One of my "McCloudisms" in Living Well is, "You will have 'haters,' but never let people get you off track. No matter what obstacles come against you, you can make it if you treat people right; stay focused on your goal and stay true to yourself and your God." [You may quote me.]
In honor of Black History Month, I simply wish to honor Black men and women who were medical pioneers. I'm sure many of them were faced with numerous obstacles along their life's journey, but their psyche was such that they didn't get off track; they achieved and soared to great heights. Let the legacy continue. Enjoy.
Notable Blacks in Medicine: A Retrospective:
4,000 B.C.: The first surgical textbook was, found in Egypt, but became known as the Edwin Smith Papyrus in 1862 when it was named for a white American collector of Egyptian antiquities who acquired the papers.
2700 B.C.: Imhotep "the Wise" was the first physician known by name and was deified as the universal god of medicine. The Oath of Imhotep is said to be the basis on which Hippocrates fashioned what is known of as the Hippocratic Oath.
2,000 BC: Pereshet of Egypt became the first known woman physician.
1500 BC-1721 AD: Egyptians used poppy as a source of opium to make morphine to relieve pain; honey was used to treat wounds; Ethiopians began removing tonsils and in 1721, Onesimus, a slave in Massachusetts, provided Americans with the antidote for smallpox.
1751: Cesar, a slave in South Carolina was freed by the SC general Assembly because he discovered a cure for rattlesnake bites.
1762: James Derham was the first Black person to receive a certificate to practice medicine in the US. He won his freedom and set up his own practice in New Orleans.
1864: Rebecca Lee Crumpler became the first Black woman doctor in the US. She graduated from, what is now, Boston University School of Medicine.
1868: Howard University establishes Howard University School of Medicine.
1876: Meharry Medical College was established to care for freed slaves.
1940: Dr. Charles Drew pioneered techniques for separating and preserving blood components-especially blood plasma. His expertise saved thousands of lives during World War II.
1975: Morehouse School of Medicine is founded by Dr. Louis Sullivan who later served as Secretary of Health & Human Services.
1987: Dr. Benjamin Carson performed the first successful surgical separation of Siamese twins joined at the back of the head.
1992: Dr. Mae Jamison became the first Black female astronaut to complete a space mission.
1993: Dr. Jocelyn Elders became the first Black surgeon general of the US and Dr. David Satcher became the first Black to head the CDC.
1997: Drs. Paula Mahone and Karen Drake delivered the McCaughey septuplets in Iowa.
2009: Dr. Regina Benjamin becomes Surgeon General in the Obama administration.
Be Healthy, Be Blessed...and Live Well!
