- Email: [email protected]
David Jones Peck, MD: A Dream Denied
l
e
t
t
e
r
s
t
o
t
h
e
e
d
i
t
o
r
The opinions expressed here are not necessarily the opinions of the National Medical Association. David Jones Peck, MD: A Dream Denied To the Editor: David Jones Peck is recognized as the first African American to earn a medical degree from a recognized US medical school, Rush Medical College, Chicago, Illinois, in 1847. He was the son of the well-known 19th-century abolitionist-antislavery figure John C. Peck of Pennsylvania. David was born in 1826 or 1827 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, but grew up in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to which the family moved in 1837. He was educated at the “colored school” founded by his father and other Pittsburgh leaders such as John Vashon and Ben Richardson. He received further education at the prep school of Oberlin College in Ohio (1841-1844). He was one of Dr Daniel Brainard’s (founder of Rush Medical College, 1836) students in 1846-1847. Dr Peck established a medical practice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1848, but found practice in the “city of brotherly love” difficult because of restrictions on his access for his patients to hospital in that city. He returned to Pittsburgh in 1850. The passing of the Fugitive Slave Laws in 1850 and conversations with and advice from Martin R. Delany prompted Dr Peck to make the decision to emigrate to California, where he hoped to provide medical services to the gold miners there. Though there is no readily available documentation of exactly when this journey to the west began, Dr Peck did apply for a passport (denied) in early 1851. His route to California is anecdotally recorded in unreferenced books written by F. A. Rollin (1869), D. Sterling (1971), and V. Ullman (1971). Dr Peck allegedly traveled from the east coast of the United
States through the Caribbean to a transit point used by thousands of the ’49ers—San Juan del Norte (Greytown), Nicaragua, very likely arriving there in 1852. The anecdotal record provided in the books mentioned above report that Dr Peck was named port physician of Greytown and became involved in local politics. This writer submitted David Jones Peck, MD: A Dream Denied,1 which followed an article contributed by W. Montague Cobb, longtime editor of JNMA in 1949. My continuing interest in this black medical pioneer recently brought me in contact with information that permits closure to the David Jones Peck story I wrote some 14 years ago for JNMA. A recent contact with Eddy Kuhl (personal communication, March 1, 2010), a citizen of Nicaragua, brought to my attention a source of information about the fate of Dr Peck. It is contained in a book, Remi-
954 JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
niscences of the “Filibuster” War in Nicaragua by Charles William (Doubleday, C. P. Putnam’s Sons 1886.) The relevant pages of this reprinted work (General Books, 2009) contain a graphic description of the death of Dr Peck at Jalteva Church near Granada, Nicaragua, in spring 1855. C. W. Doubleday, the author of Reminiscences, was witness to the event, recalling it some 30 years later. Peck was killed in spring 1855 in a skirmish between liberal forces and their conservative rivals at Jalteva, Nicaragua (near Granada). The latter forces had been forced into exile in Guatemala after an election in 1854. Dr Peck’s death is recollected by Doubleday in chapter 4 of his book. Dr Peck died as the result of concussion injuries sustained when a Republican cannonier fired on the position from which Doubleday and Dr Peck had been observing their activities. Included with this amendment is
VOL. 102, NO. 10, OCTOBER 2010
Letters to the Editor
a hand-drawn map prepared by Kuhl (personal communication, March 1, 2010) that depicts the travels of Dr Peck from his landing at San Juan del Norte (Greytown) Nicaragua (1852) to San Carlos, San Juan del Sur, El Realejo, Leon, Granada, and, finally (1855), to the place of his death at Jalteva Church, just southeast of Granada, Nicaragua. I am indebted to Eddy Kuhl, an active amateur Nicaraguan historian from Selva Negra, Matagalpa, Nicaragua, for the map of Dr Peck’s “path to glory” and for his perspectives and collaboration on the life of David Jones Peck. Michael J. Harris, PhD [email protected] Educational Success Consulting Inc Tallahassee, Florida 1. Harris M. David Jones Peck, MD: A Dream Denied. J Natl Med Assoc. 1996;88:600-604. 2. Doubleday CW. Reminiscences of the “filibuster” War in Nicaragua. G. P. Putnam’s Sons; 1886; Ch. IV:17-18 (reprinted by General Books 2009). 3. Rollin FA. Life and Public Services of Martin R. Delany, 1868; reprt.1883; Boston, MA: Lee and Shepard; 1969 Arno and the New York Times. 4. Sterling D. The Making of an Afro-American: Martin Robison Delany 1812-1885; 1971 Boston, MA: Doubleday. 