Searching for Dr. Harris

More about the book

The narrative reveals the extraordinary life of Dr. J. D. Harris, an African American physician who navigated significant societal changes. Born in a slave state, he defied the odds by learning to read when literacy for Black individuals was prohibited. Serving as a contract surgeon for the Union army and later under the Freedmen's Bureau, he treated Black troops and freedpeople in Virginia. Margaret Humphreys contextualizes his achievements within the broader struggles for Black professionals and the evolving landscape of medical education in the 1860s.