Another week, another set of Black History Month facts. I’m sure you can tell by the title of today’s post that I’ll be focusing on medical advancements and discoveries done by Black people.
Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller – the first Black psychiatrist in the US. He graduated from Livingstone College in North Carolina in 1893, obtained his MD from Boston University in 1897, and by 1899 he was named chief pathologist at Westborough. He was very interested in mental health and even attended a conference at Clark College where he was among great minds like Sigmund Freud. Dr. Fuller also played a key part in properly diagnosing syphilis in Black WWII veterans in Tuskegee, Alabama.
Dr. James McCune Smith – the first Black person to obtain an MD. Many recognize his name from the introduction of Frederick Douglass’ ‘My Bondage and My Freedom’, but he was so much more than that. He was born two a mother and father who purchased their freedoms and was sent to the African Free School for his primary education. Dr. Smith wasn’t denied admission to quite a few American colleges, so he to initiative and raised money so that he could go and study abroad in Scotland. He earned his bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Glasgow and completed his medical degree in 1837. He completed his medical internship in Paris and returned back to the states, where he opened a medical office and pharmacy in New York City. Dr. Smith was a wordsmith and wrote about medicine, science, education and race relations (which is probably why his foreward in Douglass’ book was so eloquent). He later went on to accept a position as a professor of anthropology Wilberforce College (now Wilberforce University) which is the nation’s oldest, private historically black college and university.
Dr. David Jones Peck – the first Black person to obtain their MD in the US. Yes, Dr. Smith might have been the first Black doctor, but Dr. Peck was the first to graduate from a US medical school. Born a preacher’s kid, Peck grew up in Pittsburgh and studied medicine under Dr. Joseph P. Gaszzam. Peck entered Rush Medical College in Chicago in 1846 and graduated a year later! He opened his medical practice in 1849, but racism led to him shutting it down shortly after. He didn’t have many patients and other doctors didn’t recognize his status as a doctor so he got no referrals or patients. He closed his Chicago practice in 1851, but when he relocated to Nicaragua in 1852 he opened another there.
Dr. Rebecca Davis Lee Crumpler – the first Black female doctor. Come on Black Girl Magic! Dr. Crumpler was born in Delaware, but raised by her aunt in Pennsylvania. She worked as a nurse in Massachusetts for 8 years before enrolling in the New England Female Medical College in 1860. This was highly uncommon because most medical schools still didn’t accept Black people. She graduated and practiced medicine in Boston, specializing in women’s health, pediatrics and health for the poor. Dr. Crumpler even published a book in 1883 entitled ‘Book of Medical Discourses’ which gave women health care advice for their families.
Now, I know we’ve all heard of Mae Jemison and Dr. Ben Carson, but you learned something new today. Feel free to drop a few Black history month facts in my comment section below or email me some.