Thomas Elkins (1818 – August 10, 1900) was an African-American

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in provi ...

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

, and

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

. He lived in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

, for most of his life, but travelled during his service as the medical examiner of the 54th and 55th Massachusetts infantries and visited

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

. Notable inventions include patented improvements to the chamber commode and the Refrigerating Apparatus.

Career

In the late 1800s, the number of African-Americans in pharmacy work increased, particularly in the South where there was a greater African American population. Elkins was part of one of the first wave of African-Americans in pharmacy. He received his education in pharmacy from a Doctor Wynkoop, a "physician, and druggist of the old school," and spent about ten years working with him. Elkins then ran a small drugstore, located on North Swan Street in Albany, New York and later on the corner of Broadway and Livingston Avenue, also in Albany. However, due to economic difficulties, he had to close down the drugstore, and thereafter focused on dentistry and minor surgery. He trained Thomas H. Sands Pennington, the stepson of Aboltionist James W.C. Pennington and helped Thomas land a position in the pharmacy of H.B. Clement, where Thomas Pennington went on to have a distinguished career. Elkins studied dentistry under a Doctor Charles Payne who practiced medicine in both Albany and Montreal. Elkins then studied surgery with one Doctor Marsh, also of Albany.

Abolitionist work

Albany_Vigilance_Committee_1856_resolution_flyer

He was involved with the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

, and helped transport slaves to Canada. He was a member of the

Albany Vigilance Committee Albany, derived from the Gaelic for Scotland, most commonly refers to: * Albany, New York, the capital of the State of New York and largest city of this name * Albany, Western Australia, a port city in the Great Southern region Albany may also ref ...

, which organized to help

fugitive slaves In the United States, fugitive slaves or runaway slaves were terms used in the 18th and 19th centuries to describe people who fled slavery. The term also refers to the federal Fugitive Slave Acts of 1793 and 1850. Such people are also called fre ...

and solicited donations from citizens. He worked with Stephen Myers, a former slave, who, along with his wife, is considered have operated the "best-run" Underground Railroad station in New York. His former property, 188 Livingston Avenue, is currently owned by the Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region, Inc. They also own the Myers house and several other properties from the era. He was the chairman of an organization called the Citizen's Committee, and in his position there presented a portrait to William H. Johnson, meant to communicate their "appreciation of the distinguished service ohnsonrendered the colored race."

Civil War service and later travels

During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

(1861–65), Elkins was appointed by Gov. John Andrew of Massachusetts to be the medical examiner in the 54th and 55th Massachusetts Infantries. Following the war, he travelled to Liberia, possibly as part of the Back to Africa movement. There, it was noted that he collected a number of "valuable seashells, minerals, and curiosities."

Inventions

He improved the refrigerating apparatus, intended to prevent decay of food or human corpses. He also patented an improvement in the chamber-commode, a predecessor to the

toilet A toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware that collects human waste (urine and feces) and sometimes toilet paper, usually for disposal. Flush toilets use water, while dry or non-flush toilets do not. They can be designed for a sitting p ...

. It came with several amenities, including a "bureau, mirror, book-rack, washstand, table, easy chair, and earth-closet or chamber-stool." Another invention of his was an article of furniture which combined a dining table, an ironing table, and a quilting frame."

Death

Elkins died August 10, 1900, and is buried at Albany Rural Cemetery.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Elkins, Thomas 1818 births Date of birth missing Place of birth missing 1900 deaths Place of death missing African-American dentists 19th-century American dentists African-American abolitionists American abolitionists Pharmacists from New York (state) African-American inventors 19th-century American inventors African Americans in the American Civil War African-American pharmacists 19th-century American pharmacists