As we continue to highlight African American nurses who paved the way and made significant impacts in healthcare, today’s post will highlight both a physician and a nurse.

Dr. James Derham made history as the first African American to practice medicine, though he never received his degree in medicine, in the United states as a nurse and a physician. Because Dr. Derham worked as a nurse, he was able to gain freedom in 1790. Due to his ability to speak English, Spanish, and French, he was a popular physician. He was educated on compound medicine, the basics of throat medicine, and proper bedside manner. He was also widely recognized for his treatment in diphtheria.

After gaining his freedom and settling into New Orleans, he opened up his practice at the age of 20, which is the first documented practice owned and operated by an African American. He then moved to Philadelphia and to specialize in the treatment of throat diseases and to study relationship between climate and diseases.

Dr. Derham blazed the trail in medicine as both a nurse and physician and set out on a path that lead to his freedom through practicing medicine and treat diseases. We celebrate Dr. Derham for paving the way for African Americans in medicine.

Source: Philadelphia’s James Derham: first Black person to practice medicine in the United States. (2020, April 15). The Philadelphia Sunday Sun. https://www.philasun.com/diaspora/philadelphias-james-derham-first-black-person-to-practice-medicine-in-the-united-states/