Lesions on the back of an enslaved African from Mississippi
Found exclusively among African Americans, dysaesthesia aethiopica – called rascality by the overseers – was characterized by partial insensitivity of the skin and "so great a hebetude of the intellectual faculties, as to be like a person half asleep."[3] Other symptoms included "lesions of the body discoverable to the medical observer, which are always present and sufficient to account for the symptoms."[4][5] Cartwright contended that the existence of dysaesthesia aethiopica was "clearly established by the most direct and positive testimony," but other doctors had failed to notice it because their "attention [had] not been sufficiently directed to the maladies of the negro race."[3]
Cartwright felt that dysaesthesia aethiopica was "easily curable, if treated on sound physiological principles."[6] Insensitivity of the skin was one symptom of the disease, so the skin should be stimulated:
The best means to stimulate the skin is, first, to have the patient well washed with warm water and soap; then, to anoint it all over in oil, and to slap the oil in with a broad leather strap; then to put the patient to some hard kind of work in the sunshine.[6]
Author Vanessa Jackson has noted that lesions were a symptom of dysaesthesia aethiopica and "the ever-resourceful Dr. Cartwright determined that whipping could ... cure this disorder. Of course, one wonders if the whipping were not the cause of the 'lesions' that confirmed the diagnosis."[7]
According to Cartwright, after the prescribed "course of treatment" the slave will "look grateful and thankful to the white man whose compulsory power ... has restored his sensation and dispelled the mist that clouded his intellect."[6]
According to Cartwright, dysaesthesia aethiopica was "much more prevalent among free negroes living in clusters by themselves, than among slaves on our plantations, and attacks only such slaves as live like free negroes in regard to diet, drinks, exercise, etc." – indeed, according to Cartwright, "nearly all [free negroes] are more or less afflicted with it, that have not got some white person to direct and to take care of them."[8] He explicitly dismissed the opinion which assigned the causes of the "problematic" behaviour to the social situation of the slaves without further justifications: "[The northern physicians] ignorantly attribute the symptoms to the debasing influence of slavery on the mind."
See also
Drapetomania, the name given to what was seen at one point in time to be a mental illness that caused black slaves to flee captivity.
^Vanessa Jackson (2002). . MindFreedom International. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-29. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
^Arthur L. Caplan; James J. McCartney; Dominic A. Sisti (2004). Health, Disease, and Illness: Concepts in Medicine. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press. p. 35. ISBN1-58901-014-0.
Sources
Samuel A. Cartwright, "Report on the Diseases and Physical Peculiarities of the Negro Race", The New Orleans Medical and Surgical Journal 1851:691-715 (May).
Reprinted in DeBow's Review XI (1851). Available at Google Books and excerpted at PBS.org.
Reprinted in Arthur Caplan, H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., and James McCartney, eds, Concepts of Health and Disease in Medicine: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Boston: Addison-Wesley, 1980).
Reprinted in Arthur L. Caplan, James J. McCartney, Dominic A. Sisti, eds, Health, Disease, and Illness: Concepts in Medicine (Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2004) ISBN1-58901-014-0.
External links
An Early History - African American Mental Health
January 30, 2023
dysaesthesia, aethiopica, psychiatry, dysaesthesia, aethiopica, black, ethiopian, feeling, alleged, mental, illness, described, american, physician, samuel, cartwright, 1851, which, proposed, theory, cause, laziness, among, slaves, today, dysaesthesia, aethiop. In psychiatry dysaesthesia aethiopica Black Ethiopian bad feeling was an alleged mental illness described by American physician Samuel A Cartwright in 1851 which proposed a theory for the cause of laziness among slaves Today dysaesthesia aethiopica is not recognized as a disease but instead considered an example of pseudoscience 1 and part of the edifice of scientific racism 2 Samuel Cartwright 1793 1863 Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 References 4 Sources 5 External linksHistory Edit Lesions on the back of an enslaved African from Mississippi Found exclusively among African Americans dysaesthesia aethiopica called rascality by the overseers was characterized by partial insensitivity of the skin and so great a hebetude of the intellectual faculties as to be like a person half asleep 3 Other symptoms included lesions of the body discoverable to the medical observer which are always present and sufficient to account for the symptoms 4 5 Cartwright contended that the existence of dysaesthesia aethiopica was clearly established by the most direct and positive testimony but other doctors had failed to notice it because their attention had not been sufficiently directed to the maladies of the negro race 3 Cartwright felt that dysaesthesia aethiopica was easily curable if treated on sound physiological principles 6 Insensitivity of the skin was one symptom of the disease so the skin should be stimulated The best means to stimulate the skin is first to have the patient well washed with warm water and soap then to anoint it all over in oil and to slap the oil in with a broad leather strap then to put the patient to some hard kind of work in the sunshine 6 Author Vanessa Jackson has noted that lesions were a symptom of dysaesthesia aethiopica and the ever resourceful Dr Cartwright determined that whipping could cure this disorder Of course one wonders if the whipping were not the cause of the lesions that confirmed the diagnosis 7 According to Cartwright after the prescribed course of treatment the slave will look grateful and thankful to the white man whose compulsory power has restored his sensation and dispelled the mist that clouded his intellect 6 According to Cartwright dysaesthesia aethiopica was much more prevalent among free negroes living in clusters by themselves than among slaves on our plantations and attacks only such slaves as live like free negroes in regard to diet drinks exercise etc indeed according to Cartwright nearly all free negroes are more or less afflicted with it that have not got some white person to direct and to take care of them 8 He explicitly dismissed the opinion which assigned the causes of the problematic behaviour to the social situation of the slaves without further justifications The northern physicians ignorantly attribute the symptoms to the debasing influence of slavery on the mind See also EditDrapetomania the name given to what was seen at one point in time to be a mental illness that caused black slaves to flee captivity Scientific racism Minority stressReferences Edit Mark Michael Smith 1997 Mastered by the Clock Time Slavery and Freedom in the American South Chapel Hill N C University of North Carolina Press p 155 ISBN 0 8078 4693 7 Retrieved 2007 10 07 Pilgrim David November 2005 Question of the Month Drapetomania Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia Retrieved 2007 10 04 a b Cartwright Samuel A 1851 Report on the Diseases and Peculiarities of the Negro Race DeBow s Review XI Retrieved 2007 10 04 Paul Finkelman 1997 Slavery amp the Law Rowman amp Littlefield p 305 ISBN 0 7425 2119 2 Rick Halpern Enrico Dal Lago 2002 Slavery and Emancipation Blackwell Publishing p 273 ISBN 0 631 21735 5 a b c Caplan et al p 37 Vanessa Jackson 2002 In Our Own Voice African American Stories of Oppression Survival and Recovery in the Mental Health Systems MindFreedom International p 5 Archived from the original PDF on 2007 10 29 Retrieved 2007 10 07 Arthur L Caplan James J McCartney Dominic A Sisti 2004 Health Disease and Illness Concepts in Medicine Washington D C Georgetown University Press p 35 ISBN 1 58901 014 0 Sources EditSamuel A Cartwright Report on the Diseases and Physical Peculiarities of the Negro Race The New Orleans Medical and Surgical Journal 1851 691 715 May Reprinted in DeBow s Review XI 1851 Available at Google Books and excerpted at PBS org Reprinted in Arthur Caplan H Tristram Engelhardt Jr and James McCartney eds Concepts of Health and Disease in Medicine Interdisciplinary Perspectives Boston Addison Wesley 1980 Reprinted in Arthur L Caplan James J McCartney Dominic A Sisti eds Health Disease and Illness Concepts in Medicine Washington D C Georgetown University Press 2004 ISBN 1 58901 014 0 External links EditAn Early History African American Mental Health Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dysaesthesia aethiopica amp oldid 1096908269, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
