WE WHO WOULD DIE 1st Ed INSCRIBED & SIGNED COPY BY BINGA DISMOND - ILLUSTRATION

Henry Binga Dismond, an accomplished athlete, inventor of medical devices, groundbreaking physician, and poet, was born on December 27, 1891, in Richmond, Virginia, to Dr. Samuel H. Dismond and Jessie Cornelia Binga. Henry pursued his education at Richmond public schools, Virginia Union University, and Howard University, where he earned a B.A. in 1912.

In 1917, while studying orthopaedic medicine at Rush Medical College, Dismond enlisted in the 370th Infantry during World War I. His unit was one of three battalions operating under French command, led by black officers. Near the conclusion of the war, he received an honourable mention for his courageous leadership amidst intense gunfire and was promoted to First Lieutenant.

Upon his return in 1919, Dismond interned at Provident Hospital, where he invented the Radex Steam Infuser, a device for respiratory treatment. Dr. Dismond and his wife Geraldyne, whom he wed in 1917, relocated to New York City in 1924. There, he established a medical practice specializing in electrotherapy, physiotherapy, and x-ray services, and by 1925, he was operating the Dismond Reconstruction Clinic. By 1930, he served as a physician at Harlem Hospital and later founded the Emergency Industrial Service, which was Harlem’s first workmen’s compensation clinic.

As a scholar of Haitian culture, Dismond established the Society of the American Friends of Haiti to inform Americans about Haitian history, culture, and socio-political and economic matters. In response to the Haitian Massacre, a political crisis in 1937, he coordinated the shipment of medical supplies to Haiti and subsequently raised funds for the Haitian Orphanage Fund. In March 1938, he was honored with the title “Chevalier of the National Order of Honor” by the Haitian government. In 1943, Dismond published a collection of poetry titled, We Who Would Die and Other Poems including Haitian Vignettes. This book featured socio-political protest poetry, essays on Haiti, personal stories, romantic prose, and various verses reflecting the physician’s experiences.

Dismond participated actively in the National Urban League, NAACP, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, as well as the Council of Elks, Prince Hall Masons, and Knights of Pythias.

Dr. Henry Binga Dismond passed away in Harlem, New York, on November 21, 1956.

At the time of his death, he was 64 years old.