Medicine, Reproduction, and Women’s Health at the Orange Valley Plantation, Jamaica

ABSTRACT

This article explores the role of hospitals constructed for enslaved people in pre-emancipation Jamaica as inherently conflicted spaces, where health care was provided to the sick and injured while, at the same time, the horrific system of human bondage was reproduced. Hospitals for the enslaved were sites of conflict in terms of their vision, their practices, and the materia medica they employed. We explore these practices and argue that the result was a therapeutic regime and a blended health care experience, provided by free and enslaved health care providers. They employed European, Indigenous, and Afro-Caribbean medicines, which provided a measure of medical assistance, while also serving to increase the enslaved population, and assuage the guilt of white plantation owners. Disturbing as these historical conclusions are, profound health care inequities persist today and disproportionately affect the reproductive health of women of African descent in the Americas.

KEYWORDS:

• Jamaica
• archaeology
• slave plantation hospital
• reproduction
• medical history
• maternal mortality

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Jacqui and Alec Henderson of the Orange Valley Estate for making this project possible. Thanks to Sean McHugh and Timothy Dinsmore for facilitating Monmouth University’s archaeological field schools in Jamaica. We appreciate the comments made by Eric Bailey, Meredith Linn, Christopher Fennell, and an anonymous reviewer. The assistance of the students in Monmouth’s field schools is deeply appreciated as is the help of the Institute of Jamaica. Any errors or omissions remain the responsibility of the authors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jacqueline Woodruff

Jacqueline Woodruff received her MA in anthropology from Monmouth University. Her research interests include medical anthropology, historical archaeology, cultural anthropology, and elevating healthcare concerns of underrepresented groups.

Richard Veit

Richard Veit, Ph.D. is Professor of Anthropology and Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Monmouth University. A North American historical archaeologist, his research focuses on the colonial Middle Atlantic Region. He is the author, co-author or editor of eight books and has been the recipient of Monmouth University's distinguished teacher award. He is a long-time member of the ASNJ.

Nicola Kelly

Nicola Kelly was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, completing her education in the United Kingdom and United States. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Humanities and Master's in Anthropology as well as qualifications from the UK Institute of Linguists in French and Spanish. After an early career in investment banking and raising three children, she is currently employed as an administrator in Monmouth University's Leon Hess Business School. Her interest in pursuing archaeological projects in her home country has led to a collaboration with the University's Archaeology unit, co-leading teams of students on field trips related to plantation slavery and, in particular, hospitals for enslaved individuals.