Intensely human : the health of the Black soldier in the American Civil War / Margaret Humphreys.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Humphreys, Margaret, 1955- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Russell, Ira, 1815-1888.

Russell, Ira.

African American soldiers--Health and hygiene--History--19th century.

African American soldiers.

African American soldiers--Mortality--History--19th century.

Masculinity--United States--History--19th century.

Masculinity.

Human body--Social aspects--United States--History--19th century.

Human body.

Racism--United States--History--19th century.

Racism.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Participation, African American.

United States.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Health aspects.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Social aspects.

United States--Race relations--History--19th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xx, 197 p. ) ill., map ;

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Black soldiers in the American Civil War were far more likely to die of disease than were white soldiers. Historian Margaret Humphreys explores why this uneven mortality occurred and how it was interpreted at the time. In doing so, she uncovers the perspectives of mid-nineteenth-century physicians and others who were eager to implicate the so-called innate inferiority of the black body. In the archival collections of the U.S. Sanitary Commission, Humphreys found evidence that the high death rate among black soldiers resulted from malnourishment, inadequate shelter and clothing, inferior medical attention, and assignments to hazardous environments. While some observant physicians of the day attributed the black soldiers' high mortality rate to these circumstances, few medical professionals--on either side of the conflict--were prepared to challenge the "biological evidence" of white superiority. Humphreys shows how, despite sympathetic and responsible physicians' efforts to expose the truth, the stereotype of black biological inferiority prevailed during the war and after.

Contents:

The Black body at war

The pride of true manhood

Biology and destiny

Medical care

Region, disease, and the vulnerable recruit

Louisiana

Death on the Rio Grande

Telling the story.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (pages [161]-190) and index.

Description based on print version record.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-4214-0238-6

OCLC:

606056281