Slaves' Medical Bills During the Civil War Archive

[Slavery] [Medicine] Archive of Three Doctors' Bills for Treatment of Enslaved Persons, 1848-1863. Each manuscript document measure between 7.75" x 4.75" and 10.5" x 8.75". Three manuscript doctors' bills detailing medical services rendered to both enslaved individuals and white patients in the antebellum and Civil War-era South. These documents expose the commodification of Black bodies under slavery, where medical care for enslaved people was often recorded alongside routine veterinary-like services.

The first document, an account statement dated May 2, 1863, records Mrs. Martha J. Lide’s outstanding balance with Dr. J.J. McElrath. The account (truncated) covers medical visits and treatments dating back to 1860, including repeated references to care for enslaved individuals. Among the charges are visits to "Negro Boys," medical attention for a "Negro" on October 25, 1860, and an "extraction of placenta" for an enslaved woman. The most expensive line item is $160.00 for medical services provided, which, with two years of accrued interest, brings the total due to $192.00. The receipt concludes with "Rec'd payment, J.J. McElrath, for self & Heller."

The second document is an account ledger from 1861 for George W. Ashby, documenting medical services performed by Dr. Strother J. Wallis. Visits and treatments span the year, including repeated mentions of enslaved patients. On August 12, 1861, there is a charge for a "Visit to negro boy (hurt by colt)", and on February 26, 1861, a charge for "Visit and dressing wound for negro Clay." One of the most significant entries is a "Visit & delivering placenta for Negro Martha," highlighting the role of enslaved women in reproductive labor while also underscoring the lack of autonomy they had over their own bodies.

The third document, an 1848 account for Captain G. Wallis with Dr. John Walker, records medical visits that included enslaved individuals. The itemized list references visits on January 7, 1848, and January 8, 1848, both for a "Negro woman." One charge is for "Blister & cupping Negro Dr.," a painful and archaic treatment that involved applying heated glass cups to the skin to draw blood to the surface. The final note at the bottom reads, "October 2nd, 1848, received payment in full, John Walker."

These documents reveal the harsh realities of medical treatment under slavery, where enslaved people were regarded as financial assets rather than patients with personal agency. Their medical care was often provided only when it benefited enslavers, and records of their treatment appear in the same transactional manner as bills for livestock or equipment repairs. At the same time, the inclusion of reproductive and childbirth-related care further emphasizes how enslaved women’s bodies were exploited not only for labor but also for their ability to produce more enslaved people. Rare and deeply revealing, these documents provide primary-source evidence of the intersection between slavery, medicine, and the financial structures that sustained human bondage in the 19th-century South. Very good condition overall. (Inventory #: 21530)