
Flannery said the chapel of the New York hospital eventually fell victim to infrequent use because of its proximity to local churches and the fact the hospital had few ambulatory patients. As a result, the chapel was converted into a records room and surgical library.
   
The Woman’s Hospital was scheduled to become a wing of St. Luke’s Hospital by the early 1960s, with plans to demolish the original structure, according to Flannery. He said the window was removed prior to the building’s demolition and offered to “any church or other institution that could find a place for it.”
   
The window was secured for UAB by Birmingham gynecologist Buford Word and included in plans for the Reynolds Library, which opened in 1997.
   
“It would have been tragic to lose something like this,” Flannery said. “I can’t imagine what the cost would be to replicate something like this today, but it would be a small fortune.”
   
Flannery said the window is “well-placed” in the library’s entrance and honors the memory of Sims.
   
“What it says to me, from a number of aspects … in a sense, Christ was the greatest physician of all,” he said. “For a Christian, that has to have great meaning.
   
“In another sense, it shows me the long and continuing association of religion and medicine,” Flannery added. “There’s been a long tradition of those two being joined in one way, shape or form.”
   
Flannery said several books in the library’s collection also attest to the relationship between religion and medicine. Among those are several works written centuries ago, including one by John Calvin defending his theology.
  
“Today, we like to split science and religion and show that they’re somehow in tension, or somehow that they are in conflict,” Flannery said. “But historically, that has not been the case.”
   
The library is open Monday-Friday, from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. For information, call 205-934-4475.