Medical Apartheid

by Harriet A. Washington
Medical Apartheid cover
Good Books rating 3.83
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  • ID: 3121
  • Added: 2025-10-16
  • Updated: 2025-10-16
  • Reviews: 3
Reviews
goodreads.com · Unknown · 2025-10-22
harrowing 4.50

Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington is a groundbreaking exploration of the unethical medical practices and experiments conducted on African Americans throughout history. The book sheds light on the systemic racism and exploitation that has plagued the medical field, making it a crucial read for understanding the ongoing impact of these practices.

Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington is a deeply unsettling and eye-opening book that delves into the dark history of medical experimentation on African Americans. The author meticulously documents the numerous instances of unethical practices, from the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study to the exploitation of enslaved individuals for medical research. This book is not just a historical account but a call to action, urging readers to recognize the lasting effects of these practices on the African American community. The narrative is both harrowing and enlightening, providing a comprehensive look at how systemic racism has permeated the medical field. It's a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the broader implications of medical apartheid and its ongoing legacy.

Quick quotes

    The book reveals a history of medical exploitation that is both shocking and deeply disturbing.

    Washington's research is thorough and her arguments are compelling, making it clear that these issues are far from resolved.

    This book is a wake-up call to the ongoing racial disparities in healthcare.

hamilton.edu · Unknown · 2014-02-20
harrowing 4.50

Medical Apartheid by Harriet Washington delves into the historical exploitation of African Americans in medical research, highlighting a legacy of mistrust. The book documents centuries of abuse, from colonial times to the present, and underscores the ongoing impact on patient-doctor relationships.

Harriet Washington's Medical Apartheid is a comprehensive exploration of the systematic medical exploitation of African Americans. The book meticulously documents the historical abuses, from the earliest colonial times to contemporary practices, revealing a disturbing pattern of mistrust and injustice. Washington's work is not just a historical account but a call to recognize the lasting effects of these abuses on the African American community. The narrative is both harrowing and eye-opening, providing a critical perspective on the medical industry's role in perpetuating racial inequalities. The book's significance lies in its ability to bridge the gap between historical facts and their contemporary relevance, making it a must-read for anyone interested in medical ethics and racial justice.

Quick quotes

    The medical exploitation of African Americans has caused mistrust among patients and the medical industry.

    Author Harriet Washington talks about centuries of abuse documented in her book.

    The book documents centuries of abuse, from colonial times to the present, and underscores the ongoing impact on patient-doctor relationships.

npr.org · Unknown · 2007-01-29
critical 2.50

Harriet Washington's 'Medical Apartheid' explores the history of African-Americans' involvement and exploitation in biomedical research, arguing that racism has played a significant role. However, the book is criticized for its lack of broader context, numerous errors, and exaggerations, making it an untrustworthy source despite its important subject matter.

Harriet Washington's 'Medical Apartheid' delves into the often harrowing history of African-Americans' participation in biomedical research, highlighting instances of abuse and exploitation by a racist medical establishment. The book argues that this history extends far beyond the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study, with African-Americans disproportionately used in risky, nonbeneficial research throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. While the book tells some compelling stories, it fails to place these experiences within a broader social, historical, scientific, and ethical context. Moreover, the book is riddled with exaggerations, distortions, contradictions, errors, and confusions, which undermine its credibility. For instance, Washington claims that all but one of the first 251 experimental inoculations by Dr. Zabdiel Boylston were on black subjects, but Boylston's own report shows that only 12 of the 244 inoculated were identified as black. Another claim about research suspensions at prestigious universities is also inaccurate, as the suspensions were not related to minority enrollment. Despite its meticulous footnotes, the book's undocumented assertions and factual errors make it an untrustworthy source, even as it tackles an important and sensitive subject.

Quick quotes

    They have also too often been abused and exploited by a racist medical establishment.

    Researchers who exploit African-Americans were the norm for much of our nation’s history, when black patients were commonly regarded as fit subjects for nonconsensual, nontherapeutic research.

    The racial homogeneity of American medical researchers lies at the very heart of the problem.

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