Blacks and American Medical Care

Max Seham

• Publisher: Univ Of Minnesota Press
• Year: 1974
• eBook ISBN: 9780816664429
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Discrimination & Race Relations
• Index: Social Sciences

Blacks and American Medical Care was first published in 1974. In a long lifetime of medical practice Dr. Seham, a white physician, has seen at first hand the problems of blacks and medical care in the United States -- the difficulties blacks encounter in getting medical care, in receiving medical training, and in practicing as physicians. Because his own specialty is pediatrics, he has been particularly aware of the problems that are prevalent in the medical care of black children. In this book he describes and documents the black health crisis and makes recommendations for changes which he believes will alleviate existing conditions. Dr. Seham writes: “American medicine has long been a principal victim of our nation’s inverted sense of values. The scientific triumphs of American medicine include the discovery of miracle drugs, the transplantation of organs, and the discovery of new and powerful vaccines, but the portion of the population denied the benefits of these advances consists of many millions. We have allowed military needs to rank far above human needs. The affluent have access to the highest quality of medical care and they know how to get it. The poor and deprived usually get only the crumbs of medical care or none at all.” He points out that racism and poverty are inseparable from the black health crisis and therefore and attack on the problems of health must include an all-out effort to eradicate those two elements -- racism and poverty -- from American society.In conclusion he writes: “I think the case is clear: medical care equality is not only an urgent national need but a moral necessity. The choices this nation makes in the allocation of its resources reflect our system of values. We are indicating our priorities through this allocation, and thus far we have a far from acceptable record in total national health achievements. The mortality, morbidity, and general health statistics of the poverty-stricken, minority groups of our country give evidence of this failure.”

Table of contents

• Table of Contents
• The Right to Health
• The Black Health Crisis: Poverty and Discrimination
• Health of the Black Child
• The Black Student in Medicine
• The Black Doctor
• Meeting the Challenge
• Summing Up
• Notes
• Index