Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller

Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller was a pioneering African American psychiatrist and neurologist, best known for his groundbreaking work in Alzheimer’s disease research. Born in Monrovia, Liberia, in 1872, Fuller was the grandson of formerly enslaved Virginians who emigrated to Liberia in 1852 to help establish an African American settlement.

Fuller pursued his education in the United States, attending Livingstone College in North Carolina before earning his medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine in 1897. He later became one of the first African American psychiatrists, working as a pathologist at Westborough State Hospital in Boston and eventually joining the faculty at Boston University.

In 1909, Fuller married Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, a renowned sculptor, and they settled in Framingham, Massachusetts, becoming one of the first Black families in the community. Despite facing racial discrimination, including unequal pay and underemployment, Fuller made significant contributions to medical science. He was among the first researchers to work alongside Alois Alzheimer, helping to advance the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease.

In addition to his research, Fuller played a crucial role in diagnosing and training doctors to recognize the effects of syphilis, which helped prevent Black war veterans from being misdiagnosed, wrongfully discharged, and denied military benefits. His contributions were instrumental in breaking barriers for African Americans in medicine and neuroscience during a time of systemic racial discrimination.

Fuller’s career was cut short when he lost his eyesight in 1944. He passed away in 1953 in Framingham at the age of 81 due to complications from diabetes and gastrointestinal cancer.

His legacy continues through the Solomon Carter Fuller Program, established in 1974 by the Black Psychiatrists of America to support aspiring Black psychiatrists. Additionally, the Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center in Boston and Fuller Middle School in Framingham bear his name, honoring his impact on medicine and the community.