5. Ullman V. Martin R. Delany: The Beginnings of Black Nationalism, 1971 Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Lactose Intolerance and African Americans: Implications for the Consumption of Appropriate Intake Levels of Key Nutrients To the Editor: I read the abovetitled article in the supplement to the October 2009 edition of the Journal of the National Medical Association with great interest. The authors addressed a key issue—the role of dairy in several health risks and systemic illnesses affecting African Americans. While the article was extensive and emphasized the importance of physicians educating their patients, it is the cultural belief of African Americans that dairy consumption is European and/or for the affluent so they are not inclined to spend on dairy even in the absence of lactose intolerance.1 With reference to Table 6, the analysis of expenditure on food was apt, but the authors could have also linked alcoholic beverages—a major expenditure for African Americans—to magnesium deficiency/ depletion and consequent increase in cardiovascular disease risks.2 Also, African Americans typically spend more on fish, poultry, and eggs, and should have high albumin levels, therefore decreasing their
JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
risk of myocardial infarction and allcause mortality.3 Unfortunately, the benefit of this nutrient from alternative sources to dairy is nullified by a diet high in sodium and fat. Finally, the strategies recommended for managing the dairy nutrient deficiencies were focused on consumption of lactose-free milk or gradually increasing tolerance levels of milk. However, African Americans would prefer cheaper and more culturally satisfying alternatives to dairy such as fish like tuna or sardines; okra, beans, and green leafy vegetables like collard greens and spinach.4 Irene A. Omotoso, MD [email protected] Morehouse School of Medicine Atlanta, Georgia 1. Lactose Intolerance and African Americans: Implications for the consumption of Appropriate Intake levels of key Nutrients. J Natl Med Assoc. 2009;10(suppl 101). 2. Leone N, Courbon D, Ducimetiere P, Zuerik M. Zinc, copper, and magnesium and the risks for all-cause, cancer and cardiovascular mortality. Epidemiology. 2006;17:308-314. 3. Djousse L, Rotham K, Cupples L, Levy D, Ellison C. Serum albumin and risk of myocardial infarction and all-cause mortality in the Framingham offspring study. Circulation. 2002;106:2919-2924. 4. Lin P, Aicklin M, Champagne C, et al. Food group sources of nutrients in the dietary patterns of the DASH-Sodium trial. J Am Diet Assoc.2003;103:488-496.
VOL. 102, NO. 10, OCTOBER 2010 955
e
t
t
e
r
s
t
o
t
h
e
e
d
i
t
o
r
The opinions expressed here are not necessarily the opinions of the National Medical Association. David Jones Peck, MD: A Dream Denied To the Editor: David Jones Peck is recognized as the first African American to earn a medical degree from a recognized US medical school, Rush Medical College, Chicago, Illinois, in 1847. He was the son of the well-known 19th-century abolitionist-antislavery figure John C. Peck of Pennsylvania. David was born in 1826 or 1827 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, but grew up in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to which the family moved in 1837. He was educated at the “colored school” founded by his father and other Pittsburgh leaders such as John Vashon and Ben Richardson. He received further education at the prep school of Oberlin College in Ohio (1841-1844). He was one of Dr Daniel Brainard’s (founder of Rush Medical College, 1836) students in 1846-1847. Dr Peck established a medical practice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1848, but found practice in the “city of brotherly love” difficult because of restrictions on his access for his patients to hospital in that city. He returned to Pittsburgh in 1850. The passing of the Fugitive Slave Laws in 1850 and conversations with and advice from Martin R. Delany prompted Dr Peck to make the decision to emigrate to California, where he hoped to provide medical services to the gold miners there. Though there is no readily available documentation of exactly when this journey to the west began, Dr Peck did apply for a passport (denied) in early 1851. His route to California is anecdotally recorded in unreferenced books written by F. A. Rollin (1869), D. Sterling (1971), and V. Ullman (1971). Dr Peck allegedly traveled from the east coast of the United
States through the Caribbean to a transit point used by thousands of the ’49ers—San Juan del Norte (Greytown), Nicaragua, very likely arriving there in 1852. The anecdotal record provided in the books mentioned above report that Dr Peck was named port physician of Greytown and became involved in local politics. This writer submitted David Jones Peck, MD: A Dream Denied,1 which followed an article contributed by W. Montague Cobb, longtime editor of JNMA in 1949. My continuing interest in this black medical pioneer recently brought me in contact with information that permits closure to the David Jones Peck story I wrote some 14 years ago for JNMA. A recent contact with Eddy Kuhl (personal communication, March 1, 2010), a citizen of Nicaragua, brought to my attention a source of information about the fate of Dr Peck. It is contained in a book, Remi-
