Discovering the Real Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

Silenced by the prejudice of history makers past, not much is known about the life of Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first African American, female doctor in the U.S. 

However, Eula Youngblood gives this heroine of the equal rights movement a voice in her novel, Tumult and Dr. Frances Lowe.  Youngblood exposes the challenges Dr. Lee Crumpler faced after graduating from the New England Female Medical College in 1864.

“This woman was truly extraordinary, a mover and shaker that paved the way for all African Americans, women, and other minorities to move past the barriers of society. I felt I had to share her story of success in overcoming the prejudices that once plagued this country,” says Youngblood.

In addition to her accomplishments, Dr. Lee Crumpler’s publication, Book of Medical Discourses is one of the very first medical publications by an African American, comprised of the notes she kept during her years of medical practice. The book marks her achievements as a physician and medical writer in a time when very few African Americans or women were able to gain admittance to medical college, let alone publish. 

“I’m determined to show that despite race and gender, people have equal potential for success when armed with the right tools and motivation. Discrimination is merely based on fear and jealously,” says Youngblood.