A controversial statue in New York of a doctor who operated on enslaved women has been defaced by a vandal who spray-painted the word "racist" on it.

The Daily News reports that the graffiti defacing the statue of Dr. J. Marion Sims in Central Park was discovered early Saturday.

The word "racist" was written in back of the statue in red paint, and the figure's eyes and neck were marked with red paint as well.

Sims was known as the father of modern gynecology. But critics say his use of enslaved African-American women as experimental subjects was unethical.

New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and others have called for the statue's removal.

Parks workers arrived later in the day to remove the paint.

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Information from: Daily News, http://www.nydailynews.com