J Natl Med Assoc
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Historical Article
The invisible malady: sickle cell anemia in America, 1910-1970.
Though several articles have appeared on the history of sickle cell anemia in the United States, none has dealt with the dissemination of information from the scientific community to the public. It is an interesting commentary on our society that 60 years have passed before this important but racially oriented disease has reached the public forum. In this article, the author tries to describe the major events in the history of sickle cell anemia and to explain why it has not been publicized.
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Comparative Study
Is there a genetic basis for the differences in cancer incidence between Afro-Americans and Euro-Americans?
The data of the Third National Cancer Survey show for many cancer types, large differences in cancer incidence between Euro-Americans and Afro-Americans.(1) As in other racial studies, it is difficult to separate environmental and genetic factors. For the cancers which are more frequent among Afro-Americans, environmental factors seem to be primarily responsible. However, among the cancers less frequent in Afro-Americans, there are some for which the racial differences have a genetic basis. ⋯ For all these cancers, Afro-Americans are less susceptible. The only cancer to which Afro-Americans appear more susceptible on the basis of genetic makeup, is fibrosarcoma. This is in accord with the high frequency of keloids, a benign counterpart of fibrosarcoma in Afro-Americans.