The Problem of Race in MedicinePosted in Articles, Health/Medicine/Genetics, Media Archive, Philosophy, Politics/Public Policy on 2012-06-04 03:04Z by Steven |
The Problem of Race in Medicine
Philosophy of the Social Sciences
Volume 31, Number 1 (March 2001)
pages 20-39
DOI: 10.1177/004839310103100102
Michael Root, Professor of Philosophy
University of Minnesota
The biomedical sciences employ race as a descriptive and analytic category. They use race to describe differences in rates of morbidity and mortality and to explain variations in drug sensitivity and metabolism. But there are problems with the use of race in medicine. This article identifies a number of the problems and assesses some solutions. The first three sections consider how race is defined and whether the racial data used in biomedical research are reliable and valid. The next three sections explain why racial variation in disease, including genetic disease, is not evidence that race is biological. The final section explains how a proper understanding of the role of race in medicine bears on public policy.
Read or purchase the article here.