How Daniel Hale Williams’ Heart Surgery Demonstrated Black Brilliance
Assessing contributions by a trail-blazing Black doctor
To understand the need for Black brilliance, one must first consider the negative impacts of white supremacy in American society. Racism is as constant as the sun rising in the East and setting in the West. As a result, many Black doctors faced impediments, even as they contributed significantly to the development of modern medical advances. While many view science as an unbiased field of study, the truth is more nuanced. Throughout history, scientists used phony theories to justify discrimination against African Americans.
Negroes, with their smaller brains and blood vessels, and their tendency toward indolence and barbarism, Cartwright told fellow doctors, had only to be kept benevolently in the state of submission, awe and reverence that God had ordained — Samuel A. Cartwright 1851 (Ruane, 2019).
Using the perceived neutrality of science, they justified maintaining racial disparities in education, wealth, and sociopolitical power. Many doctors contributed to the creation and maintenance of white supremacy. While their assertions did not last the test of time, they established Black people as second rate citizens. In addition to science, many used religion and folk tales to give…
