Henry Ingersoll Bowditch

Henery Intersoll Bowditch (1808-1892) was an Abolitionist whose story personalizes the movement. Apparently spurred on by a steadfast devotion to Christ, Bowditch fought indefatigably against slave-hunters in his native Boston while praying that God would forgive them of their sins. Henry Ingersoll Bowditch also illustrates the kind of intelligent, energetic, and faith-driven people abolitionism utilized.

Early Life and Introduction to Abolitionism

Born to Nathaniel Bowditch, a renowned mathematician, Henry soon followed in his father's intellectualism by traveling to Europe in order to study medicine. There, Bowditch observed the funeral of Wilberforce, "a great and constant advocate for the abolition of slavery" (Bowditch, 55). Doubtlessly affected by Wilberforce's example and ideals, Bowditch grew more sympathetic towards the movement. Shortly after returning to Boston from Europe, Bowditch observed the attempted lynching of Garrison and declared himself an abolitionist. Bowditch thereafter received the customary ostracizing of society and close friends who “would even stare and scowl without speaking when we met after I had openly declared myself as one of the hated Abolitionists” (Bowditch 101). Bowditch's medical practice also lost business from as a consequence of his abolitionism; however Bowditch remained in the movement.

Bowditch was an active, passionate abolitionist. He gave lectures and kept company with abolitionist leaders such as Charles Sumner, Charles C. Emerson, and Fredrick Douglass. After briefly participating in Warren Street Chapel, a charity for impoverished children, Bowditch left the institution because of his conviction that their policy of exclusively serving white children was outside of the Lord's will. Bowditch resented such culture-driven racist religious institutions, and proclaimed that his "soul arose indignant...to the whole race of priestly sycophants" who refused to combat racism and slavery (115). Bowditch had adopted a radically egalitarian ideology.

Radical Abolitionist Action

He also took on radical action in association with fugitive slave episodes. Armed with pistol, and shaking with the untested nerves of a middle class professional, Bowditch drove the runaways Warren and Ellen Craft to a safe house for shelter while they waited for their ship to freedom. Later, Bowditch became a founding member of the Latimer Committee and an editor of The Latimer Journal. Each was created in response to the plight of George Latimer, an apprehended fugitive slave in danger of deportation back South. Bowditch's efforts led to a massive petitioning of the Massachusetts Congress that resulted in legislation forbidding the use of state and municipal jails from detaining fugitive slaves, a blow to slave-hunters. However, Bowditch was also a witness to a vast number of unjust fugitive deportations.

His response was the organization of the Anti-Man-Hunting League. This radical organization trained members to capture and hold slave-hunters in exchange for the ransom of a fugitive slave's freedom. Although the league was given no opportunity to prove its efficacy, this society was useful both in uniting anti-slavery men, and preparing their paradigms for the violent opposition of slavery manifested in the Civil War. Bowditch helped the northern cause in the Civil War by proposing an Ambulance Corps after his son died from battlefield wounds by publishing the pamphlet A Brief Plea for an Ambulance System for the Army of the United States, as Drawn from the Extra Sufferings of the Late Lieut. Bowditch and a Wounded Comrade. After the Civil War, Bowditch kept ties with the completed movement by contributing to the historical discussion of abolitionism by providing an interpretation of historical abolitionism that was sympathetic to the plight of John Brown.

Contributions to Medicine and Public Health

Bowditch also made significant contributions to the fields of science and public health. He introduced inductive reasoning into American medical science, popularized the stethoscope, contributed to the understanding of tuberculosis, and laid the groundwork for public health by chairing the Massachusetts State Board of Health. He published "Preventive Medicine and the Physician of the Future" to propagate inductive reasoning as well as P"ublic Hygiene in America" to explain the concepts behind State Health. He also served as president of the American Medical Association.

Conclusion

Bowditch began as a young intellectual and died an experienced public reformer. He joined abolitionism and acted upon his religious convictions even as they became more radical and egalitarian. A pragmatist, he also contributed to abolitionism through his skills in medicine as well after the Civil War began by lobbying for on-field medics to prevent the unnecessary deaths of untold numbers of Union soldiers. His drive to serve the public also forced him into the roles of historian and medical reformer. Throughout his life Bowditch demonstrated a zeal for public service that illustrated his desire to “act upon the principle of the gospel, and…strive to be a follower of Christ” (105).

Works Consulted

Bowditch, Vincent Y. Life and Correspondence of Henry Ingersoll Bowditch VI. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1902.

Bowditch, Vincent Y. Life and Correspondence of Henry Ingersoll Bowditch VII. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1902.

Clark, Richard H. “Bowditch, Henry Ingersoll.” The National Cyclopedia of American Biogarphy 1898: 214-15.

Fulton, John F. “Bowditch, Henry Ingersoll.” Dictionary of American Biography 1929: 492-4.

“Henry Intersoll Bowditch.” Lamb's Biographica Dictionary of the United States 1900: 359.

Warner, John H. “American National Biography Online: Bowditch, Henry Ingersoll.” 27 Jan 2008 .