Carlos Collins Field Assignment 3
Bionic Blacks
It comes as no surprise that there exists an inequality in a country that cultivates the racial privileges that it outwardly denies; however, many may be disturbed to learn that the color of one’s skin is still distorting proper medical treatment for black Americans. According to a study conducted by the University of Virginia, white medical students and residents still hold prodigious beliefs about the capability of blacks to feel pain (Somashekhar 2016). The study found that that the medical professionals that upheld false biological beliefs concerning blacks and whites were less accurate in the diagnosis and treatment of patients of color. Hypothesis 1: Ideological racism, as it pertains to biology, is still very present within the medical field today, and may very well be the cause of this phenomenon. Hypothesis …show more content…
Taking historical context into consideration, let us revisit the practices of Dr. Marion Sims, during his medical experiments on enslaved women he refused to provide anesthesia because of his beliefs that blacks tolerate pain “differently than whites” (Washington 2007). As for the aforementioned study conducted by the University of Virginia, when asked if blacks had nerve endings that were less sensitive than whites, 20% of participants, including residents, believed it was a fact. 58% of participants thought that blacks have thicker skin than whites (Somashekhar 2016). The strong similarities between the beliefs held by those in the medical field today and those racially based ideas of the past illustrate the creation of a social system in which medical fallacies have become an intergenerational issue
Bionic Blacks
It comes as no surprise that there exists an inequality in a country that cultivates the racial privileges that it outwardly denies; however, many may be disturbed to learn that the color of one’s skin is still distorting proper medical treatment for black Americans. According to a study conducted by the University of Virginia, white medical students and residents still hold prodigious beliefs about the capability of blacks to feel pain (Somashekhar 2016). The study found that that the medical professionals that upheld false biological beliefs concerning blacks and whites were less accurate in the diagnosis and treatment of patients of color. Hypothesis 1: Ideological racism, as it pertains to biology, is still very present within the medical field today, and may very well be the cause of this phenomenon. Hypothesis …show more content…
Taking historical context into consideration, let us revisit the practices of Dr. Marion Sims, during his medical experiments on enslaved women he refused to provide anesthesia because of his beliefs that blacks tolerate pain “differently than whites” (Washington 2007). As for the aforementioned study conducted by the University of Virginia, when asked if blacks had nerve endings that were less sensitive than whites, 20% of participants, including residents, believed it was a fact. 58% of participants thought that blacks have thicker skin than whites (Somashekhar 2016). The strong similarities between the beliefs held by those in the medical field today and those racially based ideas of the past illustrate the creation of a social system in which medical fallacies have become an intergenerational issue