The history of medicine in Birmingham, Alabama, is marked by the dedication and resilience of African American doctors who not only provided essential healthcare but also played significant roles in the Civil Rights Movement. This article highlights the contributions of several pioneering figures who broke barriers and served their communities with distinction.
Early Pioneers in Medicine
Several African American physicians paved the way for future generations in Alabama. Among them was Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson, MD, who earned her Alabama state medical license in 1891. She underwent examination on 10 subjects by 10 different examiners, including Peter Bryce, Superintendent of the Alabama Insane Hospital, who tested Dr. George A. James T. John B. Other early Black doctors in Alabama at this time included Burgess E. Scruggs of Huntsville, and Cornelius N.
Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson
Before leaving Tuskegee University in 1894, Dr. Tanner Dillon Johnson created a 3-year Nursing program and founded the Lafayette Dispensary. During her tenure at Tuskegee University, Dr. Tanner Dillon Johnson was responsible for 450 students and 30 faculty members. She maintained a private practice as well.
Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson
Arthur McKinnon Brown
Arthur McKinnon Brown (November 9, 1867 - December 4, 1939), also known as Arthur McKimmon Brown, was an American physician. Dr. Brown passed the Alabama state medical examination, and opened up a private practice in Bessemer.In the city of Birmingham, Alabama, Brown was one of the earliest African American physicians, and the first African American surgeon in the United States Army. He was an influential in the creation of the Children's Home Hospital of Birmingham.
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During the Spanish-American War, Brown volunteered as a surgeon and accepted the role despite not being compensated, meanwhile the white surgeons in the war were given benefits. He was assigned as commander to the 10th Cavalry Regiment, a Black military unit serving in Cuba. He was shot by white hospital steward Thomas C.
Spanish-American War Surgeons
Dr. Herschell Lee Hamilton: The "Battle Surgeon"
Dr. Herschell Lee Hamilton was born in Pensacola, Florida. In 1949 Hamilton graduated from Florida A&M University with a degree in biology and received his Medical Degree form Meharry Medical College in Nashville in 1954. Hamilton came to Birmingham in 1959 becoming the first African American board-certified general surgeon in the city. In 1968 Hamilton became the first African American board-certified general surgeon at University Hospital in Birmingham.
During the 1960s he became known as the “Battle Surgeon” and the “Dog-Bite Doctor” as he attended to the numerous injuries suffered by the foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, Alabama. Hamilton’s office at the historic Ballard House Building not only served as his medical office, at times it served as a triage unit for civil rights activists who were injured during the movement. Dr. Hamilton treated, among others, Movement leaders, the Freedom Riders beaten at the Birmingham bus terminal, the peaceful demonstrators injured in the 1963 "Project C" demonstrations. Two of his more famous patients included Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth and Dr.
Dr. Hamilton practiced medicine in Birmingham for 40 years, never turning away a patient. Hamilton committed his life to the advancement of civil rights and the health and well-being of all people, but particularly African Americans, who often were denied adequate medical care. Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth said of Hamilton, “He was a great believer in civil rights and human rights, but he didn’t talk about the work he did. He gave the credit to others.”
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Dr. Hamilton passed away in 2003. His life mission to help others lives on through several scholarships in his name. His alma mater, Florida A&M University, established The Herschell L. Hamilton, MD Scholarship to assist deserving high school seniors from the Greater Birmingham area who attend Florida A&M University. In June 2013, The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees approved the establishment of the Herschell Lee Hamilton, M.D., Endowed Scholarship in Medicine.
Ballard-Hamilton House
The Ballard-Hamilton House and Office
The Ballard-Hamilton House and Office in Birmingham, Alabama was built in the 1940s by African American contractor Leroy S. Gillard for Dr. Edward H. Ballard, a black pediatrician and obstetrician. Dr. Ballard sold the house to Mrs. Jessie Perkins in 1949. In 1959, Dr. Herschell L. Hamilton moved his medical practice to the Ballard House.
The Ballard House was eventually bought by the Hamilton family and is managed by the Ballard House Project as the Ballard Hamilton House and Office. The African American Civil Rights Network recognizes the African American Civil Rights Movement in the United States and the sacrifices made by those who fought against discrimination and segregation.
Summary of Key Figures
The following table summarizes the key contributions of the African American doctors discussed in this article:
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| Doctor | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson | One of the first licensed African American female doctors in Alabama; Established a nursing program and dispensary at Tuskegee University. |
| Arthur McKinnon Brown | One of the earliest African American physicians in Birmingham; First African American surgeon in the U.S. Army; Influential in the creation of the Children's Home Hospital of Birmingham. |
| Herschell Lee Hamilton | First African American board-certified general surgeon in Birmingham; Provided medical care to civil rights activists; Known as the "Battle Surgeon." |
