Crumpler, Rebecca Lee (1831–1895)

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Crumpler, Rebecca Lee (1831–1895)

African-American physician. Born Feb 8, 1831 (some sources cite 1833) in Delaware; died Mar 9, 1895, in Hyde Park, Massachusetts; dau. of Absolum Davis and Matilda Webber; m. Arthur Crumpler, post Civil War.

The 1st African-American woman in US to obtain medical degree, was raised and taught nursing skills by an aunt in PA; assisted doctors in Charlestown, MA (1852); graduate of New England Female Medical College in Boston (1864); treated women and children in Boston, then continued studies in "British Dominion"; treated African-Americans in Richmond, VA, via an agreement with Freedmen's Bureau (post Civil War); returned to Boston practice (1869). Writings include A Book of Medical Discourses (1883), based on her journals, which offered advice about women and children's health.