Medical Apartheid

Medical Apartheid

Medical Apartheid, written by Harriet A. Washington presents a horrific history of experimentation and exploitation of the African American population starting as early as the nineteenth centaury. Although much of the novel is rather graphic in describing physical measures of torture and exploitation, this form of vivid imagery actually serves to establish the poignancy and importance of the matter. In the much revered and respected discipline of medicine, Washington sheds light upon the ugly brutalities committed against African Americans through out the course of history. Hence, Washington’s work serves to illustrate three primary concepts. Firstly, it addresses how black bodies were largely dehumanized and exploited. Secondly, it discusses the dark history of medicine in which African Americans were repeatedly used for human experimentation for the prestige and success of medical professionals. Finally, Washington’s work allows us to deconstruct the field of medicine in a manner which opens our eyes to the entrepreneurial and predatory nature of the profession and how such traits are paradoxical to how we perceive physicians and their roles in our societies.

Human experimentation existed to satiate the sick curiosities of the medical academia as well as occurred with the intentions of discovering the secrets about how the body was physiologically structured and how it functioned. Such curiosities largely led to the dehumanizing of the bodies of the individuals studied as academics perceived the body more as objects of study and observation rather than subjects who held value and meaning. Unfortunately, this dehumanization occurred mostly in the context of African Americans bodies. The omnipotent belief of black inferiority and curious assumptions about how African Americans reacted to pain and disease only further served as a justification for black exploitation in the minds of white physicians. Such dehumanization is horrific to note from the painting by W. Gibson from Dr. Henry Clay’s collection, which illustrates how a white doctor drops a dead black baby from his coat. The picture is quite heartrending as baby is not only shown with his face down but in an awkward position which clearly serves to symbolize a mass of flesh devoid of all human characteristics. Considering that children in the context of society are much loved and revered, the dehumanization of a child because of his race is quite a scary reality.

Various doctors like Marion Sims gained great respect and success at the cost of numerous botched up surgeries on African American female slaves. It is heartbreaking to see that doctors like Marion Sims are granted marble memorials in Central Park in New York City for having made “brilliant achievements,” but the stories of the women he tortured and exploited at the cost of this prestige lie hidden in the covers of Washington’s books. It makes me well up in tears to think about the numbers of lives lost at the cost and vanity of medicine. The very discipline which is built on the foundation of saving lives not only takes lives but does so in a horrendous and humiliating manner.

Being that I myself want to pursue a career in medicine, Washington’s work raises serious doubts in my mind about my future. As a naïve student, I have always assumed the nobility which is attached to the field of medicine and have perceived the power of “healing” as a gift that a few members of society are fortunate to practice. However, in the more recent years, it has become more apparent that the discipline of medicine is largely run for entrepreneurial gain and success and often times has little to do with the wellbeing of patients. This phenomenon is seen through out Washington’s work where even though a physician has the responsibility of treating the wounds and pains of African Americans, their bodies are often used for experimentation. Furthermore, medicine is presented more as a privilege as it is enjoyed by the wealthy white community. Unfortunately, the privileged and wealthy members of society still enjoy extensive health benefits in comparison to those members of society who may be in most need of health care but cannot afford such benefits.

I am left here wondering about the stories behind the bodies. I do not want to know of Marion Sims. I want to know of the women whose lives and bodies he so deeply invaded. Why have they been forgotten? And if anyone, should not they be remembered? Why are these stories untold? Perhaps I will never know the answers to my curiosities. However, I am gratified that I was fortunate to have seen a glimpse of realities under the large cloak of credibility, nobility and perceived altruism even though in some way these realities scare me and shatter my very existence.