Frank Erdman Boston

Frank Erdman Boston, (March 10, 1891 – February 8, 1960) was an African- American physician in Philadelphia and Lansdale, Pennsylvania.

He served in World War I (as a part of the Medical Reserve Corps) in the 317th Infantry. He served in France with the rank Captain and ended his military service as a major. After the war, he became infamous within the Philadelphia and was frequently mentioned for his efforts in the media, founded an emergency relief organization, and the North Penn Hospital (1954).

Early life
Boston was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to parents Charles A. Boston and Julia Sands on March 10, 1891. Frank was the youngest as he had an older brother, named Edgar, and an older sister, named Mae. Frank was educated and raised entirely in Philadelphia before entering Lincoln University. After graduating from college, he attended Medico Chirurgical College. Boston finished his medical studies in 1915 and received certification in 1916, where he specialized in surgery. Frank began his medical career as an intern in Roosevelt Hospital.

Boston's first confrontation with the media was in May 1916, where he had been criticized by the local coroner’s office after the death of a young boy. The boy had come in after a car accident with a massive head injury and because the hospital lacked a X-ray machine, Boston took it upon himself to drive the injured boy to the nearest equipped hospital. After the X-ray Boston performed on the boy, however, the child did not survive. In the article Frank defends the actions of his colleagues and him: "The child was brought in about 5:30 o’clock. . . I saw at once that he had suffered a serious brain injury and was in a bad condition owing to the shock. An immediate operation was out of the question on this account. I decided that Dr. Franklin R. Brady, who is an eminent surgeon in brain operations, ought to see him, so I went at once with a child in the automobile to the Medico Chirurgical Hospital in order to obtain a clear X-ray record.  We have no X-ray outfit, although we have tried several times to raise the funds to secure one. . .  We are doing our best with the equipment available. . . and I feel like in this case we acted properly to the best of our judgement.  I consulted Doctor Brady, our president, and it was with his sanction that I took the child to Medico Chirurgical Hospital for X-ray purposes.  We could not determine at first whether or not his skull was fractured, and took the sure means to ascertain. We were not gone for 15 minutes and the boy was able to talk. He did not display any dangerous symptom until a short time before he died, and we were about to operate when he suddenly became unconscious. If we had been provided the X-ray we would not have removed the child after he was first brought to our doors."

A short while after Boston took a position as surgeon in Mercy Hospital, where he would remain at employ for majority of his career. He even opened his own medical practice in Lansdale.

Military service
In 1917, the United States joined World War I and the entire nation was in a buzz to join the effort. After the declaration of war with Germany, many African-Americans were turned away from the local recruiting stations. Unprepared for a large scale conflict, the United States Army had only four black regiments, and many commanders would not allow mixing of blacks and whites in their units. Also, the black regiments themselves were not trusted to be sent to Europe, as many of the higher ups possessed a lack of confidence in black soldiers as fighters. Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School had been opened for training African-American men as there had been a huge influx of African-American volunteers and a petition was erected by the students of Howard University. However, there was still some discontent at the facility as many soldiers found that he had been unfairly assessed for merely being black.

When Boston answered the military’s call for physicians he was immediately given the rank, First Lieutenant in the Army Medical Reserve Corps. Like all the African-American recruits, Lt. Boston was sent to Fort Des Moines for medical training at the Medical Officers Training Camp. After completing his training, Lt. Boston was assigned as a medical officer with the 317th Engineers Regiment of the 92nd Division. Before leaving for France, Lt. Boston spent additional time in Camp Sherman, Ohio, where his abilities and rigor were so well recognized that he was promoted to Captain.

When arriving at France, Captain Boston found a large amount of work on his plate. The 317th Engineering Regiment was the other option for black citizens wanting to enlist into work. Most African-American soldiers had been assigned to noncombatant engineer units that performed dangerous and hard jobs of digging trenches, forming roads, and fortification against the Germans. Captain Boston spent his time in France busy taking care of sick men and those heavily injured from building, as the Germans were becoming more aggressive in late 1918. Later, Captain Boston would display his extraordinary skill as a surgeon.

After the conclusions of the war, Captain remained at his commission in the Medical Reserve Corps. While there Cpt. Boston was in communication with author W.E.B Du Bois. Four surviving letters exist to confirm the correspondence. When the war ended Du Bois sought out and interviewed many African American soldiers for a scheduled book on their experiences. In a letter Du Boise sent to Captain Boston on April 16, 1919: "My dear Captain Boston, I want very much to get hold of facts concerning your regiment. Have you written up the history of the regiment or your personal adventures, if so could you furnish me copies. I should be glad to hear from you on the matter, or to see you if you are going to be in New York soon.  Very Sincerely Yours--WEBDB”."

There is evidence that Du Bois eagerly sought the chance to interview Cpt. Boston as indicated in an earlier letter. At the time Cpt. Boston was living in 813 N. 16th Street, Philadelphia, and in one of his letter to Du Bois, he replied: "Dear W.E.B. DuBois In answer to your letter of April 5th, would say that I am now on leave of absence and will be at the above address. Very little is known, outside of official circles, about the excellent work of our regiment. Would be glad to see you at any time and render any aid possible.  Yours truly,  Frank E. Boston--Cpt. M.O, U.S. Army” (April 6, 1919)."

It is unknown whether an actual occurred between the two men, but there was a constant correspondence, as Du Bois’s interest in the African-American effort in World War I increased. As a result of speaking with Cpt. Boston and other African American soldiers, Du Bois had found discovered that there was a large amount of racism very prominent in the U.S. Army. He noted, especially, how many African-Americans were discouraged from joining the military and were not often credited for their accomplishments as compared to white soldiers of the same rank.

In 1919, Boston was given the rank of Major and he was even a member of the Association of Military Surgeons. Major Boston was discharged in the later months of 1919.

Career
When Boston left the military he returned to Lansdale, Pennsylvania, to continue work on his medical practice located at in the Philadelphia county. Boston placed a large emphasis in providing medical assistance and education towards the community. He had been a member of the American Medical Association, the Philadelphia County Medical Society, the International College of Surgeons, and the National Medical Association. At the 1926 annual convention, Boston was listed as chairman of the Committee for Gynecologists and General Surgeons in the Journal of National Medical Association and proceeded to open stations at Mercy Hospital for well-known surgeons to operate.

Boston was often involved in Veteran fundraisers and dedicated work toward Veterans of Foreign Wars. In 1934, Boston opened his own medical establishment called Elm Terrace Hospital, which would later be renamed North Penn Hospital in 1954. Boston continued his work at Mercy Hospital, participating in various clinical lectures throughout the 1930s and was credited for it in the Chicago Defender.

Boston formed a First Aid Emergency Squad in Lansdale, dedicating many hours to that venture.

Personal life
Boston never married.

Death
In 1960, Boston died in at the age of 69 in Einstein Medical Center. Upon his death, his many peers from both the hospital and the Emergency Relief Squad came to sing at his grave. Boston was buried in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. The First Baptist Church in Lansdale, Pennsylvania established a memorial consisting of a sculpture made by S.K. Miller.