James Derham

James Derham[1] (May 2, 1762[2]—1802?), also known as James Durham,[3] was the first African American to formally practice medicine in the United States,[4] though he never received an M.D. degree.

Biography

Derham was born into slavery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was owned by several doctors, and one of his owners, a physician named Dr. Bob Love, encouraged him to go into medicine. By working as a nurse, he purchased his freedom by 1786. He opened a medical practice in New Orleans, and by the age of 26 his annual earnings exceeded $3,000.[3][5]

Derham met with Dr. Benjamin Rush, the father of American medicine, and Rush was so impressed by Derham that he encouraged him to move to Philadelphia. There he became an expert in throat diseases and in the relationship between climate and sickness.

He also had 10 siblings. Derham disappeared in 1802.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "James Derham". Journal of the National Medical Association. 4 (1): 50. 1912. PMC 2621656. PMID 20891259.
  2. ↑ "James Durnham, A pioneering Physician and a Skilled Healer". African American Registry. African American Registry. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  3. 1 2 Charles E. Wynes (July 1979). "Dr. James Durham, Mysterious Eighteenth-Century Black Physician: Man or Myth?". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 103 (No. 3): 325–333.
  4. ↑ says, Susan Nelson Hopkins (2012-05-03). "James Derham (ca. 1762-1802?), Physician". America Comes Alive. Retrieved 2017-06-26.
  5. ↑ Morais, Herbert Montfort (1968). The history of the negro in medicine. New York : Publishers Co., under the auspices of The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. p. 9. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  • James Durnham, a pioneering physician and skilled healer at the African American Registry
  • "First 3 African American Physicians". Essortment. PageWise, Inc. 2002. Archived from the original on 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  • Benjamin Quarles. "James Dernam". Archived from the original on 2009-10-25. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
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