African American Medicine in Washington, D.C.
African American men and women were a major part of the Civil War. Some, like the members of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, joined the Union and fought for their own freedom. Others served in an equally crucial manner, as the defense of the nation's capital meant increased need for surgeons, doctors, and nurses to heal the wounded and sick. Initially establishing infrastructure to treat African American soldiers, some of the oldest healthcare institutions in the country arose from the efforts of these workers during the Civil War. Heather Butts recounts the efforts of extraordinary individuals, like surgeon Alexander T. Augusta, and the assistance of Black nurses and doctors who cared ably for their own.
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The service of African Americans in defense of the Union during the Civil War required African American nurses, doctors, and surgeons to heal those soldiers. In the nation's capital, these brave healthcare workers created a medical infrastructure for African Americans by African Americans. Preeminent surgeon Alexander T. Augusta fought discrimination, visited President Lincoln, testified before Congress, and aided the war effort. Washington's Freedmen's Hospital was formed to serve the District's growing free African American population, eventually becoming the Howard University Medical Center. These physicians would form the National Medical Association, the largest and oldest organization representing African American doctors and patients. Author Heather M. Butts recounts the heroic lives and work of Washington's African American medical community during the Civil War.
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