Description

African American Slave Medicine offers a critical examination of how African American slaves medical needs were addressed during the years before and surrounding the Civil War Drawing upon exslave interviews conducted during the 1930s and 1940s by the Works Project Administration WPA Dr Herbert C Covey inventories many of the herbal plant and nonplant remedies used by African American folk practitioners during slavery He demonstrates how active the slaves were in their own medical care and the important role faith played in the healing process This book links each referenced plant or herb to modern scientific evidence to determine its actual worth and effects on the patients Through his study Dr Covey unravels many of the complex social relationships found between the African American slaves Whites folk practitioners and patients African American Slave Medicine is compelling and captivating listening that will appeal to scholars of African American history and those interested in folk medicine