954 JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
niscences of the “Filibuster” War in Nicaragua by Charles William (Doubleday, C. P. Putnam’s Sons 1886.) The relevant pages of this reprinted work (General Books, 2009) contain a graphic description of the death of Dr Peck at Jalteva Church near Granada, Nicaragua, in spring 1855. C. W. Doubleday, the author of Reminiscences, was witness to the event, recalling it some 30 years later. Peck was killed in spring 1855 in a skirmish between liberal forces and their conservative rivals at Jalteva, Nicaragua (near Granada). The latter forces had been forced into exile in Guatemala after an election in 1854. Dr Peck’s death is recollected by Doubleday in chapter 4 of his book. Dr Peck died as the result of concussion injuries sustained when a Republican cannonier fired on the position from which Doubleday and Dr Peck had been observing their activities. Included with this amendment is
VOL. 102, NO. 10, OCTOBER 2010
Letters to the Editor
a hand-drawn map prepared by Kuhl (personal communication, March 1, 2010) that depicts the travels of Dr Peck from his landing at San Juan del Norte (Greytown) Nicaragua (1852) to San Carlos, San Juan del Sur, El Realejo, Leon, Granada, and, finally (1855), to the place of his death at Jalteva Church, just southeast of Granada, Nicaragua. I am indebted to Eddy Kuhl, an active amateur Nicaraguan historian from Selva Negra, Matagalpa, Nicaragua, for the map of Dr Peck’s “path to glory” and for his perspectives and collaboration on the life of David Jones Peck. Michael J. Harris, PhD [email protected] Educational Success Consulting Inc Tallahassee, Florida 1. Harris M. David Jones Peck, MD: A Dream Denied. J Natl Med Assoc. 1996;88:600-604. 2. Doubleday CW. Reminiscences of the “filibuster” War in Nicaragua. G. P. Putnam’s Sons; 1886; Ch. IV:17-18 (reprinted by General Books 2009). 3. Rollin FA. Life and Public Services of Martin R. Delany, 1868; reprt.1883; Boston, MA: Lee and Shepard; 1969 Arno and the New York Times. 4. Sterling D. The Making of an Afro-American: Martin Robison Delany 1812-1885; 1971 Boston, MA: Doubleday. 5. Ullman V. Martin R. Delany: The Beginnings of Black Nationalism, 1971 Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Lactose Intolerance and African Americans: Implications for the Consumption of Appropriate Intake Levels of Key Nutrients To the Editor: I read the abovetitled article in the supplement to the October 2009 edition of the Journal of the National Medical Association with great interest. The authors addressed a key issue—the role of dairy in several health risks and systemic illnesses affecting African Americans. While the article was extensive and emphasized the importance of physicians educating their patients, it is the cultural belief of African Americans that dairy consumption is European and/or for the affluent so they are not inclined to spend on dairy even in the absence of lactose intolerance.1 With reference to Table 6, the analysis of expenditure on food was apt, but the authors could have also linked alcoholic beverages—a major expenditure for African Americans—to magnesium deficiency/ depletion and consequent increase in cardiovascular disease risks.2 Also, African Americans typically spend more on fish, poultry, and eggs, and should have high albumin levels, therefore decreasing their
JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
risk of myocardial infarction and allcause mortality.3 Unfortunately, the benefit of this nutrient from alternative sources to dairy is nullified by a diet high in sodium and fat. Finally, the strategies recommended for managing the dairy nutrient deficiencies were focused on consumption of lactose-free milk or gradually increasing tolerance levels of milk. However, African Americans would prefer cheaper and more culturally satisfying alternatives to dairy such as fish like tuna or sardines; okra, beans, and green leafy vegetables like collard greens and spinach.4 Irene A. Omotoso, MD [email protected] Morehouse School of Medicine Atlanta, Georgia 1. Lactose Intolerance and African Americans: Implications for the consumption of Appropriate Intake levels of key Nutrients. J Natl Med Assoc. 2009;10(suppl 101). 2. Leone N, Courbon D, Ducimetiere P, Zuerik M. Zinc, copper, and magnesium and the risks for all-cause, cancer and cardiovascular mortality. Epidemiology. 2006;17:308-314. 3. Djousse L, Rotham K, Cupples L, Levy D, Ellison C. Serum albumin and risk of myocardial infarction and all-cause mortality in the Framingham offspring study. Circulation. 2002;106:2919-2924. 4. Lin P, Aicklin M, Champagne C, et al. Food group sources of nutrients in the dietary patterns of the DASH-Sodium trial. J Am Diet Assoc.2003;103:488-496.
VOL. 102, NO. 10, OCTOBER 2010 955