58 - The Original (Antigenic) Sin
Bedside Rounds
The Historical Intersection of Health, Race, and Disease
This chapter explores the historical roots of health concepts through the lens of the four humors theory and its influence on scientific racism. It connects these ideas to current health disparities and misconceptions about race and disease, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the racial health disparities in the United States, with markedly increased mortality especially among Blacks and Native Americans. In this episode, Tony Breu and I discuss the conception of race, racism, and the social determinants of health through three historic plagues in the United States -- from yellow fever in New Orleans, to poliomyelitis, and finally the early days of HIV/AIDS -- and what lessons we can draw for COVID-19. Along the way, we’ll discuss the unique social capital afforded by acclimation, immunity passports, the concept of the “original antigenic sin,” and constitutionalism and eugenics. This presentation was performed live at the annual meeting of the Massachusetts American College of Physicians, and is only lightly edited.
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