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DR. REBECCA LEE CRUMPLER

 

Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, born Rebecca Davis, was an American physician, nurse and author. After studying at the New England Female Medical College, in 1864 she became the first African-American woman to become a doctor of medicine in the United States.

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Crumpler was one of the first female physician authors in the nineteenth century. In 1883, she published a two part book called A Book of Medical Discourses. Dedicated to nurses and mothers, it focuses on maternal and pediatric medical care and was among the first publications written by an African American about medicine.  

 

After the American Civil War ended in 1865, she moved to Richmond, Virginia. Crumpler believed that treating women and children was an ideal way to perform missionary work. Crumpler worked for the Freedmen's Bureau to provide medical care for freed slaves. She later moved back to Boston to continue to treat women and children. 

 

The Rebecca Lee Pre-Health Society at Syracuse University and the Rebecca Lee Society, one of the first medical societies for African-American women, were named after her. Her Joy Street house is a stop on the Boston Women's Heritage Trail.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Lee_Crumpler

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