James Woodward, also known as the Black Doctor, was an empirical physician who died in 1844 in Cincinnati. He was noted for diagnosing illnesses remotely by having patients send water vials infused with their sweat, which he claimed to analyze chemically. His collection of vials from the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Mexico was discovered after his death. Woodward’s practices illustrate the persistence of alternative healing and diagnostic methods in nineteenth-century America.
Woodward (James)
Creature Types: Other
Mythological/Cultural Origins: American, Nineteenth Century
Roles/Functions in Lore: Empirical Physician
Literary Sources/Traditions: Alternative Diagnosis, Folk Medicine
Historical/Legendary Time Periods: Nineteenth Century
Attributes/Powers: Alternative healing, Remote diagnosis
Alignments/Moral Standings: Ambiguous
