African American Acting Assistant Surgeon By Robert G. Slawson, M.D. Dr. John Rapier, Jr. was the son of a slave who, on obtaining freedom, emigrated to Canada. Dr. Rapier began his life in Canada but, as ane. adult, traveled extensively to find a place to live. He subsequently came to the United States, first to Minnesota and then to Ohio. He attended one year of classes at the Michigan Medical College, then went to the Iowa College In Keokuk, Iowa. In 1863 he became the first African American to be graduated from a medical school west of the Mississippi River. Upon graduation he sought and obtained an appointment as Acting Assistant Surgeon, serving at Freedman's Hospital in Washington, D.C. FROM: "The Journal of Civil War Medicine", Vol. 7, No. 2, April/May/June 2003 |
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According to our records John Rapier graduated from the Keokuk Medical College in 1864
Tonya @ Keokuk Public Library
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