First female black American medical degreeIn 1864, Rebecca Lee Crumpler became the first black woman to receive an American medical degree, from the New England Female Medical College in Boston. She began in 1852-1860 as a nurse in Massachusetts. As a medical pioneer who prevailed over the severest of societal restrictions, she spent her lifetime working to improve the health of the black community. In 1883, her desire to educate others in general medical principles resulted in the publication of her A Book of Medicinal Discourses in Two Parts. In the book, based on her personal journals, she focused on instructions for women on how to provide medical care for themselves and their children. |
