--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the American physician Samuel Cartwright…" description: "\"“the American physician Samuel Cartwright identifying in 1851 a mental disorder, drapetomania, evident only in slaves. The sole symptom was “the desire..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f09/jon-ronson-1772_mental-disorder_the-american-physician-samuel-cartwright_1291029.png" --- # the American physician Samuel Cartwright identifying in… ![“the American physician Samuel Cartwright identifying in 1851 a mental disorder, drapetomania, evident only in slaves. The sole symptom was “the desire to run away from slavery” and the cure was to “whip the devil out of them” quote by Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f09/jon-ronson-1772_mental-disorder_the-american-physician-samuel-cartwright_1291029.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f09/jon-ronson-1772_mental-disorder_the-american-physician-samuel-cartwright_1291029.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f09/jon-ronson-1772_mental-disorder_the-american-physician-samuel-cartwright_1291029.png) > ““the American physician Samuel Cartwright identifying in 1851 a mental disorder, drapetomania, evident only in slaves. The sole symptom was “the desire to run away from slavery” and the cure was to “whip the devil out of them”” [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A 19th‑century doctor invented a fake disorder to justify punishing slaves who sought freedom. **In simple terms:** Drapetomania was a fabricated disease to control slaves. Key Takeaway Question historical narratives critically. Themes history racism medicine Mood critical educational Type historical controversial When to use this quote - education curricula - public policy - museum exhibits Key Concepts pseudoscience social control Questions to Reflect On - Why do societies create false pathologies? - How can we prevent misuse of medical authority? A Different Perspective Such myths can persist without critical scrutiny. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mental disorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-disorder/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) ## Related quotes > [While our sin reaches far, God's grace reaches farther. 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These days, we call it free-market capitalism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/the-united-states-has-never-done-away-with-slavery-we-just-stopped/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [Where were the saints to try to change the social order, not just to minister to the slaves, but to do away with slavery?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/where-were-the-saints-to-try-to-change-the-social-order-not-just-to/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [“I felt entangled now: this March, this South, this war, history. History could not possibly let the South get away with slavery; history would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-bass/i-felt-entangled-now-this-march-this-south-this-war-history-history/) [Cynthia Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-bass/) > [“Some slaves, however, were "too white to keep." That was how Edmund was described by the man who had sold him from Tennessee. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/some-slaves-however-were-too-white-to-keep-that-was-how-edmund-was/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) > [“I wonder if I’ve got any of the 374 mental disorders,” I thought. I opened the manual again. And I instantly diagnosed myself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/i-wonder-if-i-ve-got-any-of-the-374-mental-disorders-i-thought-i/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“The DSM-IV-TR is a 943-page textbook published by the American Psychiatric Association that sells for $99...There are currently 374 mental disorders. I bought the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/the-dsm-iv-tr-is-a-943-page-textbook-published-by-the-american/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“The killer's name was Michael Stone and he was a known psychopath. He had previous convictions. 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Or maybe it was a bad idea to read the DSM-IV when you're not a trained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/i-was-much-crazier-than-i-had-imagined-or-maybe-it-was-a-bad-idea-to/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“complicated human behavior was increasingly getting labeled a mental disorder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/complicated-human-behavior-was-increasingly-getting-labeled-a-mental/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“maybe the American Psychiatric Association had a crazy desire to label all life a mental disorder. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/maybe-the-american-psychiatric-association-had-a-crazy-desire-to/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“I hadn’t realized what a collage of mental disorders my whole life has been,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/i-hadn-t-realized-what-a-collage-of-mental-disorders-my-whole-life/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“Social anxiety disorder”—which essentially means pathological shyness—is now thought to afflict nearly one in five of us. The most recent version of the Diagnostic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/social-anxiety-disorder-which-essentially-means-pathological-shyness/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) ## More by Jon Ronson > [Sometimes labeling is only useful, like with OCD. Once you're labeled you can be treated. On other occasions labeling leads to tyranny, like with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/sometimes-labeling-is-only-useful-like-with-ocd-once-you-re-labeled/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“I wonder if I’ve got any of the 374 mental disorders,” I thought. I opened the manual again. And I instantly diagnosed myself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/i-wonder-if-i-ve-got-any-of-the-374-mental-disorders-i-thought-i/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Trying