Bessie Virginia Blount Griffin
Personal Information
Born: 1914
Died: 2009
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: Black
Education
Community Kenney Memorial Hospital Nursing Degree; Union College-NJ Physical Therapy Certificate; Panzer College of Physical Education (now part of Montclair State University) Certified in Physical Therapy
"A black woman can invent something for the benefit of humankind. (wikipedia)"
— Bessie Virginia Blount Griffin
Professional Life
Field of Study: Physical Therapy; Inventor
Institution/Corporation: Bronx Hospital
Degrees & Memberships: Member: NAACP
Awards & Achievements
Awards: NJ Joint Legislative Commendation; 1992, honored by American Academy of Physical Therapy; 2005, named 1 of Virginia Women in History
Achievements: worked with amputee veterans from WWII at Bronx Hospital & taught them how to write using their teeth & feet; invented electric feeding device & sold the rights to use to France after being turned down by US Veteran s Hospitals; invented a cardboard, disposable emesis device & sold rights to Belgium hospitals; 1st African American female & US female admitted as a student at the Document Division of the Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Laboratory in London, England (Scotland Yard) in 1977; ran her own forensic/handwriting analyst company & was considered an expert, using her skills to validate Native American treaties with the US government & validate writings of enslaved African-Americans
Was a nurse
Invented an electric, self-feeding apparatus for amputees using plastic, boiling water to mold it, a file, ice pick, hammer, & some dishes to make the prototype
1st African-American female to train & work as a forensic scientist at Scotland Yard in 1977
Used forensic skills to authenticate documents related to slavery, the Civil War & Native American treaties with the US
1953, appeared on Philadelphia TV show, The Big Idea, to promote her inventions; was the 1st African-American on the show
Attended a 1-room schoolhouse in Hickory, VA built after the Civil War
Originally wrote with her left hand but a teacher reprimanded her & insisted she use her right hand; was ambidextrous
Taught herself to write without using her hands but using her teeth & feet instead
Stopped her formal education after the 6th grade because there were no other educational options for African-Americans
Became self-taught & ultimately earned a GED
As a physical therapist, taught her amputee patients to use their teeth & feet to perform tasks
Cared for & worked closely with Theodore Edison, son of Thomas Edison
The VA Hospital turned down her self-feeding device; she licensed it freely to the French government instead
The VA also declined her invention for a disposable emesis basin so she sold the invention to a company in Belgium
Although it is believed she invented 3 things (self-feeding device, device that held a bowl onto the neck for self-feeding & an emesis basin) only 1 patent was located