Black People Have Less Lungs Than White People

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Cartwright claimed that black people had lower lung capacities than white people. He even hypothesized that it was a mental illness which he called Repetomania that caused enslaved people to desire freedom. His work looked really like science and even I've found it cited as late as 2010 in a prominent US journal, their racism gets into the science they do. And yet these ideas quickly proliferated and were used to justify slavery using science.

When COVID-19 hit it didn't kill indiscriminately. In the US, being Black, Hispanic, or Native American meant you had a much greater risk of death than if you were white. And these disparities are mirrored across the world.

In this episode we explore the complex tale behind this disparity. Throughout history, racism and biases have been embedded within medical technology, along the clinicians who use it. Cultural concepts of race have been falsely conflated with biology. The way medicine is taught, has reinforced flawed stereotypes. Disease itself, has been racialised. All of this adds up to barriers to care and worse health outcomes for many people, just because of the colour of their skin.

Science and scientists have played an influential part in embedding such racism into medicine But by challenging received wisdom science too has the power to right wrongs, and work towards solutions.

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