Celebrate Black History Month – Focus on Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller
In recognition of Black History Month, it is our honor to recognize Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller, the nation's first Black Psychiatrist. He was a researcher, neuropsychiatrist, teacher, and a pioneer in Alzheimer's disease research who worked alongside Dr. Alois Alzheimer.
Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller was born in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, in 1872. He moved to the United States at the age of 17 and attended Livingstone College in North Carolina. Later, he moved to Boston, Massachusetts where he received his medical degree from the Boston University School of Medicine. Initially, Fuller intended to take his medical education from the United States back to Liberia to become a medical missionary like his grandparents. However, after finishing his degree, Dr. Fuller completed a two-year internship at Westborough State Hospital in Massachusetts and began his professional duties as a hospital pathologist and an instructor of pathology at Boston University.
In 1904, Dr. Fuller sought to improve his laboratory and diagnostic skills by studying in Europe. He was selected as one of five students by Dr. Alzheimer to work as graduate research assistants to study what was called presenile dementia at the time. While working with Dr. Alzheimer, Dr. Fuller worked as a neuropathologist, performing anatomical and histological preparations at the Royal Psychiatric Hospital at the University of Munich. The hospital was headed by renowned psychiatrist Dr. Emil Kraepelin, who is best known as the one who coined the term "Alzheimer's Disease," which he named after his student, Alois Alzheimer. Dr. Fuller’s time in Germany proved to be pivotal. In 1912, not only did Dr. Fuller translate Dr. Alzheimer's groundbreaking case of Auguste Deter, the very first patient diagnosed with the degenerative disease, from German to English, he also published the first-ever comprehensive review of Alzheimer's disease. In it, he discussed clinical symptoms, microscopic changes, and included his account of his own patient with Alzheimer's disease, which was the ninth case ever discovered.
Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller is probably one of the most under-recognized giants in the field of Alzheimer's disease research. He worked side by side with Dr. Alois Alzheimer and translated much of Professor Alzheimer's work into English. Fuller's groundbreaking research helped establish Alzheimer's disease as a physical disease of the brain rather than the result of insanity or aging. Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller’s fundamental contribution to the field of Alzheimer's disease research merit great recognition.
For more details see:
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/black-history-month-honoring-dr-solomon-carter-fuller/
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2023/story-of-solomon-fuller-bu-black-history-month/
Below, you'll find a link to an exceptional compilation of the voices and talents of Black individuals who have not only left an indelible mark on our hearts but have also enriched our lives in myriad ways. We welcome your contributions to this collection!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7LhhWRnuzINaSdFBN7OGSz?si=olq3DUiAShi0MnOJbvQi4w&pt=a43354e82da43416fb22efcb662f4061&pi=u-_EI5_vqlTc21
With peace love & light,
WC4BL Board 2024