to prove you’re not a psychopath is even harder than trying to prove you’re not mentally ill,’ said Tony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/trying-to-prove-you-re-not-a-psychopath-is-even-harder-than-trying-to/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“It may very well be that the frotteurist is a helpless victim in the clutches of his obsession, but it’s equally possible that he’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-may-very-well-be-that-the-frotteurist-is-a-helpless-victim-in-the/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“We are defining the boundaries of normality by tearing apart the people outside of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/we-are-defining-the-boundaries-of-normality-by-tearing-apart-the/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [My worryingly paradoxical thought process could be summarized thus: Thank God I don't believe in the secret rulers of the world. 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I read books. I reconnected with people I knew from real life and met them for drinks in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/the-world-outside-twitter-was-great-i-read-books-i-reconnected-with/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“What a brilliant cover story. In a success-obsessed society like this one, what's the best rock to hide something under? It's the rock called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/what-a-brilliant-cover-story-in-a-success-obsessed-society-like-this/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Guy Savelli's role in the War on Terror began when half-a-dozen strangers, within days of one another, contacted him via e-mail and telephone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/guy-savelli-s-role-in-the-war-on-terror-began-when-half-a-dozen/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [My paranoia never ends, but I haven't been paranoid about being spied on my shadowy forces for some time now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/my-paranoia-never-ends-but-i-haven-t-been-paranoid-about-being-spied/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“It is an awful lot harder, Tony told me, to convince people you’re sane than it is to convince them you’re crazy. “I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-is-an-awful-lot-harder-tony-told-me-to-convince-people-you-re-sane/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [It is slightly chilling to realize there are rational, functional people up there employed to spot, nurture, and exploit those down here among us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-is-slightly-chilling-to-realize-there-are-rational-functional/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) [Explore all 209 Jon Ronson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) ## More Mental disorder quotes > [“I wonder if I’ve got any of the 374 mental disorders,” I thought. 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As soon as you're not feeling yourself, reach out and get some help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-trudeau/the-secret-is-to-nip-any-mental-disorder-in-the-bud-as-soon-as-you-re/) [Margaret Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-trudeau/) > [“Let’s take a quick look at what a psychopath is. Although the American Psychiatric Association (APA) no longer uses this term, much of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kirkconnell/let-s-take-a-quick-look-at-what-a-psychopath-is-although-the-american/) Robert Kirkconnell > [“When you’ve had a psychotic breakdown it’s always so difficult making that decision. You meet someone new and you wonder how much you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyma-rizwaan-khan/when-you-ve-had-a-psychotic-breakdown-it-s-always-so-difficult-making/) [Cyma Rizwaan Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyma-rizwaan-khan/) > [“God healed everything in my life from a non-curable disease, bad programming from child sexual abuse, father and mother wounds, bitterness, hatred, rage, rejection,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-lubben/god-healed-everything-in-my-life-from-a-non-curable-disease-bad/) [Shelley Lubben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-lubben/) > [By all means, there should be no children when either mother or father suffers from such diseases as tuberculosis, gonorrhea, syphilis, cancer, epilepsy, insanity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sanger/by-all-means-there-should-be-no-children-when-either-mother-or-father/) [Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-sanger/) > [If one looks with a cold eye at the mess man has made of history, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/if-one-looks-with-a-cold-eye-at-the-mess-man-has-made-of-history-it/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [“No conceptually regimented and normatively informed theory of mental disorder can be devised without taking philosophy of mind seriously and knowing something about this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-graham/no-conceptually-regimented-and-normatively-informed-theory-of-mental/) George Graham > [I've heard of many tragic cases of walking, talking normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-ve-heard-of-many-tragic-cases-of-walking-talking-normal-children/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [“Meantime, other “feminist bibles”had appeared, Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex being the best. Which brings me to something no one believes. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/meantime-other-feminist-bibles-had-appeared-simone-de-beauvoir-s-the/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) [Browse all 140 Mental disorder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-disorder/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“the American physician Samuel Cartwright identifying in 1851 a mental disorder, drapetomania, evident only in slaves. 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