“All these precepts of scientific racism, although convenient for the slave owner and physician, were highly illogical articles of faith. So was the supposed inferior intelligence of blacks, because planters and doctors behaved in many contexts as though they held the abilities and judgment of blacks in high regard, enjoying slaves in responsible positions as nurses, cooks, herbalists, midwives, overseers, leaders of work gangs, accountants, and operators of farm and factory implements. Owners reaped profits from the many patents on slave inventions, and physicians used slaves as skilled apprentices, who often went on to practice independently. While households depended upon the specialized skills and discernment of slaves, not the other way around.” -From, “Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to The Present” By: Harriet A. Washington