Crumpler, Dr Rebecca Lee
By
John C Abercrombie
Rebecca Davis later Rebecca Lee Crumpler is recognized as the first Black female medical doctor in the United States. She was born in Christiana, Delaware to Absolum Davis and Matilda Webber. As a child she spent a great deal of her time with an aunt in Pennsylvania. This aunt was in great demand to care for sick neighbors and Rebecca often accompanied her and helped in her work.
There may be some comment about being the first Black Female medical doctor as this has previously been credited to Dr Rebecca Cole, however Dr Crumpler achieved the distinction 3 years earlier.
There was open prejudice against both Blacks and women in the medical world that highly favored only White men as being capable of practicing on this level. However, Crumpler in her book published in 1883 “Having been reared by a kind aunt in Pennsylvania, whose usefulness with the sick was continually sought, I early conceived a liking for, and sought every opportunity to be in a position to relieve the sufferings of others.”
Crumpler started her medical career as a nurse, she did so with a formal education as there was no school for licensed nurses until 1873. She performed her medical duties assisting several doctors in the Boston area for 8 years.
By 1860 she became the first and only Black woman accepted to the New England Female Medical College in Boston. The college was established in 1848 and was the first to award MDs to women. It was highly unusual because most medical schools barred all Blacks, both men and women. In addition to gaining admission, she was granted a scholarship from the Wade Scholarship fund created by abolitionist Benjamin Wade.
As you can see from the unique position that highlighted Crumpler’s accomplishment was the barring of all Blacks from being accepted into the medical profession. On top of this was the difficulty faced in receiving medical treatment as many doctors would not accept Blacks as patients.
During her studies, she had to take leave to care for her sick husband for 2 years as he suffered from tuberculosis. After he died, she requested readmission. Some of the faculty expressed concern regarding the amount of time she was taking to finish her studies but several of the school’s patrons advocated for her and on March 1, 1864, she received a “Doctress of Medicine” degree from the New England Female Medical College. At the time she received her degree there were 54,543 physicians in the United States with 270 being White women and 180 being Black men.
In 1865 she married Arthur Crumpler a fugitive slave who had served in the Union Army during the Civil War. Arthur worked as a porter at the West Newton English and Classical School and also was a student taking night classes to learn to read and write at the age of 74. The Boston Globe reported in 1891 that he was the oldest student in Boston. He passed in 1910.
As the Civil War was ending , millions of Blacks needed medical care and Dr Crumpler wanted to participate. White doctors in many cases refused care to Blacks. This is more prevalent than most non-Blacks realize. Speak to older Blacks to get real world experiences.
The Crumplers moved to Richmond, and she worked for the Freedmen’s Bureau. She also felt that it would be a proper field for real missionary work. She became proficient in diseases of women and children despite the extreme sexism, racism and overall rudeness of her colleagues as she continued to treat patients. The discrimination that Blacks were forced to endure encouraged an increase in the number of Blacks pursuing medical careers.
The Crumplers returned to Boston in the late 1860s where she saw patients in her house. She treated patients despite the difficulty of getting prescriptions filled by pharmacists, and intense ridicule from administrators of hospitals who refused her admitting privileges and other doctors.
Dr Crumpler treated patients until about 1880. In 1883 she published a book on journal notes made during her years of practice. A Book of Medical Discourses is believed to be the first medical text written by a Black author. It detailed her experiences and included maternal and child health, pregnancy, nursing and teething. It is described by Scientific American magazine as the forerunner of the famous book “what to Expect When You’re Expecting published in 1984.
Dr crumpler died March 9, 1895, of fibroid tumors at the age of 64.
March 30, 2019, Virginia’s governor declared it “”Dr Rebecca Lee Crumpler Day.”
Her home on Beacon Hill is now a stop on the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail. One of the first medical communities for Black women is named the Rebecca Lee Society. Today only 2% of practicing physicians are Black women.
There are no surviving pictures of Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler. Her perseverance and dedication to those in need still serves as an inspiration.
Despite the need for Black physicians, we see the difficulties that Dr Crumpler faced both in getting her education and after while practicing. The picture today is not much better although there are certainly people who are competent to fill the void. Work is needed to make society more inclusive.
