Medicine in the 20th Century

Medicine in America in the 20th Century

Black American’s had very little expectations for good medical care following slavery, white physicians were reluctant to care for them, hospitals segregated them. The only schools that trained Black physicians were Meharry and Howard and maybe a single student was admitted to a few white schools.
Those Blacks that completed medical school had little chance to become specialist because there were no places to train.
There were several hospitals that became training centers in the 1930’s they included Harlem, Hubbard, Howard, Providence and Homer G. Phillips. Those physicians that specialized usually remained in these institution where they trained to continue mentoring those who followed. Homer G. Phillips Hospital in St. Louis became the leading institution of such training. A noted white surgeon, Dr Robert Elman the Chairmen of the Surgery Dept at Washington University, became the first chief of surgery at Homer G. in 1937 followed later by Dr Carl Moyer.
There are dozens of anecdotal stories that have passed down about the technical ability and brilliance of these pioneer physicians; often drawing reluctant admiration from white physicians.
One such story is much too good to forget.
There was a Black pharmacist in Monroe, La, Dr Pierce, who wrote to Dr William Sinkler the Medical Director of Homer G. Phillips asking him if he would come to Monroe and do some much needed surgery on some of the Blacks in that community. The white physicians refusing them care. He had arranged for a half dozen patients to be operated on at St Frances Hospital. Dr Sinkler agreed to go and took Dr A.Vaughn a well respected colleague in St.Louis. The scrub nurses of the local surgeons refused to assist the visitors. One prominent surgeon offered his personal nurse to scrub for them.
When they arrived they were made to change clothes in the janitors closet. And once in the operating room they were surrounded by hostile physicians eager to watch these coloreds operate.
The first patient was a woman that needed a Cholecystectomy and a Hysterectomy both operations being performed under a spinal anesthesia, which limited their margin of operating time.
As the operation proceeded the gall bladder was quickly removed and moving in concert and at almost blinding speed they attacked the uterus. The gallery as well as the room was packed with doctors.
All of a sudden one observer couldn’t contain himself any longer and was heard to shout “look at them little niggahs go!”
Another treasured story is about Dr. Matthew Walker, the Chairmen of the Dept of Surgery at Meharry. He was to take the practical exam for his Surgical Boards and was told by his preceptor to report in an operating room at 8 AM. The professor was running late and when he walked in the room at 8:15 Dr Walker was closing the wound. The preceptor exclaimed. “I see you’re closing, had a little problem?” Dr Walker asked the nurse to hand the specimen pan to the speechless preceptor so he could see the pathology.
There is no doubt that these were the giants that set examples for those of us who followed in their footsteps.