02/13/2023
Happy Black History Month!
In the early 18th century, a technique called inoculation came to North American practice due to mass smallpox outbreaks. This is where a lesion of an infected person would be exposed to an open wound of a non-infected person, thus, after healing, increasing immunity to the disease. It is typically accredited to Boston’s Old North Church Pastor, Cotton Mather. What you may not know is that while Mather is the one who caused this revolutionary practice to become widespread, the knowledge of the practice actually came from a man named Onesimus, Mather’s slave. Onesimus was an herbalist and utilized many cultural health practices from Africa. The only trace of him, however, is in Mather’s journal where we learned only small snippets about Onesimus' life. After 10 years devoted to Mather, Onesimus bought his freedom in 1716.
This is vital information when considering the world of medicine and being well. Despite having almost no record of existence, Onesimus impacted the world with the knowledge and practices of his homeland, Africa.
The more you know…! Please take the time to research important historical figures like Onesimus. Knowing our true history is necessary.
Happy Black History Month!
