Essay On African American Medicine

Last week I obtained knowledge on the history of medicine. Specifically, I learned how African Americans played an essential role in the history of medicine. Prior to last week I was not well-versed in the history of medicine. However, I was knowledgeable on how African Americans slaves were used for medical research. Slaves were the test subjects for various revered doctors at that time. This was a very unfortunate situation, because these slave did not have the right to reject this treatment. In particular, many female slaves were used in reproductive research. The pain that these slaves experienced was not of concern to doctors. Slaves were dehumanized and treated like animals. Thus, this medical practice was considered ethical. This is

In particular, we talked about the first Spelman alum to go to medical school. This Spelman alum was named Georgia Dwelle. During her career, Dr. Dwelle achieved many accomplishments. In 1904, she graduated with honors from Meharry Medical School. Then in 1920 Dr. Dwelle established Georgia’s first hospital for African American women. Additionally, I learned about the Flexner Report of 1910. In the late 1800s, many black institutions were created. Seven black medical schools were established between 1868 and 1904. These institutions gave black people the opportunity to receive a higher education. However, many medical professionals were not in favor of these institutions. Thus, the Flexner Report developed in order to shut down these institutions. The report determined that five out of the seven black medical schools were unfit to teach medicine. The only black medical schools that remained were Howard University School of Medicine and Meharry Medical College.
Although history proves that the medical system can be corrupt, the knowledge I acquired on medical history positively impacted my perspective on my career choice. It deepened my desire to become an African American health care professional. Also, it motivated me to contribute to the positive development of medical practices in the United