GRSJ 224: Racial and Ethnic Differences in Modern Medicine

Overview

Medicine Field - Ka-Ve Kalla & Verboonen-Deuster GbR

Within the common knowledge of modern medicine, the world of health care has grown immensely and evolved into universally shared information. Throughout it’s past and in current conditions, stands a racial separation in specific topics and beliefs within the medical communities. With this, procedures and topics are altered or not achieved due to the understanding of old ideas. Minorities in modern day feel the effect especially in terms of Blacks, Asians, and Latin Americans. Throughout history, the medicinal field has had a foundation in the way certain beliefs are followed. These foundational topics followed benefits towards only certain individual, choosing favorites and fighting against other beliefs.

History

Black Protest for Equality - The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Legalized Segregation was outlawed in the 1960s, but before this came to be, the medical field was following the same path. The status of blacks within the United States alone had a large impact on the perceptions and beliefs of the white physicians. The more wealthy slave-owners had some willing to invest medical care into their slaves, however it was difficult to find any doctors who would treat a black individual. In these cases, the care was performed by the slave-owners themselves. Due to this, many blacks were lead to death through bleeding, overdoses and through experimentation. The struggle and downside of medical evolution was shown through the way’s new knowledge and information at the time would be introduced and tested in the global medicine field. Many slaves were used at the time, as chances to be “test subjects” towards medical practitioners. The anesthesia known in the medical world was never used as well, as it was considered unnecessary for the patients due to their rights and enslavement. With their help this resulted in the doctors receiving full credit for their work labelling it as “white medicine” when they would restrain blacks on the table and cut with the surgeon’s blade. The belief at the time was described as Blacks don’t feel any pain. These theories were taught in United States’ medical schools in the 18^th, 19^th, and beginning of the 20^th century. When the federal ban on importing slaves came into effect after 1808, the only way to increase numbers were through childbirth. Many owners would force individuals to populate, and some would use the process of childbirth to their benefits. J Marion Sims carried out experiments on women genitalia from 1845 to 1849 without any anesthesia.

Modern Day

In current times, the idea of racial backgrounds have still affected the ways certain medical actions are taken. In some parts of the United States, certain individuals will still show clearly on statistics that the medical field is not equal between whites and minorities. There are currently lower rates of health coverage, racial stereotypes and language barriers throughout the world. In some places, blacks tend to have lower-quality health services including treatment for HIV, cancer and care during pregnancy. Another study shows that unnecessary limb amputations are more common throughout minorities. The current life expectancy for black individuals is 3 years less than the average Caucasian individual.

Sickle cell disease is most affected towards black individuals, and studies show that this disease gets visibly less attention than other diseases. The majority of current physicians in the United States are white, as only 4% are considered to be black while 13% of the United States population is black.

COVID-19 Vaccine Testing

In most modern times following COVID-19, the death tolls are at a higher rate for blacks than whites. Currently, black people are dying at a rate of 92.3 for every 100,000 patients while whites are only 45.2 for everything 100,000 patients. In majority of diseases, black americans die younger than white americans including heart disease,stroke, cancer, asthma, and diabetes.

Some sources agree that a vaccine will be ready for the public by autumn of 2021. This has to do with an FDA approval to commercially sell the drug used for the vaccine. During the human testing stages, Jill A. Fisher, a sociologist, explains that the black individuals who participated in the research were represented in the most dangerous phases where there is no chance of benefits towards the individuals. With every trial being performed, it takes a toll on the human body being injected with a bunch of different chemical combinations. On the records from the trials performed for the vaccine it showed the individuals who performed the most trials were black individuals. This shows black individuals have the highest risk in the trials.

Companies Working on a Change

American corporations have pledged over 17 billion towards racism. Especially after the tragic death of George Floyd, companies around the world have announced donations and pledge amounts to non-profits to work towards an anti-racist world. Some have included certain medical field contributions towards the help of minorities, opening up certain hospitals in minority-heavy populated areas, helping minority individuals who can’t afford medical school to participate, and towards teams to push old beliefs out. Some of the biggest companies in the world included in chart below have donated high amounts of money towards the cause.

Major Company Donation

#	Company Name	Amount Donated	Company Mission
1	Google Inc.	$12 Million	Racial Equality in all fields
2	Amazon Inc.	$10 Million	Black Lives Matter Movement
3	Bank of America	$1 Billion	4 year commitment towards economic, racial, and medical inequality
4	Coca-Cola Co.	$2.5 Million	National Center of Civil and Human Rights
5	Cisco Systems Inc.	$5 Million	Black Lives Matter Movement
6	Facebook Inc.	$10 Million	Organizations and fields in search of funds