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"C" is for Caesar (ca. 1682-ca. 1754)

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"C" is for Caesar (ca. 1682-ca. 1754), Slave, medical practitioner. In 1749, a member of the Commons House of Assembly informed his fellow members that “a Negro Man named Caesar belonging to Mr. John Norman of Beach Hill” had reportedly cured several persons “who had been poisoned by Slaves.” A legislative investigation secured testimony from prominent white planters and physicians that praised the effectiveness of Caesar's treatments and vouched for his abilities. The Assembly reached a bargain with Caesar. In return for making his secret cures known to the public, he would be granted his freedom and an annual pension. His cures for poison and rattlesnake bite were published in the South Carolina Gazette and in the Gentleman's Magazine in London. Caesar is widely considered the first African-American to have his medical findings appear in print.

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Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.