It may be difficult to imagine a world in which doctors pledge to first do no harm yet feel justified in withholding medical treatment and respect for humanity.
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For Black History Month 2020, we posted daily. These posts focus on the reality of Black life in America after the Civil War culminating in the landmark Brown v Board of Education that changed so many of the earlier practices. To see the posts, click here
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We also posted a 5 part mini-series on the 100th anniversary of one of the most horrific massacres in the history of America. Hundreds of Blacks were slaughtered and 10,000 left homeless in this largely unknown event. To see the posts, click here.
We also did a mini-series on the Schomburg Center for Research a most amazing collection of Black history and culture. To see this mini-series, scroll down a bit.
We also did a mini-series on the Schomburg Center for Research a most amazing collection of Black history and culture. To see this mini-series, continue to scroll down
The Schomburg Center
A world class collection of Black History inspired by a 5th grade teacher who told Arturo Schomburg that there was NO African history. Nothing of value. Schomburg dedicated his life to proving that teacher wrong and Schomburg did an amazing job with his collection.
Schomburg – The man who built a library
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Leaders Like Us:
Rebecca Lee Crumpler In this illustrated biography, elementary-aged readers will learn about the early life and greatest accomplishments of an important African American leader in medicine, Rebecca Lee Crumpler. Ever since she was young, Rebecca wanted to help people feel better, even before people knew much about modern medicine. She became the first African American woman doctor in the United States. In this high-interest reader, you’ll discover fascinating facts about this important historical figure.
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Rebecca Lee Crumpler, Leaders Like Us Series, Guided Reading Level O (Volume 4)
Learn about Rebecca Lee Crumpler’s fascinating life, the first African American woman to become a doctor in the United States, in the kids book Rebecca Lee Crumpler, part of the Leaders Like Us African American childrens books series.
Learn about Crumpler’s early life and greatest accomplishments as an important African American leader in medicine.
Storybook Features:
This children’s book includes reading/teaching tips, discussion questions, a timeline, and extension activity to develop reading comprehension skills.
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Lexile 690L
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We proudly publish respectful and relevant non-fiction and fiction titles that represent our diverse readers, and are designed to support reading on a level that has no limits!
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Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler – Unsung Black Heroes – Black History 2021
Today we will be focusing on a woman named Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler. Dr. Crumpler was the first African-American woman to receive an M.D. degree.
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Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler: Doctress of Medicine (Women Leaders in Medicine Series)
Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler was the first black female physician in the United States. She graduated from medical school the year before the Civil War ended, and dedicated her life to taking care of poor women and children. She also authored the first medical textbook by a woman in the 1800s. Her story needs to be told.This short chapter book is designed for early readers, ages 6-9.
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Rebecca Lee Crumpler (First African American Female Physician)
#RebeccaLeeCrumpler was a Black woman born in Richmond, VA in 1833. Crumpler enrolled at the New England Female Medical College (Boston Mass) where she became the 1st Black woman in the country to earn a medical degree.
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The Legacy of Rebecca Lee Crumpler:
What Is Possible? Highlights from the Boston University School of Medicine virtual symposia honoring Rebecca Lee Crumpler’s legacy, held Feb. 8-12, 2021.
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Betty Nguyen was born in California but spent much of her childhood in Georgia, where she grew up on a chicken farm. She received a bachelor’s degree in Biology from UCLA, where she received a full-ride Gates Millennium Scholarship through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Betty also received a full-tuition scholarship to attend medical school at the University of California, Riverside. Outside of work, Betty is a certified yoga instructor and licensed scuba diver. She also enjoys journalistic writing, cycling, and walking her two dogs in her free time.
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First Black Female Doctor In The U.S. Receives Long-Overdue Recognition |
NBC Nightly News A pioneer in her field, Dr. Rebecca Crumpler graduated from medical school in 1864 to become the first Black female doctor in the U.S. Today, only around two percent of active female physicians identify as Black or African American.» Subscribe to NBC News:
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Throughout the history of the United States, we see a people who have demonstrated high skill and dedication to the helping professions. An unwillingness of Whites to treat people in need of care and at the same time de jure and de facto segregation hamper all attempts at entry into these vital professions. There is something inherently abhorrent at these actions that needs immediate attention.