Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Introduction: the Cape Doctor in the nineteenth century.

Harriet Deacon¹

¹Department of Historical Studies, UCT.

Clio Medica (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

|July 2, 2004

Summary

The Cape Doctor explores South Africa's medical history, revealing how Western medicine excluded women and Black practitioners. It highlights discrimination but also instances of cultural exchange and medical pluralism.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Under threat: the International AIDS Society-Lancet Commission on Health and Human Rights.

Lancet (London, England)·2024

Same author

Commentary: Factors affecting HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination by medical professionals.

International journal of epidemiology·2006

Same author

The Cape doctor and the broader medical market, 1800-1850.

Clio medica (Amsterdam, Netherlands)·2004

Same author

Medical gentlemen and the process of professionalisation before 1860.

Clio medica (Amsterdam, Netherlands)·2004

Same author

Opportunities outside private practice before 1860.

Clio medica (Amsterdam, Netherlands)·2004

Same author

Mineral wealth and medical opportunity.

Clio medica (Amsterdam, Netherlands)·2004

Area of Science:

Social history of medicine
Medical history of South Africa
History of Western medicine

Background:

This study examines the political, social, and economic contexts of formal Western medicine in South Africa.
It builds upon previous work, such as Shula Marks' "Divided Sisterhood," by integrating a broad range of medical history materials within a social history framework.

Observation:

The Cape medical profession systematically excluded women and Black practitioners.
Discrimination based on race, class, and gender was prevalent in medical practice.

Findings:

The research provides evidence of the exclusionary practices within the Cape medical profession.
It moves beyond traditional revisionist history by documenting cultural crossover and medical pluralism.

Implications:

This work offers a nuanced understanding of South Africa's medical past, acknowledging both exclusion and integration.
It contributes to the social history of medicine by contextualizing formal medical practices within broader societal structures.

Related Experiment Videos