Second, he was in the hands of a gifted surgeon. Dr. Dan decided to do something that no other surgeon had attempted in an emergency setting: He cut open Cornish’s chest to repair the pierced pericardium with sheep’s intestine.
While working part-time in another barbershop, he trimmed the beard of Henry Palmer, a prominent surgeon who took the young man on as an apprentice. Williams went on to earn a medical degree from Chicago Medical College, which later became part of Northwestern University.History Collection/Alamy That dream became a rallying cry for many in Chicago’s black community. Inspired by the idea of creating a hospital where Black patients would be treated with equal dignity and respect as white patients — and where Black doctors and nurses could train and work — donations began to pour in. Most gave what they could — five dollars here, ten dollars there. One of the more notable donors was Frederick Douglass. The activist and writer gave $50, the proceeds from one of his lectures.
Class of 1904 nurses from Provident Hospital, Chicago, Illinois. From the 14th Annual Report of Provident Hospital and Training School, 1905.While the Flexner report led to the closure of many medical schools, Black medical schools were hit particularly hard. From a high of 14 Black medical schools in the late 1800s, only two survived Fletcher’s scathing criticisms: Meharry Medical College in Nashville, and Freedman’s Hospital, now known as Howard University Hospital, in Washington, D.C.