‘But Their Mouths are Sealed’

This article sheds light on a previously overlooked aspect of medical practice in colonial contexts: the involvement of medical practitioners in legal proceedings. It emphasizes that medical expertise was not solely utilized for diagnosing and treating patients in the disease-ridden environment of the Caribbean colonies, but also for explaining sudden and/or violent deaths. From the late 1820s onwards, driven by the abolitionist movement and legal reforms, there was a notable surge in trials where enslavers faced accusations of mistreating and killing enslaved individuals. This article investigates the role of medical practitioners and testimony within these trials. Examining French colonial trial records together with abolitionist writings reveals that medical expertise went beyond mere healing practices, instead serving as a tool to legitimize violent punishments based on racialized descriptions and perceptions of enslaved bodies.

Colonialism · Medical knowledge · Medical practice · Medical record · Medical treatment · Perception · Colonialism, slavery, and trade · Historical and Scientific Studies · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis