Re: "Racial" medicine

r norman wrote:
I sometimes see comments here arguing that "race"-based medicine
somehow proves that human races exist despite the frequent arguments
of many biologists, anthropologists, and social scientists to say
otherwise.

I have just seen a news release from an otherwise reliable source
(Medscape from WebMD) that claims in the headline "Race Influences
Side Effects of Cardiovascular Drugs"

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/531798?sssdmh=dm1.192052&src=nldne
(that site may require registration)
Reuters reported the same headline at
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-05-05T153030Z_01_COL555732_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-HEART-DRUGS-DC.XML&archived=False
(just google on the headline if the long url is too troublesome).

However the actual title of the paper in Brit Med is "Systematic
review and meta-analysis of ETHNIC differences in risks of adverse
reactions to drugs used in cardiovascular medicine" (emphasis added).
In the paper, itself, the word "race" is used only in association with
other studies cited. The paper is careful to refer only to ethnic
groups and ethnicity. The conclusion is careful to state: "Ethnic
group may therefore be one determinant of harms of a given
treatment in the individual patient, either because it acts as a
surrogate measure of genetic make up or because cultural
factors alter the risk."

So let me repeat: There are genetic differences between
subpopulations of the human species that influence susceptibility to
various diseases and medical treatment. There are also cultural
differences between subpopulations of the human species that influence
susceptibility to various diseases and medical treatment. There are
more or less clear-cut ethnic groups that differ in their genetic and
cultural background. In no way does that establish the notion of a
biological "race", even if that word is commonly abused in ordinary
language to refer to collections of ethnic groups containing widely
disparate members.

What evidence, real or imaginary, *would* establish it?

.

Relevant Pages

  • "Racial" medicine
    ... of many biologists, anthropologists, and social scientists to say ... that claims in the headline "Race Influences ... groups and ethnicity. ... language to refer to collections of ethnic groups containing widely ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: "Racial" medicine
    ... of many biologists, anthropologists, and social scientists to say ... that claims in the headline "Race Influences ... groups and ethnicity. ... language to refer to collections of ethnic groups containing widely ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: "Racial" medicine
    ... of many biologists, anthropologists, and social scientists to say ... that claims in the headline "Race Influences ... groups and ethnicity. ... differences between subpopulations of the human species that influence ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: "Racial" medicine
    ... that claims in the headline "Race Influences ... groups and ethnicity. ... susceptibility to various diseases and medical treatment. ... language to refer to collections of ethnic groups containing widely ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: "Racial" medicine
    ... of many biologists, anthropologists, and social scientists to say ... that claims in the headline "Race Influences ... groups and ethnicity. ... differences between subpopulations of the human species that influence ...
    (talk.origins)