1- Law passed against all slaves, from administering medicines
By 1748, many blacks claimed to be doctors. Some of these were false claims, as many practitioners wanted to prepare and procure poisons against their masters or enemies, whether black or white. This attracted the attention of the authorities, and, prior to 1792, a law was passed prohibiting all slaves, on pain of death, from administering medicines without the consent of the owners of both the conjured
2- Negro doctors and the prospective Negro patient.
In 1792, this law was modified and permitted the acquittal of those slaves who administered medicines with good intention, provided the drug had caused patient or master no harm.
3- Free Negroes were entitled to become established physicians
The laws never effectively curtailed the activities of black practitioners. Superstition was a powerful force within the slave community and the slaves thought that traditional white medicines were useless in reversing the progress of the illness especially in poison cases. Despite all the controversies, free Negroes were entitled to become established physicians in America and had managed to acquire a lucrative and respectable practice in the communities.
4-What was required for a free black to become a physician
In the mid-19th century, while slavery was most lucrative in America, there were three ways by which a free Negro could become a physician. The Negro could become a self-taught healer, he could learn medicine by apprenticeship, or he could be educated in a medical school either in America or abroad. A slave could only become a doctor through self-taught and by apprenticeship.
5- Free black medical practitioners
In 1860, the population of free Negroes in the free states reached 250,000; while there were 19 millions whites. The majority of free Negroes were farmers, mechanics or day laborers, but there were a few medical practitioners among them, generally with no formal education. James Still belonged to that category of physicians; he was referred by his contemporaries as the “black doctor.”
6- James Still
James Still was born on April 9, 1812 in Burlington County. He was the son of a slave who bought his freedom from his Maryland master. James’ early childhood was uneventful until he went to see Dr. Fort. This was a definitive moment in his life: “I was inspired to be a doctor."
7- Dr. James Still
James’ formal education consisted of three months instruction in reading, writing, and mathematics. He worked in the farm and in a glue factory. He married early but his wife and only child died early. When James was 31, in 1843, he began to make medicines, which he sold in his neighborhood. Soon, he was able to buy medical books and study medicine on his own.
8- Dr. James Still
Thereafter, James settled to practice medicine. As he practiced, his reputation grew. He was then charged to practice medicine without a license and adequate knowledge. The charges were eventually dropped. Dr. Still had a healthy practice for thirty years. He attended black and white patients alike, but he was never accepted by the medical profession.
9- First Black Physician accepted by the medical profession
It was James Durham who was the first black to serve as a physician, and who came to be the first black physician to be accepted by the medical profession. James Durham was a slave born in Philadelphia on May 1st, 1762. In Philadelphia, the Quackers opposed slavery. This image depicts Early Philadelphia where Durham started.
10- the early life of James Durham in the 18th century
The family that owned Durham taught him to read, to write and gave him some instructions in the scriptures. As a child, he was sold to Dr. John Kearsley, a highly regarded physician. Dr. Kearsley allowed James to compound simple medicines and perform some other medical duties. Dr. Kearsley died in 1772 and Durham was thereafter owned by Gregory West, an apothecary. At the end of the war, he became the property of Robert Dove, a Scottish physician then living in New Orleans.
11- James Durham’s medical training under Dr. Robert Dove
Durham obtained additional medical training with Dove. Dove allowed Durham to assist him in numerous medical procedures. Dove also allowed Durham to make money as a medical assistant and apothecary. This image is depicting James Durham’s medical training under Dr. Robert Dove in the 18th century, highlighting his growth as a medical practitioner.
