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Mind The Gap: Clinical Signs & Symptoms Handbook For Black & Brown Skin Created By Medical School Student, Malone Mukwende

Black History:  Special Delivery!!

Malone Mukwende

Malone Mukwende was born in Zimbabwe.  His interest in science and medicine developed at an early age.  After entering medical school at St. George’s University of London, 3 years ago, Mukwende observed that representations of black and brown patients were largely left out of study materials and textbooks.  This concerned because he and his classmates were only being taught how to diagnose conditions on white patients. Mukwende noted, “There was a lack of signs and symptoms on Black and Brown skin… and I didn’t understand why we weren’t getting taught the full spectrum of people. I’d ask people for answers and I couldn’t get the answer… I decided I needed to do something to challenge this issue myself.”

Continue reading “Mind The Gap: Clinical Signs & Symptoms Handbook For Black & Brown Skin Created By Medical School Student, Malone Mukwende” →
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Ancient African Origins Of Birth Control

Black History:  Special Delivery!!

Silphium coins used in ancient Cyrene in Northern Africa

Early forms of birth control were documented in Africa, dating as far back as 1850 BC.  Papyrus scrolls have been discovered with instructions on making birth control with ingredients such as honey, acacia leaves, and lint which was used as a type of cervical cap to prevent sperm from entering the womb.  The Kahun Gynecological Papyrus of 1850 also documents descriptions of pessaries of acacia gum used as a contraceptive.   A pessary is a device placed in the vagina to prevent conception. Another method of birth control was to extend breastfeeding for up to three years. Perhaps the most famous form of birth control native to North Africa was the silphium plant.  The use of the plant as a means of contraception was widespread among ancient Greeks and Romans.  Found only in Cyrene (modern-day Lybia), it was exported to other regions and bought great wealth to the city. 

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African American Immunization Expert Accuses CDC and Deloitte Of Stealing Her Concept For A Vaccination Tracking System

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Tiffany Tate

African American immunization expert Tiffany Tate has accused the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with multinational services firm, Deloitte of stealing her idea for a mass vaccination tracker.   Tate’s vaccination tracker is known as PrepMod.  She is seeking $15 million in damages.  A cease and desist letter was issued to the CDC and Deloitte in August 2020.  Tate asserts that the CDC and Deloitte took concepts from her vaccination tracker and used them to develop a system with similar features.  The Deloitte and CDC vaccination tracking system is called the Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS).  Deloitte also reportedly tried to hire Tate in June 2021 to help develop their system.  Tate claims the Deloitte system is the same system she already has with PrepMod. 

Continue reading “African American Immunization Expert Accuses CDC and Deloitte Of Stealing Her Concept For A Vaccination Tracking System” →
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Dr. Myra Adele Logan: First Woman To Perform Open Heart Surgery

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myra-long

Dr. Myra A. Logan (1908-1977) made history in 1943 by becoming the first woman to operate on a human heart. Logan was born in Tuskegee, Alabama. Her father was the treasurer of Tuskegee Institute. Her mother was well known suffragist and health care advocate. Her mother also had a college degree, which would have been rare at that time. Logan earned an MS in psychology from Columbia University. She then was awarded a scholarship to attend New York Medical College. She graduated in 1933 and completed an internship at Harlem Hospital in the emergency room. Continue reading “Dr. Myra Adele Logan: First Woman To Perform Open Heart Surgery” →

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Onesimus: An Enslaved African Who Saved Many Lives Through An African Healing Practice

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small-pox

Onesimus was an enslaved African. He was owned by Cotton Mather, a Puritan minister in Boston. His knowledge of traditional African healing practices helped to save many people from a small pox epidemic in 1721. Onesimus informed his owner about the centuries old inoculation procedure practiced in Africa. The process involved extracting material from the pustule of someone who was infected and scratching it into the skin of someone who was unaffected. The intentional introduction of the disease inoculated the person, providing them with immunity from the disease. For some, there was no reaction. In most other cases, a mild non fatal form of the disease occurred.

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Dr. Leonidas Harris Berry: Ground Breaking Medical Doctor Who Would Forever Change The Diagnosis and Treatment of Alcoholism

Black History:  Special Delivery!!

Leonidas-Berry
Dr. Leonidas Berry

 

Dr. Leonidas Harris Berry (1902-1995) was an African American trailblazer in gastroscopy and endoscopy. Berry served as the president of the National Medical Association (NMA). NMA was medical association for African American physicians. Berry invented the Eder-Berry biopsy gastroscope in 1955. This invention improved the way doctors collect tissue from the stomach without surgery. He also determined that it is not the stomach that was damaged by alcoholism, but rather the liver. This discovery would change the diagnosis and treatment of the disease forever. Continue reading “Dr. Leonidas Harris Berry: Ground Breaking Medical Doctor Who Would Forever Change The Diagnosis and Treatment of Alcoholism” →

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Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr.: Performed The 1st Implantation of An Automatic Heart Defibrillator

Black History:  Special Delivery!!

levi watkins jr
Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr.

In 1980, Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. (1944-2015) performed the first implantation of an automatic defibrillator in a human heart. Watkins was also a professor of cardiac surgery and an associate dean at John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore Maryland. Dr. Watkins was born in Parson, Kansas. He grew up in Montgomery, AL and became good friends with civil rights leader, Dr. Ralph Abernathy. He also met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who, at the time had just started preaching at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Watkins was inspired by Dr. King and also became involved in the civil rights movement, serving as a volunteer driver transporting church members who were participating in the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956. Continue reading “Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr.: Performed The 1st Implantation of An Automatic Heart Defibrillator” →

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