Medical log of a slave ship, 1792

Medical or scientific theories about the physical differences between African and European races were used to justify the brutal treatment of slaves. Christopher Bowes was a surgeon on the slave ship Lord Stanley. He kept a daily log of the sickness rates and treatments for the 389 Africans chained on board. Sixteen died during the ship's journey from Africa to Grenada.

From the collections of the Library at The Royal College of Surgeons of England