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A Book of Medical Discourses

OEM Exchange joins with others to celebrate Women’s History Month.

History.com describes this month as celebrating women’s often overlooked contributions to history, culture, and society. The article provides links to notable luminaries such as Abigail Adams, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth and Rosa Parks. The website also provides a link to a timeline of significant contributions of women in the United States.

Upon reviewing the timeline, I noted that on January 23, 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to graduate from medical school and become a doctor in the United States, but was a bit surprised to see no further mention of women’s contributions to the medical field. Although the timeline is in no way comprehensive, I became curious and did some additional research and I am pleased to introduce you to Dr. Rebecca Crumpler.

In 1864, amidst America’s Civil War, Dr. Crumpler (February 8, 1831 – March 9, 1895) became the first African American woman to earn a M.D. degree (her official degree was “Doctress of Medicine”). The website Black History Month says her career began in nursing, and that her transition to doctor was not an easy one. However, with recommendations from doctors that she had worked for, she was admitted to study at the New England Female Medical College, known now as the Boston University School of Medicine.

Her book, ‘Book of Medical Discourses’, is one of the first medical publications by an African American. The discourses are dedicated to “Mothers, Nurses, and all who may desire to Mitigate the Afflictions of the Human Race,” and represent a compilation of her journal notes kept during her years of medical practice.

While few details are available about her life, Dr. Crumpler does eloquently describe her career path in the introduction to the discourses. The writing of the discourses is very much “matter of fact” and is simply a joy to read. With a bit of research, I was able to find a copy of the discourses online and I am pleased to share it with you. Take a few moments to read the introduction and you will learn more about this wonderful trailblazer through her own words.

Author: Joseph L. Johnson, OEM Exchange
Published: March 22, 2021

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